Thoughts on DH...
Well, I finished Deathly Hallows on Sunday afternoon and I have to say I am STILL feeling drained and sort of hung-over, even today. Some thoughts...
The beginning: I loved seeing Harry clean out his room at the Dursley's...there was something kind of poignant about it, in spite of the years of abuse he had suffered there. There was also a sense of "no going back" which usefully launched the non-stop action of his escape from Privet Drive, in which my Dark Predictions about Hedwig unfortunately came true. The escape scene was exciting and I think finally really displayed how dangerous the Death Eaters (even Stan Shunpike!!!) actually are.
And personally, I love hide-and-seek sequences; for example, Frodo and Sam's flight across Hobbiton in TLOR. Throw a little camping in and YES! Love it. I LOVED how Hermione stuck with Harry and the way JKR portrayed the suffering and strain within the friendships. Her opening description of Harry, "Harry Potter was bleeding," really sets the stage for this.
The encounter with Nagini/Bathilda? TERRIFYING. I've had nightmares like this.
I loved Luna's house and especially her bedroom with the mural on the ceiling. Brilliant insight into her character here. The only thing that kind of annoys me about Luna is the fact that she never goes against what her father believes, even if it's clearly untrue or dangerous (like the Erumpant horn). Another aspect of family relationships I guess. JKR is brilliant at depicting all sorts of family ties.
Big Relief: Harry's wand gets fixed. I have to say, the whole "Elder Wand" subplot didn't really draw me in.
And Ariana--was she raped or something? Is that what we are supposed to think?
I am still sad about Dobby, Fred, Lupin, and Tonks. I couldn't believe L & T both died, I was like !TEDDY! NO!!!!!! Another little boy with no parents. I cried when Lupin came in, all excited about his new son and proud to be a dad, his doubts dispelled by love. I honestly thought he and Tonks were going to be the lighter side of the novel, not two of its victims.
I actually found myself crying quite a bit through the last 300 pages or so--not just at sad scenes, but also at her depictions of friendship and heroism--Luna and Neville in particular. I just love Neville and I always will.
And SNAPE/LILY!!!!!!! I'M IN YUR PLAYGROUND, UNREQUITING YUR LUV!
Oh Snape, oh Snape...I knew it was going down this way, but I had no idea it was over Lily. Wow. His death was amazing. "Look at me"--so he could look at Lily's eyes one last time, of course. Does he still love her? "Always." Wow. And Albus Severus says more than any epilogue featuring Harry's thought and forgiveness process.
I could say loads more about this but, like I said, I'm still drained at the moment. I'll probably be more useful commenting in other people's journals than trying to write a full treatise. Still, this is my favorite book of the series. I'm going to try to go back and read it all the way through again.
I truly hope JKR keeps writing, maybe even something geared more toward the adult market. (Even though HP has legions of adult fans, YA though the series is.)
The beginning: I loved seeing Harry clean out his room at the Dursley's...there was something kind of poignant about it, in spite of the years of abuse he had suffered there. There was also a sense of "no going back" which usefully launched the non-stop action of his escape from Privet Drive, in which my Dark Predictions about Hedwig unfortunately came true. The escape scene was exciting and I think finally really displayed how dangerous the Death Eaters (even Stan Shunpike!!!) actually are.
And personally, I love hide-and-seek sequences; for example, Frodo and Sam's flight across Hobbiton in TLOR. Throw a little camping in and YES! Love it. I LOVED how Hermione stuck with Harry and the way JKR portrayed the suffering and strain within the friendships. Her opening description of Harry, "Harry Potter was bleeding," really sets the stage for this.
The encounter with Nagini/Bathilda? TERRIFYING. I've had nightmares like this.
I loved Luna's house and especially her bedroom with the mural on the ceiling. Brilliant insight into her character here. The only thing that kind of annoys me about Luna is the fact that she never goes against what her father believes, even if it's clearly untrue or dangerous (like the Erumpant horn). Another aspect of family relationships I guess. JKR is brilliant at depicting all sorts of family ties.
Big Relief: Harry's wand gets fixed. I have to say, the whole "Elder Wand" subplot didn't really draw me in.
And Ariana--was she raped or something? Is that what we are supposed to think?
I am still sad about Dobby, Fred, Lupin, and Tonks. I couldn't believe L & T both died, I was like !TEDDY! NO!!!!!! Another little boy with no parents. I cried when Lupin came in, all excited about his new son and proud to be a dad, his doubts dispelled by love. I honestly thought he and Tonks were going to be the lighter side of the novel, not two of its victims.
I actually found myself crying quite a bit through the last 300 pages or so--not just at sad scenes, but also at her depictions of friendship and heroism--Luna and Neville in particular. I just love Neville and I always will.
And SNAPE/LILY!!!!!!! I'M IN YUR PLAYGROUND, UNREQUITING YUR LUV!
Oh Snape, oh Snape...I knew it was going down this way, but I had no idea it was over Lily. Wow. His death was amazing. "Look at me"--so he could look at Lily's eyes one last time, of course. Does he still love her? "Always." Wow. And Albus Severus says more than any epilogue featuring Harry's thought and forgiveness process.
I could say loads more about this but, like I said, I'm still drained at the moment. I'll probably be more useful commenting in other people's journals than trying to write a full treatise. Still, this is my favorite book of the series. I'm going to try to go back and read it all the way through again.
I truly hope JKR keeps writing, maybe even something geared more toward the adult market. (Even though HP has legions of adult fans, YA though the series is.)