Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
NO SPOILERS
Sadly disappointed.
I read the book on Saturday in one fell swoop, and although end products seldom live up to the hype, I had hoped that The Deathly Hallows would be one of the exceptions. It was not. Despite the fact that I enjoyed the HP series very much and the world building is fascinating, comparisons to C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien's works, among others, seem overexuberant and exaggerated.
Parts of The Deathly Hallows were exciting and touching, but at the very least, the middle one third to one half could have been removed and not much would have changed. The story and plot didn't move forward and, thus, we were left with a meandering and plodding chunk of book. In fact, I had the lowering feeling as I read that Ms Rowling was attempting to reprise Sam and Frodo's journey to Mount Doom from The Lord of the Rings. However, though the middle of the book was dreary, the last portion seemed rushed. Many of the creatures and characters brought up in the other books got but a cursory mention - and primarily at the very end.
I admit to needing tissues for at least 2 spots, and some of the questions that were raised in previous books were answered, but not all. Much has been made of the epilogue, which was interesting in its way, but that raised yet more questions - and not just of the characters but of the Muggle and Wizarding world.
Overall, what was a highly anticipated read became almost an exercise in futility.
Sadly disappointed.
I read the book on Saturday in one fell swoop, and although end products seldom live up to the hype, I had hoped that The Deathly Hallows would be one of the exceptions. It was not. Despite the fact that I enjoyed the HP series very much and the world building is fascinating, comparisons to C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien's works, among others, seem overexuberant and exaggerated.
Parts of The Deathly Hallows were exciting and touching, but at the very least, the middle one third to one half could have been removed and not much would have changed. The story and plot didn't move forward and, thus, we were left with a meandering and plodding chunk of book. In fact, I had the lowering feeling as I read that Ms Rowling was attempting to reprise Sam and Frodo's journey to Mount Doom from The Lord of the Rings. However, though the middle of the book was dreary, the last portion seemed rushed. Many of the creatures and characters brought up in the other books got but a cursory mention - and primarily at the very end.
I admit to needing tissues for at least 2 spots, and some of the questions that were raised in previous books were answered, but not all. Much has been made of the epilogue, which was interesting in its way, but that raised yet more questions - and not just of the characters but of the Muggle and Wizarding world.
Overall, what was a highly anticipated read became almost an exercise in futility.
Addendum: 7/26/07 - In an interview with NBC's Today show, Ms Rowling acknowledged that book 7 doesn't tie up all the loose ends:
"It would have been humanly impossible to answer every single question that comes up, because I'm dealing with a level of obsession in some of my fans that will not rest until they know the middle names of Harry's great, great grandparents."
posted by Cheshire Cat @ 7/24/2007 11:05:00 am
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