My thoughts on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
This is a blog all about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. So if you either have not finished the book yet, or are just someone who hates Harry Potter (COUGHjamesCOUGH), then leave now while you have a chance!
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Ok, that should be enough space so no one catches anything even by accident.
[I originally posted this on the OnlineOnslaught messageboards (yeah they talk about stuff other than wrestling, lol. You can check that out as well if you'd like over at: http://www.onlineonslaught.com/OOForums/viewthread.php?tid=19599]
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I just finished the book last night or should I say this morning (July 26th) at 3:40am. I just couldn't put it down once I got to the Battle of Hogwarts.
I have to say I was impressed at the dark and "realistic" turn the book took. Rowling killed off a lot characters that many people had an attachment to (whether they were strong or not). I had thought I heard that only 2 major characters were going to die in this book. So once Hedwig and Mad Eye Moody died, I thought "maybe that's it?" But then again Hedwig wasn't exactly major (although it was still sad to see him die, bc it sucks to lose a pet), so I kept waiting for "the other shoe to drop." [BTW, how twisted was it for Umbridge to have taken Mad-Eye's eye and use it for her door? I found that pretty graphic and evil]
Then once Dobby died, I figured that was it. And boy, was that a sad death. Especially the whole "and his eyes shined with the reflection of the stars which he could see no more" line. That got me.
But then Rowling has to go and kill off Fred Weasley too!! I was shocked at that one. I figured if anything Percy might be the one to bite it. I was pretty upset with Fred's death as the twins provided some of the funniest moments throughout the series (their departure from Hogwarts in Book 5 was an overall highlight for me). And even the beginning of the book, the line after they took the polyjuice potion to look like Harry "Hey look, we're identical!" cracked me up. So yeah, I was pretty upset over that death.
I figured Lupin's time was limited after Pettigrew died. There was no way Lupin was going to be the only surviving member of the 4 friends. I was a bit surprised to see Tonks dead too. I didn't have major attachment to those characters but I was saddened mostly bc they had just had a kid, so it was like Harry Potter all over again.
I agree with Joeldacat, the visual of Colin Creevey's body being carried past was slightly disturbing. But while sad, I actually appreciated that death along with Lupin and Tonks in that they happened offscreen and just added to the "realism" of the book. War is terrible and not everyone gets a valiant death. Sometimes people just get killed, and death will take anyone, including innocent children. In that aspect I also appreciated Fred's death, even though it pissed me off.
-I have to say thanks to the board for providing me with an answer to one question that had bugged me as soon as I read it. The whole Neville having the sword of Gryffindor thing. I was like "how the hell did he get that? The goblin took it!" Rowling could have just put "and out from the sorting hat came the whup-ass sword" or something like that to clear everything up. :-)
-The Elder wand thing confused me at first too. I had to re-read that passage about 3 times to make the connection (and then when I was done with the book I quickly thumbed through the end of Book 6, to confirm that Draco had disarmed Dumbledore).
-Am I the only one who thought of Xander (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) losing an eye, when George got his ear blown off?
-The book did have a bit of a slower pace, but then again it was a very different layout than the rest of the series. So I really felt the frustration that Harry, Ron & Hermoine felt spending so much time getting very little done.
-However, while there was a slower pace, the action scenes were definitely the most exciting in the series. Harry's escape from Pivet Drive was awesome. That'll look great in the movie, I'm sure.
-Another mark-out moment (both in the book, and once it happens in the movie) was Mrs. Weasley screaming "NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!" and then proceeding to kick ass and take names. I can just see the audience roaring right now. Hell, I smacked the table I was reading on and a huge grin came to my face as I gave a small cheer at that part.
-It seems I'm in the minority on this, but I actually liked the epilogue. To those who didn't like it, I mean what did you really expect?? This woman started off as a Children's novel writer. I don't see how anyone couldn't see a "Happily Ever After" occuring (well at least once they knew the main 3 characters survived, lol). Plus, any details about the other characters will come in the "Encyclopedia" that Rowling will release in a few years. And she also gave a bit away in that interview that Joeldacat posted/linked to. So yeah, I'm fine with it. B/c the alternative would probably be something along the lines of Lord of the Rings, and people pissed over that even MORE.
So yeah, overall I enjoyed the book immensely. I don't know where I would rank it though. I have a special place in my heart for Prisoner of Azkaban (as this was the beginning of the turn from Children's novels to Fantasy series), so I might lean for that to still be number 1, and then maybe Half-Blood Prince. So yeah, I'd place this nicely in the middle, but with some very big standout moments that make me want to rank it higher. I feel it lived up to expectations (well mine at least), as a great ending to a fantastic series.
****
[And here is the link as well as the article itself, that I referenced above that has an interview with J.K. Rowling]
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19959323/
Finished 'Potter'? Rowling tells what happens next
Exclusive: Author gives details on events after the book's final epilogue
By Jen Brown
TODAYShow.com contributor
Updated: 7:38 a.m. ET July 26, 2007
Spoiler alert: This story reveals some key plot points in the final Harry Potter book. So if you've haven't finished the book, J.K. Rowling asks that you not read this story.
If you found the epilogue of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" rather vague, then J.K. Rowling achieved her goal.
The author was shooting for "nebulous," something "poetic." She wanted the readers to feel as if they were looking at Platform 9¾ through the mist, unable to make out exactly who was there and who was not.
"I do, of course, have that information for you, should you require it," she told TODAY's Meredith Vieira rather coyly in her first interview since fans got their hands on the final book.
Ummm … yes, please!
Rowling said her original epilogue was "a lot more detailed," including the name of every child born to the Weasley clan in the past 19 years. (Victoire, who was snogging Teddy — Lupin and Tonks' son — is Bill and Fleur's eldest.)
"But it didn't work very well as a piece of writing," Rowling said. "It felt very much that I had crowbarred in every bit of information I could … In a novel you have to resist the urge to tell everything."
But now that the seventh and final novel is in the hands of her adoring public, Rowling no longer has to hold back any information about Harry Potter from her fans. And when 14 fans crowded around her in Edinburgh Castle in Scotland earlier this week as part of TODAY's interview, Rowling was more than willing to share her thoughts about what Harry and his friends are up to now.
Harry, Ron and Hermione
We know that Harry marries Ginny and has three kids, essentially, as Rowling explains, creating the family and the peace and calm he never had as a child.
As for his occupation, Harry, along with Ron, is working at the Auror Department at the Ministry of Magic. After all these years, Harry is now the department head.
"Harry and Ron utterly revolutionized the Auror Department," Rowling said. "They are now the experts. It doesn't matter how old they are or what else they've done."
Meanwhile, Hermione, Ron's wife, is "pretty high up" in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, despite laughing at the idea of becoming a lawyer in "Deathly Hallows."
"I would imagine that her brainpower and her knowledge of how the Dark Arts operate would really give her a sound grounding," Rowling said.
Harry, Ron and Hermione don't join the same Ministry of Magic they had been at odds with for years; they revolutionize it and the ministry evolves into a "really good place to be."
"They made a new world," Rowling said.
The wizarding naturalist
Luna Lovegood, the eccentric Ravenclaw who was fascinated with Crumple-Horned Snorkacks and Umgubular Slashkilters, continues to march to the beat of her own drum.
"I think that Luna is now traveling the world looking for various mad creatures," Rowling said. "She's a naturalist, whatever the wizarding equivalent of that is."
Luna comes to see the truth about her father, eventually acknowledging there are some creatures that don't exist.
"But I do think that she's so open-minded and just an incredible person that she probably would be uncovering things that no one's ever seen before," Rowling said.
Luna and Neville Longbottom?
It's possible Luna has also found love with another member of the D.A.
When she was first asked about the possibility of Luna hooking up with Neville Longbottom several years ago, Rowling's response was "Definitely not." But as time passed and she watched her characters mature, Rowling started to "feel a bit of a pull" between the unlikely pair.
Ultimately, Rowling left the question of their relationship open at the end of the book because doing otherwise "felt too neat."
Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom: "The damage is done."
There is no chance, however, that Neville's parents, who were tortured into madness by Bellatrix Lestrange, ever left St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies.
"I know people really wanted some hope for that, and I can quite see why because, in a way, what happens to Neville's parents is even worse than what happened to Harry's parents," Rowling said. "The damage that is done, in some cases with very dark magic, is done permanently."
Rowling said Neville finds happiness in his grandmother's acceptance of him as a gifted wizard and as the new herbology professor at Hogwarts.
The fate of Hogwarts
Nineteen years after the Battle of Hogwarts, the school for witchcraft and wizardry is led by an entirely new headmaster ("McGonagall was really getting on a bit") as well as a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. That position is now as safe as the other teaching posts at Hogwarts, since Voldemort's death broke the jinx that kept a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor from remaining for more than a year.
While Rowling didn't clarify whether Harry, Ron and Hermione ever return to school to finish their seventh year, she did say she could see Harry popping up every now and again to give the "odd talk" on Defense Against the Dark Arts.
More details to come?
Rowling said she may eventually reveal more details in a Harry Potter encyclopedia, but even then, it will never be enough to satisfy the most ardent of her fans.
"I'm dealing with a level of obsession in some of my fans that will not rest until they know the middle names of Harry's great-great-grandparents," she said. Not that she's discouraging the Potter devotion!
"I love it," she said. "I'm all for that."
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Ok, that should be enough space so no one catches anything even by accident.
[I originally posted this on the OnlineOnslaught messageboards (yeah they talk about stuff other than wrestling, lol. You can check that out as well if you'd like over at: http://www.onlineonslaught.com/OOForums/viewthread.php?tid=19599]
****
I just finished the book last night or should I say this morning (July 26th) at 3:40am. I just couldn't put it down once I got to the Battle of Hogwarts.
I have to say I was impressed at the dark and "realistic" turn the book took. Rowling killed off a lot characters that many people had an attachment to (whether they were strong or not). I had thought I heard that only 2 major characters were going to die in this book. So once Hedwig and Mad Eye Moody died, I thought "maybe that's it?" But then again Hedwig wasn't exactly major (although it was still sad to see him die, bc it sucks to lose a pet), so I kept waiting for "the other shoe to drop." [BTW, how twisted was it for Umbridge to have taken Mad-Eye's eye and use it for her door? I found that pretty graphic and evil]
Then once Dobby died, I figured that was it. And boy, was that a sad death. Especially the whole "and his eyes shined with the reflection of the stars which he could see no more" line. That got me.
But then Rowling has to go and kill off Fred Weasley too!! I was shocked at that one. I figured if anything Percy might be the one to bite it. I was pretty upset with Fred's death as the twins provided some of the funniest moments throughout the series (their departure from Hogwarts in Book 5 was an overall highlight for me). And even the beginning of the book, the line after they took the polyjuice potion to look like Harry "Hey look, we're identical!" cracked me up. So yeah, I was pretty upset over that death.
I figured Lupin's time was limited after Pettigrew died. There was no way Lupin was going to be the only surviving member of the 4 friends. I was a bit surprised to see Tonks dead too. I didn't have major attachment to those characters but I was saddened mostly bc they had just had a kid, so it was like Harry Potter all over again.
I agree with Joeldacat, the visual of Colin Creevey's body being carried past was slightly disturbing. But while sad, I actually appreciated that death along with Lupin and Tonks in that they happened offscreen and just added to the "realism" of the book. War is terrible and not everyone gets a valiant death. Sometimes people just get killed, and death will take anyone, including innocent children. In that aspect I also appreciated Fred's death, even though it pissed me off.
-I have to say thanks to the board for providing me with an answer to one question that had bugged me as soon as I read it. The whole Neville having the sword of Gryffindor thing. I was like "how the hell did he get that? The goblin took it!" Rowling could have just put "and out from the sorting hat came the whup-ass sword" or something like that to clear everything up. :-)
-The Elder wand thing confused me at first too. I had to re-read that passage about 3 times to make the connection (and then when I was done with the book I quickly thumbed through the end of Book 6, to confirm that Draco had disarmed Dumbledore).
-Am I the only one who thought of Xander (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) losing an eye, when George got his ear blown off?
-The book did have a bit of a slower pace, but then again it was a very different layout than the rest of the series. So I really felt the frustration that Harry, Ron & Hermoine felt spending so much time getting very little done.
-However, while there was a slower pace, the action scenes were definitely the most exciting in the series. Harry's escape from Pivet Drive was awesome. That'll look great in the movie, I'm sure.
-Another mark-out moment (both in the book, and once it happens in the movie) was Mrs. Weasley screaming "NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!" and then proceeding to kick ass and take names. I can just see the audience roaring right now. Hell, I smacked the table I was reading on and a huge grin came to my face as I gave a small cheer at that part.
-It seems I'm in the minority on this, but I actually liked the epilogue. To those who didn't like it, I mean what did you really expect?? This woman started off as a Children's novel writer. I don't see how anyone couldn't see a "Happily Ever After" occuring (well at least once they knew the main 3 characters survived, lol). Plus, any details about the other characters will come in the "Encyclopedia" that Rowling will release in a few years. And she also gave a bit away in that interview that Joeldacat posted/linked to. So yeah, I'm fine with it. B/c the alternative would probably be something along the lines of Lord of the Rings, and people pissed over that even MORE.
So yeah, overall I enjoyed the book immensely. I don't know where I would rank it though. I have a special place in my heart for Prisoner of Azkaban (as this was the beginning of the turn from Children's novels to Fantasy series), so I might lean for that to still be number 1, and then maybe Half-Blood Prince. So yeah, I'd place this nicely in the middle, but with some very big standout moments that make me want to rank it higher. I feel it lived up to expectations (well mine at least), as a great ending to a fantastic series.
****
[And here is the link as well as the article itself, that I referenced above that has an interview with J.K. Rowling]
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19959323/
Finished 'Potter'? Rowling tells what happens next
Exclusive: Author gives details on events after the book's final epilogue
By Jen Brown
TODAYShow.com contributor
Updated: 7:38 a.m. ET July 26, 2007
Spoiler alert: This story reveals some key plot points in the final Harry Potter book. So if you've haven't finished the book, J.K. Rowling asks that you not read this story.
If you found the epilogue of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" rather vague, then J.K. Rowling achieved her goal.
The author was shooting for "nebulous," something "poetic." She wanted the readers to feel as if they were looking at Platform 9¾ through the mist, unable to make out exactly who was there and who was not.
"I do, of course, have that information for you, should you require it," she told TODAY's Meredith Vieira rather coyly in her first interview since fans got their hands on the final book.
Ummm … yes, please!
Rowling said her original epilogue was "a lot more detailed," including the name of every child born to the Weasley clan in the past 19 years. (Victoire, who was snogging Teddy — Lupin and Tonks' son — is Bill and Fleur's eldest.)
"But it didn't work very well as a piece of writing," Rowling said. "It felt very much that I had crowbarred in every bit of information I could … In a novel you have to resist the urge to tell everything."
But now that the seventh and final novel is in the hands of her adoring public, Rowling no longer has to hold back any information about Harry Potter from her fans. And when 14 fans crowded around her in Edinburgh Castle in Scotland earlier this week as part of TODAY's interview, Rowling was more than willing to share her thoughts about what Harry and his friends are up to now.
Harry, Ron and Hermione
We know that Harry marries Ginny and has three kids, essentially, as Rowling explains, creating the family and the peace and calm he never had as a child.
As for his occupation, Harry, along with Ron, is working at the Auror Department at the Ministry of Magic. After all these years, Harry is now the department head.
"Harry and Ron utterly revolutionized the Auror Department," Rowling said. "They are now the experts. It doesn't matter how old they are or what else they've done."
Meanwhile, Hermione, Ron's wife, is "pretty high up" in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, despite laughing at the idea of becoming a lawyer in "Deathly Hallows."
"I would imagine that her brainpower and her knowledge of how the Dark Arts operate would really give her a sound grounding," Rowling said.
Harry, Ron and Hermione don't join the same Ministry of Magic they had been at odds with for years; they revolutionize it and the ministry evolves into a "really good place to be."
"They made a new world," Rowling said.
The wizarding naturalist
Luna Lovegood, the eccentric Ravenclaw who was fascinated with Crumple-Horned Snorkacks and Umgubular Slashkilters, continues to march to the beat of her own drum.
"I think that Luna is now traveling the world looking for various mad creatures," Rowling said. "She's a naturalist, whatever the wizarding equivalent of that is."
Luna comes to see the truth about her father, eventually acknowledging there are some creatures that don't exist.
"But I do think that she's so open-minded and just an incredible person that she probably would be uncovering things that no one's ever seen before," Rowling said.
Luna and Neville Longbottom?
It's possible Luna has also found love with another member of the D.A.
When she was first asked about the possibility of Luna hooking up with Neville Longbottom several years ago, Rowling's response was "Definitely not." But as time passed and she watched her characters mature, Rowling started to "feel a bit of a pull" between the unlikely pair.
Ultimately, Rowling left the question of their relationship open at the end of the book because doing otherwise "felt too neat."
Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom: "The damage is done."
There is no chance, however, that Neville's parents, who were tortured into madness by Bellatrix Lestrange, ever left St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies.
"I know people really wanted some hope for that, and I can quite see why because, in a way, what happens to Neville's parents is even worse than what happened to Harry's parents," Rowling said. "The damage that is done, in some cases with very dark magic, is done permanently."
Rowling said Neville finds happiness in his grandmother's acceptance of him as a gifted wizard and as the new herbology professor at Hogwarts.
The fate of Hogwarts
Nineteen years after the Battle of Hogwarts, the school for witchcraft and wizardry is led by an entirely new headmaster ("McGonagall was really getting on a bit") as well as a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. That position is now as safe as the other teaching posts at Hogwarts, since Voldemort's death broke the jinx that kept a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor from remaining for more than a year.
While Rowling didn't clarify whether Harry, Ron and Hermione ever return to school to finish their seventh year, she did say she could see Harry popping up every now and again to give the "odd talk" on Defense Against the Dark Arts.
More details to come?
Rowling said she may eventually reveal more details in a Harry Potter encyclopedia, but even then, it will never be enough to satisfy the most ardent of her fans.
"I'm dealing with a level of obsession in some of my fans that will not rest until they know the middle names of Harry's great-great-grandparents," she said. Not that she's discouraging the Potter devotion!
"I love it," she said. "I'm all for that."
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