This will be the last Potterblog post. I’m taking time off the rest of this week and next week The Naked City will return in this spot.
Yes, I finished the book. It was 4 a.m. Sunday. Our daughter finished it at 6 a.m. Saturday, after getting a midnight copy at a Potter party at Borders near SouthPark. It was a memorable event: Little kids, teens, young adults and gray-haired folks all gathered in one spot for one reason. Some of the costumes were quite creative. One young guy had rigged up a centaur costume.
It was a good cross-section of society, in many ways. You had obvious nerds (having been one in high school, I can say that), obvious “popular” teenagers, and lots of regular folks in between of all ages and shapes. My husband came, too, although he hasn’t read any of the books, doesn’t like fantasy fiction and hates costume parties. He lasted until about 11 p.m. and said later said it had reminded him of being in a remote, inland country somewhere in South America where you didn’t understand the language, the people or the culture.
We stood in line next to Voldemort. And then we got the book and as we waited for a ride home, a friend who had been with us in line called from the nearby Teeter to report that the books were on sale there, too, with no line at all.
But the book? OK, spoilers to follow. If you haven’t finished it, stop now.
How would I review the book? As a work of literature, I’d give it maybe 7 on a 10-point scale, with popular but not very well written stuff like “Da Vinci Code” down at about 3. It kept me attentive — of course — but the long exposatory passages, where Harry reads Snape’s memories and where he has his disembodied lecture from Dumbledore, made me question why Rowling wasn’t able to clear all those things up without having to resort to the “egghead explains” technique.
As I noted early in the Potterblog, I was afraid we’d endure one of those cheesy scenes where the dead come back in ghostly, translucent forms to communicate with the living, and I was right to be worried about that.
The very last chapter — the one that Rowling has said she wrote at the very start of writing the series — sounded, in tone, much more like Books 1 and 2 than Books 5 and 6. It was, dare I say it, a shade too cute? All those cutesy little kids saying cutesy things. And I knew right off that someone was going to be named Severus. But to name Draco’s kid Scorpio was a great touch!
On the other hand, was I right, or what, about Snape and Lily? Ditto Lupin’s death, sad to say?
Is it accurate to note that all of Harry’s “protectors” ended up dead? His parents, his godfather, his mentor Dumbledore, the respected Auror Mad-Eye Moody (he was Tonks’ mentor, so maybe that’s why she had to die, too), even Dobby the annoying house elf who kept showing up to help him out of tight spots. Even the majestic owl, Hedwig. So I spent much of the book thinking both Ron AND Hermione would be snuffed. I’m very glad I was wrong.
The doe in the woods was a wonderful touch — and the revelation about whose Patronus it was and why. I liked the introduction of the goblins — they were a cultural group (a race? a species?) that we hadn’t learned much about. I liked it that we FINALLY learned more about Ravenclaw, and saw the Ravenclaw ghost. I LOVED Molly Weasley’s great scene with Bellatrix.
Aberforth was a nicely drawn character. I wish we could have seen more of him earlier in the series, just because he was good company. Ditto Ted Tonks.
Agree? Disagree? Put in your own thoughts below.
Final note: If you want to read more thoughts about Book 7: LeakyLounge.com and HarryPotterspage.com. And try potterforums.com. I couldn’t get the page to load, but you may have more luck.