I have just finished the incredible roller coaster ride that is the final Harry Potter book. J.K. Rowling has put together another masterpiece.
From the very beginning, the action is nearly non-stop, yet there are plenty of deeper themes too--loyalty, courage, friendship, and above all, redemption. There are twists and turns in both characters and plot that will make your head spin (I am certain there are many things I still don't quite understand), all leading to a dramatic and heart-pulsing climax (and I'd better say no more about THAT for fear of spoilage.)
JKR's wit and flair for words and names are in evidence and she throws some marvelous tidbits our way, including one of the most PERFECTLY placed swear words I've ever seen in any book (It's one of the few in all of the seven books, and it jumps out at you at EXACTLY the right moment from EXACTLY the right person--I roared out loud and pumped my fist!) There are heartbreaking moments and moments of pure joy.
Sadly, the Epilogue, while amusing and satisfying, doesn't quite rise to the high standards of the rest of the book, and left me wanting much more. . .
But overall, what a marvelous achievement. I believe it will stand the test of time.
Thanks, Jo, for everything.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Friday, July 20, 2007
The Last First Page
Some time tomorrow morning, either before or after we take Little Man to his swimming lesson, the mail carrier will arrive with a small cardboard box for me from amazon.com. I will swoop it up with glee, do a small happy dance, open it carefully, take a long look at Mary GrandPre’s breathtakingly beautiful cover art—and crack open Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Thus will I take part in a cultural milestone—thus will I enjoy “the last first page” of an amazing journey through Harry’s magical world.
What is it about Harry Potter? It’s just seven books, just seven simple stories from the imagination of a gifted writer. So why has this particular series captured the world and become such a phenomenon? Why has the HYPE (IN ALL-CAPS) taken on a life of its own, far, far beyond the books themselves? Part of it, I’m sure, is simply the nature of our global mass culture. Something promoted worldwide, something given such incredible buzz for nearly 10 years now, via word of mouth, magazines, newspapers, television, the Internet, blogs, and just about every modern form of media there is, is going to have people jumping on the bandwagon no matter what it is, no matter what its intrinsic worth (can you say Eragon?). People are like that. Perhaps it could have been some other book, some other author, some other character inspiring midnight madness, costumes, hysterical mothers in Georgia demanding a ban, and children actually eagerly and excitedly sitting down to READ a 700-plus page novel.
And yet—there’s something that makes Harry and his world unique and special. There are the sharply defined, skillfully drawn people we have come to feel are real to us, whom we love dearly or hate with a vengeance, due to the author’s amazing ability for character description and ear for dialogue. (Including one particular character so masterfully written that debates have raged for years as to his true nature and his true motives. The world is holding its breath to find out “where his loyalties lie”!) There is the setting—a wonderfully realized mixture of typical British boarding school and magical academy, with humorous and clever twists on normal teenage life that these young wizards and witches simply take for granted as part of going to school. So many minute and vivid details has she created that you feel you are at home at Hogwarts, in the Burrow, or even on Privet Drive. And of course there is the plot, a magical drama of the struggle between the forces of good and the powers of evil, spread out over seven books, yet with each one still containing its own satisfying tale. The stories are richly and carefully woven, with drama, suspense, humor, politics, a touch of romance, pain and triumph, great joy and deep sorrow.
In the end, Jo Rowling has made me and millions upon millions of others around the globe CARE about Harry and his world. Her creative gift and her imagination, begun as a struggling single mom in a coffee house in Scotland, have left a legacy that I believe will stand the test of time. But there will likely (unless Jo changes her mind!) never again be a time like this, a worldwide celebration of a new Harry Potter story, a time to enjoy The Last First Page together.
Thank you, Jo!
Come on, mail carrier!
Thus will I take part in a cultural milestone—thus will I enjoy “the last first page” of an amazing journey through Harry’s magical world.
What is it about Harry Potter? It’s just seven books, just seven simple stories from the imagination of a gifted writer. So why has this particular series captured the world and become such a phenomenon? Why has the HYPE (IN ALL-CAPS) taken on a life of its own, far, far beyond the books themselves? Part of it, I’m sure, is simply the nature of our global mass culture. Something promoted worldwide, something given such incredible buzz for nearly 10 years now, via word of mouth, magazines, newspapers, television, the Internet, blogs, and just about every modern form of media there is, is going to have people jumping on the bandwagon no matter what it is, no matter what its intrinsic worth (can you say Eragon?). People are like that. Perhaps it could have been some other book, some other author, some other character inspiring midnight madness, costumes, hysterical mothers in Georgia demanding a ban, and children actually eagerly and excitedly sitting down to READ a 700-plus page novel.
And yet—there’s something that makes Harry and his world unique and special. There are the sharply defined, skillfully drawn people we have come to feel are real to us, whom we love dearly or hate with a vengeance, due to the author’s amazing ability for character description and ear for dialogue. (Including one particular character so masterfully written that debates have raged for years as to his true nature and his true motives. The world is holding its breath to find out “where his loyalties lie”!) There is the setting—a wonderfully realized mixture of typical British boarding school and magical academy, with humorous and clever twists on normal teenage life that these young wizards and witches simply take for granted as part of going to school. So many minute and vivid details has she created that you feel you are at home at Hogwarts, in the Burrow, or even on Privet Drive. And of course there is the plot, a magical drama of the struggle between the forces of good and the powers of evil, spread out over seven books, yet with each one still containing its own satisfying tale. The stories are richly and carefully woven, with drama, suspense, humor, politics, a touch of romance, pain and triumph, great joy and deep sorrow.
In the end, Jo Rowling has made me and millions upon millions of others around the globe CARE about Harry and his world. Her creative gift and her imagination, begun as a struggling single mom in a coffee house in Scotland, have left a legacy that I believe will stand the test of time. But there will likely (unless Jo changes her mind!) never again be a time like this, a worldwide celebration of a new Harry Potter story, a time to enjoy The Last First Page together.
Thank you, Jo!
Come on, mail carrier!
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Three Hours Of My Life Looted by Pirates
So, DH & I spent a few pieces of eight (yeah, it would have been less if he hadn't insisted on ordering the BIG COMBINATION SUPER PACK of a humongous tub of popcorn and 2 supersize drinks!) and saw PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END last Friday.
Well, a Pirates movie is always fun to watch, whatever it is. You can't beat Johnny, Orlando, Keira, and also Geoffrey Rush as Barbossa. And this one was enjoyable enough. But it was so bloated and convoluted and LONG, with a plot that I couldn't really figure out and some VERY weird scenes. Who could tell who was alive, dead, or undead, anyway? It was just strange, and disappointing. It could have been so much better.
It did contain one of the more interesting on-screen weddings I've ever seen--and I kept myself amused by noting the fact that of the dozens of people we see onscreen--only 2 have decent teeth! (Well, perhaps the British officers did OK in the dental department, too, but most of the screen time is taken up by some of the most disgusting smiles you'll ever see.)
Anyhow, I agree with our local paper's reviewer--too much, too strange, too confusing. I'll watch Captain Jack Sparrow any day, but I really do wish the film had been much better.
Well, a Pirates movie is always fun to watch, whatever it is. You can't beat Johnny, Orlando, Keira, and also Geoffrey Rush as Barbossa. And this one was enjoyable enough. But it was so bloated and convoluted and LONG, with a plot that I couldn't really figure out and some VERY weird scenes. Who could tell who was alive, dead, or undead, anyway? It was just strange, and disappointing. It could have been so much better.
It did contain one of the more interesting on-screen weddings I've ever seen--and I kept myself amused by noting the fact that of the dozens of people we see onscreen--only 2 have decent teeth! (Well, perhaps the British officers did OK in the dental department, too, but most of the screen time is taken up by some of the most disgusting smiles you'll ever see.)
Anyhow, I agree with our local paper's reviewer--too much, too strange, too confusing. I'll watch Captain Jack Sparrow any day, but I really do wish the film had been much better.
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