Spoiler Heavy Reaction to Jo's Best...
Okay, here we go.
This is a wonderful, wonderful book, probably Rowling's best in terms of the actual writing. Its funny but I never really considered how she has been growing in her command of the written word even as Harry has grown up. Something about the writing flows more freely this time, she spends more time in her character's heads, something I have always loved and appreciated in any really good author.
I honestly have so few problems with any of this that if I go on too terribly long this will be a silly review indeed. This final tale manages to find a perfect balance between action and true, deep emotion. I don't know that I've ever felt the bond between Harry, Ron and Hermione to be stronger or truer than it is here nor do I remember feeling quite so tense as our hero suffers through some of the worst shit ever thrown at him, if you'll pardon the potty language.
People have been talking lately about the absence of God in the Harry Potter books and I can't say quite why this annoys me so much except to ask why the lack of a character that is actually supposed to represent God, like say Aslan in the Narnia books, means that God isn't there. That hope can shine so brightly throughout a book as dark and death ridden as this is enough of an example of a higher power, a power stronger than darkness and evil, watching over our heroes as I need.
Because there is hope here, probably more so than in any other novel. Harry comes into his own at last, and not merely in his willingness to fulfill Dumbledore's last task for him, but in his final understanding that he does not have to be alone in doing what must be done, that he can let go of his fears of what he represents to the world as the "chosen one." He releases the pain and the anger and the sense of obligation that have made him kind of a jerk for the last three books and accepts his destiny. And frankly, its rather glorious to see.
Doubtless there will be a ton of discussion about the World War II metaphors, something that will perhaps ring truer with Jo's European audiences than it does with those of us in the states, but I can't fail to mention how perfectly she caught the air of fear and horror that surely ran rampant across Europe in the 1930's and 40's. Voldemort's war against mix-bloods and muggles is an almost too perfect metaphor for Hitler's "final solution" (the cataloging of blood lines, trials for muggle borns who have surely "stolen" magic from true wizards to win their power, lessons for children in learning they are superior to those without magic). But I tended to like the more subtle touches, like "Potterwatch" which I wish had gotten a bit more attention and poor Mr. Lovegood's surrendering of Harry to the death eaters in the hope that they would give him back his Luna.
Then of course we have the deaths, and with them the first of only a few criticisms. I felt in "Deathly Hallows" more so than any other book, that Jo took the easy road in terms of killing off beloved characters. I have two thoughts as to why. First of all, these are casualties of war, death is no longer a catalyst for Harry to do something, the war is already happening and the people that will be lost are those who fight or are caught in the cross fire. There really isn't a need for Harry to lose anyone so close to him so that it will change him dramatically in one way or another. And my other thought is that Jo simply couldn't bare to lose anyone we really, really love. Fred Weasley's death is awful, but it somehow lacks a certain impact and I can't help feeling it was a stand in for a bigger, more awful choice. I will always wonder if she perhaps always intended to take Ron, and if maybe he was the one who was "got a reprieve" at the last minute.
I was troubled by the "blink and you'll miss it" feel of Tonks and Lupin's deaths and frankly Lupin's character is probably the one that annoyed me the most throughout the book. I felt in a way like we didn't have time to watch, yet again, his inner struggle with being a werewolf and the connection between the Lupin deaths and those of Harry's parents felt too heavy handed. As soon as Harry became baby Teddy's godfather I thought "oh well that's it for them." I think the term that kept coming to me as the body count rose was "throw away" as though the characters losing their lives, Hedwig, Dobby, even Mad Eye were somehow inconsequential. And I don't know, maybe that's how I was supposed to feel, this is who dies in war, those everyday people (owls, elves) that we simply assume will be with us forever.
I suppose I should speak briefly of Snape. Rarely do I have the chance to do this, but holy cow did I see that one coming a mile away. I KNEW there had to be some reason Slughorn spends half of book six mentioning over and over what a wonderful potion brewer Lily Potter was.
Seriously though? It was a little, teeny bit soap opera for me. Snape was in love with Lily. Wonderful. Way to take five pages to try and FINALLY give some depth to a character who has been nothing but insufferably awful for years. One of my biggest points of contention with these books has always been that Snape has gotten no character development. Every time there was a chance of it, when Harry was given a window into Snape's past, even as far back as Snape trying to save Harry from Quirell, Jo has shied away from doing anything to alter Snape's darkness.
It felt, ultimately, like too little too late.
I won't talk about the last battle too much, mostly because I still don't understand it. No matter how many times I re-read these things I STILL don't get why Harry survived as a baby or how the wands connect to each other and wand ownership and blah, blah blah!!!! Harry got the horcruxes, Harry killed the bad guy. Mind you I've always enjoyed the journey more than the ending anyway.
And then we have the epilogue. Nineteen years later and all I know is that Harry married Ginny (holy cow YOU'RE KIDDING!!!) and Ron married Hermione (see previous reaction). Oh and Hermione and Ron have TERRIBLE taste in names (HUGO?). Not that Albus Severus Potter is winning any prizes with me either. Oh and Neville's a teacher and the Potters, Weasleys and Malfoys are at least being civil to each other. Do I know what any of them do for a living? Did they go back to school? What the hell happened to everyone else? Did George keep up with Weasleys Wizard Weezes or was the death of his beloved twin too much? Did Dean end up with Luna (which Jo seemed to be suggesting)? Who the hell were the OTHER 50 PEOPLE WHO DIED?
Honestly either explain something with the epilogue or don't have one.
Unless of course the intention was to make me scream for more books that explain all that. In which case give the word and scream I shall ;)
I need to stress though that really these are small points, they are totally over shadowed by my general and total love of this story and this world and this boy who thank god DID live.
I loved this book, and I cried like a baby and I punched the air and I wished very hard that it wasn't done yet when I finally closed it. I actually found myself in the shower this morning thinking "oh well she'll work THAT part out in the next book" and felt more than just a small twinge in my tummy when I realized that she would in fact NOT be working it out for me. '/lj-cut>'
Thank you Jo, really...just thank you. There's simply nothing else to say.
This is a wonderful, wonderful book, probably Rowling's best in terms of the actual writing. Its funny but I never really considered how she has been growing in her command of the written word even as Harry has grown up. Something about the writing flows more freely this time, she spends more time in her character's heads, something I have always loved and appreciated in any really good author.
I honestly have so few problems with any of this that if I go on too terribly long this will be a silly review indeed. This final tale manages to find a perfect balance between action and true, deep emotion. I don't know that I've ever felt the bond between Harry, Ron and Hermione to be stronger or truer than it is here nor do I remember feeling quite so tense as our hero suffers through some of the worst shit ever thrown at him, if you'll pardon the potty language.
People have been talking lately about the absence of God in the Harry Potter books and I can't say quite why this annoys me so much except to ask why the lack of a character that is actually supposed to represent God, like say Aslan in the Narnia books, means that God isn't there. That hope can shine so brightly throughout a book as dark and death ridden as this is enough of an example of a higher power, a power stronger than darkness and evil, watching over our heroes as I need.
Because there is hope here, probably more so than in any other novel. Harry comes into his own at last, and not merely in his willingness to fulfill Dumbledore's last task for him, but in his final understanding that he does not have to be alone in doing what must be done, that he can let go of his fears of what he represents to the world as the "chosen one." He releases the pain and the anger and the sense of obligation that have made him kind of a jerk for the last three books and accepts his destiny. And frankly, its rather glorious to see.
Doubtless there will be a ton of discussion about the World War II metaphors, something that will perhaps ring truer with Jo's European audiences than it does with those of us in the states, but I can't fail to mention how perfectly she caught the air of fear and horror that surely ran rampant across Europe in the 1930's and 40's. Voldemort's war against mix-bloods and muggles is an almost too perfect metaphor for Hitler's "final solution" (the cataloging of blood lines, trials for muggle borns who have surely "stolen" magic from true wizards to win their power, lessons for children in learning they are superior to those without magic). But I tended to like the more subtle touches, like "Potterwatch" which I wish had gotten a bit more attention and poor Mr. Lovegood's surrendering of Harry to the death eaters in the hope that they would give him back his Luna.
Then of course we have the deaths, and with them the first of only a few criticisms. I felt in "Deathly Hallows" more so than any other book, that Jo took the easy road in terms of killing off beloved characters. I have two thoughts as to why. First of all, these are casualties of war, death is no longer a catalyst for Harry to do something, the war is already happening and the people that will be lost are those who fight or are caught in the cross fire. There really isn't a need for Harry to lose anyone so close to him so that it will change him dramatically in one way or another. And my other thought is that Jo simply couldn't bare to lose anyone we really, really love. Fred Weasley's death is awful, but it somehow lacks a certain impact and I can't help feeling it was a stand in for a bigger, more awful choice. I will always wonder if she perhaps always intended to take Ron, and if maybe he was the one who was "got a reprieve" at the last minute.
I was troubled by the "blink and you'll miss it" feel of Tonks and Lupin's deaths and frankly Lupin's character is probably the one that annoyed me the most throughout the book. I felt in a way like we didn't have time to watch, yet again, his inner struggle with being a werewolf and the connection between the Lupin deaths and those of Harry's parents felt too heavy handed. As soon as Harry became baby Teddy's godfather I thought "oh well that's it for them." I think the term that kept coming to me as the body count rose was "throw away" as though the characters losing their lives, Hedwig, Dobby, even Mad Eye were somehow inconsequential. And I don't know, maybe that's how I was supposed to feel, this is who dies in war, those everyday people (owls, elves) that we simply assume will be with us forever.
I suppose I should speak briefly of Snape. Rarely do I have the chance to do this, but holy cow did I see that one coming a mile away. I KNEW there had to be some reason Slughorn spends half of book six mentioning over and over what a wonderful potion brewer Lily Potter was.
Seriously though? It was a little, teeny bit soap opera for me. Snape was in love with Lily. Wonderful. Way to take five pages to try and FINALLY give some depth to a character who has been nothing but insufferably awful for years. One of my biggest points of contention with these books has always been that Snape has gotten no character development. Every time there was a chance of it, when Harry was given a window into Snape's past, even as far back as Snape trying to save Harry from Quirell, Jo has shied away from doing anything to alter Snape's darkness.
It felt, ultimately, like too little too late.
I won't talk about the last battle too much, mostly because I still don't understand it. No matter how many times I re-read these things I STILL don't get why Harry survived as a baby or how the wands connect to each other and wand ownership and blah, blah blah!!!! Harry got the horcruxes, Harry killed the bad guy. Mind you I've always enjoyed the journey more than the ending anyway.
And then we have the epilogue. Nineteen years later and all I know is that Harry married Ginny (holy cow YOU'RE KIDDING!!!) and Ron married Hermione (see previous reaction). Oh and Hermione and Ron have TERRIBLE taste in names (HUGO?). Not that Albus Severus Potter is winning any prizes with me either. Oh and Neville's a teacher and the Potters, Weasleys and Malfoys are at least being civil to each other. Do I know what any of them do for a living? Did they go back to school? What the hell happened to everyone else? Did George keep up with Weasleys Wizard Weezes or was the death of his beloved twin too much? Did Dean end up with Luna (which Jo seemed to be suggesting)? Who the hell were the OTHER 50 PEOPLE WHO DIED?
Honestly either explain something with the epilogue or don't have one.
Unless of course the intention was to make me scream for more books that explain all that. In which case give the word and scream I shall ;)
I need to stress though that really these are small points, they are totally over shadowed by my general and total love of this story and this world and this boy who thank god DID live.
I loved this book, and I cried like a baby and I punched the air and I wished very hard that it wasn't done yet when I finally closed it. I actually found myself in the shower this morning thinking "oh well she'll work THAT part out in the next book" and felt more than just a small twinge in my tummy when I realized that she would in fact NOT be working it out for me. '/lj-cut>'
Thank you Jo, really...just thank you. There's simply nothing else to say.