Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Book 7

First, I love the Harry Potter series even though I'm over 50. It is a work of genius which will entertain generations of all ages for eons. With that said, I have noticed a tone of Rowling's growing resentment toward the Harry Potter character, which has increased with each of the last 4 books. I remember her saying many times that she was writing the series for herself. However, once an author publishes, their books cannot be for the author alone. The minute they sell their works, the author has a responsibility toward the public, the publisher and any contracts with studios and residual Agreements. From the 3rd book on, you can detect a growing resentment which Rowling is developing toward her main character as she begins to lose control of the books and is under increasing pressures with timelines and schedules to complete each sequel. The schedules are an unavoidable necessity due to the aging of the actors and a rush to complete each sequel before they became too old for their roles. I believe Rowlings did not like being pressured by deadlines and it shows in Harry's increasing tendency toward petulance, disregard for the consequences for his actions and increasing self-concentric stubbornness she has instilled in his character. Increasing in intensity with each novel. By this final book, she clearly intended to kill off Harry and irretrievably end the series. Only extreme pressure from her publisher, family or high ranking members of the British Parliament or Monarchy may have changed her intent because hundreds of fans, celebrities and other famous people who pleaded with her did not seem to make any headway in persuading her to spare Harry for the sake of the millions of fans and children. But it looks to me that she attempted to sully the reputations of Dumbledore and make Harry so petulant and self-indulgent with no regard to others that it would turn the fans off from wanting further sequels. If you noticed, she had him sitting in tents for weeks at a time doing nothing with no sense of concern or urgency about innocent people dying, suffering and disappearing at the hands of Voldemort and his followers while Harry supposedly sat around for weeks making no effort at all to expedite his mission. And to ignore the warnings about the tracking attached to those who spoke the name of Voldemort which resulted in loss of life. Or his insistence to indulge his desires to visit the graves and Potter home without concern for Hermione's safety or time lost while people suffered.... and yet, with each mistake, he did not learn. He only became more careless and self-concentric while Rowlings did her best to destroy Dumbledores character for no good reason. It did not enhance the story and she was still dropping bombs on his character even after the book was published. It is clear she has grown to hate her own creation and wants to be free of the Potter aura which made her wealthy and famous. I think she would have made the last book much worse if the publisher had allowed her to crucify the characters in a final act to destroy the series for good. Thankfully, most readers were oblivious to Rowlings growing resentment toward her own characters or were able to ignore it and still enjoy the book. The movies will likely make the time periods seem like days rather than weeks as written and they will soften the petulance and negatives. It is still an enjoyable book and wonderful series despite Rowling's inner struggles to break free from the Potter series prison. I don't think any other books she writes will do well. It would be similar to the actors of Star Trek who could not break out of their roles and finally gave in on the movies and conventions and learned to enjoy and appreciate their stereotyped fame and popularity rather than fight it. One note of interest was a mid 1980's movie I saw a couple years ago called, "Troll" starring Angela Lansbury, her daughter Jessica and a main character... a young boy named "Harry Potter." I nearly fell off the chair when I saw this movie about a magical kingdom, trolls, witches, magic and talking mushrooms. There were several things about this movie which made you wonder about the birth of the Potter series, however... the difference between that movie and this series is like night and day and does not hold a candle to this series. There are endless stories the Harry Potter series could do with the characters as grown adults. There is no limit to how many could be made. I hope to see more even if it is from another author as long as it is written in the same style and does not contradict the basic premise and past events. Nothing could diminish the enjoyment these books and movies have brought to hundreds of millions worldwide.... So Ms Rowlings, get used to it and think about how others feel. You took on this responsibility for the fans the moment you decided to publish your books and sell them to the public. If you wanted to write solely for yourself, you shouldn't have sold the stories to the public. Your responsibility is even greater because the majority of your readers are children and will continue to be so as more children are born and begin to read your books. You are an excellent writer for all ages. Now that your characters are adults, you could write without the same schedule pressures you had when they were young. But like you wrote into Harry's character, you need to be aware of what you say, write and do and how it will affect the majority of others. You can't please everyone, but you can have more empathy and consideration for the majority of the fans and how your actions will affect them. It's a wonderful series, so please don't spoil it.

I am a grown man. I am a thirtysomething. I have a mortgage and a bum knee. I pay taxes, go to the market when need be and give to local charities. I do all the things and adult is supposed to do. But when I read Harry Potter I am gloriously and whole heartedly a child once more. I stumbled upon Harry Potter quite by accident right about the time book III was coming out. My ex-girlfriend was a fanatic. I had seen the first two movies and liked them quite a bit, but not enough to pick up the books. To help spur me on, she bought me "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" and reluctantly I read it. I was rabid afterwards. I devoured the book in three evenings. I went back and bought the first two and greedily tore through those as well. Then, I had to wait...like everyone else, waited to get another helping of that delicious Potter lore. Book 4 was amazing. Best of the series in my mind. First time I ever cried while reading a book. In case you care...it happened towards the end when Harry wakes up in the medical wing of Hogwarts and Mrs. Weasley is holding him and giving him the protective unconditional type of love he had never had before. I too grew up in such a way and totally lost it in that moment. Book 5 came and I was once again breathless. Goodbye Sirius...man, that was a hard one to take. Book 6 arrived and as I gently but feverishly thumbed page after page, I suddenly realized what was about to happen and nearly "lost it" again. I understood the sacrifice and am happy to report was dead on about Snape and his part in the bigger picture. The we come to book 7. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". To tell you truth, I didn't want to read it. I knew by reading it would mean something I didn't want to end would be ending. I started slowly. A few chapters a night. Make it last...delay the pleasure as long as you can, I thought. It was so hard to time manage the book in this manner. J.K. hits so hard so fast that you can't put the book down after the seven Potters chapter! What happened to everyone? Did Mad-Eye really die? I kept reading. One more chapter and I will go to bed. The wedding happened then the ministry falls and Harry, Ron and Hermione run for it. One more chapter. The kids sneak into the ministry and nearly get caught. The prolonged stay in the woods. Just one more chapter then off to bed. They get caught...oh my? The Malfoy manor and the fate of Dobby. Ok, I must admit...I cried when Dobby died. Caught me off guard. He sacrificed everything for the boy who set him free. Ok, will just read til I can't read no more. The sword in the pool, the Gringott's break in and the Dragon Exodus was enthralling, but J.K. had better in store. The ace up her sleeve started when we see Neville Longbottom emerge from the tunnel and the Battle of Hogwarts begins. From then on it's a water slide ride to the end. J.K. manages to include every character we hoped to see once more. It was amazing to see everyone show up for the battle of their lives. The staging and eloquence in which the words unfolded, was a master class in writing. Just because the words aren't complicated doesn't mean they don't have power. J.K. does not need to overwrought the narrative to show she is a writer. Tell the story concisely with passion and control and you will have success. Ok, sorry for the segway...back to Harry. The fiendfire was great. Goodnight Crabbe, I never liked you. Harry understands what he has to do and transcends boyhood to manhood on his journey to the end. Ok, here is where I break down and cry like I did when I read "Where the Red Fern Grows". Harry turns the Hallow ring in his hand and meets the ghosts of Sirius, Remus, James and Lily. "You have been so brave" she tells him...there I go. I sobbed like a baby and am not ashamed to admit it. I regained control of my faculties and soldiered on. Harry faces his fate like you knew he would and at Kings Cross he gets to see Dumbledore one more time. Cue, waterworks one more time. As soon as he died I knew he was going to live. Truth be told, I knew in my heart J.K. would never kill Harry. Then Hagrid carries Harry back to Hogwarts and the people rebel. Mrs. Weasley nearly steals the show. Neville becomes a true hero which leaves Harry and Voldermort. Finally, the end has come. As a reader you could see it coming. The answer was so clear that the exposition offered was almost moot at this point. "Try for some remorse". The green light explodes and clashes with the gold light. Harry stands triumphant. I see now what the cover illustrates. Harry holds out his hand to catch the elder wand as Voldermort falls lifeless. Whew. I was wet with sweat and excitement. Nineteen years later. Where are the darn tissues. Once again I was caught off guard. J.K. hands us one last morsel of this spectacular world. We get to see the continued happiness of people we have grown to love. Little Albus. So cute. He and Rose will be like Harry and Hermione. James is going to be like his uncle George. I do wish Ron and Hermione had named Hugo, Fred...but that is neither here nor there. I will not criticize what I see as a gift. The gift of imagination and entertainment is as precious as any priceless gem. I have read "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" three times. I find it the best of the series, which is a feat unto itself. To end stronger than you started. To me that is the mark of the truest talent.

The final confrontation between Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, the Chosen One, the "symbol of hope" for both the Wizard and Muggle worlds, and Lord Voldemort, He Who Must Not Be Named, the nefarious leader of the Death Eaters and would-be ruler of all. Good versus Evil. Love versus Hate. The Seeker versus the Dark Lord. 10 years in the making, from the Greek myths to Dickens and Tolkien to "Star Wars." And true to its roots, it ends with good old-fashioned closure: heart-racing, bone-chilling confrontation and an epilogue that clearly lays out people's fates. Getting to the finish line is not seamless -- the last part of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the seventh and final book in the series, has some lumpy passages of exposition and a couple of clunky detours -- but the overall conclusion and its determination of the main characters' story lines possess a convincing. With each installment, the "Potter" series has grown increasingly dark, and this volume is no exception. While Ms. Rowling's astonishingly limber voice still moves effortlessly between Ron's adolescent sarcasm and Harry's growing solemnity, from youthful exuberance to more philosophical gravity, "Deathly Hallows" is, for the most part, a somber book that marks Harry's final initiation into the complexities and sadnesses of adulthood. From his first days at Hogwarts, the young, green-eyed boy bore the burden of his destiny as a leader, coping with the expectations and duties of his role, and in this volume he is clearly more high-spirited war games of Quidditch have given way to real war, and Harry often wishes he were not the de facto leader of the Resistance movement, shouldering terrifying responsibilities, but an ordinary teenage boy -- free to romance Ginny Weasley and hang out with his friends. Harry has already lost his parents, his godfather Sirius and his teacher Professor Dumbledore (all mentors he might have once received instruction from) and in this volume, the losses mount with unnerving speed: at least a half-dozen characters we have come to know die in these pages, and many others are wounded or tortured. Voldemort and his followers have infiltrated Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic, creating havoc and terror in the Wizard and Muggle worlds alike, and the members of various populations -- including elves, goblins and centaurs -- are choosing sides. No wonder then that Harry often seems overwhelmed with disillusionment and doubt in the final installment of this seven-volume. He continues to struggle to control his temper, and as he and Ron and Hermione search for the missing Horcruxes (secret magical objects in which Voldemort has stashed parts of his soul, objects that Harry must destroy if he hopes to kill the evil lord), he literally enters a dark wood, in which he must do battle not only with the Death Eaters, but also with the temptations of hubris and despair. Harry's weird psychic connection with Voldemort (symbolized by the lightning-bolt forehead scar he bears as a result of the Dark Lord's attack on him as a baby) seems to have grown stronger too, giving him clues to Voldemort's actions and whereabouts, even as it lures him ever closer to the dark side. One of the plot's significant turning points concerns Harry's decision on whether to continue looking for the Horcruxes -- the mission assigned to him by the late Dumbledore -- or to pursue the Hallows, three magical objects said to make their possessor the master of Death. Harry's journey will propel him forward to a final showdown with his arch enemy, and also send him backward into the past, to the house in Godric's Hollow where his parents died, to learn about his family history and the equally mysterious history of Dumbledore's family. At the same time, he will be forced to ponder the equation between fraternity and independence, free will and fate, and to come to terms with his own frailties and those of others. Indeed, ambiguities proliferate throughout "The Deathly Hallows": we are made to see that kindly Dumbledore, sinister Severus Snape and perhaps even the awful Muggle cousin Dudley Dursley may be more complicated than they initially seem, that all of them, like Harry, have hidden aspects to their personalities, and that choice -- more than talent or predisposition -- matters most of all. It is Ms. Rowling's achievement in this series that she manages to make Harry both a familiar adolescent -- coping with the frustrations of school and dating. This talent has enabled her to create a narrative that effortlessly mixes up allusions to Homer, Milton, Shakespeare and Kafka, with silly kid jokes about vomit-flavored candies, a narrative that fuses a plethora of genres (from the boarding-school novel to the detective story to the epic quest) into a story that could be Exhibit A in a Joseph Campbell survey of mythic archetypes. In doing so, J. K. Rowling has created a world as fully detailed as L. Frank Baum's Oz or J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle Earth, a world so minutely imagined in terms of its history and rituals and rules that it qualifies as an alternate universe, which may be one reason the "Potter" books have spawned such a passionate following and such fervent exegesis. With this volume, the reader realizes that small incidents and asides in earlier installments (hidden among a huge number of red herrings) create a breadcrumb trail of clues to the plot, that Ms. Rowling has fitted together the jigsaw-puzzle pieces of this long undertaking with Dickensian ingenuity and ardor. Objects and spells from earlier books -- like the invisibility cloak, Polyjuice Potion, Dumbledore's Pensieve and Sirius's flying motorcycle -- play important roles in this volume, and characters encountered before, like the house-elf Dobby and Mr. Ollivander the wandmaker, resurface, too. The world of Harry Potter is a place where the mundane and the marvelous, the ordinary and the surreal coexist. It's a place where cars can fly and owls can deliver the mail, a place where paintings talk and a mirror reflects people's innermost desires. It's also a place utterly recognizable to readers, a place where death and the catastrophes of daily life are inevitable, and people's lives are defined by love and loss and hope -- the same way they are in our own mortal world.

NOTE: This is a spoiler-free review. The bar of expectation has been set phenomenally high for the last book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Released only a short while after Book 5's movie was released, the last 3 novels are much more dark and mature than the first book, where Harry Potter was but a young boy learning of his magical heritage. Where books 1 and 2 were fine fodder for young children, these later stories are definitely written with teenagers and up in mind. The themes being examined here are quite mature - how government can have mixed motives and can twist the truth, how newspapers can become the voice of the government and feed mis-information for political reasons, how adults that you trust and look up to may have dark pasts and not-so-pure motives. We're past the "simple" issues of revenge and love and into far more complex agendas. Many children's books have clear morals and well defined heroes and enemies - the wicked stepmother, the beautiful fairy. Harry Potter's final tome is far more grey than that. This can be very confusing (and unsettling) for younger children who still need to feel secure in a world where grown-ups can be trusted. For more mature readers, this is a beautiful example of peeling back the layers of the onion to see the underside of life. We began with a very innocent, simple view of the world, naturally coming from the young view of Harry Potter. As he aged and matured, so did our ability to see what was going on around us in the Harry Potter universe - to understand the reason for the actions of his teachers, his friends' parents, and other characters in this multi-leveled universe. With Deathly Hallows, Harry is now an adult. He has turned 17, the coming of age time for wizards. He is no longer safe with his aunt and uncle as a result. He is no longer required to go to school, and can take control of his own actions and path in life. As adult readers know, this is hardly the freedom or release that teenagers often think it will be. With that freedom to rule your own life also comes great responsibility. You are now responsible for how your actions will affect those around you that you care for. Harry's choices are going to have a huge impact on Hermoine and Ron, who valiantly want to stand by their friend. In one sense, Harry has been set on a path by Dumbledore, and you could claim that all that happens is Dumbledore's fault. On the other hand, Harry has free will, and Dumbledore's instructions have always been vague at best. Harry has quite a lot of range of choice in what he does and does not do - and some of those choices are difficult at best. There are meditations here on the meaning of death and life, on the value of sacrifice. Every character has known pain and has made decisions for selfish reasons. There are celebrations of new beginnings, and yes, there are some endings as well. Not to be overly hokey, but there's a reason the "circle of life" cliche shows up so often in fine literature. This imagery has been around since mankind began civilization and it is an integral part of how our society works. People looking for the non-stop comic action of high school hijinx and game competitions will be disappointed. This final novel is nothing like that. In fact, there are long stretches where the characters feel stymied, where it feels like no progress is being made. The book forces you to slow down, to really think about what is going on, to feel the strain and pressure of achieving an extremely difficult goal. Yes, there are action sequences and well described battles - but those are the exception, not the rule. Deathly Hallows is about internal struggles and emotional challenges. The vocabulary reflects this as well. This book is written at a high school level and was not meant to be skimmed or jumped through. The wording and the sentence structure encourage you to go slowly, to contemplate, to think about what is being said. While Harry spends weeks contemplating issues and trying to figure out how he feels about an issue, you, the reader, are encouraged to do the same. It's an avenue of self exploration. At the risk of offending the Harry Potter fanatics, I do want to mention just a few things. I'll do this without spoilers on Amazon and be more clear on my website - on a separate page - for those who have read the book. First, a few sequences in this book felt very much deus ex machina. Yes, explanations are provided later in the book, but the same things could have been arranged in a much more probable manner. The way certain sequences run, it's almost as if she had Chapter X and Chapter Y and then had to figure out some way to connect them. Next, certain key character's personalities change in leaps without that development being shown. We have developed such a connection with those characters over the years that it would have been wonderful to see that maturation, but instead it just seems to "happen". Still, as I mentioned at the beginning, the bar was set exceedingly high for this book. It was expected to be exactly perfect, a stunning work of literature appropriate for every age group. It was expected to satisfy both those who wanted a Hollywood Ending as well as those who feel realism requires death, destruction and bleak despair. While it is not going to achieve all of those goals - really, can any single book do that? - it is an extremely good read which has exposed millions of people to questions and issues they might not have otherwise encountered. It encourages those people to think - critically - about the world they live in. And really, you cannot ask any book to do much more than that. Highly recommended.

I MUST NOT TELL LIES....I rarely find that final books, movies, etc. live up to expectations, especially ones generating such a mainstream buzz. But after nearly a decade of devotion, as a reader introduced to the series early, I am content with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. This is also exceptional because of the sheer enormity of the body count on this one, like the 2 books before it, most of the fallen turned out to be my favorite characters. The author had released before the release that two major characters who die. This is an understatement. Of course, plenty of death happen "off screen," TEN deaths are "major" players in the sense that they appear in 4-7 books! While J.K.Rowling avoids making this the largest novel in order to answer all the questions and plot requirements, she does do the finale staple in the referencing or return of many, many, many concepts, characters and catch-phases of the past 6 books. Settings, spells and special guest appearances are all welcome additions to HP VII. Things big and small appear with parts to play: For example Dedalus Diggle, a very minor player, was the first wizard to appear in Book 1, and he is the first to do so here in the final story. Other characters returning in person or as a passing reference include the likes of: Mr. Ollivander, the surviving members of the Order and the D.A., the Malfoys, the Weasley's Ghoul, Stan Shunpike, Grindelvald, Nearly-Headless-Nick, Norbert, Bathilda Bagshot, R.A.B., Gregorovitch, Viktor Krum, the Lovegoods, house elves, Wormtail just to name a few. Watch out for cameos or references to inanimate and animate objects like, Harry's first snitch, his invisibility cloak (which plays a major role ), the Monster Book of Monsters, the Whomping Willow, the Marauder's Map, pensieves, Polyjuice Potion, and even Sirius' flying motorcycle as referenced early in Sorcerers' Stone. Book SIX focused on tracking down the Horcruxes or magical objects into which the Dark Lord Voldemort a.k.a Tom Riddle has divided his soul to be virtually immortal. Horcruxes we've seen the Diary, the Ring, the great snake Nagini and Voldemort himself. We get some insight into his history and plans, but by the end of Half-Blood Prince we have as more questions than answers. Questions ultimately answered in Book Seven: Is HARRY himself one of the remaining Horcruxes? How to destroy them? How did Dumbledore destroy the ring? Where is real locket Horcrux? Who is R.A.B.? What becomes of Hogwarts? Is Snape evil? Why did Dumbledore trust him? Did Dumbledore have a plan? What are the Deathly Hallows? What is Voldemort's ultimate goal? Must HARRY die to stop Voldemort? What did Dumbledore really see in the Mirror of Erised, back in Book 1? BOOK 7... Careful some plot spoilers below....... This one opens with scenes behind enemy lines, revealing Harry's 17th birthday and the end of his protection from the Dark Lord is fast approaching. The Death Eaters are ready for the Order's plan to move Harry to a safe house. Following a down-rite heart warming good-bye to the Dursleys, the action-packed escape ends with the loss of more than just Harry's broom, but two friends fall as his childhood innocence is symbolically stripped from him. Things slow-down just long enough for The Wedding, before the chill is off the drinks all hell breaks lose and Harry's quest begins again for the "you know whats" and this time Harry's archetype takes on literal interpretation as his searches for a sword, "the Sword of Gryffindor" possibly the only way to finish his assignment for Dumbledore. The Sword is at Hogwarts and Hogwarts is again controlled by the Ministry, but a corrupt or controlled government which has placed Snape as Headmaster. He has the Sword in Dumbledore's office, or does he? This quest and the search for the Horcruxes lead Harry back to the ex-headquarters of the Order, Grimmauld Place where he makes things right with Kreacher, the house elf willed to Harry along with the family estate itself. Harry visits his own family's home which has become a memorial of sorts like GRACELAND. I think Hermione would disapprove of the graffiti there as well. Before this there is a daring visit to the "Muggle-Born Registration Commission. Forced further into hiding the trio learn more of Dumbledore's early history, the tale of the 3 Brothers and possible revelations about Harry's cloak. The Sword is recovered by a Gryffindor other than Harry, but pulled from a lake like the Arthur archetype. Harry learns the hard way that there is power and fear in a name as the taboo on the Dark Lords name leads to the trio's capture and imprisonment at Malfoy Manor where Voldemort himself is a house-guest. Wormtail makes good on his debit to Harry. Ultimately they escape at the cost of a friend's LIFE along with fellow prisoners: Griphook the Goblin, Luna Lovegood and wandmaker Ollivander. They learn lots of wand lore that will be Harry's key weapon in his "final" battle with the Dark Lord, the "Elder Wand" will be the deciding force. Griphook will lead Harry and friends as they break into the best protected place in the wizarding world Gringotts Bank in order to claim a Horcrux. Are there really Dragons and traps protecting the place? Griphooks price for this good deed? During return to HOGWARTS, new secret entrance to the school is revealed, along with a character previously only referenced Aberforth Dumbledore, who reveals his late brother's motivating guilt. Also the D.A. are summoned, among others to help Harry in his final quest. Harry up to this point has walked a fine line, between falling into the traps that both Tom Riddle and Dumbledore fell. The desire for the "Greater Good" costing a lot of lives. For all of his trust in people Dumbledore's greatest weakness was his secretiveness, and it cost both him and Harry plenty. Meanwhile, Harry risks his life turning away from killing whenever possible, Lupin even calls him on this early in this story. Harry here makes a choice to include the D.A., his friends & students from Hogwarts in his last mission for Dumbledore. This final battle at the school sees the return of many magical forces from the Forest and more. What begins as a play for time becomes the end of the war. The cast of characters and tied up plot lines is enormous here, Ron proves his worth and cleverness in "now or never" moments while Neville Longbottom proves himself a true Gryffindor as well. Fear not there is an epilogue that is a satisfying bookend for the series as is the entire novel, "An exceptionally satisfying bookend to an exceptional series" that will live on long past the final Hollywood interpretations, as surely as THE CHUDLEY CANNONS will rank bottom of this years LEAGUE!!" Thanks J.K. Long live Gryffindor, where dwell the Brave at Heart!

Allow me to begin by saying I refuse to spoil any part of any of these books for anyone for any reason. If you haven't read the books, stop here, buy them, read them, return... That being said, instead of detailing the book (as I normally would in a review) I'll recount my own experience: I pre-ordered this book when it first became available to do so. At that time, I had not read any of the books, but had seen the first four movies based upon the books. I promptly purchased the 6 books which precede the Deathly Hallows and read them.. the Order of the Phoenix I read three times, the Half Blood Prince I read twice and completed my second read one week prior to the release of the Deathly Hallows. I was intent on reading the series and this final book before anyone could spoil the ending for me. You see, I had already learned the fate of ... some of the characters involved in OOP and HBP, because there are people in this world who live off of the pleasure of ruining things for other people. I was determined to read the series and this final book before some loud mouth jerk could ruin it for me. I succeeded. With one week to go for the book release I began thinking that perhaps all these questions swelling inside of me - is Snape friend or foe? where are the horcruxes? will Harry live? - and so many other questions did not need answering. The magic of this series was in bringing out the discussion, the last few months (well over a year, actually) have had fans on the edges of their collective seats, casting about all kinds of theory and conjecture, ideas born of the tiniest details about mundance things. The magic - the true magic of it all - was in bringing together generations of readers in discussion about one of our era's literary masterworks. One week to go to get the book, and I was telling myself that I'd rather not read it, that I'd rather put it neatly on a shelf, so that no matter what happens to who, the magic would always live on, the dicussions would never end, the theories and conjectures would continue to bind readers together. A very noble, yet unrealistic notion, I agree. I had my fears that certain characters would die, and in not reading this book, I theorized that they would live forever if I never read about their deaths. The evening prior to the book's release, my daughter attended a Potter party at a Barnes & Noble book store. She is not a fan - she likes the movies, but she's not a fan of science fiction or fantasy, and has refused to read the books. Okay. She's entitled to her tastes. But she attended the party because some of her friends are Potter fans. I sat home, jealous that I wasn't a teenager and therefore way too old to attend a Potter party. I should have gone, I regret not going - the last of the Potter hooplas, the last Hallow's Ball. At any rate, my daughter brought home a wand and some Potter glow-in-the-dark eye glasses for me. I would like to have gone, but how sad is it to see a 40-something woman dressed as a witch for a Potter party? Perhaps not sad at all, but I feared being the oldest witch at the party... At midnight, I leaped from my seat and counted down the 60 seconds to the 12:01am mark of release of the book. My husband, who is use to my insane moments such as this, simply looked at me and nodded off. The next day - delivery day! - I cleaned every square inch of my house waiting for the UPS delivery van to pull up and bring me my book. I started cleaning at 8am... the book arrived at 4pm. A full day of scrubbing everything around me in a vain attempt to make the time go faster so that the book would finally arrive. I knew that once the book did arrive, nothing would get done. I had two hours to read the opening chapters of the book, because we had planned to make an excursion to a drive-in movie theater that evening to see the Order of the Phoenix movie. I very reluctantly put the precious book down for the evening. Sunday, July 22nd: the day I was able to spend every waking hour with Harry Potter and Co. I gathered the book, a bottle of water, a blanket and pillow, and headed out to my backyard where I have a hammock which hangs by a stream, overlooking a deep patch of woods. My own Forbidden Forest, of sorts. It is now Tuesday afternoon, and the book is completed. I spent some time re-reading chapters before completing the book, just to make sure I had fully absorbed everything. It is a wonderful book, it answers just about everything you'd want answered. There are some questions which are left open, and perhaps JKR did this to keep alive the discussions, or perhaps these questions are answered already (and the books need to be re-read). But mostly everything you'd want answered is indeed answered, albeit some things are way off from what many of us believed. Some, however, are right on. I recall several times yelling outloud, "I knew it!" There were MANY times when I sat here with a hand over my mouth, in stunned awe at what I was reading. And still, there were plenty of times I burst out crying. No disappointment in the way this book was written, the way the whole story comes to its fruition, or the way the characters who survive, survive. And that little "crack" that JKR says she slipped in there incase she wanted to return to the 'wizarding world?' Yes, I even liked that (I don't normally). It works. It all works. It all makes perfect sense, and it could not have ended any other way. Thank you - thank you - thank you - JKR. Thank you for such a wonderful fantasy, a wonderful world and this awesome, incredible boy, Harry Potter. Thank you.

Now that all seven volumes of the Harry Potter story have been published, many come away wondering what the fuss was all about. Was it all hype? Was all the attention poured on Rowling's creation (which not incidentally made her very wealthy women) really all that edifying? Yes, thousands if not millions of children took up interest in reading itself; but, in our new age with other more advanced media, doesn't this no longer impress us as we once thought it should? It all comes down to the story that is told and the question "is it any good?". Much of this uncertainty follows in the shadow of the LORD OF THE RINGS movie trilogy. Much of the public has no taste for this kind of entertainment and would go so far as to hate it. Thus they look down on THE LORD OF THE RINGS as a very bad fad that is best done with and forgotten. The fact that Tolkien's magnum opus was published in the early 1950's and long had a growing devoted readership seems to escape their notice. Nonetheless, much the same attitude is spit out at Harry Potter. "Get the books out, make the damn movies, and let us forget all this rubbish." Some people will never be happy with Potter. But if you have withheld yourself from all things Rowling, there is something to be said. The Potter saga wasn't written in an isolated instance of prose. The Romantic Movement in the 19th century loved to embrace the notion that art sprang out of the creator's unique wild dance of passion. Along with unleashing an avalanche of bad art, it has to be said that the Romantics didn't even follow their own advice. Artist creation never exists ex nilo. Creation taps into the organic soup of memory and archetypes which makes writing intelligible not only to the reader but to the writer himself. Like all good writers, Rowling hugs the shore of the West's love for the spoken and written word. In appreciating the Harry Potter books, it has to be noted that we in the West have inherited a treasure of storytelling (however dimly remembered) from which most of our contemporary literature draws on. Much of it is pre-Christian, some fantastical, some epic, danger is a common theme, and nearly all of it values courage and cunning. As Christianity advanced across Europe, a different sort of storytelling evolved while the older stories were seen in a different light. Even so, much of us our primordial memories (if you will) found themselves in the dwellers in dark forests, fishermen on the shores, and the wooden, thatch covered houses in rural meadows. We love to be told stories. It's in our bones. Part of our sense of storytelling is that "perfect" characters are not believable or interesting to us. This comes to us not only from our folklore but from the Bible itself. In the Potter books, the over arching feature shows Harry becoming an adolescent, enduring the trials of being a teenage, and finally stepping in the adulthood. In doing so, Harry illustrates much of the charm, problems, and personal shortcomings common to all of us along early life's way. Harry makes many mistakes and does not respond well to several childhood/adolescent challenges. While the Potter books are not "preachy" about it, the reader can see Harry's "misjudgments" for what they are. The major problem many have with the Potter books is that everything takes place within the world of magic. To some, Potter trespasses into the forbidden world of witchcraft. To others, the book portrays a false world when it should teach our children about the reasonable and orderly nature of the real world devoid of superstition. But most of us at some level recognize the magical world in the books is the setting and metaphor for spiritual war. There is good and evil with all the confusion, mystery and treason we know in between. Throughout the books there is the constant question of which will win out in the end. At times it appears it can go either way. Looking past all the magic, this is the world as we know it. This is not to say the Potter books belong in the pantheon of great literature. Sometime the writing is awkward and only workman like. The plots tend to drag in the middle of each volume. And many of the characters are not fully developed--odd given the length of each book. Even so, Harry Potter is a great read. Try to explain the some of the elements of Harry Potter and it sounds childish. Yet it is compelling on the written page. This has to chalked up to Rowling's our skill and the fact she takes her story seriously and never condescends to the reader. It is for these reasons interest and enjoyment for this series will extend long past most of the popular novels sitting on our shelves today.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" - Book - Fantasy Epic Final Grade: 9.75/10 Plot: 9.25/10 Ladies and Gentlemen, the long awaited and vastly and incredibly marketed seventh book of the Harry Potter series is here. And boy, does J.K know how to make an entrance. As veterans of the series can attest, this book series has been one in which the reader grows up with Harry. The first book may have been a mostly light-hearted tale with a taste of good verses evil in its pages, but each book progressively got darker, more complex, and more adult. The child reading book 1 will inevitably not be the same child by book 7. Just like real life, we come to find out that not everything is perfect. Not everything is happy. People die. Accidents happen. Friendships are tested, and people you think the world of aren't always as saintly as we believe them to be. For all the magic of the world of Harry Potter, it is ultimately the very real emotions and relationships and characters that make this such an incredible book series. (...) There are some hiccups along the way, as some of the narrative leaves some plot points unanswered, or occasionally even worse, underwhelmingly answered. The other major complaints, that of the high, and as some have said, unnecessary, body-count and the very gloomy attitude of the middle chapters are all still very appropriate for the subject matter, that of a very destructive, very real war. But other than those little hiccups, the plot smoothly accomplishes what it meant to do, and builds to a climax that is as massive and awe-inspiring as any I have ever read. The book series may be over, but it's magic is the kind that lasts long afterward. This is one of those few that demand to be read over and over again. Characters: 10/10 There isn't a single character, aside from perhaps a few of the Death Eaters that don't have very deep and complicated psychology and emotion. They could all be living breathing people. From the very complicated characters of Harry, Snape and Voldermort, to further breaking down the barriers of what we think we know about Dumbledore, Kreatcher and so many more, everyone is more than the mere cardboard cutouts they might have appeared to be at times in book 1. Creativity: 10/10 I consider myself a rather creative individual, but Rowling must have an imagination the size and bounds of which I could only guess at. How she could not only create one of the most colorful and dazzling, wild and wacky, worlds ever to exist in fiction, but then to give it a scope, breadth and depth that equals the best of any genre is truly an astounding feat. Writing Style: 10/10 Rowling's style has grown with the author and what started out distinct and unique has only gotten more so. While her writing is imminently readable and simple, it also remains entirely her own. Any given paragraph could be taken out of context and still be identifiable as her style. And it's a style that I love to come back to. Writing Skill: 9.50/10 As her style has matured, so has her skill in weaving a tale. As is usual with most book series, the first book is the least skilfully made, eventually ending up a very skillful finishing book. The fact that she leaves some plot threads dangling after promising their return is a bit unpleasant, but it is hardly anything to mar the rest of the very enjoyable book, in which she has certainly matured her skill to a high degree. The Magic Touch: While we see and become involved in what may be initially interpreted as as simple battle of Good verses Evil, we eventually see the complexity and hazy gray that real life so often thrusts our way. The battle between Good and Evil is still there, and still the focus of everything we've come to know, and Love and Hate are still the monumental center points of conflict, but we see the humanity in the most vile characters, as well as the kindest. Book 7 is a much darker book, a much scarier book and a much more mature book than any of the others. Yet it is just as much more magical, uplifting and insightful for all of that. There is a magic in this story that is found in the depths of every heart, and that is why I believe this story will stand the test of time as one of the truly great epic fantasies anyone has ever written. Repeat of Final Grade: 9.75/10