Chat about the new book here -WITH SPOILERS APLENTY!-

Riverfarset

last 150 pages or so were excellent. did lag at times before then but overall great book. Think everyone will have different opinions on the epilogue but i thoroughly enjoyed it..have read plenty of books where story has ended quite abruptly and have always wondered what happended to the characters so it was good to see some of the characters 19 years on in this book.

Collie D

Regarding Vodemort not dying after Neville killed the snake and therefore the last remaining piece of his soul. Mentioned a couple of times in the book that losing a soul does not kill the body. Once in conversation between Hermione, Ron and Harry. Then later when they Disapparate in Hogsmeade. The Death Eaters wonder whether they should summon Dementors to find Harry and the others. One points out that the Dark Lord wants to kill Harry himself to which the other replies that the Dementors will only destroy his soul and Voldemort could still kill his body.

Overall, thought it was best of the series. Had always thought that Snape was one of the good guys until he killed Dumbledore in book 6. Him killing Dumbledore was probably best twist in the series as I honestly didn't expect it and was completely shocked. JK kept that going right until the Pensieve chapter which made the twist even better.

Agree about the camping chapters, seemed a bit long but never got boring. Also slightly disapponted that a major character didn't die but having said that I couldn't believe it when Dumbledore revealed that Harry must die in order for Voldemort to be killed. Less said about the 19 years later the better but still would have liked to know what became of everybody. Hermione Headmistress and Harry Minister of Magic maybe? Was kind of hoping for the Malfoys to be wiped out, always thought they were nasty pieces of work.

Just realised how much I am complaining about a book I absolutely loved Maybe just disappointed that there'll be no more, rol on the next two films. The last one will be great with all those action scenes.

The Bollox

Voldy didn't put all his soul into his horcruxes, he still had a part of it in himself

gidget

I wasn't at all surprised at Molly Weasley killing Bellatrix. Since the Chamber of Secrets it's frequently mentioned that Ginny is an extremely powerful witch and presumably this comes down the matriarchal line. It should also be remembered that she was part of the original Order of the Phoenix and survived the first war so it stands to reason that she's a pretty handy dualist.

Molly was a sister of Fabian & Gideon Prewitt! If you remember in OOTP when Mad Eye is going through the photograph telling Harry who each of the members are, he tells Harry about them and how it took 5 Deatheaters to take them down. So it explains itself if she was raised with them how good she is in duelling!

johnny_ultimate

So I just finished reading it. It was an enjoyable book, let down by the ending, which IMO was just too blunt and bright and sunny. Happy endings can be done well, but this failed I think. I was expecting a little more darkness - the characters that died were RELATIVELY minor, and as a result I think the emotional impact of the finale was a little diminished.

That said, it was one hell of a page turner. From page 450 or so it was pretty exciting - the battle in particular was intense, especially the build up chapter. I liked the 7 Potter opening a lot, pretty intense. It was as good as the others, but I can't help but feel a little disapointed that JK - like so many authors and directors before - gave into her most audience pleasing impulses at the very last stretch.

Reynolds.irl

Well I only just finished it last night after getting it Tuesday, wouldn't of had a chance to read it before then, I thought it kind of went both was but in the end it turned out great.

Lorr wrote:

Snape's death and memories were by far the best part of the book if you didn't cry you have a heart of stone.

I was glad Snape was actually given some more depth, like you said his memories were the best bit for me.
Kind of got annoyed a bit by all the back and forth when they were on the run in the tent.
I'll look forward to see the big battle on the big screen. I liked he nineteen years later bit at the end, it was good to see all was well.

The_Minister

I actually liked the epilougue. The tribute to Snape, the final conformation that everything had been grand for 19 years (ramming a stake through the heart of any possible sequel, probably to stop herself being tempted) and the brief summary of their lives was well done. It was short because their lives were normal and uneventful now, and not worthy of comment.

leninbenjamin

read it in the back of a camper van on the way down from Bisbane to Sydney. probably not the mosst enjoyable way of reading the book, but i just couldn't put it down.

oveall i was a bit disappointed by the ending... 19 years later thing was completely unnecessary really, would have rather left a bit more of Harry's future to the imagination, but can see what she attempted to do. felt she wasn' brave enough either, i though a major character would have to die really seeing as the whole theme of the book is largely death. but in a way i guess i'm glad hat didn't happen, bu am till felt with a bi of an anticlimax feeling.

wasn't too keen on the King's Cross bit either. it was a bit much bringing Dumbledore back for it i think. guess it were necessary for the storyline butt, it was just a bi too out there for me. i guess i feel when a characters death has tha much on an emotional impact like Dumbledores, keep him out of the book. it just seemed too easy, a bi of a cop out for me. anyway, if Harry weren't fully dead, and Dumbledore had already "passed on", why is he in limbo talking to Harry?

overall i feltt the ending didn't have the impact on me i was hoping for. maybe tha's more my fault though, hyping it up too much. ah well... was still a good read nonetheless...

excuse the crappy typing/spelling. this keyboad is crocked.

Tar.Aldarion

Good read.

jasonb

Just finished it last night...

Excellent book, a good ending to the series, tough to accept that there won't be any more!

Loved the Snape backstory, great to give him some depth like that, showing that love, even unrequieted love, can be so strong. Two of the most emotional parts in the book had him in it, when he shows Dumbledore his Patronas to show that he still loves Lily even after all those years, and when he says 'look at me' to Harry as he dies, just so he could look into Lily's eyes one more time. Powerful writing...

Actually liked the epilogue, I'm an old romantic and it was good to have a happy ending after all the death and destruction in the last couple of years in the wizarding world. The 19 years of no pain in his scar and the 'all is well' just showed that the threat was finally gone. Read in an interview with Rowling that Harry & Ron are Aurors, Harry is the head of the department, Hermione is very high up in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Luna is a naturalist travelling the world, McGonagall is too old to be the Headmaster, but she doesn't name who is and she doesn't name the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher either.

J.

thedrowner

jasonb wrote:

and when he says 'look at me' to Harry as he dies, just so he could look into Lily's eyes one more time. Powerful writing...
J.

wow

never thought about that but you're damn right

diturbing...but powerful as you said!

jasonb

Yeah, I didn't spot it at first either, it was only after I finished that I realised the significance of it, of Harry having his mother's eyes...

Gotta say, that moment of Snape wanting to see Lily's eyes before he dies is probably the one moment from all 7 books that affected me the most. The whole Snape character is excellent, going from 'just a mean guy' in the first book to getting so many layers and depths to his personality. He's still not a nice guy, but that just makes his story even more tragic. Excellent character, the whole Lily / Snape thing is just heart breaking, especially as he loves her but hates James, and the affect that has on his attitude to Harry...

J.

supernic

Piste wrote:

What I really loved, probably above all else in the book was the "Nineteen Years Later" bit t the end, I honestly didn't expect anything like that and it was so sweet it had me in tears!!

I think that pretty much sums up what i wrote on the other forum about the epilogue. That i think it was written for adults who want to believe in true, enduring love and all that shmaltz, and not for kids. i haven't met one kid, or seen one in an interview that actually liked the '19 years later'. i hated it, and thought it was unecessary and marred an otherwise fab book.

ajbrowne

Just read this from a wiki pedia site. It's just more info directly from J. K. Rowling about the characters live's after the book.

In an interview,[6] author J. K. Rowling gave additional information about the characters that she chose to exclude from the book.

The epilogue does not directly state that Ron and Hermione are married, but Rowling confirmed that indeed they are.

Harry and Ron are both Aurors; Harry is the department head, and Hermione is "very high up" in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Luna Lovegood has become a naturalist of sorts, searching the world for odd and unique creatures.

At Hogwarts there is now a permanent Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher; Voldemort's jinx on this position was broken with his death.

There is also an unknown Headmaster, as Professor McGonagall was too old to assume the position permanently. Rowling did not identify either the Headmaster or the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.

Heres the link to the interview
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19959323/

What a great book. Def my favourite!

bounty_hunter

ab_cork wrote:

The sword of griffondor, In the vault at gringotts the gobiln double crosses them and takes the sword, harry pockets the horcrux, there was no mention of them getting the sword back, even later when ron had to get basilisk fangs to kill the horcrux... they never got the sword back from the goblin.. so how did neville pull it out of the sorting hat? Fair enough Harry had done so previously but that was when it had been stored in Dumbledors office was it not? Yet Neville pulled it from the hat even when it was in the goblins possesion probably locked up in a safe...
Maybe its just one of the qualities of the sword... ahh I don't know, dosent really matter much anyway,

From a new interview with JK Rowling:

Su: How did neville get the gryfindor sword, is there a link to the hat?
J.K. Rowling: Yes, there is very definitely a link to the hat! Neville, most worthy Gryffindor, asked for help just as Harry did in the Chamber of secrets, and Gryffindor's sword was transported into Gryffindor's old hat - the Sorting Hat was Gryffindor's initially, as you know. Griphook was wrong - Gryffindor did not 'steal' the sword, not unless you are a goblin fanatic and believe that all goblin-made objects really belong to the maker.

Told ya so

johnny_ultimate

supernic wrote:

I think that pretty much sums up what i wrote on the other forum about the epilogue. That i think it was written for adults who want to believe in true, enduring love and all that shmaltz, and not for kids. i haven't met one kid, or seen one in an interview that actually liked the '19 years later'. i hated it, and thought it was unecessary and marred an otherwise fab book.

Exactly my opinion. Now I didnt go into the book expecting realism (the concept of wizarding pretty much renders such a concept immediatedly reduntant), but the finale just had me going "Ah, come on now!". So unnessary, and actually insulting to the readers intelligence - some things should be left up to the imagination, IMO. The name-checking of the sons and daughters was laughable in particular.

A great book to be sure, but that vomit-inducingly corny ending really hurt the overall experience, what with it being our last taste of Rowling's mostly superb vision.

thehomeofDob

Just finished reading it for a second time, took it slow this time round. Twas more enjoyable in parts, being able to pick up little details and really think about what was happening. Harry's pre death chapters were, of course, very underwhelming, yet still very good. I think I'll read through the whole series again now.

funky penguin

I didn't think the ending was too bad, but could have been a bit more....subtle.

Maybe the sorting of a new lot of first years at the beginning of a new year, with Albus being called up, the book ending with him whispering "not slytherin, not slytherin..." Bah. What do I know.

Love2love

funky penguin wrote:

I didn't think the ending was too bad, but could have been a bit more....subtle.

Maybe the sorting of a new lot of first years at the beginning of a new year, with Albus being called up, the book ending with him whispering "not slytherin, not slytherin..." Bah. What do I know.

That is actually a good ending. I agree that the ending was very corny but on the whole, I loved the book. Sad now that it is over.....

The Bollox

funky penguin wrote:

I didn't think the ending was too bad, but could have been a bit more....subtle.

Maybe the sorting of a new lot of first years at the beginning of a new year, with Albus being called up, the book ending with him whispering "not slytherin, not slytherin..." Bah. What do I know.

it would have been far superior if it ended with him whispering "not Griffindor, not Griffindor"

Corruptedmorals

GrYffindor. Jeez.

themont85

Love the way Harry defeated Voldemort with Expelliramus after people constanty putting that spell down.

Diarmsquid

I'm still waiting on my Hogwarts letter.
Maybe this year..

jackdaw

I really liked the book overall but to be honest the ending disappointed me ,
V'mort seemed to die to easily ..

Also the deaths ... all the media BBC included, hinted that a major character
would die, by major i expected either Harry, Ron or Hermione..

I think she wanted to kill one of them off but was to scared to do it ..

The death of D'dore in the 6th book was very sad, but it was powerfull and made the book better for it, I think if Ron/ Hermione died it would have made the
ending really hard hitting .. but it was just to easy .. it was like she changed her mind .. Harry & V'mort were about to die.., but then she wrote the chapter KINGS CROSS ... (what was that baby there ??-- the part of V'mort in Harry??)

Maybe JK ROWLING wrote a number of endings and asked her kids to choose which one is best...

jackdaw

keefg wrote:

Great book. Loads of loose ends tied up for me. I am not one of those people who over analize the story to figure it out, I just prefer the story to unravel at the authors pace.

Agree with the 19 years later chapter though......bit of a cop out and I would have liked to known what happened to all the other major characters as well.

Felt a bit that there are no more books to look forward to, unless JK decides to follow up on Harry & Ron's kids ............or JK gives the OK for another author to carry on the torch (maybe fill in the 19 years bit).

Does anyone think this will happen? Let's face it Lucas gave the OK for "expanded universe" Star Wars stories.

Maybe someone will expand on the wizarding world without Harry etc, just use Hogwarts as the backdrop and use some of the DA characters???

There is a LOT of money to be made out of this franchise ..........so we shall have to wait and see.............

Id say Rowling will write prequels .. maybe about D'dore in younger days ..

amen

just finished it (i resisted the temptation to buy for a while)
as for other books

it struck me while reading that she could write a book about what the other characters were doing while harry & co were out camping and how they fought the war!

Araniell

I've read DH twice now, and I have to say that I liked it better the second time. I've really loved the HP books, and there were a lot of great things about the ending.

But there's something that's been bothering me. Maybe I'm out of my gourd here or, uh, "interegating the text from the wrong perspective", but did anybody else find that at the end of the day the HP books are really quite sexist?

JC 2K3

I don't really see how they're sexist. I actually found quite the opposite in many areas of the book, eg. there are girls on the quidditch teams, Mrs Weasley turns out to be a brilliant duelist and not simply an insignificant housewife, Ginny is one of the best in the school at duelling, authors of books and significant ministry figures aren't exclusively male etc.

The Bollox

JC 2K3 wrote:

I don't really see how they're sexist. I actually found quite the opposite in many areas of the book, eg. there are girls on the quidditch teams, Mrs Weasley turns out to be a brilliant duelist and not simply an insignificant housewife, Ginny is one of the best in the school at duelling, authors of books and significant ministry figures aren't exclusively male etc.

perhaps he/she means sexist as in feminist

Crumble Froo

nah, i think someone pointed it out earlier, how the guys started looking after the girls and stuff... but i do recall her pointing out how there were no girls on the slytherin team, and interpreting that as a 'they didnt think girls were good enough, but they're slytherin and we're not supposed to like/agree with their values anyway' kinda way...