Book 7

[sailorzeo]

Purchased Monday evening.
Started reading just before boarding the plane in Pittsburgh.
Read from Pittsburgh to Atlanta. (about 1.5 hrs)
No reading in Atlanta airport; plane boarded an hour early.
Started reading again after takeoff.
Finished about an hour outside Phoenix (another 2.5 hrs).

Initial, spoiler-free reaction: "That's it?"

I had to go back and re-read the final battle between Voldemort and Harry, because the first time, it just left me with a hollow, "That can't be it.  The monster always comes back," feeling.  That's it?  That's all it took?  He's really gone; they just drug him off into another room and started the party?  On the second reading of the battle, it did make more poetic sense.  Harry seeking to disarm, and Voldemort's own spell backfiring and killing himself.  But it wasn't really poignant.  It didn't...move me.  

I teared up as Harry moved into the forest, prepared to die.  THAT part hit me right.  But for a number of the other deaths, I couldn't help remembering my college creative writing instructor's advice against pathos.  His advice came on the heels of the first season finale of NBC's "Providence."  The writers killed off a character for no reason other than to invoke pity, and I felt like some of those deaths were like that...or, for a more recent example, may I present "A leaf on the wind."  Mad-Eye, for example, as well as Hedwig, seemed to be more of a "see, no one is truly safe!" killing than truly necessary.

And I'm sorry, but even as an Auror, I can't believe a mother would leave her newborn son to go into battle (Tonks).

Questions I had after finishing:
Who raised Teddy? 
Was it because Harry was related to the three Hallows brothers that his parents left him a small fortune?
Who was Draco's wife?
What are Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny doing for work?

I'm going to have to read it again, and see what I missed before, make more notes, and look things up in previous books.  I know I don't remember who the pocket-watch's previous owner was.

Comments

[sapphirerose924.livejournal.com]

David said that Hedwig had to die in the beginning of the book because Harry couldn't take her on the journey with him. A snowy owl flying around would have given him away. With all the violence in that scene it actually would have been less realistic if someone hadn't died; maybe she could have gotten away with it since George lost an ear. I guess I expected many deaths, not Tonks though, because it is a war and people die in wars, even people we like. I wouldn't have left my newborn, if I had one; I would have felt the need to protect him, no matter how worried I was about his father. I think that Tonk's mother must have raised Teddy. She lived through the book. I assume that Malfoy's wife was one of the pure-blood girls remaining, probably from Slytherin. Remember Rowling left herself an in for a future book. She said that she might revisit the world sometime in the future. I think that all authors (publishers) want to leave an opening into a lucrative series. I liked the book. I felt that it answered many questions.

[sailorzeo.livejournal.com]

I almost wish, if she wrote more in that universe, that she'd write the Mauraders' stories. Find out more about that generation, such as, when did James stop being a prat long enough for Lily to fall in love with him?

[sapphirerose924.livejournal.com]

Yep. I think it must have happened after Snape called her a Mudblood. I wonder what James would think of having a grandson named "Albus Severus"? I think that I would like to read their stories (James, Lily, Snape, Sirius, Lupin) or even Dumbledore's story. I'm also sure that Voldemort will not be the last evil person in the Wizarding World. Of course, another one might not show up until Harry is gone.

[slavasi.livejournal.com]

And who do you think became the new headmaster (headmistress) of Hogwarts?

Slava

[slavasi.livejournal.com]

Some of your questions are answered here:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/19959323/