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Tuesday, July 24, 2007
After a cookie-fueled marathon (with several untimely halts for birthday parties and friends), I finished. And I couldn't believe Colbert was right about Hermione being a dude! Never mind that. I lied. But I won't be from now on, so you have to be careful! Time for inviso-text! SPOILERS ahead, as if you needed to know. Please cast Lumos/say the magic words, Marauder fans/highlight the below with your cursor to get my thoughts! Hedwig as the first death? I guess I should've seen that coming. Everything precious of an older order precious and related to Harry had to die (besides Hagrid, who was a symbol against racial stereotyping... I believe that was all that kept him alive). More on Hagrid: the thing at the beginning might have been the worst Rowling has ever done to my heart. To send Hagrid careening to the ground and to have Harry see him limp and cold was too much to end a chapter with, followed immediately by a chapter called "Fallen Warrior?" I hate you, Ms. Rowling. The scene where Harry finally visits the graves of his parents might be Rowling's true prose masterpiece. She might just as well have written the part ten years ago, planning every moment to lead up to that. Just read it. Again. From the first book, I knew Harry would have to break into Gringott's. And ride a dragon. C'mon. Snape, sadly, played such a minor role for most of the book that it started aching. At least until one very fateful chapter. Then Snape... well, my predictions were pretty much perfectly in tune with Snape. It wasn't a question of whether Snape was good or evil, but why he was good. Still, I cannot say he fits the role of tragic hero. Harry is the only one remotely carrying such a flaw. I will admit to being a Harry/Ginny shipper (as annoyed as I was with her in CoS, I loved her in OotP), so let's put it this way: way to shortchange Ginny, Rowling! That girl deserved much more screen time. The only way I can forgive it is how someone put it: Ginny's character quest was fulfilled by the end of HBP. She had become a social butterfly, popular, athletic, and extremely pretty. She had turned from the little fangirl to her own woman, leaving Rowling free to pursue other characters, especially to put Harry out in the cold, longing for her the way she longed for him back in the day. Like I said, I'm a Harry/Ginny shipper. Or it might just be the red hair. Also, KILLING A WEASLEY TWIN?!?!?! SPLITTING THEM UP?!?! What is this, every action movie? Dragonlance?! Seriously! The final thing I can gloat about is the final thing: the Battle of Hogwarts. The only place a fitting showdown could take place. I was nearly livid when it looked like it would be in the Forbidden Forest, but, bless his heart, Harry pulled a Jesus. Which might be something to discuss, but I'm also on break from school, so nyah. Finally, I just have to say this: congrats, Rowling, on having the guts to make Harry a Horcrux. True, I should scold you for not having the guts to kill him, but then, I'd be pissed. All in all, I felt it was the most different of the novels (no one will disagree), and it broke from Rowling's previous formulas almost entirely, besides the Trio's "research" stage, "on the run" stage, the "climax" stage involving the death of someone important, and the "Dumbledore explains" stage (which was only not in one book, HBP). And the only appearances of Hogwarts are in Harry's visions and in the final battle (and what an appearance!). It was a culmination of all the characters. I told someone that it was like the last episode of Seinfeld: bring everyone back and give them a moment in the sun. Dobbie and Kreacher even get their moments. Griphook the goblin appears (from Book One). Grawp shines. Neville (as everyone expected) kicks ass. Even Molly Weasley gets into the fray and beats the shit out of Bellatrix. So that's the end of the series, that's my 5,000 words, and that's Ha'Potta' Kedavra!  |
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