Guest blogger Andrew Blankenship’s final post! NO SPOILERS

 

I went with my son to a birthday party across the street yesterday and all any of the adults wanted to know was “Does he die at the end?”

 

For the past week I’ve been immersed in Harry Potter - reading the old books, waiting for the new book, taking phone calls and e-mails from friends where we whispered and hinted about the Deathly Hallows, careful not to accidentally ruin a plot point for someone else.

 

The children were playing down the sidewalk and the adults at the party weren’t going to read the book so I answered the question. I stood on a street in broad daylight and told people whether Harry Potter lived or died.

 

No Death Eaters appeared, wands drawn. No one shouted obliviate and took the memory away.

 

The spell was over.

 

Harry Potter was over.

 

J. K. Rowling wove her world very thick, and the minutia will keep the hardcore fans happy and dressing in Gryffindor robes for a while, with or without a new book.

 

I’ve already found myself in conversations about whether a Patronus has to be a real animal. Who wouldn’t want a Smurf for a Patronus?

 

But take away the magic wands and the imagined creatures and Harry Potter wasn’t much more than the story of an aristocracy in crisis. Elite families who knew each other for centuries and sent their children to the same private boarding school find their world in crisis, while purebloods worry about their children interbreeding with the common “muggles.”

 

In any other context we would have wanted the world of Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic to collapse into rubble. Instead, people lined up at midnight to buy the book, to see who lived and died and whether the magical world survived.

 

Harry Potter, as a character, had extraordinary and humble beginnings at the same time. He was famous since he was an infant but lived in a cupboard under the stairs. Somehow he represents the best of a divided world - like King Arthur or any number of fairy tale princesses he came from rags and proved he was nobility.

Or maybe he was a boy wizard with a scar on his head who kept me entertained for seven books. Either way, the story is over and I enjoyed it.

 

 

 

 

 

Contributor Candace Chaney says, What’s with the sandwich?

Candace Chaney wasn’t able to guest-blog with us this last weekend, but the Harry Potter-loving H-L contributing theater critic did submit a guest review to us this morning of Harry Potter and the Cash-Cow … er, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

 Chaney says it’s not exactly Rowling’s finest hour, and may be a Potter tome that will make a better movie than book. Plus, she’s not wild about the baby-heavy epilogue.

 More after the jump …

Final guest blog post from Jim Grayson on Deathly Hallows

Detailed, perceptive and chock-full of SPOILERS. Join us, please, for our benedictory visit on the jump ….

Guest blogger Caitlin Powell’s final thoughts …

which are rich, but also rich in spoilers for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which I shall hide behind the lovely “spoiler cut.” See you on the jump!

Book review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

By Heather Chapman
hchapman@herald-leader.com

For the Boy Who Lived, the time has come to be a man.

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final chapter in J.K. Rowling’s sprawling coming of age tale, Harry is taken away from almost everything in his life that comforted and protected him through the first six books. Gone is the protection from his mother’s sacrifice, the safety of Hogwarts, his mentor Dumbledore. Even the memory of Dumbledore is poisoned, as troubling questions arise about the venerable wizard’s past, and his motives for sending Harry to kill the evil Lord Voldemort.

And so it is that Harry finds himself isolated, questioning himself and his mission, and often reluctant to take on the mantel of leadership in the underground resistance, even as Voldemort gains a stranglehold on the wizarding world. It’s a grim place to be, and it gets grimmer.

As with all final installments, the action is more explosive, the body count higher, and revelations about long-hidden secrets come thick and fast. Of course, it’s not all Die Hard–in several places the story slows to a crawl while Harry tries to figure out his next move, and Rowling rather overemploys her favored method of info-dump (making Harry read excerpts from newspapers and Rita Skeeter’s Kitty Kelly-esque tell-all book about Dumbledore). But overall, the pacing feels just about right.

Better still is the way the author weaves in themes of remorse and redemption–often from the last characters readers would expect it from. Though this book is probably not appropriate for small children, tween and teen readers can glean valuable lessons about honesty, loyalty and mercy. Most of all, Deathly Hallows provides keen insight into the profound power of love, both romantic and familial.

But love can be a motivator in more sinister ways, too; younger, more idealistic readers may understand for the first time how totalitarian regimes can so easily gain a toe-hold in society by observing the tactics of Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

It’s not just propaganda, controlling the press and telling people it’s for the greater good: when wizarding folk protest the government take-over, Voldemort simply kidnaps their children or kills their loved ones. People who are misinformed and scared for their families are easily controlled. And those who refuse to be cowed into submission often pay the ultimate price, including some very popular characters.

Besides her allusions to world history (especially Nazi Germany), Rowling also enriches the plot with references to mythology, Greek epic poetry and Arthurian legend, and even more importantly, wizarding lore she’s invented on her own.

This is not to say it’s a marvel of literature: a few loose ends and rivalries never gain resolution, and the deus ex machinas sometimes strain the credibility of the plot, but overall it’s a fine read that brings satisfying closure to the series.

As a friend of mine remarked the other day, “J.K. Rowling may not be a great writer, but she makes up for it by being a spectacular storyteller.” It’s just a shame that this particular story, as all stories must, has come to an end.

Guest blogger Andrew Blankenship’s post about book’s end

ANDREW BLANKENSHIP,  one of our guest bloggers this weekend about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, has SPOILERS aplenty about the book’s end. Of course, there’s also lots of insight to be had by clicking through. Your choice:

 

Guest blogger Caitlin Powell hits the end of Potter/Hallows

Do we need to note that this post is chock-full of spoilers for the book’s big finish? If you want to know, click through.

 

Guest blogger Jim Grayson’s 2nd Sunday post — SPOILERS

            I’m about 520 pages through the book now.  The death toll is rising, and with it the tension.  The story feels as though it’s about to start what filmmakers call “Act 3,” where it all hits the fan, the action is at its most intense, and the audience can see the hero and the villain being drawn into their final confrontation.  Readers of Shakespearean drama will recognize this as “Act 4,” and academics at some university will probably work themselves into a high dudgeon about which number is correct, probably over tea.

Caitlin Powell’s guest blog, cont’d! SPOILERS

More from guest blogger Caitlin Powell on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and it’s chock-full of SPOILERS, so if you haven’t yet finished the book, THIS IS YOUR WARNING.

1st Sunday post from guest blogger Caitlin Powell w/ SPOILERS

Guest blogger CAITLIN POWELL weighs in with a 3rd post on Harry Potter and the Deatly Hallows:

“Torture! Dragons! Bank robbery! Neville and Luna being awesome! Back to Hogwarts to fight! Exciting! Very!

” … This is all I wrote at the time, because it was 5:20 and I was so very close to finishing that I just didn’t bother writing a thing and plowed through to the end. I then finished at 6:30, took a two-hour nap, and here we are. So, here’s a bit of an expansion. More than a bit, actually, as the parts that are exciting are also quite plotty, and require a bit of background. I’l be racing through this, because this next 200-odd pages really cover a lot of ground.

More guest blogging from Andrew Blankenship, and spoilers

The book finished in true epic style — with massive casualties, the tying up of all loose plot lines, and some brief snogging.

Pretty much all of the mysteries have been solved and everyone is destined to live happily ever after — if they were lucky and made it out alive.

Guest blogger Jim Grayson’s Sunday post: Potter spoilerific!

Welcome to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows guest-blogging for Sunday. Expect all 3 of our guest bloggers’ first Sunday post to go up within the next few minutes. First, JIM GRAYSON.

“Last night, I wrote something about the surprise of being 200 pages into a Harry Potter novel and the timeline only getting to September. Rowling must have felt the same thing as she was writing, because Christmas came by page 250.

After the breakneck page of the first several chapters, the story pauses let the characters (and readers) catch their breath. Harry and crew are ont he fun, and Rowling wisely allows day after day of tediously setting up camp in a new place every night turn into “Weeks passed.” We see the almost inevitable bickering between the hero and his companions. Don’t worry, though, this happens in every story, not just the Potter books. Without conflict, there is no drama. Also, Ron Weasley’s return to the Potter exile plays just beautifully. Choice bits of dialogue:

Guest blogger Andrew Blankenship: Oh, the Potter carnage! WARNING: SPOILERS!

NOTE FROM CHERYL TRUMAN: Guest blogger ANDREW BLANKENSHIP wonders why J.K. Rowling’s final Potter book wraps up so many plot lines by burying them Six Feet Under.

FROM ANDREW BLANKENSHIP:

“For the last year, I’ve heard that two characters die in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Two characters.

“I am 200 pages from the end and 11 characters have died so far (not counting innocent bystanders).

“This book is starting to feel like one of those westerns where no one makes it out alive. I half expect to start a new chapter and see an illustration of Ron with a cowboy hat and a six shooter, slumped under a cactus with an arrow in his chest.

Second guest blogger post from Jim Grayson! (Note: SPOILERS ahoy!)

From guest blogger JIM GRAYSON:

“I was introduced to Harry Potter through the movies, so as I read Deathly Hallows, I keep visualizing what I think the events should look like on screen. What i would look like if I was the director, anyway. And if I had any skill at filmmaking.

“What really strikes me about my little cinematic visualizations, though, is the soundtrack that I know acompanies my film. The soundtrack has to almost entirely abandon John Williams’ Hogwarts theme and symphonic style, opting instead for the driving, forecful, and very, very loud music of movies like ‘Run, Lola, Run’ or ‘The Matrix.’

“…Some impressions from the first 13 chapters, probably with mild spoilers, so read at your own risk:

Guest blogger Caitlin Powell: Post #2 WARNING: SPOILERS aplenty!

From CAITLIN POWELL, one of our THREE guest bloggers on this Potterific weekend:

Well, it’s taken me a tad bit longer to make out the next portion as it is now 4 a.m. I fear my Starbucks is beginning to wear off. Nevertheless, I am now halfway through the book. Cheers!

(note from Heather: cut for spoilers just to be safe. I value my life.)

3rd guest blogger! Potter views from Caitlin Powell

An embarrassment of riches here: TWO posts received in one batch from guess blogger Caitlin Powell, who, like Heather Chapman, sped through the book at a mighty pace.

(Seriously, did you SEE Heather’s progress? Woman was reading at something like 100 pages an hour!) — Until next posting, Cheryl Truman

First post from CAITLIN POWELL:

“OK, I’m going to preface this by saig that as I am writing this, it is 2:21 in the morning. I received my book and got home by 1 a.m., and am now a quarter of the way in to what, so far, is a heart-pounding end to the series. …

First of all, oh my goodness. The book starts with action and just does’t stop. It moves surpirisngly quickly through several key sequences, making it all feel slightly out of breath. An air of doom and mystery manages to soak into every scene, and still most questions are being raised at every turn that I can’t wait to be answered.

(Read below the cut for spoilers)

A second guest blogger tells us about the scene at Beaumont …

This from Andrew Blankenship:

“The Beaumont Branch of the Lexington Public Library had a midnight release party for Deathly Hallows — my wife reserved a copy in February and was 87 on the list to get the book.

 ”My 7-year-old son had a blast — he beat me at chess, made a couple of friends, learned origami, and joined the Slytherin house.

“The library staff began checking out books a few minutes after midnight and I would say everyone had their book in less than 10 minutes — we were near the end of the line and our receipt says we checked out at 12:10.

“The book is ominous. The jacket cover is creepy and barren. The jacket cover is creepy and barren. The inside cover is a bright red (horor movie red, like the room under the stairs in “Amityville Horror.”) The UPC bar code is also red.

“My wife wouldn’t hand me the book until we were in the carn and I couldn’t read any of it in the streetlight.

“Are you smelling it?” she asked.

… She went to sleep sometime after 1 a.m. and I finally started the first chapter.

 It’s 7 a.m. now, and I’ve read 14 chapters. By my count there have been 5 deaths, 2 weddings, someone lost an ear, one coffee house was trashed, and a tortured, unidentified prisoner is likely having their toenail clippins gathered for Polyjuice poison.

“Things seem ominous.

“Other than the weddings and all the dead people, a lot of loose plot threads have been tied up. We find out what happened to some of the minor characters (like Norbert the dragon) and closing off their stories adds to the finality of the book.

 …The book seems to hit one gennuine emotional note after another without slowing down. People are hugging, things are exploding, then it’s right into the next scene.”

Guest bloggers at the Muggle Tongue: 1st posting …

Good morming!  It’s Cheryl Truman from the Lexington Herald-Leader posting up your first guest bloggers, who have already thought LONG and HARD about this whole Potter business — one of them well before 6 a.m.

 I’ve already been out in the community today — at the memorial garden being built at Dunbar High School, and if you’ve got some time on a Saturday morning, it’s a great project — and our citizenry is already divided neatly:

 –Those who stayed up all right reading Potter and want to talk about it with everybody they meet.

 –Those avoiding the all-nighters because they want Harry to unfold for them in their own time.

 –Those who will be going home to read Clean Your Clothes with Cheez Whiz (a real book, incidentally, currently in residence on my coffee table). Those wandering in the cultural desert of the non-Potter-savvy.

 Guest blogger JIM GRAYSON says:

 The first sentence of a novel is important. It provides the reader with a forecast of the tone and style of the book to follow. A skilled reader should be able to pick up a novel in a bookstore, and, if not by the end of the first sentence then by the end of the first page, discern whether it is an enjoyable book. Let’s try a familiar one: “Marley was dead.” The great Charles Dickens wrote that sentence, to begin A Christmas Carol. For you fantasy readers, consider these words from J.R.R. Tolkien: “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”

 If you don’t believe that the first sentence of a novel is important, go back through some of your old favorites. Pick the books you know well, from the author you read often, and see if the first sentence doesn’t actually inform the novel you’re about to read.

 Now let’s talk about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, of which I haven’t read very much. Yet. Before J.K. Rowling even gets to the title page, she begins departing from the previous novels in the series. First consider the cover art. Provided by the 7th time by Mary GrandPre, the covers shows Harry on the front and what can only be either Lord Voldemort or a hideously large Dementor on the back, with a background of orange and yellow: the colors of sunset.

 Next consider the dedication, which includes, among others, “you, if you have stuck with Harry until the very end.”

 The next thing Rowling does is not at all new to the genre, but certainly new to her and the Potter books. She provides quotations from literary classics, specificall The Libation Bearers by Aeschylus and More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn. What makes these quotations particularly interesting is that they are both second works: The Libation Bearers is a sequel to Aeschylus’ Agamemnon, and More Fruits of Solitude is, perhaps predictably, a sequel to Penn’s Fruits of Solitude. Could Rowling be hinting at a series of prequels here? Could she even, by quoting the second of Aeschylus’ Orestes trilogy, be hinting that the Potter novels are in fact the middle installment of a series of three epics, making them similar to the STar Wars films with which my generation grew up?

 The first sentence says, “The two men appeared out of nowhere, a few yards apart in the narrow, moonlit lane.” Begin discussion. … It’s goin to be a fun weekend of reading and writing.”

THE ALL-SPOILER DISCUSSION THREAD

Okay, folks. It’s after 10 a.m. as I post this; the dedicated among you have had plenty of time to finish the book.

So, what did you think? What did you really like, dislike, utterly loathe about Deathly Hallows?  Discuss!

WARNING: The comments section of this post will be full of spoilers for the entire book. DO NOT CLICK ON THE COMMENTS SECTION IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE WHOLE BOOK.

Otherwise, please click on the comments section and talk amongst yourselves.

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