Okay, I started this up for those of us SBers who finished reading DH. Just a warning for anyone lurking! We will be discussing the plot, endings, who lives, who dies, etc. So, if you don't want to know, don't scroll down!!
I'd LOVE it if we could discuss the book in categories. The other thread in the general chatter forum is jumping around from topic to topic making it hard to focus. So, if that's okay with everyone else, I'll ask the first question. Once our thoughts have been exhausted, could someone else jump in and ask another question/make a statement we could all comment on? Thanks! Let the HP fun begin!!
What was your overall impression of the book as a whole?
Last edited by Kim_Star060404; 07-23-2007 at 12:23 PM.
Hey Kim
I laughed I cried I cheered. I was really satisfied and happy overall. And she did somewhat leave it open for new books. . .not directly about harry but still.
I kept hitting DH going OMG MAD-EYE's DEAD on in the first few pages
and Can I just say how Kick-butt the women were in this book! I love Molly!!
-Kierie
I kind of like that she left it a little open - at least for more stories regarding the wizarding world. Maybe for a Star Wars style prequel with the events that led up to the Potters' death and Voldermort's initial disappearance.
I was captivated from the first chapter. I agree that the women in the book were incredibly strong. I was especially proud of Hermione staying when Ron left. It broke my heart when that happened -- and I was actually afraid he was leaving for good! I loved the cheesiness of the epilogue!
I know!!! This boy/man had so much drama from ages 1-17 he deserves this Idyllic life now. Still don't know If I would have given my son the name severus. But I will say I loved that it was not only Lily's love of Harry that saved him but Snape's love of Lily also
Sorry I'm jumping around topics but My god! and when Dumbledore said Harry was the 7th Horcrux! I had to put the book down and walk away for 5 minutes I was so overwhelmed!
I agree with whoever said it in the other thread some things could have been in more detail. . .but all in all everything contributed to the goal
oh and I officially love Kreacher! And Poor Dobby!
I LOVED the Kreacher transformation. It made me laugh a lot.
I was kind of disappointed about Harry being the Horcrux since that was widely predicted. And about Snape being good in the end. I keep thinking it was the ending I WANTED, with Harry, Ron, and Hermione all being alive still, but it honestly wasn't what I expected. I really thought she would kill Harry off to keep sequels from being written.
I thought the writing was just as good as the other books. I was enthralled. I totally wanted to get up and cheer when they got to Hogwarts and all the people kept coming into the Room of Requirement.
I loved the room of requirement!! and Neville! Pulling the sword from the sorting hat! Proving he is a true Gryffindor!! (so much for Griphook) I wish she had described the fighting that made lupin and tonks fall. . .it was kind of like Oh they're dead. I Was in tears for Fred. . .I totally thought they were safe after the whole Ear thing with George.
Also How much did Percy coming through the hole ROCK! I was like What? Percy!!!
Sorry to be haphazard! I'm just still jazzed over the whole thing
I really liked the book. In the beginning, I was overwhelmed by the death of Hedwig. And then the death of Mad-eye. I thought that the book started out with a furious tempo and really enjoyed it. I thought that the book began to drag a little when Harry, Ron and Hermione were in the tent going from place to place endlessly. I really wanted to know what was going on in the outside world. I wanted to know what had happened to everyone from the wedding. I wished that JK had covered a little more of what was going on at Hogwart's and with Snape. Waiting until the end to see Snape's true self was torture. I totally lost it when Dobby died. I found myself becoming increasingly angry with Dumbledore. I was a total emotional wreck. I cried when people died, when everyone fought Voldemort including the Centaurs and house elves, when Percy came through the passage. I mean through the entire book. It broke my heart when Snape was killed, I always had faith in him. I still haven't fully come to terms with Fred's death. I'm still processing everything. I don't know if I can handle reading the book again. It was definitely an amazing book.
Don't worry about jumping around - it really is to exciting of a book to do it in an orderly fashion. Just my anal retentive thinking!
I was also a little angry about Dumbledore's past and the mystery of it all until the end. I wasn't as impressed with him in those book as I was in the rest. I also wish there was some kind of interaction with the dead Sirius, but that may have been wishful thinking.
I am going to start re-reading the book VERY slowly this weekend. Maybe do two chapters a night to really take it all in. It will be really hard to do as I think the excitement will make me want to read on, but I'll try and do it. I want to catch anything I miss.
Kim, I reread the last 150 pages because I had read them so fast I was afraid at what I might have missed. I found quite a few things. I didn't realize the first time around that when H, R, and Herm were trying to get the tiara and Crabbe used the fire that they saved Goyle and Malfoy. Stupid old Malfoys.
I love that Harry didn't actually have to kill Vold. He is still kind of pure. Although my DH did point out that he was sure firing Unforgiveable curses a lot for being the hero.
I was shocked not necessarily when Harry let fly the unforgivables I thought he was justified in each case, but when Mc Gonogle did it. I was pretty surprised.
Yeah, if there were any characters, (besides Voldemort), in the book that I hated it would have to have been the Malfoy family. I especially didn't like Lucious. He was cowardly on top of being a pompous ! I actually had a little sympathy for Narcissa and Draco. Narcissa because I'm fairly certain her husband's family line influenced how she lived her life and also because she pretty much sacrificed Voldemort to keep her son alive. Draco because he was thrown into the Death Eaters without really having a choice. Sure, he was a nasty little kid, but how can you blame a kid for his parents' sins? Just like in real life when you see a five-year-old on tv that says they hate such and such race. He really doesn't, he's just regurgitating what his parents have taught him. I have to believe though, that his family must have been stripped of their wealth and privilege after Voldemort's fall. I certainly wouldn't feel sorry for the Malfoy's if that situation occurred.
The other character was Dolores Umbridge. If we didn't know Tom Riddle's back-story, I would swear that she was Voldemort's mother. What a terrible woman!
It broke my heart when Dobby and Hedwig died. I was actually angry when I read that. What a shame.
I'm prone to believe that McGonogall and Harry and all the rest were using unforgivable curses due to the nature of the battle they were fighting. I think that if anyone were faced with dark times like those Voldemort would have brought, they'd use whatever force necessary to prevent it. I'm glad, though that when Harry used the imperious curse at Gringott's, he made the comment about how he understood that you had to mean it for it to be really effective. Clearly, he didn't want to use an unforgivable, he just felt he had no choice.
Last edited by Kim_Star060404; 07-23-2007 at 04:26 PM.
I have to say, I stayed up til 6 am Friday night, slept a few hours...then started reading again, was finished in less than 24 hours LOL Anyways, at Tonks parents house when they crashed and he thought Hagrid was dead, I lost it....that was one of my biggest fears throughout the entire book, scared Hagrid was going to die. I didn't like when Mad Eye died, but didn't cry until Dobby, how sad! It was awesome to see Percy and horrible when Fred died (another crying moment for me.) Neville totally ROCKS! and I had a feeling Snape would actually be a good guy, just sorry it ended in his death....but a huge twist for me with the memories Harry saw, I had no idea he was in love with Lily. Well I pretty much rambled off into every topic .... but I loved the book and loved the fight in the end, Harry basically brought him down by words then taking the wand was awesome!
I find it interesting how only "adults" found the last book to be good. Most of my friends are fans and we are the Harry Potter generation- growing up with the characters as they grew. Everyone that I have talked to in this age group (16-24) absolutely HATED the book- myself included. The pacing was off, much of the charm of the series was gone (and it didn't replace it for edgyness either) , and the writing took a nosedive.
Not to mention the epilogue totally drove the nail in the casket for me. What did she do- get a 12 year old fanficcer to write it?
My friends and I all finished around the same time having pulled an all nighter on the release (with the exception of a few friends in England and Israel who obviously finished at different times), and we all had a mutual whine-fest about how disappointed we were with the book.
Harry Potter:Deathly Hallows - SPOILERS!!!
! I actually had a little sympathy for Narcissa and Draco. Narcissa because I'm fairly certain her husband's family line influenced how she lived her life and also because she pretty much sacrificed Voldemort to keep her son alive. Draco because he was thrown into the Death Eaters without really having a choice. Sure, he was a nasty little kid, but how can you blame a kid for his parents' sins? Just like in real life when you see a five-year-old on tv that says they hate such and such race. He really doesn't, he's just regurgitating what his parents have taught him. I have to believe though, that his family must have been stripped of their wealth and privilege after Voldemort's fall. I certainly wouldn't feel sorry for the Malfoy's if that situation occurred. 
