The Sun-Herald

Lumpy passages at end, definitely yes. It looks like she was under immense pressure to finish off the book and the reported downing of a bottle while writing it shows in the book.
Don't get me wrong, the way she finishes the good versus evil fight is good. But one cannot ignore the feeling that she takes her readers for granted. For example, she selectively uses dobby, kreacher and dumbledore's potrait. An observant reader would point that they were deliberately ignored at times.
I grew up reading magical stories and when I step back and take a critical look, I realize the magic is nothing new. Everything from diagon alley to horcrux and hallows were in the books I had read years ago. Rowling just managed to get the narrative coherent.

• by MR on July 21, 2007 at 10:02 AM

I jsut went up to kmart bto buy it and the bloody book is faulty
the book has been assembled the wrong way
i wonder if im the only one ?

Tribal Mind asks: Did you go back and get a better copy?

• by David Carney on July 21, 2007 at 10:48 AM

I'm just a couple of chapters in.
What annoys me so far is her possible "redemption" of some of the "evil" or "mean" characters. So we will have sympathy for them. But it's too late, she spent 6 books making me hate them, why think she can redeeem them now in a paragraph or two

• by JacJac on July 21, 2007 at 10:51 AM

Kids grinning ear to ear with heartfelt joy and relief. Knew we could trust JKR. :)

• by Relle on July 21, 2007 at 11:03 AM

narh didnt bother im going to go buy another maybe its worth something to a sick harry potter fan ahahha :P

Tribal Mind asks: Which K Mart was it where you got the faulty copy?

• by David Carney on July 21, 2007 at 11:10 AM

What JK Rowling has not lost sight of, and many readers have, is that this is childrens fiction. She delivers a good adventure story with twists and turns sometimes predictable but mostly not to a reader aged 9 or 10 and some that work to confound even the most weathered reader . Please remember Harry Potter is a delight of innocence, there are many other darker tales to be had in the adult end of the fantasy market. Personally i am greatly satisfied and please with the outcome especially for my two favourites Ron and Snape. Now i look forward to the adventures of james, Albus Severus and Lily.

• by David Malcolm on July 21, 2007 at 11:25 AM

YEs it may be worht somehtign if there arnt many around , people get off on having dodgy copys etc lol
it was purchased from kmart sylvania for $27.95 i jsut grabbed the book and went to the counter didnt open it till i got home obviously ahhahah :P

• by David Carney on July 21, 2007 at 11:34 AM

Still dont have my copy, sitting at work dying to read it and counting down the last hour until I can go and buy my three copies and sit down with my kids to read it!

• by Kim on July 21, 2007 at 11:59 AM

Wandering the local markets this morning, and saw a woman with an evidently somewhat reluctant daughter following her around, nose firmly planted in the new HP book. Gotta love it... I can just imagine the deal being struck: "I'll take you in to buy the new Harry Potter book, but we're going to the markets on the way home!"

• by Megan on July 21, 2007 at 12:30 PM

TM's MAJOR HOAX WARNING: This comment is not a spoiler, it's a joke, so don't be alarmed.

Is having Harry commit suicide really responsible? Lots of kiddies may try to emulate Harry thinking there is a better life on the other side.

• by Penny on July 21, 2007 at 12:41 PM

I am sooo pleased that the new Harry Potter book has been released, so I don't ever have to hear about it again.

• by Henry on July 21, 2007 at 12:59 PM

After finishing the book (non-stop reading since I got it this morning) it's quite clear that quite a few of the leaks were made up by people with too much time on their hands. I got mine from KMart Sylvania, but had no problem with it, my husband checked it for me before he left the shop. Gotta say, I loved it, cried several times, although the epilogue is a bit clunky, but still enjoyed knowing what happened next. A very happy Potter fan here!

• by Beckala on July 21, 2007 at 03:57 PM

I've just finished reading it and i must say, I am very disapointed. Very anti-climatic ending. Most of the book dragged, loose ends were perfuntually tied up and nothing was really all that surprising in the end. I kept waiting for it to get more interesting but it never did. Such a shame. Rowling just did not deliver the goods in Deathly Hallows.

• by Emma on July 21, 2007 at 08:54 PM

Fantastic. The only way to describe it. What an ending. Yes, it did get a bit bogged down in parts, but it was all worth it. Did I mention what an ending? The spoilers were so wrong!

• by Melinda on July 21, 2007 at 10:07 PM

I finished reading it at 2am. Incredible. It started at a frenetic pace and stopped in the middle to explain a lot of things that needed explaining. I have too many emotions to isolate one. I'm not going to pick it to pieces like some of your earlier reviewers. I like to let experiences like this wash over me and the final Harry saga didn't so much wash as completely douse and stun. A lot of deaths - some of them rather shocking (parental discretion may be needed before little minds set to reading it!) but I was satisfied with the outcomes. I don't know what one particular reviewer was going on about by their attack on the "redemption" of certain characters?!? Don't they yet realise that a major theme of JK Rowling's incredible series is that our path in life is not determined by our talents, our gifts or our brains. It is our choices. A theme reverberating noisily throughout this cracker of a novel. Now excuse me. I'm off to read it again! HARRY FOREVER!!!

• by Mrs G on July 22, 2007 at 09:09 AM

I couldn't agree with your assessment of this "cracker of a novel" more, Mrs. G. Harry Potter has been the literary phenomenon that defined my generation (much like Enid Blyton for others...) and in reading this fitting conclusion to such important aspect of mine and others cultural development, I feel that Joanne Rowling really has presented a rollicking tale full of twists, turns and tragedies. True, Rowling is no F. Scott Fitzgerald, and sometimes the feeling and tone of sections of the book are downright confusing in their 'lumpiness'. But though it can be simple, there is an incredibly touching aspect to this book. I have never reacted in quite the way that I did to aspects of this book and on more than one occasion tears welled up in my eyes as Rowling's pseudo frankness-cum-tenderness (a real woman's touch! :D!) got to me.
I am sad that this wonderfully moral, humourous, terrifying, devastating, exciting (ad infinitum with a list of adjectives that do this book justice) is over, but boy , what an ending.
There is no point being cynical and "grown-up" about this book, because if you are, you are missing the point. Enjoy the story, don't analyse it and you will finally understand the purpose of "Harry Potter".

• by Tom G on July 22, 2007 at 12:11 PM

Decent book, unscathed by the leak. Relatively 'dark', with half a dozen or so characters who get killed off.

The epilogue was a tad dodgy (What happened to the Dursleys, Herm's parents etc. i.e. everyone else). I do like the "Prince's Tale" chapter, somewhat unexpected.

The final confrontation between Voldemort and Harry is well written; I read it several times, although I would have not minded to see some more duelling.

I tend to divide Harry into two phases; the first was the Harry in the PS - GoF era and the second, OotP onwards. If you hated the second phase with a passion you might not like this book. But get it anyway :)

Bottom line is, it's a somewhat satisifying end to the series. Now I'm waiting for Jo to write the second generation of HP books. A new heptalogy. Like she's gonna do that...

"Albus Severus and the ". NOT Albus Potter though, I think that sounds weird.

• by Blackmorts on July 22, 2007 at 02:20 PM

Yay! A book club on tribal mind...how rare.
Anyway, the book. I actually really liked it. However, this is probably mainly due to the fact that in concentated a lot on Dumbledore, and he being my favourite character it was fantastic for him to still be around even though he was killed off in the previous book.
That said, I also loved the resolution surrounding Snape.
However, it is true that this book did have a lack of real twists and turns. I mean, you could see the twists in this book like a guy sitting in a corner saying "shh, I'm a surprise". Nothing compared to the shocks of previous years, like the disastrous turn of the Triwizard Tournament. And the ending. Ok, loved the ending but not a big fan of the epilogue. Ok, yes, it gave characters closure and it's good for the kids and it also stops herself from writing an 8th book but it seemed a bit to...I don't know. I guess you understand when you read it.

• by Pea on July 22, 2007 at 10:11 PM

Have to agree with the epilogue, thought it was terrible and terribly written. Though, as pointed out, leaves the way for a new generation.

Loved the rest of it. I can't believe that Snape had me bawling my eyes out.

• by whichwitch on July 23, 2007 at 08:16 AM

I began reading my book on the sideline at my sons u/14 soccer match, don't worry i looked up in time to see him score. i would have liked to do the same at my daughters but i was the coach and had to watch the game. i thought it was abit to neat but i know kids will love it, epilogue was pointless but was good to see that importantance was given to professor snapes role, and the DA. although the turning of kreacher? what was she thinking? although i suppose she needed someone who was there to explain. and dudley- wtf!!
still as someone already said it left more loose ends than a bowl of spaghetti, but i loved it!!!!

• by missfreelove69 on July 23, 2007 at 09:00 AM

I have loved the Harry Potter journey but I think it was important to not lose sight of the fact that they are children's books. For example, I don't think adults can get too involved with the MacGuffins, like the Horcruxes, as the finding and destroying of these became increasingly implausible. And there won't be an adult reader who won't find the epilogue clumsy, token and unsatisfying. I can appreciate the sentiments but it read like fan fiction written by a 14 year old girl.
That said, I think the pacing of the book was better than the previous two, and although the action seemed awkwardly inserted the keep things moving, it did serve to maintain a good tempo. I love that all the non-romantic relationships remained strong focus and that there were some genuinely happy events to revel in.
I feel that certain issues remain unresolved but I can't pinpoint anything specific so perhaps it's just that I feel short-changed character-wise because I became so involved with them. Certain characters' deaths were relatively perfunctory in relation to their importance and if there had to be an epilogue, it deserved to be a great deal more detailed and cover a lot more characters.
But there were some great surprises for me, and as Mrs G wrote at 9.09am on Sunday, the overall experience was tremendously emotional and satisfying. I'm sure much of my crankiness, which is currently being directed at the book, stems from a general sadness that it's all over.

• by Eloise on July 23, 2007 at 09:46 AM

Loved it! Totally agree with all comments about the Epilogue being clunky though, however I don't think it can rule out there being an 8th. I'd like to see Harry, Ron et al actually finish school properly for a start, and tie up all those other loose ends.

• by Michelle on July 23, 2007 at 10:26 AM

I really enjoyed it but felt a little flat at the end of it. I don't know how to explain really. I was hoping for a happy ending but in the end felt it was all just a little too convenient. I barely noticed some of the deaths, I felt they were skimmed over a little too quickly.
Perhaps my flatness was also due to the fact that I was spoiled by another non-Harry related SIT article which contained the last few sentences of the book

• by krissyg on July 23, 2007 at 11:40 AM

No real surprises at all. I expected the Snape/Lily, although the depth of his devotion was not expected.

She had a clear redemptive pattern from the get go, and it really didn't work all that well (did anyone care about Dudders and Kreacher??). Snape, we knew about, obviously, but she still, after all this, managed to treat him shabbily, leaving him in the Shrieking Shack and not a word of anything. Even Voldie got some attention after death. I've decided he's not really dead and has gone to sink some cocktails in the Bahamas. No one really checked if he was dead, anyway.

There were a lot of things left hanging that she didn't tidy up, and several major contradictions in the rules of magic (how secret-keeping works, for example). Now that’s just laziness.

Then there are the "off" characterisations. I attribute this to her having to rush through to the finish, tying up as many loose ends as possible, and so she ended up "telling" in the dialogue, which came out as clunky and unnatural.

The epilogue was the most disappointing part. Cringe-worthy at best. If a fanfic writer had written it they would have been panned.

I didn't hate the book, but it felt like a rush job, not well thought-out (and she reckons it's been 17 yrs??!!) and hastily published, without a proper editing. And for fans who've waited ten years for the outcome, that just isn't good enough.

• by Noor on July 23, 2007 at 01:02 PM

Oh great - the family will be fighting over the book, Friday I got the evil eye for having the temerity to say I wouldn't have time to pick up a pre-ordered copy between the 8:30 soccer match at one end of town and the 10:30 club motorcycle ride at the other. Now I'll have to put up with the other half and the half sized one fighting to get the book, then there will be fights as the other half sits all night and reads it and then wonders why she is tired and cranky. Next the half sized one will get it and then won't put it down and go to bed or have his shower or whatever.
AND finally the endless discussions on the plot and ending.
Bear a thought for those of us that have to live with Potter fans.
No I have never read a word of Harry Potter, the movies are mildly interesting but after the 10th time on DVD i'd rather be walking the dog or even cleaning up after the dog.

• by Gumby on July 23, 2007 at 01:57 PM

WARNING: Spoilers here. Do not read if you have not yet finished Hallows.

Wow. Did anyone say Deus Ex Machina?
That book was terrible. I've been reading HP from the beginning, right when I was mailed a first edition for my birthday back in 97 through to the end and I have to say that I was very disappointed. It seems that the charm has worn off at last and the writing itself has become glaringly, obviously bad. The way in which Rowling jumps around inventing conclusions seems so rushed it's almost silly. The multitudinous Deus Ex Machina rears it's head everytime the story needs to move foward, leaving a tacky aftertaste that made me feel cheated. I'm afraid that an editor was sorely missed when it came to the last book.
Now let me explain. I have always loved Harry Potter's escapades since I was 8 and have grown up alongside him as he battled Lord Voldemort. However, the way in which the series ended was abysmal. I think I have three major complaints with the finale and a few minor ones.
First of all, the way in which Rowling constructs Harry makes him appear to have the intellect of an 11 year old. I'm talking about all the points in the book where he is lost for words, while you, the reader, is shouting at the book in frustration as the answer is so simple and easy. His purile dependence, self righteousness and "leadership" was tolerable enough in the first 3-4 books but at this stage of the game you just want and expect Harry to start acting like a man. Sometimes you just want him show the Death Eaters that he has some mettle. I think his imbecility is fine enough, for the story's sake, if you constantly reminded every couple of pages how "brave", "pure" or "self less" Harry is by the voice of the omnipresent narrator. It is infuriating to deify a person so mind numbingly dense for the only reason that he happened to be in the right place at the right time. It's as though Rowling hasn't advanced her respect of her own characters since she began the series. It's also infuriating to think that she believes teenagers on the cusp of adulthood are so directionless and idiotic that they need the constant hand holding of an adult (Dumbledore, in one of his many manifestations) and a narrator who enforces the underlying ideal that Harry Potter is smart, brave and strong.
Secondly, the use of Deus Ex Machina (and I hate using that term) was so overpowering that at one point I threw the book at the wall. I could cope with minor things but the increasing amount and severity of their impact on the plot really hurt my ability to respect Rowling as an author. It felt as though the book should have been retitled "Harry Potter and the pretty cool amazing revelations, intrusions and coincidences that saves both him and his snookered author from an untimely end". I might be bothered to actually go through the book again and pull out some of the more choice moments in which some rediculous twist of fate furthers Harry's cause whilst the author sycophantically bleats into your ear "Harry is amazing!"
I must ask a question and I will be probably amended by a more diligent reader than I (or one who an remember the intricacies of all 7 books) but how the hell did Neville procure the Sword of Gryffindor to kill Nagini?
Thirdly, the strange idea Rowling had of her target audience never really escaped me. It seems odd and curious, if not funny, to market a book for children and adults alike and expect to satisfy adults with gruesome injuries and torture scenes whilst the children are happy knowing that everyone dies instantaneously or are knocked unconscious. It just doesn't match. Rowling needed to commit to either an older book (LOTR ROTK) or a younger book (TLTWATW by CS Lewis) but not both, they simply counteract each other to remove any significance the token deaths had in the first place. Who cares if people die if death is projected as being a better existence than living? Who cares if George loses an ear, Hermione is tortured or Neville is almost burnt to death in a fiery mask when it is juxtaposed by "Yaxley falling down unconscious" or the muggle studies teacher dying in a flash of green light. How do wounds, which the characters seem to receive so freely, occur if every Death Eater is firing an instant death spell? Why are we never told the fate of so many of the other characters Rowling calls together? Does Rowling believe that children will look the other way at splinching, knowing that many of the characters are only knocked unconscious? I found this attitude debased so much of the action that occured within the novel that I was almost tempted to skip many of the fight scenes only to find out who was temporarily incapacitated so the story could progress. It's odd the way she throws off a splinching (bits of flesh being chopped out) or lightens George's loss of an ear as though that will lessen the image in children's minds. What we can observe, however, is if she is blase about splinching and loss of body parts, then why does she not do away with it all together? Why not just death and life? It is this question that leads me to believe that she wants to enthrall her older audience with the actual danger of magic to her characters. If so, then the whole book suffers. I really wanted Rowling to say "this is where we've been" (i.e. puking lollies, punching people in the face) and "this is where we're going" (torture, murder, suggested rape etc.) And one more thing, and I would be very glad to know of others opinions, what on earth happened to Ariana at the hands of the muggle boys? Are we to presume she was gang raped?
Those frustrations aside, let me just say that I miss the world of Harry Potter that was so well established in books 1,2,3 and 4. Where is the quidditch, the oddities and fascinations of Hogwarts, the amazing twists on Muggle life that Rowling so captured my imagination with in the beginning? Where is Harry's strength, fortitude, determination and leadership that is demanded by the events of the last novel? Where is the dramatic battle between wizards and death eaters and no, I don't mean that rediculous sequence in which every Harry Potter character in memory is called upon to engage in a supposedly deadly battle (where everyone gets stunned, knocked unconcious but never really die.) Where is the drama, pacing or tension? I'm afraid the lest book felt alot like Rowling was making her escape. Fluidly she reopened and firmly shut any old lore, legend or bits of story that could have proved available to other writers whilst battening down the hatches and shutting up the Harry Potter world with such neatness and finality that made me scared to blink in case I missed something.

• by Max on July 23, 2007 at 03:46 PM

As a child (sorta, I'm almost 20) of the real Harry Potter generation, I was actually elated by the conclusion of the narrative. I read it on the day it came out at my parents house that I had commandeered for the day just so my housemates wouldn't bug me (and I had to go to a Harry Potter party the night before in my home town). I am still riding the Harry Potter wave of euphoria. Yes, at times it was wordy, the language flowery and it seemed JK Rowling wished she had made far less than 7 horcruxes, but the spirit was alive (no pun intended).
This aforementioned wave of euphoria has, however a hint of sadness to it. This is the end of an era. I have actually been reading these books for the last 10 years of my life. One sees the children aged about 6 or 7 queuing up for the films and books, but they aren't the HP generation. We are. We are the ones who appreciates the journey Harry takes, because we took it with him. We went through the making-new-friends-at-school caper (admittedly without the cave troll), the angst (without the death of a new-found godfather), the crushes (again, without the dead exes), the rises and falls of teenage emotion and most significantly it gives us hope that we can lead normal lives after the upheavals of adolescence. I?m not saying the next generation won?t be able to relate, but it will be all the more significant for us because we waited with bated breath to see if Harry et al dealt with the obstacles of life in the same way we did.
The point of this long-winded rant is that the seventh book, while flawed in some respects, totally lived up to all the expectation I had built up in its coming. So good, at times I almost forgot to breathe. I laughed, I cried, and a large part of me wishes it wasn?t over?

• by Vyvyan on July 23, 2007 at 03:52 PM

Having read other people's comments has been interesting... just realised what book 7 really reminds of.... Harry's sacrifice reminds me of Aslan's sacrifice in the Narnia book and the battle that took place in that book to win battle over the White Witch... the beaded bad also reminded me of Mary Poppins bag.... but that was what JK was good at, gathering up inklings of what people liked of other stories, a quest like Lord of the Rings... friendships, school days like Billy Bunter & Mallory Towers, magic like Mary Poppins/ Peter Pan... Magical talking creatures like Narnia...etc, etc. Not plagarism, definitely JK is imaginative but reminiscent...

Re Neville & the sword... in book 2... Dumbledore says to Harry... that a true Gryffindor can pull the sword out of the hat... the sorting hat used to be Godric's... Voldemort summoned the Hat to set alight to torture Neville but agree with Max ... how would Neville know to reach into the hat to get the sword? And did Harry tell Neville how the Horcruxes have to be destroyed, can't remember...just remember he told him as back-up person what the last Horcrux was, should something go wrong ....Obviously JK wanted Neville to play the hero once again in the last book & this act was her plan, but it was poorly executed.... like the ownership of the Elder wand.... still don't understand how an underaged wizard could have defeated the previous owner in book 6. JK - really needed an objective editor on this one... really needed ... there are many glaring inconsistencies... for example... Harry asks a former headmaster questions as he can talk to his portrait but he never thinks to ask a portrait of Dumbledore the questions he wants to have answers too early on... Plus Snape's duty of care for Draco is not covered in book 7... especially when he was duelling against Harry? Lots more questions like this arise upon further reading... Very untidy for a book that was to tidy loose ends... Glad I read it but also glad that there is no book 8 :)

• by kate on July 23, 2007 at 06:28 PM

I pity you, Max. What a joyless, unimaginative person you must be. It's a children's book. It's not pretending to be high literature. Ignore the clunky prose and painful character development, and enjoy the story. There are pretentious bits, yes, but the narration is quirky and modest and familiar. Harry�s naivety is endearing. It is intended so that children are able to follow the complex plot, not as an insult to you or to your intelligence. Deathly Hallows is very dark, but there are glimpses of the series' earlier quaintness. I�m willing to forgive the epilogue for �Babbity Rabbity and her Cackling Stump�.
If, Max, you feel the need to pick Deathly Hallows apart, to speak of it with such venom, have fun, but don't expect what you say to be taken seriously. I'm sorry that you felt cheated by the ending. Apart from that, I can't actually make out what it is you're complaining about. Rambling, garbled nonsense about torture scenes � did you want more of them, Max, or less? Repeating �deus ex machina� over and over makes you sound foolish, not intellectual. If you found the plot too convoluted, why on earth did you bother to finish the series?

• by alice on July 23, 2007 at 08:42 PM

Oh, and LOTR-ROTK was there too. Perhaps that is why she included the epilogue. To show not only the safe return to normality, but the life goes on thing. Having a wife and child, etc. Thankfully she did not give us five endings-which is what she would have had to do to show Hermione going to Australia to find her parents and restoring their memories. Or what happened to the other characters. These are things we can figure out for ourselves. And she did not go into too much detail showing emotions. Hermiony staying there to help when her own life was falling apart was a valid observation. Not to mention it would have been to let her be cardboard. You wanted character growth, well she isn't an 11 year old anymore.

• by aussierelative on July 24, 2007 at 03:39 AM

Kate asked: how would Neville know to reach into the hat to get the sword?
I liked this part - it was not just the Big Three who played their part in bringing Voldemort down, and there was nice synchronicity in having Neville play the hero, consistent with his huge growth from the comic relief of the first books and the revelation in Book 5 that he might have been the Chosen One.
But how did he get the sword? I had to think about this, because the last we saw Griphook had taken off with it from Gringotts. I think the answer is that the Sorting Hat had the magic to get the sword from wherever it happened to be, and to deliver it to a true Griffindor. The sword was not stored in the Hat in Book 2 - it was on display in Dumbledore's office, but appeared in the hat when Harry needed it. As to how Neville knew to find it there, I suspect it dropped on his head, just like it did to Harry.
I liked the Epilogue - after I read it a couple of times, because it was a bit awkward on first look, particularly coming straight off the climactic moment. But I thought it did a fair of job of tying up the happy ending for Harry/Ginny and Ron/Hermione, plus Harry's ultimate understanding and forgiving of Snape. Given the weight of expectation that was piled on Ms Rowling, I also can't begrudge her the desire to write THE END across the whole thing.
Terrific book - I'm now going to go back to the Philosopher's Stone and savour the series.

• by steve on July 24, 2007 at 11:09 AM

POSSIBLE SPOILERS

Am I the only one who wished that the ending had been a little more detailed?

I felt that the story as a whole was well paced but then it goes from the end of the battle to 20 years later.

Would readers like to find out the emotional consequences of the final battle? Did Ginny forgive Harry for leading a battle in which one of her brothers was killed? And for someone who ended up being Harry's wife she could have taken a more centeral role in the story. It always feels like she's mentioned having done something else in the background.

Much like Neville and him mainly being a background character who at the last moments does something incredibly stupid, only to come off as heroic through sheer luck.
It seems she just kept Ginny around so that Harry had a happy ending but really if none of the characters expanded their circle of friends, does it really seem like the wizarding world is any better off than it was in the beginning?

(That and if you were Ron as if you would leave your G/F with some guy on a dangerous mission, while you went home?)

• by Blink Ace on July 25, 2007 at 03:18 PM

I agree with Max . . . yes, I love the HP books, but I think JKR lost it in the 7th trying to explain her way out of earlier contradictions. Too many loose ends hanging (so HP can come back from the "dead" surviving AK but his Mom couldn't or wouldn't? How did Neville get the Sword of Gryffindor? What happened to Hagrid? Slytherin exit before final battle and subsequent re-entry too disjointed and contradictory), and the feeling of the book was rushed writing and poor editing. Too much painful waffle in the early and middle as well. I am happy my ideas about Snape and HP as the 7th horcrux turned out true and the overall ending - but it wasn't anywhere near as enjoyable getting there as earlier HP books.
I think JKR has demonstrated her sympathies with the Christian Gospel pretty clearly - but I like many others will go back and prefer reading the Narnia and LOTR books first.

• by Apprentice_GM on July 30, 2007 at 01:16 AM

I let out a whoop when Mrs Weasley went into the battle.....so good to see her out of the kitchen/laundry.
GO MOLLY!

• by Kate on July 30, 2007 at 07:46 AM

The book was amazing,
but incredibly hard to give away (to a friend to read) it felt like i was saying goodbye to my childhood...

• by Alistair. on July 30, 2007 at 08:51 AM

Loved it - but it would have been best to leave off Chapter Nineteen, the epilogue.

JKR has enough difficulty in turning charming 11 year old children into hormonal, angst-ridden 16 year olds, let alone married adults...

• by Cindy on July 30, 2007 at 09:15 AM

J K Rowling tied up all the lose ends perfectly but the ending left me a little flat. We've spent years getting to know the characters and now we'll never know what they've grown up to be? Did Harry end up teaching Defence Against The Dark Arts, what of Hermione and Ron. We know they all get married and live happily ever after, but what else. I just felt the last paragraph was a little flimsy.

• by Mel on July 30, 2007 at 09:57 AM

"I could have lived without the epilogue, but I guess it's 99% certain that it's there for a reason, to plant the seeds for Howgarts: the new class. Not looking forward to that, all good things SHOULD come to an end, but if they make so much money, it's obvious that the natural cycle of an idea will be extended until its greatness is diluted.
Posted by: Miguel on July 22, 2007 1:28 PM"

I think the purpose of the epilogue was quite the opposite - to make it absolutely clear that it's over and there will be no sequels. Also it was a neat way to circumvent any need for a loooooong LoTR-style wind-down to close out every possible loose end. The whole story was told from Harry's eyes so what really mattered was that Harry survived and �All was well�. It gave sufficient leading information for the reader to fill in the rest of the loose ends with a bit of common sense and little of our own imagination, rather than spoon-feeding us every detail. Don�t worry Miguel, I think Rowling will realise, as you rightly have, that more would only serve to dilute the greatness of what has been achieved... after all she's not a wally like George Lucas. I�m sure she�ll leave it alone now as I think she likes Harry enough to leave him alive and well� �All was well�.

• by Cliff on July 30, 2007 at 10:42 AM

Aussierelative - you forget that those brought back by the resurrection stone are there but arent really there, and if asked wouldnt want to be there. They've had their time.
I enjoyed the book, although thought the middle part was a little slow, hanging out at camp sites for how many chapters???? So did my daughter, a true HP Generation kid.

• by Kath on July 30, 2007 at 10:54 AM

My 15 year old son picked it up on Saturday morning about 10am and had finished it by 430 that afternoon. Is this some kind of record? A very happy boy and satisfied with the outcomes.

I am now at about 25% through and it still has the same deficiencies for me of all the preceding books. I am convinced that JKR could have invested just a little more in employing better sub-editors and her command of the language remains inelagant. I am told that there is an excellent French translation that is much more satisfying reading.

• by Gillian on July 30, 2007 at 11:07 AM

I'm so grateful for this discussion! As soon as i finished my book i trawled the web to find other people to discuss it with.

I was one of those that woke up early to line up so i could devour the whole book straight away on Saturday. I did finish it by 8pm that Saturday night.

I think i should have paced myself as i found myself disappointed with more questions after i finished then thought it was a great ending.

I have to agree with Max's review that there was many deaths where i was emotionally unattached to and was irrelevant.

I found the first few chapters enchanting though i didn't understand the relevance of the Muggles Studies teacher in the first chapter where she gets killed. I thought that it was going to be Professor Trelawney.

How come Ron and Hermione thought that Harry had a plan when he has always told them everything that Dumbledore has told them?

I found that it dragged a bit in the middle (hence the i should have spaced reading the book). I felt that JK was using her normal formula from the previous 6 books- keep readers in suspense with details that get explained at the end by Dumbledore. So as i was reading i was thinking - how's it all going to get explained? Dumbledore's dead! But then as per usual Dumbledore explained everything which was unreal - because if he was there (in the Kings Crossing) and he was dead, then why wasn't his parents/Sirius?

The explanation of the wands i thought could be a bit clearer as well - as in if they were referring to the end of the "Goblet of Fire" duel then she could have referenced it a bit clearer.

Then at the end - how does expellaramus (a disarming charm) bounce back a death charm? I thought that only a shield charm would make the charm bounce back?

Was JK Rowling trying to push Dumbledore down a level to contrast even more what a honest hero that Harry was? Why all the talk about Dumbledore's past when it didn't really contribute to him finding horcruxes?

Was it just me or did someone else think that Harry was going to find all 3 deathly harrows and combine them and that was what was going to help him defeat Voldermort (if he didn't get hold of the Horcruxes)? Otherwise was the Deathly Harrows just a distraction/obstacle from the Horcruxes?

I thought the Epilogue was ok- paves way for "Harry Potter - the Next Generation" books haha.

Thanks for this opportunity to finally talk about Harry the Deathly Hallows.

• by VStar on July 30, 2007 at 11:30 AM

(That and if you were Ron as if you would leave your G/F with some guy on a dangerous mission, while you went home?)

* Posted by: Blink Ace on July 25, 2007 3:18 PM

If you actually read the words in the book you would discover that he was feeling that way due to wearing the horcrux - remember how it distorts your reality and not act as you would normally?

• by HPFan on July 30, 2007 at 11:43 AM

Mel, I loved the last book as well and was extremely sad that the series has "supposedly" finished. (I'm hoping she will write another one, just to let us know what happened after the Battle of Hogwarts and before the last chapter) I dont think Harry taught DATDA, because he would have either been on the train heading to Hogwarts with his children or he would have already been there like Professor Longbottom. He might have taught before and then moved on to another career, but I really doubt it. All the professors at Hogwarts seem to stay for a long period of time. Except for the DATDA teachers, which was only because of a curse that LV had put on the position. I feel that that curse would have been lifted after LV died. I'm hoping that Harry, Hermione and Ron went back to finish their last year at Hogwarts and that Harry received the necessary grades to do what he really wanted to do...become an Auror.

• by mel on July 30, 2007 at 11:56 AM

Hows this take on Harry Potter from the bible:

There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, (Deuteronomy 18:9-14)

Be warned of opening yourself up to the dark side, its not just a book, a film or a fanasty. There is a very real demonic realm & power in which witchcraft operates.

`just its good entertainment` some say. The bible says the `the fear of the Lord is the hatred of evil`. Harry Potter is a wolf in sheeps clothing! Its not just a book its the spirit behind the book.

• by Chris on July 30, 2007 at 12:51 PM

To all who read Harry Potter, REPENT REPENT!!! These books are promoting the use of withcraft and heresy which will be used to destroy the Roman Catholic Church and all that is sacred! REPENT SINNERS REPENT OR FACE ETERNAL DAMNATION IN THE FIRES OF HELL.

:)

• by dave on July 30, 2007 at 01:06 PM

i enjoyed it. cant say it was my favourite but was still good.

i think my favourite bit was snape's memory. thatchapter was great and really wasthe most interesting twist in my opinion.

epilogue thingy was annoying but ohh well i was still satisfied.

• by riceyy on July 30, 2007 at 01:17 PM

Ok for those who have read the book, question for you - they lose the Gryfindor sword in gringotts to the goblin. Then how does Neville get it in the end with which he slices off the head of Nagini, the snake???

• by fazam on July 30, 2007 at 02:14 PM