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Harry Potter 5 -- spoiler
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From: SueDNimn at aol.com <SueDNimn>
Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2003 20:08:09 EDT
First let me tell you all the things I really liked about HP5 (so that I don't come off sounding like some writer who is just bitter her parents didn't name her JK). Oh, and if you haven't read the book, don't read this email yet, because I'm going to talk about the ending.
The good things:
The characters are great. Sure, Harry spent the book mad at just about everybody, but it didn't bother me. (I have a 15 year old. I'm immune.) I personally was happy that there were 870 pages because I knew the time reading would
feel like time spent with old friends. The fact that everybody's wild about Harry is Rowling's greatest writing strength.
The book was funny. Rowling adds humor and a delightful milieu to her books.
And what's more, you're never sure when Rowling is describing something from the wizarding world whether she's just being quaint, or whether she's foreshadowing something. It makes for more surprises.
Umbridge was good. I wondered if Rowling patterned the character after all the people who took umbrage with her work. (Or at least how Rowling perceived them to be.)
Best of all, the book wasn't as dark as number four. I really didn't like number four and haven't let my nine year old read it. I read this one with a bit of trepidation, and was relieved that it was more like the first three.
I absolutely loved the twist about Neville. In my opinion, this was the best thing that happened in this book, because it made me think of all the possibilities for upcoming events. Like, perhaps Voldemort was wrong about who was his arch enemy after all. Perhaps he marked Neville in another way -- psychologically perhaps, and perhaps it's going to be Neville who steps in at the last moment and saves the day . . .
Okay, that said, I thought the book had some major problems. First of all, what was the story question? Something along the lines of: Why is Harry having dreams about the corridor? What lies there? Will Voldemort get it?
Right?
So how come so little of the book addressed this issue?
Writers are taught that their main characters need to have a goal that they are actively working toward (in regard to the story question). The only thing Harry was working on was receiving his O.W.L.S. The antagonist Rowling spends the most time writing about is Umbridge, but Harry doesn't have a goal in regards to her either. No one is trying to actively remove Umbridge from her post. They're all just enduring her. The order of the Phoenix didn't do anything at all until the climax, and the D.A. didn't do much either. The book feels like we're just living Harry's fifth year along with him.
Had other authors ignored their story question in this way, it would have killed their book. Amazingly, the book is still enjoyable (to me anyway) just on the strength of the characters. We want to live Harry's fifth year along with him.
Unfortunately, the book also had some serious logic flaws as well as lacking a focused character goal. Honestly, we're supposed to believe that Sirius gives Harry a present with the instruction to use it if he wants to talk, AND HARRY DOESN'T EVEN OPEN THE PRESENT TO SEE WHAT IT IS?
Come on.
So Harry resorts to the highly dangerous fireplace in Umbridge's office when he wants to talk to Sirius, not once, but twice. (And the first time when he talks to Sirius, Sirius doesn't even comment on this fact? "Hey, Harry, I thought all the floos were being watched? Why don't you use the mirror I gave you?")
Then when Harry finally finds the mirror it doesn't even cross his mind that it would have saved Sirius life had Harry used it. Yeah, right.
Also, Dumbledore and the other adults (it seems, since Snape knew why) know that Voldemort want the prophecy and will attempt to use Harry's own mind to get it, yet never warn Harry about it? "Hey, Harry, Voldemort might trick you into going to the Ministry of Magic. Don't believe those dreams anymore. He's trying to lay a trap for you."
And then we're told that Voldemort can't go get the prophecy himself because he can't just waltz into the Ministry of Magic. But then he does. Rowling drags him there specifically to make the climax more intense. So what was the point of tricking Harry into getting it? If Voldemort wanted it that badly he would have gotten the thing himself.
Also, just where was everybody at the Ministry of Magic? I don't think Rowling ever really explained that. I mean, they weren't there and then suddenly they were? They don't have guards or something?
Anyway, I thought the climax was disappointing. Really not worthy of the writer Rowling is, and it made me wonder where in the world her editor was. It is easy as an author to become so unobjective that you miss important things. An editor is supposed to catch them.
Well, those are my two cents worth.
Janette Rallison
Playing the Field All's Fair in Love War and High School (coming this October)
Received on Mon 30 Jun 2003 07:08:09 PM CDT
Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2003 20:08:09 EDT
First let me tell you all the things I really liked about HP5 (so that I don't come off sounding like some writer who is just bitter her parents didn't name her JK). Oh, and if you haven't read the book, don't read this email yet, because I'm going to talk about the ending.
The good things:
The characters are great. Sure, Harry spent the book mad at just about everybody, but it didn't bother me. (I have a 15 year old. I'm immune.) I personally was happy that there were 870 pages because I knew the time reading would
feel like time spent with old friends. The fact that everybody's wild about Harry is Rowling's greatest writing strength.
The book was funny. Rowling adds humor and a delightful milieu to her books.
And what's more, you're never sure when Rowling is describing something from the wizarding world whether she's just being quaint, or whether she's foreshadowing something. It makes for more surprises.
Umbridge was good. I wondered if Rowling patterned the character after all the people who took umbrage with her work. (Or at least how Rowling perceived them to be.)
Best of all, the book wasn't as dark as number four. I really didn't like number four and haven't let my nine year old read it. I read this one with a bit of trepidation, and was relieved that it was more like the first three.
I absolutely loved the twist about Neville. In my opinion, this was the best thing that happened in this book, because it made me think of all the possibilities for upcoming events. Like, perhaps Voldemort was wrong about who was his arch enemy after all. Perhaps he marked Neville in another way -- psychologically perhaps, and perhaps it's going to be Neville who steps in at the last moment and saves the day . . .
Okay, that said, I thought the book had some major problems. First of all, what was the story question? Something along the lines of: Why is Harry having dreams about the corridor? What lies there? Will Voldemort get it?
Right?
So how come so little of the book addressed this issue?
Writers are taught that their main characters need to have a goal that they are actively working toward (in regard to the story question). The only thing Harry was working on was receiving his O.W.L.S. The antagonist Rowling spends the most time writing about is Umbridge, but Harry doesn't have a goal in regards to her either. No one is trying to actively remove Umbridge from her post. They're all just enduring her. The order of the Phoenix didn't do anything at all until the climax, and the D.A. didn't do much either. The book feels like we're just living Harry's fifth year along with him.
Had other authors ignored their story question in this way, it would have killed their book. Amazingly, the book is still enjoyable (to me anyway) just on the strength of the characters. We want to live Harry's fifth year along with him.
Unfortunately, the book also had some serious logic flaws as well as lacking a focused character goal. Honestly, we're supposed to believe that Sirius gives Harry a present with the instruction to use it if he wants to talk, AND HARRY DOESN'T EVEN OPEN THE PRESENT TO SEE WHAT IT IS?
Come on.
So Harry resorts to the highly dangerous fireplace in Umbridge's office when he wants to talk to Sirius, not once, but twice. (And the first time when he talks to Sirius, Sirius doesn't even comment on this fact? "Hey, Harry, I thought all the floos were being watched? Why don't you use the mirror I gave you?")
Then when Harry finally finds the mirror it doesn't even cross his mind that it would have saved Sirius life had Harry used it. Yeah, right.
Also, Dumbledore and the other adults (it seems, since Snape knew why) know that Voldemort want the prophecy and will attempt to use Harry's own mind to get it, yet never warn Harry about it? "Hey, Harry, Voldemort might trick you into going to the Ministry of Magic. Don't believe those dreams anymore. He's trying to lay a trap for you."
And then we're told that Voldemort can't go get the prophecy himself because he can't just waltz into the Ministry of Magic. But then he does. Rowling drags him there specifically to make the climax more intense. So what was the point of tricking Harry into getting it? If Voldemort wanted it that badly he would have gotten the thing himself.
Also, just where was everybody at the Ministry of Magic? I don't think Rowling ever really explained that. I mean, they weren't there and then suddenly they were? They don't have guards or something?
Anyway, I thought the climax was disappointing. Really not worthy of the writer Rowling is, and it made me wonder where in the world her editor was. It is easy as an author to become so unobjective that you miss important things. An editor is supposed to catch them.
Well, those are my two cents worth.
Janette Rallison
Playing the Field All's Fair in Love War and High School (coming this October)
Received on Mon 30 Jun 2003 07:08:09 PM CDT
