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lallis_follyThe seventh novel in this little-known series appeared with this past weekend with no fanfare ... what? Oh, sorry, must've been Confunded, there.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was snatched off shelves and magically appeared in people's mailboxes and front porches all over the English-speaking world this past weekend. I am not ashamed to admit that I was one of the readers who disappeared into a quiet room and, for all intents and purposes, didn't emerge until I had finished.
J. K. Rowling didn't disappoint with her much-anticipated ending to the Harry Potter series. While the surface story delights, with action aplenty, there is also deeper examination of life and death, obligation and responsibility, prejudice, totalitarianism, and self-esteem. Rowling even slyly sticks her tongue out at the fundies and book-burners who have spent the last ten years vilifying her creation.
The book is not without its flaws. There are great chunks of backstory that are delivered with a thunk by -- and I can't think of any better way to put this, so thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
bardsong for the phrase -- the exposition fairies. The single point-of-view story means that a lot of action happens off-stage and the reader only learns about it later, when Harry does. I would have loved to have seen what was going on elsewhere in the wizarding world while we were with Harry; the story does suffer for that lack.
The symmetry of Harry's final confrontation with Voldemort to his first in-person confrontation with the Dark Lord is beautifully done. I have read complaints about the book's epilogue, but Rowling does a good job of showing that after war, life does go on.
And after Harry Potter? Well, fans still have two movies to look forward to.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was snatched off shelves and magically appeared in people's mailboxes and front porches all over the English-speaking world this past weekend. I am not ashamed to admit that I was one of the readers who disappeared into a quiet room and, for all intents and purposes, didn't emerge until I had finished.
J. K. Rowling didn't disappoint with her much-anticipated ending to the Harry Potter series. While the surface story delights, with action aplenty, there is also deeper examination of life and death, obligation and responsibility, prejudice, totalitarianism, and self-esteem. Rowling even slyly sticks her tongue out at the fundies and book-burners who have spent the last ten years vilifying her creation.
The book is not without its flaws. There are great chunks of backstory that are delivered with a thunk by -- and I can't think of any better way to put this, so thanks to
bardsong for the phrase -- the exposition fairies. The single point-of-view story means that a lot of action happens off-stage and the reader only learns about it later, when Harry does. I would have loved to have seen what was going on elsewhere in the wizarding world while we were with Harry; the story does suffer for that lack.The symmetry of Harry's final confrontation with Voldemort to his first in-person confrontation with the Dark Lord is beautifully done. I have read complaints about the book's epilogue, but Rowling does a good job of showing that after war, life does go on.
And after Harry Potter? Well, fans still have two movies to look forward to.
