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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (spoilers throughout)
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Max Power



Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 467
Location: United Kingdom

PostPosted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 4:42 pm    Post subject: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (spoilers throughout) Reply with quote

Well, I've devoured the last book in the series over the last couple of days and I thoroughly enjoyed it. A colleague at work said she'd heard a rumour that the book was 'a bloodbath' and I have to agree! 10 minutes in I was convinced no-one would be left by chapter 5!!!

I thought the book finished things off particularly well, and all of the main issues that I wanted tidying up were done so. At times, the book followed the pattern of previous books in the series (Harry, Ron and Hermione arguing, Harry 'SHOUTING LOTS') but it kept me turning the pages for sure. As the BBC website review states, "For all the talk of charms and potions, this is a black-and-white tale about the value of life. It is a compelling, powerful and entirely fulfilling end to this epic series."

There were some nice touches in the book, some good humour, and a little more relationship stuff that I found interesting, and the final battle in Hogwarts should make an excellent scene when the film comes out.

So, just in case you're reading this without reading the book yet, I won't spoil the ending yet, but if anyone else has read it, I'm more than happy to discuss if "The Boy Who Lived" lives...
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TheJovialGnome



Joined: 05 Jan 2005
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Location: Boston

PostPosted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 5:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Picked it up just after midnight on Friday (couldn't believe how many people were there!) and finished it at 2.30 this morning. Laughing

I have to confess to being something of a Harry Potter nut but I really enjoyed it - yes, some of our favourites died but at least you couldn't accuse it of being twee! Very Happy

Like Max says, it answered most of the questions but I'd still have liked to see Dolores Umbridge get her come uppance! Twisted Evil
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Max Power



Joined: 06 Dec 2004
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 8:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Umbridge really 'turned' didn't she, with the whold Mad Eye thing. In OOTP I thought she wasn't Voldemort evil, but she seemed to be more that way this time.

Not overly convinced by Rowling's interpretation of death ("it won't hurt, it's like going to sleep"), but maybe I'm used to a little more bloodlust in my books!
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Selik



Joined: 20 Jan 2005
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Location: South Shields

PostPosted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 8:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I guess it all depends on the manner in which you die, really. Razz

So overall throughout the whole series she killed my top two favourites. One of whoms death seemed a little futile (in the last book), but I really liked how you got to see the truth about Snape and his past. I pretty much had guessed it correctly, but it was still good to read. Smile

I didn't think Harry shouted as much, but there was the usual insistance of using upper casing for shouting.

I also liked the very end bit. For those who've read it to the last page, you'll know what I mean. Very Happy
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Drizzt



Joined: 07 Mar 2005
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 12:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Any particular reason or purpose served by Lupin and Tonks' deaths? It seemed a bit.... can anyone find a point in them? Any?
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Mark D



Joined: 23 Nov 2006
Posts: 171
Location: Yeovil, Somerset

PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 12:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

nah that got me the most. absolute pointless. and although dobby shouldnt have died i think he went in style.
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Drizzt



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PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 12:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Unless Rowling was determined to just kill off that entire generation (Sirius, Lupin, Tonks, Moody etc) then there was no point in killing them off.
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Selik



Joined: 20 Jan 2005
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 12:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yup, that's who I was on about. I mean they had just had Teddy, as well. Even wanting to get rid of the previous generation isn't really a good excuse. I mean they were alive one minute and the next they're lying next to Fred in the great hall. What's that all about? Very pointless. But I did like Narcissa and Lucius Malfoys change of heart.
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Drizzt



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PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 12:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

We don't even know who killed them... though I suspect Dolohov killed Remus.
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TheJovialGnome



Joined: 05 Jan 2005
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 6:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

And who is to say that Bellatrix didn't "prune" Tonks Question
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Selik



Joined: 20 Jan 2005
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 7:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Haha, Molly Weasley got her in the end!!

I think my favourite part of the book would be...

*MAJOR SPOILER*

"Albus Severus. You were named after two headmasters of Hogwarts, one of whom was a Slytherin and one of the bravest men I've ever known."

Finally!! The man receives acknowledgement!! Woooo. Very Happy
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TheJovialGnome



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PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 7:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

With you all the way there Lou - my favourite line by a long way - if I hadn't already been blubbing like a baby it would have brought a tear to my eye! Laughing
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Drizzt



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PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 10:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I dunno, a certain Professor leading a charge while Trelawney is on artillery was certainly entertaining! Very Happy

Mrs Weasley's bit was well done... but I don't see why her killing LeStrange should be given more focus than Lupin or Tonks? I know the death of Fred, which so far as I can tell was itself only a vehicle to have the reader cheer on Mrs Weasley all the more once her time came, was one which readers wouldn't have liked but, still, Lupin's character deserved more than to die unnoticed.

I realise it was a war, and war is never fair, but sacricifing an important character for the sake of realism and, in my opinion, to the detriment of the story, is madness. I would also put Mad Eye in here; he didn't play, directly, a massive role in Harry's life or adventures but he was still a popular and likeable character who deserved more than to be 'offed', and the reader deserved more than to be simply told he was dead and there was no body.

I've got my theories but I'll leave it at that for now. Very Happy
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Selik



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PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 10:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bellatrix caused the deaths of many a character, not least of which, Sirius Black. I agree Lupin deserved a far better death than he did and so did Madeye, but I think that the scene with Molly Weasley was just as important as giving Remus a good death.

I think the end of the book was really well done except for Remus and Tonks. But at the same time I don't think it'd of fitted in anywhere. Perhaps just to let them come back later on... rather not cover their fighting at all, than a little and then pointlessly kill them without a scrap of motive.
Plus, why make Teddy Lupin an orphan? There's no real need for that, other than to make Harry's kid's generation similar to his parents'. At least let the kid have one parent! Ah well, never mind. Can't be changed, and it'll certainly make one hell of a movie. Very Happy
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Drizzt



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PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 11:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I reckon the mass cull of the good guys was, in part, because Rowling can't handle too many characters without the narrative suffering.

For me, from book four onwards, Rowling started bringing in more and more characters and side stories and plots and - particularly in books five and six - the books suggered because the narrative lacked focus and was too wide for Rowling to handle competently. Book Seven was always, always coming down to Harry and Riddle; there simply was no other way. So, to have everyone focusing on those two, and those two alone, she's wiped out half of the supporting cast and that will have made it easier for her to narrow the narative enough to end the book the way she did.
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