Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: SPOILERS! And much discussion. [Archive]

Twilight_Elena

07-22-2007, 12:49 PM

What it says. I've been holding myself back for almost a full day because no one else i know has read it yet. Gasp!
SPOILERS! ~*~ SPOILERS! ~*~ SPOILERS!

Neville! I loved him! He went all cool and sexy on us and killed Nagini! Kill kill kill! Whoohoo! :D Take THAT!
Snape was on the good side! Okay, he was selfish and hateful and a racist, but he was on the good side, so that must count for something. And he sort of saw the error of his ways at some point, I guess. Can't say he was good, not if we consider he would have KEELED everyone if it wasn't for Harry's pretty pretty eyes, but he wasn't totally evil either. Obviously made some crappy decisions in his time. And Snape/Lily! Woot!
Three cheers for Zen, Kickass Harry! He grew up. It was so cool. When he grabbed the shovel and started digging up a grave for Dobby, I thought OMG. SEXY. And very cool. Remarkable guy.
And did anyone else think of Matrix III (station thing between the Matrix and the real world) and Gandalf's comeback when Harry woke up at a white room King's Cross thing? With no clothes on, no less.
When Harry and Teh Ebil started circling each other, I really expected they'd light up their sabers. Or maybe go Dirty Harry.
Remus was so sexy. Freaked out, messed up and sometimes crappy at making decisions, but sexy nonetheless. And adorable. The parts with Teddy and the baby pictures made me go all mushy.
Molly pwned Bella.
The deaths. Oh. The deaths. Remus was one of my favourite characters and I loved the Remus/Tonks shipping, so that really hit me. But also Dobby and Hedwig and Severus and Fred... ouch.
Must still be a bit out of it, but what the heck was that baby thing under the seat in Harry's hallucination/mystical "staying out of thought and time" thing? Was it the Horcrux? Was it some sort of symbolism I missed?

More later.

T_E

07-22-2007, 01:23 PM

Must still be a bit out of it, but what the heck was that baby thing under the seat in Harry's hallucination/mystical "staying out of thought and time" thing? Was it the Horcrux? Was it some sort of symbolism I missed?

More later.

It was the remains of Voldemort's shattered soul, wasn't it?

While I'm ok with who died, I thought the rumor was that only 2 were going to die?

And yeah, I like how Neville stepped up to be one of the main heros :)

I also thought it was cute when Ron was talking about saving the elves, and Hermione could no longer control herself.

Twilight_Elena

07-22-2007, 01:26 PM

JKR had said two major characters were going to die that weren't supposed to originally. I think.

T_E

Twilight_Elena

07-22-2007, 01:28 PM

Shattered soul? Hmmm. Could be. I kept wondering what it was... Dumbledore kept saying that there's nothing that can be done for it...

T_E

07-22-2007, 01:28 PM

And I don't see how (by what happened in the story) she's going to stop anyone else from writing about Harry. (short of using her 'Summonus Lawyerius' spell).

07-22-2007, 01:29 PM

Shattered soul? Hmmm. Could be. I kept wondering what it was... Dumbledore kept saying that there's nothing that can be done for it...

T_E
Right - nothing can be done to save Voldemort's soul?

Twilight_Elena

07-22-2007, 01:34 PM

Right - nothing can be done to save Voldemort's soul?

Makes sense. I kept thinking of weird symbolisms, of innocence dying and whatnot. :rolleyes:

07-22-2007, 01:37 PM

Makes sense. I kept thinking of weird symbolisms, of innocence dying and whatnot. :rolleyes:
And that fits Voldemort. He represents what happens when a wizard chooses the evil path. And the 'crying thing' was probably the part of Voldemort's soul that was attached to Harry via the scar.

I kinda figured Snape would turn out to be 'Good'. Too much of a dramatic setup to just keep him evil. What I thought would happen would be for the final showdown - Snape would sacrifice himself so that Harry could kill Voldemort. I guess the way it turned out was just as good (the pensieve).

quixotedlm

07-22-2007, 02:52 PM

Yeah, I thought of Matrix. It almost felt like JKR ripped off of Matrix... :|

The baby I thought was just a randomly dead infant who was passing through limbo...

Twilight_Elena

07-22-2007, 03:11 PM

Didn't seem like a random infant. Too much description and too much mentioning of it during the whole scene. Not with the whole flayed-looking and wounded thing going (A wounded, broken soul. Tj, now it makes even more sense). And if it was limbo, wouldn't they see more people?

T_E

07-22-2007, 04:30 PM

Yeah, I thought of Matrix. It almost felt like JKR ripped off of Matrix... :|

Well, Harry 'breaking up' with Ginny was a Spiderman ripoff.

...and when Hermione had Hagrid's baby that was so... nvm. :wink:

Peaches

07-22-2007, 04:35 PM

Loved the back-story on Snape. Yeah, it was cliched--would have been much better had he actually really been evil--but I loved it nonetheless.

Loved the back-story on Dumbledore. Took him out of the realm of this all wonderful, almost mystic being and made him real.

Was glad to FINALLY see things coalesce between Ron and Hermione, was glad that Ron was finally allowed to be more of a full-fledged character than just comic relief.

I KNEW Harry was the 7th Horcrux. I've been saying that since I read the 6th book, and I was right. Feels so good...

I couldn't believe how many characters she killed off. But I really couldn't believe the cussing. That caught both my attention and DH's. I'm not sure if the "effing" or "B***H" caught me more off guard. I'm surprised that made it through, what with them ostensibly being children's books and all that.

Loved it. I like how many loose ends were tied up, overall. For more serious books, I like things left hanging and messy because it's more realistic...but for HP, I like that it's all tied up.

danceronice

07-22-2007, 08:15 PM

Someone over on journalfen made up some icons that say "Molly Weasley will f*** your s*** up." GO MOLLY.

It was a bit of a bloodbath, yes, but overall a satisfying one. Unlike, say, Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire", which is pretty much a masscre from the word go. I think the biggest letdown for me was indeed the cliche "Snape LUVS Lily" business.

Worst death in the "way it was done" sense: Wormtail's. Blink and you miss it.

Best: Bellatrix, tied with "Neville the Barbarian" going all Conan on Nagini.

Worst Death in the "ZOMG SHE KILLED...." sense: Remus AND Tonks both? Plus Tonks's father? So, what, Andromeda's gonna have to raise Teddy alone? So he gets to be some kind of weird combo of Harry and Neville (parents killed by Voldemort, raised by grandmother)?

Biggest "I'm glad she didn't kill...." : The enitre Malfoy family. Wasn't a fan until this one.

quixotedlm

07-22-2007, 09:01 PM

bjp22tango

07-23-2007, 01:47 AM

Well, after having written a book in response and losing in cyberspace.... ARGH. I will try to recreate my main thoughts.

It was nice to have my prediction of Snape in love with Lily confirmed.

I liked how she brought characters into the epilogue without actually mentioning them. Who else could Victoire be but Bill and Fleur's daughter.

I really enjoyed how she showed the turnaround in Kreatcher when Harry bestowed upon him the necklace of this past master. How his loyaly was completely switched to Harry.

You know you are deeply involved with fictional characters when you refer to them as actual beings. LOL. I would love to have seen the face of Griphook the goblin when Gryffindor's sword disappeared from his keeping and showed up in the sorting hat for Neville.

It was amusing to the see the similarites between the Malfoy and Dursley family dynamics. It was nice to see "Big D" having an appreciation for Harry after he saved his life.

bjp22tango

07-23-2007, 01:55 AM

I've enjoyed the books all along, but really have an appreciation for how JK ages the characters and how their perceptions and reponses change with them. In this day and age, it would be surprising if teenages DIDN'T swear and having grown up with so many older brother, it would seem a bit strange if Ron didn't have a mouth on him.

I am also impressed with how she writes about so many overarching human themes without sounding preachy. Love, death, war, the hunger for power, self sacrifice, cowardice, heroism, racism, religion. She hits all the major themes with a light but deep touch that doesn't interfere with all the action that drags along deeper into the story.

I was very satified with the read (and will now not be able to focus for a couple of days LOL)

Twilight_Elena

07-23-2007, 03:52 AM

I couldn't believe how many characters she killed off. But I really couldn't believe the cussing. That caught both my attention and DH's. I'm not sure if the "effing" or "B***H" caught me more off guard. I'm surprised that made it through, what with them ostensibly being children's books and all that.

Okay, Molly's quote, I saw. The "eff" word... where was that?

T_E

tanya_the_dancer

07-23-2007, 07:11 AM

OK, anyone got the last book?

Twilight_Elena

07-23-2007, 08:02 AM

OK, anyone got the last book?

....Yes. :confused:

07-23-2007, 08:43 AM

would have been nice to give andromeda a new love interest in the epilogue. maybe neville..
I pictured Neville hooking up with Luna...

07-23-2007, 08:43 AM

OK, anyone got the last book?
Not me, I'm just making this stuff up! :tongue:

quixotedlm

07-23-2007, 04:03 PM

I pictured Neville hooking up with Luna...

hmmm... :rolleyes:

luna is really loony. neville is growing into a smart guy... don't like that match...

bjp22tango

07-23-2007, 04:19 PM

Okay, Molly's quote, I saw. The "eff" word... where was that?

T_E

It was not spelled out. Ron kept saying that "effing" this or that.

07-23-2007, 04:21 PM

hmmm... :rolleyes:

luna is really loony. neville is growing into a smart guy... don't like that match...
In other words, perfect for each other! :cool:

quixotedlm

07-23-2007, 04:24 PM

In other words, perfect for each other! :cool:

Yeah, like Mr.Big and Carrie in SatC - annoying loser chick gets smart dude :rolleyes:

07-23-2007, 04:48 PM

Yeah, like Mr.Big and Carrie in SatC - annoying loser chick gets smart dude :rolleyes:
Lol, well, I dunno - I think the actress that they got to play Luna is a cutie. And if I were that age, I'd probably want to ask her out.

quixotedlm

07-23-2007, 05:06 PM

Lol, well, I dunno - I think the actress that they got to play Luna is a cutie. And if I were that age, I'd probably want to ask her out.

mmm.... depends on whether she'll put out or not... ;) need something to offset the crazy annoying gibberish that keeps coming out of her mouth...

07-23-2007, 05:18 PM

mmm.... depends on whether she'll put out or not... ;) need something to offset the crazy annoying gibberish that keeps coming out of her mouth...
Oh, I'm sure Neville could find some sort of plant/herb to take care of either such problem. :)

quixotedlm

07-23-2007, 05:49 PM

Oh, I'm sure Neville could find some sort of plant/herb to take care of either such problem. :)

love potion!

or maybe, he will marry both luna and andromeda ;)

07-23-2007, 06:34 PM

love potion!

or maybe, he will marry both luna and andromeda ;)
Lol, there you go! :wink:

KimNVic

07-23-2007, 06:55 PM

I loved the Harry Potter books and this one is no exception.

I too figured Harry to be the 7th Horcrux.
I loved Neville in this one!!! I too thought of him and Luna hooking up.
I didn't care for Luna in the books, but liked her in the movie (5th one)
and in this final book.
Was very glad to see that the 3 "major" characters (Harry, Ron & Hermione)
were not killed off - I didn't think they would be, but as release date got
closer I started getting paranoid lol.
Loved the way this book touched on all the other books that lead up to it.
It's like it all came full circle.

I also like JK's writing style of such deep, touchy, important topics without
getting all preachy.

I have loved the books all along, hate that this is the last one though.
But loved how she ended it. I've loved the characters, getting to know
them, watching them grow up, learn all these life lessons... great story!

reb

07-23-2007, 09:12 PM

On Saturday, DW said "let's go to the bookstore". We saw a pile of the new HP books there and then she said "ok, we can go now".

:confused: "huh" I eloquently expressed.

She said that she just wanted to make sure they were there "in case".

When we returned home, our postal carrier actually honked at us and said "here it is, you weren't home when I came by earlier and I've been keeping my eye on it to make sure no one ripped it off" (I thought OMG - from a USPS vehicle!):shock:

I apparently have very little control of my surroundings.

bordertangoman

07-24-2007, 04:36 AM

I am readin HP & DH very slowly and savouring every moment.

Twilight_Elena

07-24-2007, 05:42 AM

Okay. Just read a friend's LJ and she's written the coolest review. Cracked me up. Here: http://thegraybook.livejournal.com/217686.html#cutid1

T_E

07-24-2007, 08:51 AM

It's a nice carefully thought out review, and puts in words some feelings/unformed thoughts I had about the book and series. Thanks for sharing it with us. :)

bordertangoman

07-24-2007, 09:05 AM

It's a nice carefully thought out review, and puts in words some feelings/unformed thoughts I had about the book and series. Thanks for sharing it with us. :)

and almost as long as the book.

07-24-2007, 09:26 AM

and almost as long as the book.
Yeah, I agree, and that's what I liked about it. It was long and thought out as opposed to a lot of these 1-2 paragraph 'says nothing' type blogs.

bordertangoman

07-24-2007, 09:37 AM

Yeah, I agree, and that's what I liked about it. It was long and thought out as opposed to a lot of these 1-2 paragraph 'says nothing' type blogs.

You men like mine? :wink:

07-24-2007, 09:45 AM

I love HP, but this one I'm having difficulty getting into. Many of the wizard names and such seem so contrived, and some of the writing stands out from the page because it has been painfully (sometimes awkwardly) crafted. Everybody is just sitting around talking. Or worse yet, reading. Can we say explication through dialogue? BAD way to open a book. (Okay, so Voldy offs somebody we've never met and don't care about at the beginning of the book. So the only form of 'action' we see so far has already been done at the beginning of another book. Tell me something new, PLEASE.)

Tell me this book picks up?

07-24-2007, 09:49 AM

You men like mine? :wink:
Partial sentences? :wink:

07-24-2007, 09:49 AM

Tell me this book picks up?

No. Put down the book, and let's dance! :)

Tori

07-25-2007, 04:31 PM

I finished in less than fourty eight hours of getting it on the 21st.
I loved it. Except the epilogue. I hated the epilogue sooo much.

Purr

07-26-2007, 07:36 AM

This is probably a stupid question...but here goes anyway...Professor Severus Snape was, I thought, Headmaster of Hogwart's in the last book...after he was killed by Lord Voldemort's snake, why didn't he turn into a portrait, like the other past Headmaster's of Hogwart's, including Albus Dumbledore...while I enjoyed the chapter of the "Prince's" memories, I would like liked to have seen more interaction between Harry and Severus for closure, maybe from Severus's portrait, if there was one...I thought it was touching that Harry gave his son the name Severus as his middle name...

...Oh, Severus is by far one of my favorite characters in the series...and I like Alan Rickman, who plays him in the movies, a lot, too...

Peaches

07-26-2007, 07:41 AM

Maybe no portrait of him had been painted in his short tenure as headmaster???

I'm with you, though. He definitely became one of my favorite characters, and would have liked to have seen more interaction between them.

Purr

07-26-2007, 08:42 AM

Maybe no portrait of him had been painted in his short tenure as headmaster???

I didn't think one of Albus Dumbledore had been painted either...I thought one just appeared in the Headmaster's office after Severus killed him...reference is made to the portrait that appeared during the scene between Harry and Professor McGonnegel in The Half Blood Prince...Dumbledore appears be sleeping on the portrait...

07-26-2007, 09:24 AM

I bet JK Rowling just didn't think of it. Either that or Snape's tenure "didn't count". Would've been a nice touch, however.

samina

07-28-2007, 11:57 AM

just finished the book this morning (started night before last)... really enjoyed it, thru & thru. felt it was paced beautifully, wrapped everything up well... and i just find her story-telling.

i find the book inspirational, and am so glad that's where she was headed with it all the time.

nobody mentions allegory to current events, which seemed clear from the first book. have always thought JK must've been exposed to certain... circles, and information... that inspired her to want to couch a tremendous amount of empowering and enlightening wisdom in a children's book. definitely an extraordinary story on so many levels. i bet it'll be deciphered and analyzed for generations to come.

and gotta say... luv that neville... :)

samina

07-28-2007, 12:05 PM

The baby I thought was just a randomly dead infant who was passing through limbo...

that was the small piece of voldy's soul that had joined parasitically with harry's... showed the utter misery & torment that's in store for him when he dies & feels the true wretchedness of his spirit. and there's no one who can do anything about it except for voldy himself, thru an experience of authentic remorse... which is why harry encourages him at the last moment to seek that.

bordertangoman

07-28-2007, 12:42 PM

Well I've finished it and its left me longing to read A Wizard of Earthsea (trilogy) again ( By Ursula K LeGuin) but I'm straight into Neil Gaiman's 'Stardust' for the the time being.

samina

07-28-2007, 12:59 PM

did you just now read the whole HP series, btm?
or just the last book... confused by your inquiry as to the names & sequence of all the books -- thought you hadn't been potterfied just yet. :)

07-28-2007, 08:37 PM

Lots of Harry Potter info & spoilers over at MSNBC. (thanks to MyOxIsBroken for mentioning them!)

JK Rowling Interview part 1 (http://tinyurl.com/2cxewa)
Interview part 2 (http://tinyurl.com/24e594)
Link 3 (http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/19991430/)

07-28-2007, 09:01 PM

Lol, aha!

(clipped from this link (http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/19959323))

Luna and Neville Longbottom?
It’s possible Luna has also found love with another member of the D.A.

When she (Rowling) was first asked about the possibility of Luna hooking up with Neville Longbottom several years ago, Rowling’s response was “Definitely not.” But as time passed and she watched her characters mature, Rowling started to “feel a bit of a pull” between the unlikely pair.

Ultimately, Rowling left the question of their relationship open at the end of the book because doing otherwise “felt too neat.”

bordertangoman

07-29-2007, 06:06 AM

did you just now read the whole HP series, btm?
or just the last book... confused by your inquiry as to the names & sequence of all the books -- thought you hadn't been potterfied just yet. :)

I have read all the books and in sequence... but my memory isn't so good. I saw the first two movies in sequence but after that its a bit of a blur and I certainly couldn't tell you the names of the books in sequence and I'n not inclined to read them all again, though perhaps one day....
I think I've been Confounded.:):?:

samina

07-29-2007, 09:38 AM

I think I've been Confounded.:):?:

i understand. have read them numerous times in sequence, usually just before another release. :)

07-30-2007, 03:11 PM

Yeah, I'm with both of you. Had to re-read books 5 and 6 in the past 12 months, and still forgot (initially) who Slughorn was.

On a side note, what do all of you think about the 'haters' who are trying to cry foul because Rowling borrows abundantly from other works? If anything, I think it's both clever and creative to utilize elements from Tolkien, Star Wars, Spiderman, Narnia, etc.

samina

07-30-2007, 03:27 PM

On a side note, what do all of you think about the 'haters' who are trying to cry foul because Rowling borrows abundantly from other works? If anything, I think it's both clever and creative to utilize elements from Tolkien, Star Wars, Spiderman, Narnia, etc.

to my mind, a lot of what exists in fantasy pop culture (aka above) has roots in mythology & ancient symbolism, which explains why it can resonate on such a deep level in the social consciousness. those other works are as many times removed from the roots of that symbolism as is HP... so i pay it no mind.

07-30-2007, 04:19 PM

to my mind, a lot of what exists in fantasy pop culture (aka above) has roots in mythology & ancient symbolism, which explains why it can resonate on such a deep level in the social consciousness. those other works are as many times removed from the roots of that symbolism as is HP... so i pay it no mind.
Yes, it's an ironic battle-cry, isn't it?

"Harry Potter steals from LotR and Star Wars!" when, in fact, LotR and Star Wars have elements borrowed from earlier fiction and myth, too.

samina

07-30-2007, 04:24 PM

exACTly! :D

there's so much that falls into that category.

danceronice

07-30-2007, 04:29 PM

The first Star Wars movie has SCENES that are almost lifted straight from Akira Kurosawa's "The Hidden Fortress." (As Lucas later worked with Kurosawa on the latter's last film, I suspect Kurosawa took it in the spirit of homage in which it was intended.) Of course fantasy borrows from myth. I won't open up the giant can of worms that is Joseph Campbell and the Hero With a Thousand Faces, but stories can come from common origins without being OMG THEFT.

Besides, it's not like at any point Snape said, "Harry...I am your father."

07-30-2007, 04:41 PM

Yes, I remember hearing about how telling the initial story from the two droids' point of view had something in common with a Kurasawa work, I believe, and also about how big of a fan Lucas is of him.

And in regards to all of the references, there's a point at which it feels more like an homage/tribute to earlier works, or possibly an easter egg. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_egg_%28virtual%29")

KimNVic

07-30-2007, 09:40 PM

Joe

07-31-2007, 08:01 AM

Variations on a Theme by X

07-31-2007, 09:22 AM

Not sure if this has already been posted. It's some answers that JK gave
to readers concerning some of the characters after the fact. ie: what
Harry does for a living etc.

Click HERE (http://entertainment.msn.com/news/article.aspx?news=270634&GT1=10150)

Hey, thanks for this! Finally get to see what happened besides what was mentioned in the epilogue. I also like the review.

samina

07-31-2007, 09:28 AM

Not sure if this has already been posted. It's some answers that JK gave
to readers concerning some of the characters after the fact. ie: what
Harry does for a living etc.

Click HERE (http://entertainment.msn.com/news/article.aspx?news=270634&GT1=10150)

thanks, kim... i enjoyed reading those little tidbits about what happens to them after the series ends.