Harry Potter

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BlackCat
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Harry Potter

Post by BlackCat » Tue Jul 24, 2007 12:29 am

Well I see the thread with all the pictures about book seven, but has anyone else read it yet? I have but I will wait to comment until I hear others first. I don't want to say too much, but I guess I felt a bit dissapointed.

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Post by MHooch » Tue Jul 24, 2007 4:57 am

SPOILER ALERT!!! IF YOU DON"T WANT TO KNOW HOW THINGS TURN OUT READ NO FURTHER!!!

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


Dissapointed????

I LOVED IT!! Every loose end was tied, every question answered, there was grief for the dead, but tremendous triumph for the living. Harry grew up in this book into a wonderful man, one that could see his responsibility and face it without shirking. He saw what had to be done, and he did it. I particulary liked how Snape's storyline was explained and tied together, and the long talk that Harry and Dumbledore got to have in "King's Cross". I loved that Dumbledore was flawed, and learned from his mistakes. I love that well, love, is what defeated Voldemort in the end, that he never figured on Harry loving his friends so much that he would be willing to die for them.
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Post by midnight kitty » Tue Jul 24, 2007 1:04 pm

incredible book. i would love to talk about it, but i'll wait till we know everyone's read it (don't want to ruin it for anyone)
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Post by BlackCat » Wed Jul 25, 2007 11:38 pm

I guess I still have questions. I don't know if I am dissapointed with the book, or that it is all over now. I just didn't get the same feeling I got when I read the first 4, which I think are the best. I don't know, I think I will read the series again and see if that helps.

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Post by geekmidwinter » Thu Jul 26, 2007 10:25 am

I thought it was magnificent, the epilouge was WONDERFUL. I cried my eyes out! Just based on my description of the last book, my husband is going to start reading them, too.
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Post by MHooch » Thu Jul 26, 2007 10:54 pm

GMW:

I was about 80 pages ahead of the hubby, just cause I read faster, and there we sat, side by side in the living room, reading away. Occasionally I would gasp, or laugh, or say "Oh no!" and he would give me a look :roll:.

But when I started bawling in earnest, he said, "that's it, I'm going upstairs, you're making me crazy with this!" :lol: :lol: I had to wait until he finished before I could start commenting and it almost drove me bats! :lol:
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Post by One Eye'd Jack » Fri Jul 27, 2007 2:14 am

Luckly, I don't have to read anything that both the Mrs. and I want to read; she reads TO me. She's like my own personaly little audio book! :D

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Post by Spooky » Fri Jul 27, 2007 10:07 am

My son read the book...he said he hated that she ended the series. He said he thought it was the best one, he said it had alot more action. There were alot of people killed. I guess my whole problem with the whole thing, is the violence, and it is dealing with small children, and some of the kids that are wizards are so extremely young, and they are in this horribly scary situations, and I don't like that at all about these books and the movies. The whole entire basis of the movies are about this crazy lunatic wizard that is out there to destroy the world and to kill these kids, and he kills the parents of the children and it just is a total downer. Yeah, it has alot of cool magical stuff...but the root of the whole thing is good vs. evil, and the evil stuff in it is just overpowering.

I have never walked away from a Harry Potter movie feeling good about anything....that's how I feel when I walk out of all of today's movies. I feel like I was put through the ringer, and that it was just fighting and killing and things jumping out and scarying me to death, and I feel confused about what it all means.

This one, from my son telling me the book play by play-it seems so depressing...young people are killed in it that had their whole lives ahead of them, and I know it's a movie, but I don't know of many movies I have watched in the past...where a ton of the main characters die in it. Infact...I don't remember watching any movies except slasher movies where there was that much death in them. These movies are geared towards young children. They have an adult following.....but when they market these movies...they have a billion dollar industry going with toy merchandizing....I just don't get these new movies like this one and Pirates of the Caribbean...that have so much violence in them, but are geared towards young children. When we just saw the new Harry Potter movie that is out now...there were 3 kids sitting in front of me...and they looked around 5 and 6 years old. I think that is not an age that should be watching these movies. Those Dementors were scary things-they scared me to death and I am an adult...I can't image my kid not being terrified at that age of something like that.

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Post by mandy0221 » Sat Jul 28, 2007 2:38 pm

I have to admitt I have not read the books but I have seen all the movies thus far. And I think I am going to start reading them. Perhaps in a year Ill be able to get all 7 down. :lol:
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Post by magickbean » Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:33 am

Slightly off topic, but ..

Spooky, I respect what you're saying but I think children are unfortunately exposed to the truths of death and violence from a very young age, whether through life or the media. It is important for children to have these things put into context and I believe that the Harry Potter series does that well. It teaches the ramifications of people's actions and the triumphs over the evil we face - whether it be Voldemort; a symbol for the tyranny and oppression of the masses (with references to Hitler with his "pure blood" racism) or Draco Malfoy - the symbol of the cowardly and the spiteful (the kind of people children face every day at school).

Although I am 22 now and so my perspective is a little more matured, the book came out when I was 12, and my friends who were reading it at the time said that Harry's world gave them a feeling of empowerment, not fear. In a society where children are subordinated for a great portion of their lives (particularly at Harry's age) the idea that they could possess magic and power and that someone their own age could overcome such overwhelming obstacles is very inspirational and the deaths that result from both sides are a tragic consequence of the plot.

I am glad that although the films are not your cup of tea, you still allow your son to enjoy them - a lot of people try to shelter their children from things that they either don't agree with or simply don't like, but you have not done that. You must be a great mum :)

I just finished the last book on the weekend and I thought it was excellent but the epliogue felt a little rushed, almost like it was added at the last moment or that she wasn't sure it should be there. I understand why she did it - indeed, the epilogue made it a happy ending and reminded us all that these were intended as children's literature. She had to end it that way but I think I would have liked to hear a little more about Harry's life after it all...perhaps in another book :P hehe.
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Post by MHooch » Tue Jul 31, 2007 8:17 pm

Hear, hear, magickbean!!
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Post by BlackCat » Wed Aug 01, 2007 2:38 am

I agree that children should be in some way exposed to violence and death, but why can't there ever be a cool and interesting movie or film as captivating as HP, without all that <deleted>? I mean really, cant there be some escape for all the bad things in this world? I love the books but 7 was overkill for me. I understand that our heros have flaws, but these books are fantasy. I loved how JK wrote these wonderful characters that could give us hope, but then she just tore them all down. I dont know, I mean I realize that there are wars going on and this world is not really a safe place, but sometimes I need my happy ending and I just feel that book 7 really didnt satisfy that completely. Not to say that I do not enjoy all the books, but I feel a bit let down is all.

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Post by magickbean » Wed Aug 01, 2007 9:10 am

Aww Blackcat I'm sorry you felt disappointed by it - I thought that the epilogue in particular was what made it have a very happy ending. Sure, she killed off all my favourite character :roll: and I said I'd never forgive her for doing away with Dumbledore unless she brought him back in the last book.. which she sort of did.... but at least she gave a hint that when you pass on, you're never really far away from the ones you love, which I think is a very hopeful way of looking at such an inevitabilty.

With all things, you need some sort of balance to keep things going. There will never be a successful plot that doesn't have some sort of darkness to it. Even going to the very core of storytelling - to use Vladimir Propp's model of narrative - you've got to have a villian (in some shape or form, even if the villian is just an obstacle) for the hero to conquer, because without that, there would be nothing to keep the story moving forwards.

In the end, the good guys nearly always win, and I suppose it's that idea that keeps us going through the hard times in life as well as literature. :)
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