Deathly Hallows: Spoilers
Jul. 21st, 2007 05:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vaznettiLuckily, it was a cold, wet day, perfect for spending indoors reading a long book
There was a great deal to like in the book, I thought. It's not my fandom, and I didn't have a dog in any of the shipping fights, or care very strongly about any of the characters. I mean, I like Snape, and was glad that we finally got his story, but there was no way he was getting out of the book alive. I was extremely happy that Harry threw that betrayal back in Voldemort's face, where everyone could hear it (and interesting, by the way, that Harry thought it would matter to Voldemort, although I'm not sure it really did, but it's the sort of thing that matters so much to Harry) and overjoyed with Harry's final words about him, to Albus. I didn't want McGonagall to be secretly evil (a theory I'd encountered), and loved her leading the charge at Hogwarts.
There was a lot missing, as there often is in these books, simply because of the constraint that they're Harry's story, and told only from his point of view. But I thought that it was great that we had glimpses of so many characters again, and that they were there to do things like Kreacher and Dobby. I loved the new Kreacher. So much love!
I'm glad we saw Krum again, however briefly.
And Neville! leading la resistance and hacking of Nagini's head -- he didn't kill Voldemort, true, but he made it possible for Voldemort to die. Oh, Neville! And getting praise from his grandmother! And Molly, in that final duel against Bellatrix! (I was more than a little worried for Molly, there, but JKR recognizes the secret power of mothers: between Molly, Narcissa, Lily herself, of course... were there others? It wasn't enough to protect Tonks, but Tonks was focused on Remus, there.)
It was really the trio's book, as was right and proper. Hermione is terrifyingly smart and amoral -- the thing about her parents was just awful, but in some strange way the only means of protecting them. And that amazing purse! And Ron! Having his moment of doubt and then returning -- and that moment with Harry where he says that D. knew that he'd desert them, and Harry says, no, he knew you'd want to come back. And then finding the basilisk teeth! And letting Hermione destroy the cup! The romance there was nicely played, too.
But really, both of them. What makes Harry different is that even though in the end, he has to do what he does alone, he's never really alone when he does it.
And Harry, having to come to know Dumbledore as another human being -- an equal, or a potential equal -- in the same way that he came to know Voldemort in the last book. I liked Dumbledore's shady past rather a lot.
I suppose people who love Remus are going to be the most disappointed -- trying to run out on Tonks (and really, never appearing all that enthusiastic about the marriage), and then on Tonks and the infant Teddy! And then, both of them dying. I have to admit, I didn't think she'd kill them both, or that she'd kill such an important character as Remus off-screen.
I did figure that at least one Weasely would die, probably one of the twins, but I liked how it happened -- that he died laughing with Percy, because Percy came back.
Holy crap, this is a boring entry, isn't it? I liked this, I liked that, blah, blah, blah. I mean, I started the book around ten thirty and finished about four -- I'd hope I liked it, at that rate! But I may need to let it settle a bit, before having much else to say about it.
The epilogue was... well, part of me feels that as a general rule, marrying the person you're in love with at 17 is not the wisest course of action, but of course some people do and it turns out wonderfully. And it seems very typical of the Wizarding world. The little exchange between Harry and Albus did really get to me -- and that James is very James and very Weasely, and Albus much more tentative -- and Harry's recognition, as earlier, that he had so much in common with Tom Riddle and with Snape. And I loved Ron's line about being famous, while everyone points at Harry and whispers! And that Harry and Draco are still not friends. (Actually, Harry saving Draco again and again was the one thing that felt odd to me -- but it might have seemed less so if I'd read the end of HBP last night, and it wasn't that I thought it was out of character, just that it might have been more explicitly motivated. But then again, I was reading rather quickly.) All in all, though, the epilogue made sense, and I can see why Rowling thought it was necessary. I wouldn't have minded more of the immediate aftermath of the victory, but in some ways this was even more satisfying: Harry's final "All was well," reminded me a bit of Sam's "Well, I'm home," at the end of Return of the King. It's not that the story stops: it goes on, but it goes on differently.
My stolen wireless is having a bit of trauma -- I hope this works!
There was a great deal to like in the book, I thought. It's not my fandom, and I didn't have a dog in any of the shipping fights, or care very strongly about any of the characters. I mean, I like Snape, and was glad that we finally got his story, but there was no way he was getting out of the book alive. I was extremely happy that Harry threw that betrayal back in Voldemort's face, where everyone could hear it (and interesting, by the way, that Harry thought it would matter to Voldemort, although I'm not sure it really did, but it's the sort of thing that matters so much to Harry) and overjoyed with Harry's final words about him, to Albus. I didn't want McGonagall to be secretly evil (a theory I'd encountered), and loved her leading the charge at Hogwarts.
There was a lot missing, as there often is in these books, simply because of the constraint that they're Harry's story, and told only from his point of view. But I thought that it was great that we had glimpses of so many characters again, and that they were there to do things like Kreacher and Dobby. I loved the new Kreacher. So much love!
I'm glad we saw Krum again, however briefly.
And Neville! leading la resistance and hacking of Nagini's head -- he didn't kill Voldemort, true, but he made it possible for Voldemort to die. Oh, Neville! And getting praise from his grandmother! And Molly, in that final duel against Bellatrix! (I was more than a little worried for Molly, there, but JKR recognizes the secret power of mothers: between Molly, Narcissa, Lily herself, of course... were there others? It wasn't enough to protect Tonks, but Tonks was focused on Remus, there.)
It was really the trio's book, as was right and proper. Hermione is terrifyingly smart and amoral -- the thing about her parents was just awful, but in some strange way the only means of protecting them. And that amazing purse! And Ron! Having his moment of doubt and then returning -- and that moment with Harry where he says that D. knew that he'd desert them, and Harry says, no, he knew you'd want to come back. And then finding the basilisk teeth! And letting Hermione destroy the cup! The romance there was nicely played, too.
But really, both of them. What makes Harry different is that even though in the end, he has to do what he does alone, he's never really alone when he does it.
And Harry, having to come to know Dumbledore as another human being -- an equal, or a potential equal -- in the same way that he came to know Voldemort in the last book. I liked Dumbledore's shady past rather a lot.
I suppose people who love Remus are going to be the most disappointed -- trying to run out on Tonks (and really, never appearing all that enthusiastic about the marriage), and then on Tonks and the infant Teddy! And then, both of them dying. I have to admit, I didn't think she'd kill them both, or that she'd kill such an important character as Remus off-screen.
I did figure that at least one Weasely would die, probably one of the twins, but I liked how it happened -- that he died laughing with Percy, because Percy came back.
Holy crap, this is a boring entry, isn't it? I liked this, I liked that, blah, blah, blah. I mean, I started the book around ten thirty and finished about four -- I'd hope I liked it, at that rate! But I may need to let it settle a bit, before having much else to say about it.
The epilogue was... well, part of me feels that as a general rule, marrying the person you're in love with at 17 is not the wisest course of action, but of course some people do and it turns out wonderfully. And it seems very typical of the Wizarding world. The little exchange between Harry and Albus did really get to me -- and that James is very James and very Weasely, and Albus much more tentative -- and Harry's recognition, as earlier, that he had so much in common with Tom Riddle and with Snape. And I loved Ron's line about being famous, while everyone points at Harry and whispers! And that Harry and Draco are still not friends. (Actually, Harry saving Draco again and again was the one thing that felt odd to me -- but it might have seemed less so if I'd read the end of HBP last night, and it wasn't that I thought it was out of character, just that it might have been more explicitly motivated. But then again, I was reading rather quickly.) All in all, though, the epilogue made sense, and I can see why Rowling thought it was necessary. I wouldn't have minded more of the immediate aftermath of the victory, but in some ways this was even more satisfying: Harry's final "All was well," reminded me a bit of Sam's "Well, I'm home," at the end of Return of the King. It's not that the story stops: it goes on, but it goes on differently.
My stolen wireless is having a bit of trauma -- I hope this works!
