Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
This is a spoiler-free review.
The Youngster and I went to go stand in line for the last Harry Potter book last night. It was fun, and I was glad for the company. Lots of people in costumes -- good witches, bad witches and of course the ever-popular Naughty Witches. Lots and lots of naughty witches. And a cat-girl Hermione.
The bookstore moved us all through pretty well when the bell tolled 12:01. We were at least 500 people back, and probably more like 1000, but we were out of the store and home shortly after 12:30.
According to The Wife, people were still lined up at the store at 8:00 this morning. Now that's dedication.
I finished the book this afternoon, and I have to say that I was satisfied with it. It was as much better than Book 6 as that book was than 5 and 4, which leads me to be a tiny bit suspicious about the book's parentage. In particular, there are several phenomenal action sequences that indicate not just a writing talent that Rowling has not heretofore displayed, but also a taste for action that is notably absent from the rest of the series.
Flat-out, this is easily the best book of the bunch. It has shed the pastiche-y flavor of the other books almost completely, while still retaining a lot of the clunky-yet-charming prose. And the best part about it is that it manages to make every prediction come true, even the contradictory ones.
If there are fans who are disappointed with this book, I cannot possibly see why. J. K. Rowling is not the greatest or most original storyteller, but this book wraps everything up quite nicely, with a long roller-coaster ride to a sweet ending.
The Youngster and I went to go stand in line for the last Harry Potter book last night. It was fun, and I was glad for the company. Lots of people in costumes -- good witches, bad witches and of course the ever-popular Naughty Witches. Lots and lots of naughty witches. And a cat-girl Hermione.
The bookstore moved us all through pretty well when the bell tolled 12:01. We were at least 500 people back, and probably more like 1000, but we were out of the store and home shortly after 12:30.
According to The Wife, people were still lined up at the store at 8:00 this morning. Now that's dedication.
I finished the book this afternoon, and I have to say that I was satisfied with it. It was as much better than Book 6 as that book was than 5 and 4, which leads me to be a tiny bit suspicious about the book's parentage. In particular, there are several phenomenal action sequences that indicate not just a writing talent that Rowling has not heretofore displayed, but also a taste for action that is notably absent from the rest of the series.
Flat-out, this is easily the best book of the bunch. It has shed the pastiche-y flavor of the other books almost completely, while still retaining a lot of the clunky-yet-charming prose. And the best part about it is that it manages to make every prediction come true, even the contradictory ones.
If there are fans who are disappointed with this book, I cannot possibly see why. J. K. Rowling is not the greatest or most original storyteller, but this book wraps everything up quite nicely, with a long roller-coaster ride to a sweet ending.
posted by Robert at
8:15 PM
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