*SPOILER* Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows *SPOILER*

Mod35tBabe

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The link to that article was great - I was wondering who the hell Victoriae or whatever her name is was. I figured she was a Weasley, but how I didn't know. I actually quite liked the ending, mostly because I was pleased that noone else important died - well important to me anyway. The deaths that upset me most were Hedwig's, just felt that was terribly unfair, Lupin's and Fred's because I really liked those two characters and Tonks because now Teddy has no parents like Harry, though I'm imagining he didn't grow up in a cupboard under the stairs. I actually liked how Harry "died" since to me the curse hit Harry, but actually attacked the part of Voldemort's soul inside of him, and that's why the thing under the chair ended up like it did. And yes the other Horcruxes were damaged badly but the other Horcruxes weren't alive, and had been stabbed by various items, they didn't have a spell cast on them. I enjoyed finding out more about Dumbledore's past, and felt more sympathy than before for Snape. I disliked Snape, but did feel sorry for him because of how nasty James and co were to him - I didn't expect he and Lily to be friends though. I did like that Harry had named his son after him - a lasting legacy.
As for Ron and Hermione, I only recall the names of Rose and Hugo but it occurred to me that the parents names start with R and H, and now so do the childrens' but how intentional that was I don't know.
Would've liked some more detail in the epilogue though I understand why it wasn't there, however I think the encyclopedia will fill in the details for those of us who want to know, because others mightn't care to read it in the book.
 

Miss Java

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No.. It wasn't a Passion of the Christ analogy. It was a Neo analogy.

Neo had to die before he could become The One, in the Matrix. "It looks like you're waiting for something." "What?" "I don't know. Your next life maybe."

Harry was in the same boat. He had to die because neither could live. But per the prophecy, Harry had power the Dark Lord suspected not: the fact that Voldemort himself had left open a path for his soul to reunite with his body, if he so chose.


I don't know why so many people fight the possibility that it could very well be a Christ representation. Heck, she even put bible scripture in that last book. (1 Cor. 15:26 and Matt 6:21) And if you look at Voldermort: Characteristics of a snake, Was handsome but wanted to have it all, marked his followers with his sign. And the fact that Harry didn't just die and come back to life, he sacrificed himself to kill the evil, just like Jesus held the sins of the world, and the only way he could get rid of it was to die.


If you haven't read this editorial yet, there is a bunch of stuff that shows many parallels. (Some are stretching it a bit)

http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/editorials/edit-beauseigneura01.shtml


It will be interesting to see if she ever does say anything about it, either to confirm or deny.
 

BarbJ

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My only complaint about the book comes from being an animal lover. In the other books, the animals played bit parts; in this one, there's no interaction. Hedwig and Harry don't interact because she's sulking, then - boom. Pidwigeon gets a line or two, and Crookshanks is mentioned but not seen.

Fang and Bukbeak are mentioned as being in the battle, but that's pretty much it. I think a memorable mental image is when Hagrid rescues Fang from the fire and strides off into the forest with the dog over his shoulders. (Can't remember which book. Order, I think.) Perhaps some missed opps here. I would have gone with less wandering and more animal, but it ain't my book. Sadly.

Brief scenes that will linger in my head are McGonall (sp?) herding the desks down the hall and Trelawney dropping crystal balls. A sentence or two, but they stick. (Could've done that with the animals...) I would have liked something about Luna in the 19 years after.

I do like that it was Neville who killed the snake; I like the boy. (Childhood memories/sympathies?) And he would have been the Choosen One if he had been, um, chosen.

My two cents. Three with inflation.
 

Christine N.

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Miss Java,
I don't fight the fact it COULD be, I just don't see it. Besides, the resurrection mythos isn't limited to Christianity - the whole Osiris/phoenix/death and rebirth thing has been done for thousands of years, in many cultures. It's a common theme and not a believe held only by Christians.

That's all I see, I guess.

And Trelawney rocked. Literally :D
 

Southern_girl29

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The only scene I really had a problem with was Ron speaking parseltongue. It just didn't work for me, but honestly, it didn't really take a lot away from the book.

I can see how it could be considered a Christian allegory, but I don't know if it is or not. I think the whole feel I got from the book, which I've mentioned in another thread, is a 1940s, Nazi Europe.
 

katiemac

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Here's another article. All those rumors about "scar" being the last line of the book were true, but then she decided to change it. Plus some extra info about how/why she wrote them at all.

(You've got to watch the videos, though.)
 
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I enjoyed the book, really no more or less than the others.

I have to give Rowling credit for putting together a series that, while not the most innovate work, writing-wise, was a perfectly crafted tale (story-wise) with excellently executed pace and excitement.
 

Southern_girl29

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Did anyone see the Dateline NBC interview with her tonight? I got the feeling, even though she didn't say anything like this, that she might write about Teddy Lupin in the future. I would love to read that.
 

katiemac

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Didn't see Dateline, but I saw a copy of the transcript.

Of course, I didn't get a feel for her tone when I was reading, but I didn't get the impression about Teddy Lupin. I felt he was built into the storyline as a contrast and parallel to Harry. Parallel because he's orphaned by Voldemort, but contrast because he's doing all right. I didn't a huge story there, because he is okay.

But you know Rowling, always something up her sleeve.
 

Southern_girl29

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Didn't see Dateline, but I saw a copy of the transcript.

Of course, I didn't get a feel for her tone when I was reading, but I didn't get the impression about Teddy Lupin. I felt he was built into the storyline as a contrast and parallel to Harry. Parallel because he's orphaned by Voldemort, but contrast because he's doing all right. I didn't a huge story there, because he is okay.

But you know Rowling, always something up her sleeve.

I think it was because she said she something about crying about Teddy and that he meant a lot to her. I guess we'll see. I'd just hate to see her leave that world behind completely. I know she'll probably never write about Harry again, but I would love to see something else in the world she created.
 

eric11210

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Isn't anyone willing to be a little critical of this book?

Yes, I enjoyed the book.Yes, I enjoyed all the Harry Potter books and movies.

That said (and yes, spoilers a plenty coming):

The whole wedding was totally unnecessary. It just made the book drag. So did the whole thing with the group unraveling because they were wandering from place to place.

My biggest peeve though is towards the end. Harry dies, then he comes back to life, then we think he's almost dead, etc. etc. It seemed like she was twisting it so much back and forth just in order to fit everything in. The worst was when Harry says to Voldemort something like "do you want to know why you won't win?" Jeez!! No, he doesn't give a crap. He want to kill you, you little twat! No way that could really happen (I'm saying of course if the wizarding world was real -- suspension of disbelief and all). It was purely a cheap device by Rowling to explain yet another plot twist.

OK, rant over. Sorry to rain on anyone's parade, but the 7th book felt like something she wrote knowing she could get away with almost anything instead of something she wrote feeling that she needed to do the best damn job she could. . .

Eric
 

Christine N.

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People were EXPECTING the wedding. Not only was it a part of book 6, it was the last thing talked about in that book, so it was expected. There were also two major parts of the book (that came into play later) that I don't think would have worked any other way, since the two characters who gave information weren't really just hanging around. Wait, no, four. A lot was learned at that wedding.

Plus it set off a good contrast, there was something to be happy about during a time of extreme tension.

I didn't really enjoy the bouncing about the woods bit, I thought she could have condsensed that by at least a chapter. That was my biggest complaint. Too much bouncing about with not much story progression.

And Harry didn't really die; he was in a limbo like place inside his head. It was his choice to stay or go on. At least that's how I read it.

The last bit Harry's exposition to Voldemort was to build tension, and I thought it worked. Kept the pace and helped build suspense without having it over too soon.

Overall I thought it was a satisfying ending to the series. No book is perfect, we'll find fault with anything, but this was pretty good. In fact, I wrote an article on why I write for children, and this was one of my points - I could write and be free (not sloppy!) with my fantasy and not spend half the book rationalizing it to the adults reading it. Adult fantasy, IMO, tries to be too serious and make the reader feel better about reading fantasy.

I'll stick with kids, who just accept that magic happens.
 

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"Sorry to rain on anyone's parade, but the 7th book felt like something she wrote knowing she could get away with almost anything instead of something she wrote feeling that she needed to do the best damn job she could. . ."

I had more the impression that she was going back to her original ideas (from when she started) as to what events would happen and where they would end, which may have been a small mistake.

As for criticism of the series in general, IMO Rowling is not a great writer. (One sentence I can't get out of my head, for some reason, is "____ looked at the look on ____'s face.") She is, however, a great storyteller, and the teller takes the story in the direction he or she wants . So, not looking for great writing, I enjoyed the series. Would I have changed some things? Yes. But it ain't my series.

BTW, I really liked Kreacher the repulsive cretin becoming Kreacher the valiant hero. Rowling never let go of the beginnings, which was the stuff of childhood fantasies, and that's what made the series fun. Her story-telling talent made it memorable. That's what I want to aim at.

ETA: I was never under the impression, while reading, that Harry was dead. I took it as a near-death experence, somewhat fantasized.
 

Southern_girl29

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I don't mind criticism when criticism is due, but the things you've criticized are the things I feel works. She had to have the wedding there, like Christine said. I also never thought Harry was dead at all.

The only real problem I had with the book is the same one Christine had. She could have condensed some of the camping in the forest bit.

The thing is, she had so many people to please with this book that there is no way she could please all of them. Besides, it's her book, and I think she should be very proud of the job she's done.
 

Jo

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<snip>
I disliked Snape, but did feel sorry for him because of how nasty James and co were to him - I didn't expect he and Lily to be friends though. I did like that Harry had named his son after him - a lasting legacy.
As for Ron and Hermione, I only recall the names of Rose and Hugo but it occurred to me that the parents names start with R and H, and now so do the childrens' but how intentional that was I don't know.
<snip>
Well, if you look again at Harry's son, who doesn't want to be a Slytherin:
Albus Severus Potter... ASP...

That's some legacy!
 
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Me. I demanded to know, at the age of seven, why I couldn't get into Narnia through the back of my wardrobe.

I tell this tale in my latest novel, Seun Potter and the Half-Cut Bints.
 

sassandgroove

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I don't even know where to start or if I have anything to offer. I couldn't read this thread in one sitting.

I didn't mind the camping bit. Yes it was laborious, but that was the point. It made Ron's departure make sense, rather than out of the blue. It showed how frustrating their situation was, how hopeless it seemed to them.

The wedding brought together people that wouldn't be together normally to introduce crucial information to the plot. Plus, it follows book six.

Neville pulling the sword out of the sorting hat was a great moment for me. Neville is a TRUE Gryffindor. I belived in Neville and was glad to see him step up and be triumphant! I loved how he took up a leadership mantle at Hogwart's, too.

I cried when Harry saw Snapes Memories. I believed in Snape, too, especially after Book 6, 'DOn't call me a coward!" I knew there was something about Dumbledore, I knew he wasn't a murderer. But to finally have everything revealed after he dies, oh my heart wrenched for him. No wonder he seemed to hate Harry, Harry embodied everything he couldn't have. ANd the Silver Doe, oh man....

Fred! Did Fred really have to die. And when Percy is finally restored to the family, too. I cried more at Percy's reaction, I think.

I don't think Harry died, I think the killing curse killed the part of Voldemort that was in Harry.

I liked the history on Dumbledore, and that he had flaws, and knew his own weakness.

Ron speaking parseltoungue didn't bother me until I read this thread. But I like the theory someone up thread posted that he was almost posessed by voldemort with the locket. He even says he heard Harry speaking it at the locket, so he tried to repeat what Harry said. It was a way to get Harry alone to face the final battle.

I decided the minute I finished book 7 to go back and read the rest again. I've just finished book 2. Oh it is so cool. A lot of things to come full circle. Gringotts, for example. And the parts with Ginny, knowing she's going to marry him, just make me smile. And Iam sad now everytime I see Fred and George. I am picking up on details I had forgotton or hadn't noticed. It is great fun.
 

Sarita

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Yeah, I'd like to go back and read the whole series again, too, Sassypants. I think I'll give it a go after vacation...
 

BarbJ

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I'm rereading also; just started on 4. It's fun to go through a series without the interruption of waiting for the next publishing date, and it enhances Rowling's story-telling gift. Enjoy!
 

Southern_girl29

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I'm also re-reading. I'm nearing the end of book two. I can't believe how much she was able to remember to keep errors from happening.
 

Christine N.

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I managed to read them all and finish HBP two days before DH came out. So I was primed and ready. I'll probably go back and read them all again over the winter - now I have so many books piling up, and some books to read for a contest I'm judging and a WIP to finish so the agent can look at it and my editor will be contacting me soon to start work on the next book...

So why am I hanging around here??
 

dclary

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I'm rereading also; just started on 4. It's fun to go through a series without the interruption of waiting for the next publishing date, and it enhances Rowling's story-telling gift. Enjoy!

You probably should start on 1. It makes it better if you go in order.