Reflections On Harry Potter
This past Saturday saw the release of the seventh and final book in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, "Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows." I, of course, picked up a copy Saturday morning and spent the weekend (and Monday night until 3:30am Tuesday morning) reading it. I won't talk too much about the book itself, since it's not really the book that I want to talk about.
In short, I liked it. It had an engaging plot, wonderful characters, an exciting and satisfying conclusion, and a truly lovely, poignant ending. Its flaws were mainly to be found in some clunky passages of exposition, occasional poor grammar, and an unnecessarily large amount of colons. It was also bit too long and as a result dragged in places. All in all, though, I thought it wrapped up the series beautifully.
I remember where I was the first time I heard about the books. I was in my middle school library, although I can't remember whether I was in seventh or eighth grade. The librarian held up a copy of "Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone." She asked how many of us had read it. Only three or so people in the class raised their hands (this was before it had become an international craze). Then my mother, who had heard about it from a friend, brought home a copy and read the first chapter aloud. Hooked, I read it and became an instant fan.
I wasn't able to read the sequel, "Harry Potter & The Chamber Of Secrets," until my brother had finished it. We were at the beach when he finished "Sorcerer's Stone," and insisted that we go to the bookstore to buy "Chamber Of Secrets." He locked himself in his room the whole trip to read the book. He was also able to read the third installment, "Harry Potter & The Prisoner Of Azkaban" (my favorite book in the series) before me, because his best friend's father had brought a copy back from England. That book started the habit of me buying the books the day they came out.
The only specific memory I have of "Harry Potter & The Goblet Of Fire" is of my mother reading the first chapter to me in the living room. I have no memory at all of "Harry Potter & The Order Of The Phoenix" except some thoughts I had as I was reading it, but I do remember finding it and its predecessor great books. By that point I had made it through high school and had moved on to college, and it was during the summer before sophomore year that "Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince" was released. Unlike previous books, I wasn't able to finish it in the usual two or so days because something - I assume it was a job, but I can't remember exactly - held me up. The next weekend, however, we went to my grandparents' house and I spent most of the weekend in my bedroom reading it.
It was a bittersweet moment when I finished the last page of "Deathly Hallows" and put the book away. I was glad that I knew how the series ended, but I also felt sad that there would be no further installments. This feeling only worsened the morning after, as I found myself grieving over the loss of the characters. I don't think I realized until then just how much I truly cared about the books, but it makes perfect sense that I would feel this way. I've been reading them faithfully for nearly half of my life and it's sad to see something that has been so present for so long reach its conclusion.
Of course, the great thing about books is that they can be reread. I plan to read all the books again, and it will be sooner rather than later that I pick up "Sorcerer's Stone" and revisit Harry, his friends and his world. I'm glad to have been around for a series that inspired children around the world to read and will surely go down in history as a fantasy classic. The thrill of waiting for the next installment may be gone, but the magic of Harry Potter will always hold a place in my heart.
In short, I liked it. It had an engaging plot, wonderful characters, an exciting and satisfying conclusion, and a truly lovely, poignant ending. Its flaws were mainly to be found in some clunky passages of exposition, occasional poor grammar, and an unnecessarily large amount of colons. It was also bit too long and as a result dragged in places. All in all, though, I thought it wrapped up the series beautifully.
I remember where I was the first time I heard about the books. I was in my middle school library, although I can't remember whether I was in seventh or eighth grade. The librarian held up a copy of "Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone." She asked how many of us had read it. Only three or so people in the class raised their hands (this was before it had become an international craze). Then my mother, who had heard about it from a friend, brought home a copy and read the first chapter aloud. Hooked, I read it and became an instant fan.
I wasn't able to read the sequel, "Harry Potter & The Chamber Of Secrets," until my brother had finished it. We were at the beach when he finished "Sorcerer's Stone," and insisted that we go to the bookstore to buy "Chamber Of Secrets." He locked himself in his room the whole trip to read the book. He was also able to read the third installment, "Harry Potter & The Prisoner Of Azkaban" (my favorite book in the series) before me, because his best friend's father had brought a copy back from England. That book started the habit of me buying the books the day they came out.
The only specific memory I have of "Harry Potter & The Goblet Of Fire" is of my mother reading the first chapter to me in the living room. I have no memory at all of "Harry Potter & The Order Of The Phoenix" except some thoughts I had as I was reading it, but I do remember finding it and its predecessor great books. By that point I had made it through high school and had moved on to college, and it was during the summer before sophomore year that "Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince" was released. Unlike previous books, I wasn't able to finish it in the usual two or so days because something - I assume it was a job, but I can't remember exactly - held me up. The next weekend, however, we went to my grandparents' house and I spent most of the weekend in my bedroom reading it.
It was a bittersweet moment when I finished the last page of "Deathly Hallows" and put the book away. I was glad that I knew how the series ended, but I also felt sad that there would be no further installments. This feeling only worsened the morning after, as I found myself grieving over the loss of the characters. I don't think I realized until then just how much I truly cared about the books, but it makes perfect sense that I would feel this way. I've been reading them faithfully for nearly half of my life and it's sad to see something that has been so present for so long reach its conclusion.
Of course, the great thing about books is that they can be reread. I plan to read all the books again, and it will be sooner rather than later that I pick up "Sorcerer's Stone" and revisit Harry, his friends and his world. I'm glad to have been around for a series that inspired children around the world to read and will surely go down in history as a fantasy classic. The thrill of waiting for the next installment may be gone, but the magic of Harry Potter will always hold a place in my heart.