Pajiba

Just noticed that you probably meant "Epilogue" rather than "Prologue" in your last paragraph. :-)

Good review though in any case!

Nice review. I loved "Deathly Hallows". So often the finale to a series is just WEAK (see; "The Dark Tower") but I thought "Deathly Hallows" was stunning. It did get meandering and frustrating in the middle but I really think that was intentional to try and put the reader in the same state of mind as the heroes. The kids are scared, tired, frustrated, and falling apart and it's not until Harry gets the sword that things start to turn around. I have a feeling that is where part 1 of the movie is going to end, too.

I liked the epilogue for the same reason as you. After the total carnage and emotional wallop of the ending it needed some light to end the story.

Genny, you've revived wonderful memories with your review.

One of my fondest remeberances(despite my ex and my friend's ex-wife being present) was when 12:01 hit at the Barnes and Noble I was at when Deathly Hallows was released. You have to understand, this was a two level B&N, packed to the brim with fans waiting for their copy. Once the countdown hit zero, you should have heard the ruckus caused. It was the last time I ever wore a lightening bolt scar (drawn in borrowed eyeliner).

It's books like this (and the fans that love them) that really encourage a sense of community. Better yet, this was before the era of the Sparkletard, so I could associate with the screaming fans instead of wielding crucifixes to ward them off. Funny thing is, this was the night before the four of us left for our big summer camping trip, and there my friend and I were...trying to see who could get to the end quicker. (For the record, he won.) I miss the summer of 07. I miss having a new Harry Potter book to read. Most of all, I miss the days before the world went full Sparkletard.

I seem to have an opposite view with all other Harry Potter fans. The battle scene and epilogue was where it really fell down for me, and I know exactly why: JK Rowling had written either most or all of it years before the rest of the novel. Her writing in these chapters has the flavour of her simplistic, child-friendly first novel.

The bulk of it, however, was solid gold, at least for me, and I know exactly why. It was a very personal experience, reading the novel. I was the same age as the trio when it came out, almost exactly, and they were functioning in the real world instead of the glitzy fortress of Hogwarts. There's a scene where they go to a 24 hour diner in the wee hours, and it struck me like a frying pan on the head, because I've been to a 24 hour diner in the wee hours. Also, Rowling's writing was immensly rich and honest. I don't remember reading Deathly Hallows so much as I remember seeing it.

The Snape thing was awesome validation for me, because I was RIGHT about him and could brag to all my stupid friends who weren't. And I particularly enjoyed the reveal of the flawed, anxious, self-doubting Dumbledore underneath all that quirky competence; I'd had a hard time liking Dumbledore before that specifically because of his lack of character flaws. The only thing I like better about the movies than the books is Michael Gambon's very Hallows-y portrayal of Dumbledore. (Richard Harris, god rest him, was a disaster: if leaning on Maggie Smith is the only way you can accomplish crossing the room, you're simply not cut out for the job.)

Hm... bit of a long comment...

I was also pleased to discover that Dumbledore wasn't this perfect wizard that everyone thought he was. It was nice to discover all the flaws.

BWeaves, I adore you - even though it would be Snargaluff pods. :nerd:

I remember reading Order of the Phoenix, when they are in the Hog's Head bar, and Harry thought the bartender was familiar. It is amazing (and a wee bit disturbing) when you put all of the pieces together: bartender with goat, Dumbledore's brother's run in with the law over a goat, Aberforth bitterly saves the day!

Seriously, who knew a "children's book" could so blatantly include a goat fucker? But I digress...

I have read each of these books more than 3 times each (can you tell?), but I have only gotten through DH barely twice. Picking it up the second time was so emotional, because I knew exactly what I was about to relive.

And with the possible exception of The Time Traveler's Wife, no book has made me cry like Deathly Hallows...

DOBBY!!!! WWWHHHYYY?!?!?

Ling, I absolutely agree with you about the battle and the epilogue falling a little flat. The seven books gradually became darker, more complex, more mature; the seventh was by far the darkest of them all. And yet, the ending was a little silly, a little childish.

And I'm really torn with the epilogue. In some ways I'm glad to know how Harry's future (up to a certain point) turned out, but I also think it would have been amazing to leave us wondering. There are no certainties in life, afterall, and that's why I enjoy cliffhangers in books and movies. You can always play the "what if?" game.

This doesn't diminish my love of the series in any way, however.

You know what? The epilogue really doesn't bother me too much. I don't think it detracts from the horror that preceded it in the book, and I'm also positive that had she not written that, I would have really wanted to know how many kids Ron and Hermione had.

That being said, the naming got a little annoying, and she could made it with a bit less sugar coating.

It also seemed weird to me that they still had the sorting every year. I kind of figured that kind of blatant stereotyping would have died with the last piece of Volde's soul.

AND (sorry I'm a bit of a roll)

I know everyone hates the long bit in the middle when they aren't getting anything done and no one knows what to do, but think of how stupid and unrealistic it would be if they were just stumbling over Horcruxes and killing them with rocks. It needed to be frustrating and difficult. It had to be about luck and courage instead of careful planning because it stays true to the spirit of the book.

ok I think I'm done. But on the crying theme, I had to put the book down when Harry was walking into the forest to die because I was crying so hard.

(Spoilers)

I was inter-railing across Europe when this book came out, so I figured I'd have to just wait until 4 weeks later when I got home to read it, and just try to avoid spoilers during that time. As sheer, blind luck would have it, the morning it came out I happened across an English version in a bookshop in a Berlin train station - while people back home were fighting over the handful of copies Tesco had, there were dozens in this station lying untouched. I still remember starting to read it while we lay in the sun waiting for our connection to Prague and the absolute shock I got when Hedwig died 20 pages in, because of everyone I thought might die, I *never* thought it'd be her. Over the rest of the day I tore through it - I finally finished at about 2AM, sharing a double bed with one of my friends, trying not to cheer at "NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!".

I have to say, I loved the book. I thought she hit the exact right mix of heartbreak and triumph - enough characters died that it felt real, and the victory felt deserved, but without dissolving into the relentless misery that it could have been. I found the whole middle part dragged the first time, but much less so on later readings, mostly because it's the bits and pieces of information that they pick up on that journey that allow them to finally defeat Voldemort. I've seen people complaining that the book essentially resolves itself on a technicality about wand ownership, but I have to say I loved that, and I can't think of a much better or more plausible way to have your 17-year-old hero triumph over the worst Dark wizard of all time. I loved that it wasn't just "love" that saved them all, but knowledge earned through hard work and sacrifice, rather than through the arrogant consumption of power.

As for the epilogue, yeah, it was a little simplistic and saccharine, but I liked it. I still don't buy, even after The Prince's Tale (which was a fantastic bit of character redemption), that Harry would name one of his children after Severus, and I think it's a bit convenient that all the kids are the same age at the same time, but as for the rest, I can get behind it. I agree with George about post-war baby-making (isn't that why Bill and Fleur's daughter is called "Victoire"?), and I can definitely see why, within the comparatively small wizarding world where college and careers and travel aren't going to pull people apart the same way they do in real life, why marrying your high-school sweetheart is that bit more common.

I have no memory of how I felt when I finished this book. I remember being desperate to read it, I remember not really loving the epilogue, but not hating it either, but that's it. Did I cry? Was I upset by the deaths? Was I ever frustrated, or on the edge of my seat? No clue. I fear dementia is finally setting in.

I do plan on reading all the books again sometime soon. It'll be nice to read them all in one go and not have to wait forever for the next one.

(isn't that why Bill and Fleur's daughter is called "Victoire"?)
Shay, I read somewhere that she was born on the one year anniversary of Voldy's defeat, which inspired the name. But that may have been a theory, not canon.

I am in the minority, I think, but I was not terribly torn up about Hedwig's death. It was sad, but to me it felt like an appropriate baby step into the more painful deaths. I see why it was devastating to Harry (first and constant connection to Wizarding World), but for me, it was manageable.

A year after I read it, I found a copy of Entertainment Weekly behind my couch with a list (and accompanying pics when possible) of all the people who died in DH. Holy Godtopus, I screamed and bawled because I had forgotten so many of them (read: FREEEEEEEEED!!!). Then I had to read it again.

Sidebar: When I read Half Blood Prince, I was at a summer theatre internship making sunflower seeds for pay (read: less than peanuts). My boyfriend at the time bought one copy for us to share, as our shifts were rarely timed at once. When I read The Cave, and subsequently DD's demise, I was alone in his apartment. He walked in, saw me BAWLING and covered in face-wetness, he started to rush to me asking what was wrong. Then he saw the book, covered his ears and yelled, "Don't tell me! I'm so sorry, but don't! I have to - got to go! Sorry!" and ran out of the room. When I finished the chapter, I walked outside, solemnly handed it to him, looked at him through puffy eyes and said, "Call me when you understand."

About an hour later, I get a knock on my door: said boyfriend, clutching book, tear-stained face. We literally just held each other and cried.

And somehow I married a man who won't read them...... the mind boggles. ; )

idiosynchroni, you have waged war!

(read: FREEEEEEEEED!!!).
Posted by: Patty O'Green at August 21, 2009 11:56 AM

I was so sad when Fred died! I mean, I know that statistically one of the Weasleys had to die, there was like 9 of them fighting, but really? Fred? Couldn't have been one of the brothers we knew nothing about? Poor dead Fred :(

I love all the Harry Potter books, and as an avid reader, I do not understand the hatred for these books from other avid readers; you have to give credit where credit is due. Rowling created an intensely vivid world and she layered all the books with such subtle clues that one cannot help being mesmerized during the subsequent readings.

I have a complaint though, and it comes from listening to the audiobooks: Rowling's editors suck big time. There are too many repetitive words and sentence structures. I will admit that I might not have realized these offenses if I had not listened to the audiobooks, but they are so obvious to me now. I am baffled that a professional editor did not pick them up. "Black cloak billowing" is a big one as are many words which were so obviously entered via thesaurus.

Anyway, Deathly Hallows suffers from a huge lag in the middle. When the trio (I will not call them "children") are in the forest I was super bored. However this lag provided a perfect pause for those of us who read the book over a two day period. Also, for the very first time I did NOT hate Ron. I was endeared by him, which is a major feat.

I cheaped out and bought the less expensive version of Beedle the Bard. Did anyone buy the expensive version? Was it worth it?

I read it really to see how it was all resolved. I loved the resolution of Snape's story (and how it tied in with his behaviour through the previous six books), that Ron overcame his insecurities and finally got the girl, and about a dozen other things I can't think of right now.

I did find the epilogue to be a bit of a let-down, but I think I read somewhere that Rowling wanted to finish the story in a way that no-one could come along later and mess her vision up on her - like the way certain people are continuing the stories of Frank Herbert, Douglas Adams, etc.

Oddly enough, I just finished rereading this last night. It holds up a lot better than Book 6, I have to say. There are SO many loose ends to tie up, she did a pretty good job. I also love that ickle Duddy-kins actually gets a clue in this one. The list of people that die still makes me want to bawl. But she did put in some great stuff, the dragon escape from Gringotts and particularly Neville's Sorting Hat scene in the finale. I love that his part in the prophecy got addressed.

What really bugged me was earlier on in the series though - did anyone else think having Sirius fall through that arch and disappear was a weird cop-out? I kept expecting him to show up again since there was NO closure there.

Anne (in Reno) I was SOOO expecting something to happen with Sirius - he'd given Harry the mirror and I kept thinking "I wonder if he had that mirror with him when he went through the curtain? I wonder if he will be able to help Harry from The Great Beyond? I wonder if he's with Dumbledore and they'll bring that around?" I think that's what is normally called a Red Herring.

That said, I loved this book. I get on a kick from time to time and read the series all the way through. I love how the characters grow and change as the years go by. Not everyone gets the happy ending. Even the happy endings we see are tinged with the losses along the way. (I've made my opinion clear on other forums - that is one of my huge beefs with a certain Stephenie Meyer - well that and about eight billion other things.)

I cheered, out loud, in the middle of the night when I read "Not my daughter, you bitch!" Woke up Mr. O, whole nine yards. I cannot WAIT to see that in film.