I'm not a Harry Potter reader, but my wife Julie sure is. On Saturday morning, I went to Borders to buy her copy of "Deathly Hallows." I stood in line reading the last chapter, so I could know how Rowling tied things up, and a woman behind me gasped. I turned, and she looked at me as if I'd been caught strangling kittens.
"What are you doing?!"
"Reading the last chapter. I'm not a Harry Potter fan. The book is for my wife."
Matthew, who was with me, told me as we left that I really shouldn't have read the last chapter. "It's just not right to do that," he said. OK, fine. But now I know how it ends.
Matthew read the first four Potter books last summer, but Julie has held off letting him read the fifth one. She says that's when the series takes a dark turn, and she wasn't comfortable letting a six year old go there. He's almost eight now, and he was so excited about the new Harry release that she let him start the fifth book in the series. He reads lickety-split, and is almost finished. Julie's barely gotten started on the finale (having a 10-month-old will distract a mom). Lucas, who's three and can't read, is all jealous of the Pottermania in the house. He asked me last night to read some Potter to him. I couldn't find the first Potter volume in the stacks here at Stately Dreher Manor, but I did turn up No. 2 (HP & The Order of the Phoenix). I've seen the first Potter film, so I know the set-up -- enough to explain to a three year old, anyway. I thought he'd be bored quickly, but he listened attentively throughout the first chapter.
Tonight he asked for Chapter Two. I began with a joke ("Where does Harry Potter go to the bathroom? In the Harry potty!" Rich, chortling laughter ensued. Three year olds are great audiences). Sure enough, he listened closely to the whole thing, then when I turned the light out, asked, "What about those Dursleys? Are they gonna get Harry Potter dead?" I told him no way, that Harry was going to trick those awful Dursleys. Which made Lucas happy.
I really regret never having entered the Harry Potter universe. I tried reading the first one, and it just never caught on with me. But it sure is fun watching my boys (and, um, my bride) love Harry.
How was your Harry Potter weekend? No spoilers, please!
UPDATE: Two things: 1) Sorry, I screwed up the title of the No. 2 in the series; "Order of the Phoenix" is the fifth one, which Matthew is reading; I'm reading "Chamber of Secrets" to Lucas. 2) VERY SORRY INDEED for the jerk who posted spoilers on this thread this morning. I've deleted the post now, only moments after I saw it. I can't monitor the comboxes full time, so if you want to be doubleplus sure that you won't see any Potter spoilers, maybe you'd better not read the comboxes.
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Okay, reading this post put a huge smile on face--I am a HUGE Potter fan & my husband is not--I wont even discuss the books with him, because really he has not point of reference :-) Although he did read the 1st one & like you--it did not catch on (really feel sorry for you both :-) Have finished the final book & the jury is still out as to whether I like it or not--will have to reread. Anyhow, he pretty much always reads the last chapter of the books he gets & it bugs me to death--where is the surprise I ask?--he says he likes to know where it is going & how it ends--sigh! It is pretty much a lost cause to convince him not to do that.
The seventh book ROCKED! However much money Rowling makes, it's not nearly enough.
I read the book within about 28 hours during which I didn't read email, watch TV, listen to radio, read the internet, etc. to avoid spoiling the ending. Those "spoiler people" have got something really wrong with them; they're like people who enjoy torturing animals.
FYI, in case any of Rod's Orthodox Christian readers are interested, the Orthodox Christian publisher Conciliar Press has received a large number of very strongly worded criticisms of our publication of an interview with John Granger, author of Looking for God in Harry Potter, in favor of the books. Talk of boycotts, of getting bishops involved, and so on. We've posted a clarification of our editorial position on the books on the same page as the article.
http://conciliarpress.pinnaclecart.com/index.php?p=page&page_id=again_granger_interview
Christ Bless,
Doug
Pauli,
they're like people who enjoy torturing animals
Oh, come *on*...
I'll never understand people who don't like the Harry Potter books. I mean, I do understand people who haven't read them yet, or people who think they "just wouldn't get into them" or even those who think they have something to do with the occult. It's the people who have read them who think they are bad that I don't get.
IMO, JK Rowling's writing is often clumsy, and redundant, and dramatically speaking, a mess. "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," to name a "for instance" had something like five climaxes at the end (the Triwizard Tournament finale in the maze, the confrontation with Voldemort, the escape from Voldemart, the attempted murder by "Barty Crouch" disguised as Mad Eye Moody, and the confrontation with Cornelius Fudge. I have to admit, I often find her action sequences dull.
Yet, I think she is absolutely brilliant at the same time. I believe in the world she has invented, and am in awe of her creativity. I have finished the last book (which I'm not going to spoil) and it made me cry -- a lot. I'll never regret venturing into the world that she has created. She had the courage to trust her imagination, which overcame any potential flaws in her writing style.
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