Harry Potter7

[avrelia]

So, I’ve finished HP book 7 this morning. Why so late? – we read it with the husband, taking turns and so it took as that long to find out the end. Good thing I now don’t have to go work – I did go today, but not until I finished. Now I can go and hunt down all the posts and links and also write some of mine, and play an amusing game of Potter-spotting in the subway (how many people I can spot reading the book?)

Did I like the book? It was not about liking or disliking, it was about finding out how everything ends. And it is more about the story being whole, complete, and out in the wild for our entertainment, not hiding in the depth of JKR imagination and thousands of notes. Unless until she starts writing comics about what happened next.

I can say that that I liked the book, but honestly, I am not sure I can say one book of HP is better than the other one – each of the seven have something to like and to dislike. I didn’t actually write anything about the previous ones, but it is too late now. Maybe I’ll have enough brainpower left to write more the whole story. Then, maybe I won’t.

Anyway, my dislikes:

• the epilogue. After the dark and serious and powerful stuff we are in the world of constant sunshine and fluffy puppies playing with huge pink butterflies. Which is not bad by itself, it is that I cannot take that many sweets in two pages. And what’s up with the babyfic tradition of calling all babies by the names of the dead? And I cannot believe that even after revelations of the book 7 Harry would call his son after Snape. Really. Good thing that Ron’s kinds had random names though. What I liked even less is that I learned nothing about the characters being grown-ups besides their reproduction. They have kids. And it is wonderful. But what else they have been doing – with their other wands, you know? Neville is the Hogwarts professor, which is great, but what is Harry, Hermione, Ron, Luna, Draco, others?


• The big infodump at the end: the Snape’s memories, Conversation with the dead Dumbledore, Harry’s heroic monologue. (that was something husband picked up, but I agree with him). True, it’s been the tradition for all seven books, and there was no other place for it story-wise, but it felt a little unbalanced.


• That all Slytherins didn’t want to fight Voldemort (except I believe prof. Slughorn) – it just reinforces the idea that it an evil part of the school, and not that there are different people can be found in every house.


• Cho. I thought she was a year older than Harry? Why was she still in school then?


• Not much development on the part of our three heroes – Harry, Ron and Hermione – even though a big part of the book is about them only, without many others present. We can find some development for Harry, sure, but not for the other two.


• Remus Lupin. I love him generally, but in the scene where he wants to leave his family and Harry berates him, I found him behaving not like himself. It was a strange scene, and I am not sure what to make of it - whether I can explain away everything that bothers me there.

Things I liked:

• the battle of Hogwarts. It was a big impressive battle scene, the beginning, the lull in the middle and the grinder at the end, and it got all kinds of emotions from cheers to tears from me (which is really not that hard right now, but still). The giants, the centaurs, the house-elves…


• Molly Weasley killing Bellatrix


• Grandma Longbottom


• Neville. Pretty much everything about him, but the best part was the killing of Nagini. His matter-of-fact heroism in leading the resistance at Hogwarts (with Luna and Ginny)


• Luna. Her serenity and weird wisdom, and heroism. She and Neville are the unlikeliest heroes at their best, and they got the best development in this book I think


• Kreacher – who only needed a little love and respect to become a useful member of society. Let it be the example for us all.


• The revelations about Snape and Dumbledore. I totally called it about Snape, mostly because I trusted Dumbledore more (I know, since I didn’t post, it can’t be proven, and husband thinks he got it first, but I know what I was thinking then, and I am satisfied).


• Snape’s deathscene.

The deathcount

Well, I cried. I feel bad for Dobby, and Fred, and Lupin, and Tonks… But if it were Neville and Luna to die, I would be inconsolable.

That’s it for now. I will probably come back with more thoughts. I hope there will be thoughts.

Comments

[gobi-rex.livejournal.com]

Good point about the unbalanced infodump. We spend so much time on the quest and camping and waiting. And then we get this enormous infodump and the battle and Snape's memories...

About Lupin. His behavior is disappointing, but not entirely out of character, I think. Ok, somebody else said it better here.
(Remus is brave about many things - he doesn't hesitate to go after Harry and the others in the Shrieking Shack, he is there in the Department of Mysteries when Harry is in danger, he goes off to spy on the werewolves and face the one who bit him, and he volunteers to be part of the decoy team to retrieve Harry and fights bravely. However, when it comes to facing his own personal issues and demons, fearing retribution, shame and being shunned, he is a coward.)

Snape's death. I'm so glad it wasn't anything like the fanon "Snape dies protecting Harry from Voldemort". It was a spy's death, no fanfare. And it was a shock, even though I fully expected it.

I was also a bit disappointed that no Slytherin stayed behind to fight. I was hoping we would get more house unity, but this was probably too much to expect (too much, too soon). On the other hand, a part of me is glad that Draco didn't redeem himself more.

Neville's Grandma on the run!!! One of my favorite lines in the book! And how awesome is Neville!

And most importantly, what happened to the Potters' cat???

err, brain not working properly

[gobi-rex.livejournal.com]

Not house unity, but cooperation between houses.

[avrelia.livejournal.com]

First of all, have you seen this? http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19959323/
As good as canon for me. :)

And most importantly, what happened to the Potters' cat??? Wasn't it living with the cat lady on Privet Drive? in a cabbage-smelling house?

No, Lupin's not out of character. and the more I think, the more I agree, that that's what he would do. Still disappointed though. :)

Yeah, the Longbottoms are made of awesome! :) If you ever see a fic about Grandma on the run, let me know!

and now I feel the need to read from the first one.

[gobi-rex.livejournal.com]

Wasn't it living with the cat lady on Privet Drive? in a cabbage-smelling house?

Mrs.Figg!

Hee, I'm planning a reread starting with no.5.

Re:Neville'g Grandma. I watched the OOTP film several days ago and there's an auror identified as Dawlish. The one who ended up in St.Mungo's! I almost jumped up from glee. (ETA: more about him here). Yes, I'm apparently obsessed, why do you ask?

[avrelia.livejournal.com]

I decided to start with #1 - just to have to full picture. :)

And there is nothing wrong with being obsessed. :-0

btw, is it me, or Happy Potter on the US edition cover looks like Pavka Korchagin or some other young hero of yore?

[gobi-rex.livejournal.com]

Hehee! http://www.kino-teatr.ru/kino/history/1-29/153/foto/1/

I have to confess I didn't remember the film at all, I had to google it :(