Coming to terms
Before I go and read comments and whatever it is people thought of the Book of Doom, I need to gather my own thoughts.
I can't say that the Harry Potter books have been a big part of my life, mostly because I never did take much time reading them and I never went looking for information or forums of discussion or spend that much time pondering What-Will-Happen. But I've know of them since, what? seven, eight years ago? Just about the time the fourth book came out, before its Spanish version.
It took me like, a day each to read the first three books. All in the same week. I was hooked. We bought the fourth book from the net a little after that. I didn't have much experience reading big books in English back then, and I was busy with school, so it took me two weeks and it cost me my back-pack because the damned book was so heavy it went right through it after carrying it back and forth so I could read it on the bus.
It was around this time that the books actually became famous. The movies began to be produced and everyone was waiting for the fifth book. The craziness started.
Like most people, I didn't like the fifth book. I was frustrated because the fourth had made little sense to me (still doesn't) and the third was so damn good I wanted something like that again. I read the fifth in three days. I actually made it last that long. I didn't want to finish it and have to wait another few years to read what would have happened next. But if I'd took too much time, I could have not avoid the spoilers. So three days it was, and the damn book had me crying big and bitter tears.
I have to clarify. Sirius never was my favorite character. I loved the third book and I loved the story of Harry's parents and their friends and I liked Remus and Sirius a lot, but I cry with the fifth book because it was an emotional roller coaster and Sirius' death was the crumbling point, not because of his death itself.
When I realized that the fifth book had me more invested in the story than all the other books put together, because I was mad at Dumbledore and I wanted to throttle Umbridge and Snape was a whiny little asshole and I wanted to slap both Harry and Sirius more than once, I ended up respecting it. I know until now most people think the worst of this book, but I reserve that privilege (for lack of a better term) to both the fourth and sixth books. The forth because it still doesn't make any sense to me, most of what happened in it could have been avoided and Cedric didn't have to be dead, and the sixth, because, seriously, is a bad written fanfic!
As I say, I didn't like the sixth. This one actually took me a long while to read, I didn't enjoy it much. I was rolling my eyes through the whole book. 'Till now, I don't remember much happening in it, except for Dumbledore's death and every kid in school suffering from a love spell in a continuing reenactment of Valentine's day fics.
By the time the last book came out, I was completely out of touch with the story. I knew there were only a handful of ways the plot was gonna turn out, and I didn't particularly like any of them. The joy I had with the first three books had died long ago. I didn't like the twists and turns the story had taken, not because of what those were, but because of how they came to be. It was sloppy writing. I can't say I could have done it better, of course not, and Rowling pays a lot of attention to details and knows how to make you visualize a scene like the best of them, but her story telling was sloppy because some turns were down right dumb and she was rather predictable until the very end.
I saw most of the last book coming. Except for Fred's death. And Molly killing Bellatrix. I thought that Neville, Tonks or Hermione would be the ones killing her. I loved the way Molly did it, that was a good surprise. But the death... I knew a Weasley was gonna die. I prepared myself to that fact in the fifth book when I knew something was gonna happened to Arthur. I just didn't prepare myself for Fred. Percy, Bill, Charlie, Arthur, even George and of course Ron. But not Fred. That was painful and the thing I regret the most of this story. Right after that I think it is Hedwig's death. I didn't saw that one coming either.
All the other deaths I saw, so it wasn't that big of a deal, even Remus'. I loved that Snape died and how he die. I was annoyed with Harry naming a son after him (what a horrible name, that poor kid), and I was more annoyed with the whole chapter dedicated to explain Snape's actions. Was it really necessary? People didn't think those facts were kinda obvious already? I'm telling you, sloppy story telling!
If I'm honest, until Harry came back to Hogwarts, the plot was giving me a headache. You can summarize the story this way: "Every time something goes wrong, witch means, all the damn time, please just vanish in sight and live to do the same thing all over again another day."
After they break into the bank, though, things looked better, even though I knew what was gonna happened and I didn't like to think about the deaths. There were less that I thought, anyway. Hagrid and Ron survived, as well as Neville and the rest of the Weasley, even Draco and his parents. I guess my vision of the ending was a lot more gruesome than the reality of it.
Oh, and the whole speech and dialog between Vodemort and Harry? Tacky, but necessary, I guess. The epilogue? Also tacky. And corny. And it reminded me of the big bad fanfic that was the previous book. I admit it was kinda cute, though. Now I'm picturing Harry and the gang having as much kids necessary to name after all the dead. I mean, I was missing a Fred and a Sirius and a Remus and a Cedric... How many fics are already about the "next generation"??
I'm been cynic and it seems like I didn't think very highly of the last book. That's not true. I enjoyed parts of it, I thought it was very well written, had good flow and style most of the time, specially when the battle really started and I could picture everything rather easily, I'm grateful for that. The plot took advantage of everything we had learn so far and gave everyone something to do. I mean, even Oliver Wood came back! That made me really happy! but most importantly, Harry managed to live a long happy life, and I think that any way that he could have accomplish that is good enough because, in the end, he was the main character and after all this time, he and the readers both, deserves some peace and quiet.
I can't say that the Harry Potter books have been a big part of my life, mostly because I never did take much time reading them and I never went looking for information or forums of discussion or spend that much time pondering What-Will-Happen. But I've know of them since, what? seven, eight years ago? Just about the time the fourth book came out, before its Spanish version.
It took me like, a day each to read the first three books. All in the same week. I was hooked. We bought the fourth book from the net a little after that. I didn't have much experience reading big books in English back then, and I was busy with school, so it took me two weeks and it cost me my back-pack because the damned book was so heavy it went right through it after carrying it back and forth so I could read it on the bus.
It was around this time that the books actually became famous. The movies began to be produced and everyone was waiting for the fifth book. The craziness started.
Like most people, I didn't like the fifth book. I was frustrated because the fourth had made little sense to me (still doesn't) and the third was so damn good I wanted something like that again. I read the fifth in three days. I actually made it last that long. I didn't want to finish it and have to wait another few years to read what would have happened next. But if I'd took too much time, I could have not avoid the spoilers. So three days it was, and the damn book had me crying big and bitter tears.
I have to clarify. Sirius never was my favorite character. I loved the third book and I loved the story of Harry's parents and their friends and I liked Remus and Sirius a lot, but I cry with the fifth book because it was an emotional roller coaster and Sirius' death was the crumbling point, not because of his death itself.
When I realized that the fifth book had me more invested in the story than all the other books put together, because I was mad at Dumbledore and I wanted to throttle Umbridge and Snape was a whiny little asshole and I wanted to slap both Harry and Sirius more than once, I ended up respecting it. I know until now most people think the worst of this book, but I reserve that privilege (for lack of a better term) to both the fourth and sixth books. The forth because it still doesn't make any sense to me, most of what happened in it could have been avoided and Cedric didn't have to be dead, and the sixth, because, seriously, is a bad written fanfic!
As I say, I didn't like the sixth. This one actually took me a long while to read, I didn't enjoy it much. I was rolling my eyes through the whole book. 'Till now, I don't remember much happening in it, except for Dumbledore's death and every kid in school suffering from a love spell in a continuing reenactment of Valentine's day fics.
By the time the last book came out, I was completely out of touch with the story. I knew there were only a handful of ways the plot was gonna turn out, and I didn't particularly like any of them. The joy I had with the first three books had died long ago. I didn't like the twists and turns the story had taken, not because of what those were, but because of how they came to be. It was sloppy writing. I can't say I could have done it better, of course not, and Rowling pays a lot of attention to details and knows how to make you visualize a scene like the best of them, but her story telling was sloppy because some turns were down right dumb and she was rather predictable until the very end.
I saw most of the last book coming. Except for Fred's death. And Molly killing Bellatrix. I thought that Neville, Tonks or Hermione would be the ones killing her. I loved the way Molly did it, that was a good surprise. But the death... I knew a Weasley was gonna die. I prepared myself to that fact in the fifth book when I knew something was gonna happened to Arthur. I just didn't prepare myself for Fred. Percy, Bill, Charlie, Arthur, even George and of course Ron. But not Fred. That was painful and the thing I regret the most of this story. Right after that I think it is Hedwig's death. I didn't saw that one coming either.
All the other deaths I saw, so it wasn't that big of a deal, even Remus'. I loved that Snape died and how he die. I was annoyed with Harry naming a son after him (what a horrible name, that poor kid), and I was more annoyed with the whole chapter dedicated to explain Snape's actions. Was it really necessary? People didn't think those facts were kinda obvious already? I'm telling you, sloppy story telling!
If I'm honest, until Harry came back to Hogwarts, the plot was giving me a headache. You can summarize the story this way: "Every time something goes wrong, witch means, all the damn time, please just vanish in sight and live to do the same thing all over again another day."
After they break into the bank, though, things looked better, even though I knew what was gonna happened and I didn't like to think about the deaths. There were less that I thought, anyway. Hagrid and Ron survived, as well as Neville and the rest of the Weasley, even Draco and his parents. I guess my vision of the ending was a lot more gruesome than the reality of it.
Oh, and the whole speech and dialog between Vodemort and Harry? Tacky, but necessary, I guess. The epilogue? Also tacky. And corny. And it reminded me of the big bad fanfic that was the previous book. I admit it was kinda cute, though. Now I'm picturing Harry and the gang having as much kids necessary to name after all the dead. I mean, I was missing a Fred and a Sirius and a Remus and a Cedric... How many fics are already about the "next generation"??
I'm been cynic and it seems like I didn't think very highly of the last book. That's not true. I enjoyed parts of it, I thought it was very well written, had good flow and style most of the time, specially when the battle really started and I could picture everything rather easily, I'm grateful for that. The plot took advantage of everything we had learn so far and gave everyone something to do. I mean, even Oliver Wood came back! That made me really happy! but most importantly, Harry managed to live a long happy life, and I think that any way that he could have accomplish that is good enough because, in the end, he was the main character and after all this time, he and the readers both, deserves some peace and quiet.