Category: Snape

Should you read the reviews?

Want to know J.K. Rowling’s own hints? Hear opinions on who’s the worst villain of them all? Find out about other Harry Potter theories? See previous posts, below this one.

As you’ve probably read or heard, the New York Times has a review of Book 7 in its Thursday editions. The Baltimore Sun had one Wednesday. They say they acquired the books ethically. I don’t know any more details, because I’m not going to read the reviews. Should you?

I asked some newsroom volunteers who didn’t care whether they learned the ending to read the two reviews and give advice. Here’s what I asked them:

Do the reviews reveal any key plot points: Does Harry die? Who else dies? Is Snape hero or villain? Who marries whom? Do they give any other hint? I.e. “happy ending” or “darkly powerful” etc etc.

Be aware I was even horrified when my eyes glanced over the 1A tease on today’s NY Times front page, which said something about comparing its ending with the tradition of the heroic saga genre. My stomach lurched in horror. To me, even that was going TOO FAR in revealing the end. I mean, doesn’t the heroic saga genre usually end with the hero alive? But then again, I had crappy high school English classes once I moved to Florida and never had to read Beowulf or Gilgamesh. And I can’t remember how the Iliad ended, either, other than it being really boring to a teenager …

Here’s advice from Elaine Jacobs, the newsroom’s administration manager: “For anyone who really doesn’t want any clues about the book, DO NOT read these reviews. There are clues about the storyline and good and bad events that happen, just not the ending.” She adds: “I hesitated before reading and skimmed NYT quickly before deciding I could live w/knowing the storyline. Baltimore clearly states at the beginning it’s not going to tell the ending, but reveals something at the end of the review that would spoil it for some.”

This is from Kerry Bean, editor of the Observer’s Neighbors of Southern Mecklenburg section, who replied to my query for volunteers:

“I am guilty of wanting to know the ending before I read a book because I don’t like to get too attached to characters who aren’t going to make it. (I already read the final pages of the book that were posted online and can’t wait to find out if they were accurate. … I just reread Book 6 last week in preparation. And because I don’t know anyone else who wants to know, I told my husband all the details of the ending I read online (he only read two of the books).”

Kerry read both reviews. Her verdict: “Don’t read either of them. They give away too many clues (and it appears as if the pages I read online were the real thing). The NYT one is better than the Baltimore one, but it needs a few lines edited out to be OK for fans who don’t want to know anything.”

She adds, “If you hear from anyone else who wants to know the ending, let them know I am so eager to talk about it.”

Here are the fateful links. Read them at your own risk:

New York Times review
Baltimore Sun review

Here’s an online article about the two papers’ breaking the embargo, and what other papers say they’ll do, from Editor & Publisher. Warning: At the end it quotes from both of the reviews. If you don’t want to read even a snippet of the review, either don’t read this link or stop reading before the end.

Here’s a tirade from Rachel Sklar of the Huffington Post, who’s mad at The Times for its review.

And finally, here’s an online discussion about Harry Potter, reading, and publishing from earlier today with Bob Thompson of the Washington Post. About two-thirds of the way down you’ll get Thompson’s opinion of the newspaper that ran reviews today.

Should you read the reviews?

Want to know J.K. Rowling’s own hints? Hear opinions on who’s the worst villain of them all? Find out about other Harry Potter theories? See previous posts, below this one.

As you’ve probably read or heard, the New York Times has a review of Book 7 in its Thursday editions. The Baltimore Sun had one Wednesday. They say they acquired the books ethically. I don’t know any more details, because I’m not going to read the reviews. Should you?

I asked some newsroom volunteers who didn’t care whether they learned the ending to read the two reviews and give advice. Here’s what I asked them:

Do the reviews reveal any key plot points: Does Harry die? Who else dies? Is Snape hero or villain? Who marries whom? Do they give any other hint? I.e. “happy ending” or “darkly powerful” etc etc.

Be aware I was even horrified when my eyes glanced over the 1A tease on today’s NY Times front page, which said something about comparing its ending with the tradition of the heroic saga genre. My stomach lurched in horror. To me, even that was going TOO FAR in revealing the end. I mean, doesn’t the heroic saga genre usually end with the hero alive? But then again, I had crappy high school English classes once I moved to Florida and never had to read Beowulf or Gilgamesh. And I can’t remember how the Iliad ended, either, other than it being really boring to a teenager …

Here’s advice from Elaine Jacobs, the newsroom’s administration manager: “For anyone who really doesn’t want any clues about the book, DO NOT read these reviews. There are clues about the storyline and good and bad events that happen, just not the ending.” She adds: “I hesitated before reading and skimmed NYT quickly before deciding I could live w/knowing the storyline. Baltimore clearly states at the beginning it’s not going to tell the ending, but reveals something at the end of the review that would spoil it for some.”

This is from Kerry Bean, editor of the Observer’s Neighbors of Southern Mecklenburg section, who replied to my query for volunteers:

“I am guilty of wanting to know the ending before I read a book because I don’t like to get too attached to characters who aren’t going to make it. (I already read the final pages of the book that were posted online and can’t wait to find out if they were accurate. … I just reread Book 6 last week in preparation. And because I don’t know anyone else who wants to know, I told my husband all the details of the ending I read online (he only read two of the books).”

Kerry read both reviews. Her verdict: “Don’t read either of them. They give away too many clues (and it appears as if the pages I read online were the real thing). The NYT one is better than the Baltimore one, but it needs a few lines edited out to be OK for fans who don’t want to know anything.”

She adds, “If you hear from anyone else who wants to know the ending, let them know I am so eager to talk about it.”

Here are the fateful links. Read them at your own risk:

New York Times review
Baltimore Sun review

Here’s an online article about the two papers’ breaking the embargo, and what other papers say they’ll do, from Editor & Publisher. Warning: At the end it quotes from both of the reviews. If you don’t want to read even a snippet of the review, either don’t read this link or stop reading before the end.

Here’s a tirade from Rachel Sklar of the Huffington Post, who’s mad at The Times for its review.

And finally, here’s an online discussion about Harry Potter, reading, and publishing from earlier today with Bob Thompson of the Washington Post. About two-thirds of the way down you’ll get Thompson’s opinion of the newspaper that ran reviews today.

Wizard romance? Theories abound

Is Snape evil? Who will die in Book 7? What clues has J.K. Rowling herself dropped? Who — besides Michael Gambon — should have been cast in the movies to play Dumbledore? See previous posts if you’re interested in those topics.

Ah, romance. I’ve offered my theory that Snape was obsessed with Lily Potter and that’s his motivation to try to kill Voldemort. But other theories involving romance exist, too.

Was Snape in love with Draco Malfoy’s mother, Narcissa Malfoy, not Lily Potter? Several online theorists point out the similarity of the Unbreakable Vow ceremony in the opening of Book 6 (Half-Blood Prince) to a wedding ceremony. Snape even says “I will.”

Here’s one lengthy essay that offers evidence for that theory — and other interesting tidbits as well, including a mention that St. Hedwig (Harry’s owl is named Hedwig) is the patroness of a small charitable order whose “chief aim is the education of orphaned and abandoned children.”

Yet another romance-related theory comes from a friend: Having a romantic relationship will protect the characters from death. So Harry/Ginny and Ron/Hermione won’t die. But those who aren’t blessed by love are at risk.

Some theorize that if Lupin dies, Tonks will die, too.

Finally, a prediction from a co-worker is that by the end, love will survive but so will evil. Just like real life. But I think Voldemort will have to die, and Snape along with him.

One ending word about Draco Malfoy, the weasel-faced boy who tried to kill Dumbledore but wimped out. Rowling has said she’s saddened by hearing about teenaged and preteen girls who think Draco is hot. She concedes the actor, Tom Felton, is a nice fellow and nice looking. But Draco? Yuck. What, she says, are those girls thinking?

If you want to explore more about this fascination with the rich, snobby bad boy, take a stroll on the fan fiction Web site page listing 1,574 pages written about Draco Malfoy and various romances. Warning: Fan fiction is a genre that is notoriously bad. Sticklers for punctuation, grammar and spelling should take pain medication beforehand.

Is Snape evil?

For a couple of weeks – or maybe less, depending on reactions – I’m going to veer away from the usual Naked City topics here and instead offer this blog up for theories, comments and philosophizing about Harry Potter and the upcoming seventh and last book.

Why? Because for a lot of readers, it’s more fun than public policy, planning and transportation arguments. And because it’s July.

And because despite the mountains of hype, some very interesting Potter facts are out there, if you know where to look.

First, you have to endure my theory about what’s going to happen. I promise, it isn’t long.

For years I didn’t think J.K. Rowling would kill off Harry Potter in the end. Now, I’m not so sure. After all, the main character, Nathaniel, was killed off at the end of Jonathan Stroud’s Bartimaeus trilogy about wizards in England. And I didn’t dream she would kill off Dumbledore.

Silly me. Rowling said in an interview in 2005, “In the genre of writing that I”m working in, almost always the hero must go on alone. That’s the way it is.”Or, as MuggleNet.com creator Emerson Spartz then said, during the interview, “The wise old wizard with the beard always dies.”

As I wrote in my column today (see www.charlotte.com/opinion), I think Snape’s out to kill Voldemort, because he was in love with Lily Evans Potter. When Voldy killed Lily, Snape snapped. He’s playing both ends against the middle, loyal to nothing but his rage. Dumbledore knew that and trusted Snape to protect Harry, since Harry must be the one to kill Voldemort.

So let’s hear it. Snape – good or evil? Comments below.

If you have topics you’d like to propose, put them in comments or e-mail me. I’ll be checking in daily, adding links and theories.And if you’ve time, read the lengthy Rowling interview on MuggleNet. Plenty of room for speculation in there. Such as when she says, “Dumbledore’s family would be a profitable line of inquiry …”