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Picked it up this morning, and managed to finish by 4 with the kind understanding of hubby who removed himself and the Rugrat from the house to visit with his mother. YAY for uninterrupted reading time.
(and to everyone tired of it, sorry, you can move right along...)
Yes, I did read this with a mental checklist of my own predictions. Because I'm pathetic that way. And I am vastly amused that I was SO SURE the tiara in the ROR had to be a red herring because it was so freakin' obvious. But when the tiara was mentioned at the Lovegoods, I knew I was wrong, wrong,wrong. *snicker* So I was right in all the main stuff (or, really, the HP meta hivemind was right and I agreed with them) and completely and utterly wrong in the details. So, I appreciate that I was surprised.
Well, besides being stuffed with expositionitis at certain places (and the way the books are constructed, that was really pretty inevitable-- there had to be a "Hercule Poirot explains ALL"chapter or two moment), and an epilogue that might well as have been "and they lived happily ever after", overall I thought it was a good read and well-paced. It more than fulfilled my expectations - I'm a fan, but I'm more fannish about the meta than I am about the source, actually. I've never ficced in HP or even re-read the books (I always mean to, but I'm such a meta 'ho, I never bother, because I usually have all the details in mind anyway, by virtue of all the essays and stuff that I've read). So I don't have any particular shipping axe to grind or anything like that.
In general, I haven't been all that much about the Trio, but this one, is Stuffed full of Trio goodness. This is THEIR book, they become adults, and for the first time the (more interesting) adults don't overshadow them.
- Hermione PWNS ALL. She's SO amazingly smart and level-headed. and occasionally ruthless (modifying her own parents so they didn't even remember her? OMG) And the escape from the Lovegoods? *flail* And her thinkiness, and holding back Harry and sticking by him, and... really, I *heart* Hermione so much in this book I can't even tell you.
- Harry, despite being the titular hero has never really held my interest until this book when, to me, he finally stepped up and started asking questions and taking control of his life. And telling off Remus made me sit up and take notice.
- and Ron... oh Ron, I was half-expecting him to bite it the whole book. And it came as a great relief to me that he didn't. Which was surprising, because I didn't think I'd care, really. But when he went crazy when Hermione was tortured, he won me over.
- Snape. I WAS RIGHT. But OMG, childhood friends of Lily? *flail* Perfect. utterly and beyond perfect. Consummate spy right to the end. I was a bit worried at the beginning that I was wrong after all, but when the doe patronus appeared, I was greatly relieved, because then I knew I was right. Killed like Cedric, because he was in the way. Not exactly the heroic end I thought might happen, but more ...fitting. Sadly. *sniff*
- Draco and the Slytherins. Disappointing that he didn't have a change of heart and that Slytherin remained the "bad" house. I wish at least a few of the students would've stayed. But the sorting and the rivalries remained, according to the epilogue. Too bad that when Voldemort tried to kill Neville with the Sorting Hat, that didn't end the sorting practice.
- Neville didn't get to kill Bellatrix, but he was awesome anyway. I will spit nails if they cut Neville's scenes down from the movie of DH. (and this may be because I am still high on the awesomeness of Neville in OOTP, but still.)
- Moody and Fred and Remus and Tonks. offscreen! i had to read it again just to make sure it really was Remus and Tonks (and her dad too). but the one that broke me the most was Dobby. A damn house-elf. And Redeemed!Kreacher was possibly one of the biggest surprises of all.
- Trio on the LAM! loved it, how they were totally on their own.
- I'm kind of in love with the whole Dumbledore/Grindelwald thing (I'm fairly sure there's a comm already). Seeing any backstory at all was excellent and that was just icing on the cake. Slashy? OMG, yes. And Saint!Dumbledore characterizations can now go to the dustbin where they belong, thx. I am intensely curious from a meta standpoint about when JKR made Grindelwald more than just a name on DUmbledore's chocolate frog card though.
- OMG nobody died at the wedding! It was crashed, as I figured, but nobody died. I was so sure someone would get it then. But then, I thought the book would open with the wedding, not Harry's escape from the Dursley's - so I was right about the timing, not the location.
- Speaking of Dursleys, Dudley grows ... a heart. Or something. I'm not quite sure what. But still, nice to see a change in him.
- weren't we supposed to get someone using magic previosuly thought not to have any? Theories were abouding about the various Squibs, and the Dursleys... I guess JKR meant Ariana, but that was a very strange thing to tease when we knew nothing about her anyway. I guess this one has to get filed under the "important and classified spouse", secret patronuses, and various other "clues" that didn't pan out to anything in the end. (though, thinking about it -- was Grindelwald originally meant to be female (or male) and Dumbledore's SPOUSE? *boggles* *then reaches for pen to write slash!fic*)
- the Return of Umbridge, even more loathesome. Curious to think in hindsight about what was HER (because we know she's an evil hag anyway), and how much was the locket, since that also must have affected her.
- and just how many times were the Trio caught or almost caught? Jeez.
- Final tally of Horcruxes:
The dude had eight pieces, or am I tired?
1.the diary
2. the ring
3. Hufflepuff cup
4. the locket
5. tiara
6 Nagini
7 Harry
8. Voldemort himself
(or should we consider the last two really only one? The one Voldemort kept for himself then got transferred to Harry at GH, and they were sharing it after that? I'm so confused.)
OMG, this is SOOOO long and I haven't even mentioned all the little details I enjoyed so much, like the return of the mirrors, motorbike, and the hilariously anticlimactic repayment of Wormtail's debt to Harry. So many people thought he was going to make some grand gesture, and instead it was a teeny gesture at the right time (and then... bye! ha!)
It's funny, because I totally agree with many who say that JKR isn't a world-builder, in the sense that Tolkien was. I don't think her world is much more than a satire reflection of our own, really. And yet, she DOES build a world in her characters and in the small details. It doesn't have depth to the world, there's little history to it and the edges don't quite match (but looking as a historian at Middle-Earth some of his world-building bugs the crap out of me too), but it's a beautifully detailed miniature model of a world, full of miniature people. Which is the appeal, I think - it certainly is for me.
In sum, it's a fun place to visit, but, man, I wouldn't want to live there.
(and to everyone tired of it, sorry, you can move right along...)
Yes, I did read this with a mental checklist of my own predictions. Because I'm pathetic that way. And I am vastly amused that I was SO SURE the tiara in the ROR had to be a red herring because it was so freakin' obvious. But when the tiara was mentioned at the Lovegoods, I knew I was wrong, wrong,wrong. *snicker* So I was right in all the main stuff (or, really, the HP meta hivemind was right and I agreed with them) and completely and utterly wrong in the details. So, I appreciate that I was surprised.
Well, besides being stuffed with expositionitis at certain places (and the way the books are constructed, that was really pretty inevitable-- there had to be a "Hercule Poirot explains ALL"
In general, I haven't been all that much about the Trio, but this one, is Stuffed full of Trio goodness. This is THEIR book, they become adults, and for the first time the (more interesting) adults don't overshadow them.
- Hermione PWNS ALL. She's SO amazingly smart and level-headed. and occasionally ruthless (modifying her own parents so they didn't even remember her? OMG) And the escape from the Lovegoods? *flail* And her thinkiness, and holding back Harry and sticking by him, and... really, I *heart* Hermione so much in this book I can't even tell you.
- Harry, despite being the titular hero has never really held my interest until this book when, to me, he finally stepped up and started asking questions and taking control of his life. And telling off Remus made me sit up and take notice.
- and Ron... oh Ron, I was half-expecting him to bite it the whole book. And it came as a great relief to me that he didn't. Which was surprising, because I didn't think I'd care, really. But when he went crazy when Hermione was tortured, he won me over.
- Snape. I WAS RIGHT. But OMG, childhood friends of Lily? *flail* Perfect. utterly and beyond perfect. Consummate spy right to the end. I was a bit worried at the beginning that I was wrong after all, but when the doe patronus appeared, I was greatly relieved, because then I knew I was right. Killed like Cedric, because he was in the way. Not exactly the heroic end I thought might happen, but more ...fitting. Sadly. *sniff*
- Draco and the Slytherins. Disappointing that he didn't have a change of heart and that Slytherin remained the "bad" house. I wish at least a few of the students would've stayed. But the sorting and the rivalries remained, according to the epilogue. Too bad that when Voldemort tried to kill Neville with the Sorting Hat, that didn't end the sorting practice.
- Neville didn't get to kill Bellatrix, but he was awesome anyway. I will spit nails if they cut Neville's scenes down from the movie of DH. (and this may be because I am still high on the awesomeness of Neville in OOTP, but still.)
- Moody and Fred and Remus and Tonks. offscreen! i had to read it again just to make sure it really was Remus and Tonks (and her dad too). but the one that broke me the most was Dobby. A damn house-elf. And Redeemed!Kreacher was possibly one of the biggest surprises of all.
- Trio on the LAM! loved it, how they were totally on their own.
- I'm kind of in love with the whole Dumbledore/Grindelwald thing (I'm fairly sure there's a comm already). Seeing any backstory at all was excellent and that was just icing on the cake. Slashy? OMG, yes. And Saint!Dumbledore characterizations can now go to the dustbin where they belong, thx. I am intensely curious from a meta standpoint about when JKR made Grindelwald more than just a name on DUmbledore's chocolate frog card though.
- OMG nobody died at the wedding! It was crashed, as I figured, but nobody died. I was so sure someone would get it then. But then, I thought the book would open with the wedding, not Harry's escape from the Dursley's - so I was right about the timing, not the location.
- Speaking of Dursleys, Dudley grows ... a heart. Or something. I'm not quite sure what. But still, nice to see a change in him.
- weren't we supposed to get someone using magic previosuly thought not to have any? Theories were abouding about the various Squibs, and the Dursleys... I guess JKR meant Ariana, but that was a very strange thing to tease when we knew nothing about her anyway. I guess this one has to get filed under the "important and classified spouse", secret patronuses, and various other "clues" that didn't pan out to anything in the end. (though, thinking about it -- was Grindelwald originally meant to be female (or male) and Dumbledore's SPOUSE? *boggles* *then reaches for pen to write slash!fic*)
- the Return of Umbridge, even more loathesome. Curious to think in hindsight about what was HER (because we know she's an evil hag anyway), and how much was the locket, since that also must have affected her.
- and just how many times were the Trio caught or almost caught? Jeez.
- Final tally of Horcruxes:
The dude had eight pieces, or am I tired?
1.the diary
2. the ring
3. Hufflepuff cup
4. the locket
5. tiara
6 Nagini
7 Harry
8. Voldemort himself
(or should we consider the last two really only one? The one Voldemort kept for himself then got transferred to Harry at GH, and they were sharing it after that? I'm so confused.)
OMG, this is SOOOO long and I haven't even mentioned all the little details I enjoyed so much, like the return of the mirrors, motorbike, and the hilariously anticlimactic repayment of Wormtail's debt to Harry. So many people thought he was going to make some grand gesture, and instead it was a teeny gesture at the right time (and then... bye! ha!)
It's funny, because I totally agree with many who say that JKR isn't a world-builder, in the sense that Tolkien was. I don't think her world is much more than a satire reflection of our own, really. And yet, she DOES build a world in her characters and in the small details. It doesn't have depth to the world, there's little history to it and the edges don't quite match (but looking as a historian at Middle-Earth some of his world-building bugs the crap out of me too), but it's a beautifully detailed miniature model of a world, full of miniature people. Which is the appeal, I think - it certainly is for me.
In sum, it's a fun place to visit, but, man, I wouldn't want to live there.
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I might have read too fast at that point in the story, but did not get Petunia Evans a letter from Hogwarts inviting her into the school, which she refused to follow? That would mean she was really a (potential) witch, who blocked her talent well and good and chose to live as a Muggle. But I am not sure if I read that correctly. Have to go back and read it again.
- the Return of Umbridge, even more loathesome. Curious to think in hindsight about what was HER (because we know she's an evil hag anyway), and how much was the locket, since that also must have affected her.
We cannot be sure on that, because I have to check OotP again, but I think she does not wear the Locket there; and the way she gained it from Mundungus also shows she has not a tiny bit better character *before* she got it. So I think it was mostly her, acting the way she was best at, all along.
Umbridge is a character I truly loathe, but who's portrait is absolutely perfect to the point. I hopoe she is spending the remainder of her days in Askaban, but people like that are going to lie their way out of any judgment, afterwards, anyway.
One think that had me thinking was Rita Seeker. She knew ahead of time that Herminoe would not be any danger to her when she wrote that Dumbledore Biography. So, how did she know? I do not believe she was a Death Eater, herself, but somebody must have set her on it.
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