Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows (2007) - Plot & Excerpts
This review contains spoilers.2011 REVIEW - 2ND READINGI made a promise to myself that I wouldn't read my review from 2007, when the book first came out, until after I'd published this one. I want to see how they compare - what thoughts/reactions etc. had changed, if any, and any additional insights - but it does make me nervous, because I reckon my first review will prove to be much better written - and what if I seem dumber this time around? I find I get a bit muddled from watching the films, too, in that after watching them I can't remember if bits were in the book or the film and vice versa. Oh well. Really must stop over-thinking things! [Scroll down for my first review, from 2007.]The final Harry Potter book always looks too short to me, like, how could everything possibly be wrapped up in a book that's not as long as The Order of the Phoenix, when there's still so much to do?! I felt that the first time, and I felt that again. But once again I admire Rowling's skill in crafting a tremendous story and a powerful ending for what is to me one of the best fantasy series out there. There's a lot going on in this novel, but it's nicely balanced with quieter, slower parts and you really get that last chance to really know Harry, Ron and Hermione. Rowling never lets plot overpower her characters or her story, and she won't be rushed: the pacing is steady and consistent throughout, which only adds to the tension-filled scenes where you start biting your nails.This is a book that makes me cry, and I'll tell you why - in a bit. I wondered how I could share all the things I love about this particular book, and figured listing them was probably the best option. Hedwig dying. I had completely forgotten, and it's so, so sad. I like how they did it for the movie, giving her a role and using her as a visual means of identifying Harry, since in the book it's more complicated. Hermione erasing her existence - removing knowledge and memory of herself from her parents' minds and sending them off to Australia under new identities so that they aren't a target. There is something incredibly tragic about this, though it doesn't get much attention. I can't imagine the kind of strength and resolve it would take to do that, though the realities of the world would probably help give you the resolve. Kreacher becoming an ally. And all for an act of genuine kindness (Harry gives him "Master Regulus'" locket after hearing his story). And what he was made to do for Voldemort. Nothing, not even Kreacher, is black and white, and that's an important lesson to learn. He betrayed Sirius at the end of The Order of the Phoenix, but when you learn more about him, you realise it's not a simple matter at all. Dobby's death. He was such a brave, selfless elf, and as characters, he and Kreacher really brought into sharp relief the whole issue of house elves and their mistreatment. The mortality of the Weasley's. Until this book, they always struck me as one of those solid features who come close to utter tragedy but always manage to avoid it, like with Arthur getting attacked by the snake. Here, though, George loses an ear and, at the end, Fred is killed. Fred's death is one of the saddest things for me. Likewise, Lupin and Tonks' deaths at the final battle - I remember reading that the first time and feeling that sense of utter disbelief. I felt it again here, like someone had surely made a mistake, especially when Harry sees their bodies next to Fred and their described as sleeping. But with a newborn left behind, and the fact that Lupin only recently found the first real happiness he's ever known - to have that cut short, it makes me want to cry just typing this. The deaths of these characters had a much bigger impact on me than the death of Dumbledore - as big a surprise as that was on first reading - at the end of The Half-Blood Prince. In a way, Dumbledore had to go so that Harry could come into his own. But these characters, their deaths are so needless, and they were too young and left too much behind. Snape's love for Lily. I knew there was a good reason why we forgave Snape at the end, but I was glad I couldn't remember exactly what it was. Snape is another complex character, who shows that it's not a simple matter of right or wrong, good or evil. He's not someone to be judged at face value or first impressions, though obviously that's what everyone has been doing all his life. It's not even pity that I felt for him, but empathy at losing the woman he loved and sacrificing everything in memory of her. He never stopped loving her. Timeless love. No wonder Dumbledore trusted him implicitly: he understood the power of such emotions and never dismissed them as insignificant. The truth about Dumbledore's past, and his sister Ariana. So sad. I haven't seen the second half of the movie version yet but I hope they include these details. Harry walking to his impending death, supported by the ghosts of his parents, Sirius and Lupin. I cried when James and Lily and Cedric appeared at the end of The Goblet of Fire, and they had no less power here, bolstering their son and being there so he wasn't alone as he went to Voldemort, knowing he was going to be killed - and not knowing that he would survive it. The dragon kept imprisoned in Gringott's Bank. I felt so bad for the poor tortured beast, and so happy when they freed it. Xenophilius Lovegood. The position he was in, having his daughter taken away and used as a threat against him, to betray his beliefs (i.e., in Harry as the Chosen One). Petunia Dursley, Harry's aunt, is a sad figure in her own right. It becomes clear in this book why she was so anti-magic: she was jealous of her sister Lily's ability. The scene where Lily mentions that Petunia wrote to Dumbledore, asking to be let into Hogwarts, and Petunia's feelings of embarrassment and shame and longing, of feeling excluded - you can't help but feel for the little girl who grew into a resentful woman in denial. There's lots of happy things here too, like Fleur and Bill Weasley's wedding and Ron and Hermione finally getting together, as well as great mini-adventures that all lead up to the final show-down. The plan to get into the Ministry of Magic, and later the Gringott's Bank break-in, for example, were really fun and exciting and scary. And one of my favourite scenes is the Neville Longbottom snake-killing scene - really, I just love all the Neville scenes but that one in particular really stuck in my head all the intervening years since first reading it.And underlying it all is this Hitler-like race and class war that Voldemort is enacting. Muggles and Mud-bloods become demonised and terrorised and everyone has to prove their "purity". The film captured this really well in the set design, especially inside the Ministry.I loved that there was so much I couldn't remember when I started this book - I couldn't remember what the Hallows were, or what was inside the Snitch, or how they found the other Horcruxes. I had forgotten Dobby died until I watched the film a few months ago. It was wonderful to read it almost like it was the first time.And then there's the epilogue - I'll mention it because I remember how much fans railed against it when the book first came out. I'm still not sure why, except maybe it wasn't up to the standards of the rest of the series. I read somewhere that Rowling wrote it at the beginning, which is kinda cool, and shows just how well she planned it all out. The line that I love is this one, where Harry tells his son: "Albus Severus, [...] you were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew." [p.607] It gets me every time.2007 REVIEW - 1ST READINGSo, there were huge expectations - and quite a few bets, debates and demands - for this last book, and personally I thought it was a great ending to the series. One of the things that I love about these books, that has always impressed me, is how tightly plotted they are, how detailed. Others have complained about the plotholes in Deathly Hallows, but I didn't see any. Granted, I wasn't looking for them, and I didn't succeed in my intention to re-read the previous books before this one (managed Philosopher's Stone but left it too late for the others) so I had forgotten some details. Deathly Hallows made me laugh, made me cry (seriously, I bawled - and there were no tissues at the cottage so had to mop my face with paper towel...), had me pressing my knuckles to my mouth (the closest I come to biting my nails), and kept me on the edge of my seat. What more could you ask for? Quite a few characters die in this book, but everyone knew there would be some deaths because Rowling said there would be. She's also said, apparently, that the books are about death, though, having read the last book, I understand now that she doesn't mean they're about death, but about death. The whole idea behind The Boy Who Lived was that his mother's sacrifice protected him from the killing curse, and when Harry in turn sacrifices himself, he protects everyone at Hogwarts (where all the characters assemble for the big show-down) from Lord Voldemort. I also liked how the death of Dumbledore (in the previous book) and Snape's betrayal are resolved; I liked that Snape did it all for love of Lily, Harry's mother. It worked, brought out the humanity that has always lurked deep beneath Snape's corrosive veneer. The saddest deaths were of Fred, one of the Weasley twins, and Lupin and Tonks, only weeks after the birth of their baby. Is it any wonder that I cried? And even though there was always the hope that Harry would survive, still the section leading up to his sacrifice was written so convincingly, so non-melodrammatically, that I actually had to put the book down for a minute and do a quick turn about the house to calm myself down a bit. The only bit that looked like a glaring plothole at first was when Neville pulls the sword of Gryffindor out of the Sorting Hat to lop Voldemort's snake's head off with. That confused me - last we saw of the sword, the goblin had taken it and disappeared into the depths of Gringotts with it. Then I remembered: Harry had pulled the sword out of the Sorting Hat in the Chamber of Secrets, too. The last lingering doubt is why the hat was on fire and why exactly Voldemort wanted to non-sort them then and there. Ah well, it works for dramatic effect! Another part of the book which has received a lot of flak: the epilogue. Saccharine, it's been described. I have to agree, and it's the only bit of saccharine in the entire series. Apparently it was written way back in the 90s, but I don't think that excuses it. It was like icing on the cake - sickly sweet, not at all filling or satisfying, hiding the cake beneath which is what you really want to eat, as long as you can have the icing too. So we learn how they paired up and what their kids' names are, that Neville is a Herbology professor and, well, very little else. Noticeably, Harry's conversation with Dumbledore in King's Cross Station shows how much Harry has grown and matured. He's moved through his teenage angst and become reliable, responsible, thoughtful, more patient. By not going after the Deathly Hallows, his first impulse is tempered by a new, cooler head. Aside from the humour, reminiscent of Roald Dahl, and the plotting, the character development of Harry is another reason why the books are so enjoyable, and long-lasting.
Goodbye is the word that best describes this book, as I see it. Of course I am talking about the millions of fans worldwide that found themselves holding the end of this story on their hands, after so many years, having conflicting emotions about it: on one hand, happiness for finally being able to see how Harry's story ends; on the other, the feeling of loss for having to say goodbye to so many "friends" in so little time. I think knowing that is what makes people read this book so avidly; everything that happens to every character seems to matter tons more now than in any of the previous books, because now there's no more room for elaborate cliffhangers and twists and turns. If someone gets badly injured here, they are probably going to die. If someone goes missing, they are probably going to die too or it might be that they already have died. It's only natural that you don't want to see your favorite character gone, so you cling to the pages as if your life depends on it. Also, returning to Hogwarts is not an option for Harry anymore, since the castle is being run by, mostly, Voldemort's minions. Thus we also have to say goodbye to the idea of wandering our beloved corridors and secret passages, indefinitely, which kind of sucks.The bitterness of unwanted adios is not only experienced by us fans, though. Some of the characters find themselves on similar situations. The book already begins with Harry having to say goodbye to the home he was brought up in and also to the Dursleys (apparently the spell that made it impossible for Voldemort to reach him under their roof is going to expire as soon as he completes 17 years of age, so his not so friendly family is not safe anymore). I wouldn't believe if someone had told me how emotional things would get, especially regarding Dudley.Soon enough, knowing the burden that is laying onto Harry's shoulder and wanting to help him, Hermione and Ron also have to say goodbye to their families, for their quest must begin. The way Hermione has to deal with her parents in order to keep them safe is especially heart-breaking.Anyway, once the trio is out in the world searching for the horcruxes, things get increasingly bad. Being on the road with little or no clue what the next step is might be too much for some people; the feeling of desperation starts to seep into your veins until you don't know if what you're doing is worth it anymore. Despite the adversities, the group little by little starts getting some important information about Voldemort's past and, at some point, they start getting their hands on some horcruxes. It goes without saying that on every little step of their journey they have to worry about being caught by the Ministry, now that they are unwanted fugitives of the law, so every little task becomes ten times more difficult. I must say that they overcoming such serious hardships in the real world was very satisfying to see, I felt even proud of seeing how much stronger Harry, Ron and Hermione have become as individuals and also as friends.After some misadventures and major struggles they are finally led to Hogwarts, where some clues indicate that one of the remaining undamaged horcruxes is. Of course, at this point, Voldemort and his gang are well aware of their attempts on finding every single horcrux, so from the point when Harry, Ron and Hermione get to Hogwarts they have to fight their way into the castle and take it back. The following chapters are just breathtaking; it's just surprise after surprise, not only about Voldemort's past but also about Harry's and his parents'. All this events culminate with an epic battle such as I've never read in any other story. So, yeah, take it, World, I find the best action scene ever written was made by a woman.Gender favoritism aside, it is a wonderful book that makes justice to all the years of supporting this series. All the lose ends planted years ago were very well put together, there's nothing left out or poorly executed. I just love it, so it was very hard when the time came to finish reading the last paragraph and say goodbye. Interesting quotes that I didn't include in the review: Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it. The Last Passage(view spoiler)[ The last trace of steam evaporated in the autumn air. The train rounded a corner. Harry’s hand was still raised in farewell.“He’ll be all right,” murmured Ginny.As Harry looked at her, he lowered his hand absentmindedly and touched the lightning scar on his forehead.“I know he will.”The scar had not pained Harry for nineteen years. All was well. (hide spoiler)]
What do You think about Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows (2007)?
Deathly Hallows is in fierce competition with Half-Blood Prince as the worst book of the series. It is an extremely bloated book in which nothing much happens for chapters upon chapters because Rowling is dragging the storyline out -- so it can end at the end of the school year, like all the other books. Many plotlines of previous books are barely touched upon (S.P.E.W.) or "resolved" in an entirely dissatisfactory manner (Grawp, though I wasn't unhappy about not seeing more of him). Characters who were hyped in interviews but turned out to be of little importance include Ginny Weasley, who winds up doing absolutely nothing of relevance throughout the whole book, whereas she was annoyingly and tediously present (and acting like a complete jerk) in Half-Blood Prince. Despite my dislike of this character, I had expected to see much more of her, and I was disappointed to see her true purpose was bearing Harry Potter's childrens in one of the, if not the, least believable "romances" of the series.The book, and the series, then end with a cloying epilogue which tells us little about things that actually matter and instead focuses on who marries who, complete with precocious children (who are naturally of similar ages; so considerate of everyone to get pregnant at the same time!) and insipid names (Albus Severus, but no child named after Ginny's dead brother?). I like to pretend this epilogue, or "crapilogue" as disappointed fans have dubbed it, doesn't exist, and that the series officially ends after Harry kills Voldemort. Leaves much more to the imagination and is much more of a fitting end.My expectations prior to the release were faily high. That turned out to be a mistake. I won't be rereading this installment any time soon, possibly not ever again.
—Lore
Estefany wrote: "Esta saga me acompaño 7años me encanta ver como la gente que no la ha leido y que ya no son niños la leen por primera vez y la aman me saca una sonrisa y si los libros son mejores"Quitaron y cambiaron muchas cosas a partir del cuarto en las peliculas :-(
—Franco Santos
المقال الأول عن السلسلةهذا الريفيو عن رواية هدفها نشر الحب والصداقة..رواية هدفها الايمان بالخير والتغلب علي الشكوك وزعزعة الايمان وإيجاد قوة النفس الداخلية لعمل الخير ..رواية عن الصداقة والحب الذي قد يغلب اي انواع السحر..الشر..الظلم والقهر والعنصرية**************في كل جزء "النسخ الأنجليزية" تهدي المؤلفه الكتاب لاحد اقاربها أبنتها, معارفها, الخولكن في الجزء السابع ستفاجأ انها مقسمة الاهداء الي 7 اجزاء منهم اليك انت شخصيا And to You, If You Have Stuck With Harry Untill The Very End وانا لم اكن فقط متمسكا مع هاري منذ سبتمبر 2002 منذ ان قرأت اول كتب السلسله..بل كنت اشعر ان قراءه الروايه مختلفا تماما عن مشاهده الفيلم ,وحتي ابطالها-بدون مبالغه- اكثر حيويه من اي ابطال روايات قراءتها..بالرغم من انها روايه خياليه الا ان جزء كبير من احداثها تدور في العالم الحقيقي..وشخصياتها كلها ستشعر بنبضها وانت تقرا الروايه,شعرت ان الابطال اصدقائي بالفعل,واني اعيش معهم في مدرسه تعليم السحر والشعوذه,والتي يمكن القول انها كانت بيتي الجديد..ولكن دعني اؤجل حديثي حول تجربتي الرائعه مع ملحمه هاري بوتر ونتحدث هذه المره عن هذا الجزء "هاري بوتر ومقدسات الموت"الاحداث******قبل صدور الجزء الاخير ,لم اكن اتخيل كيف ستنهي المؤلفه كل الاحداث و المشاكل والمهمات التي تواجهه هاري ورون وهيرميوني ... خاصا بعد وفاه دمبلدوركيف سيجدوا الاربع الهوروكركسس المتبقيه التي تحتوي علي اجزاء من روح فولدمورت, كيف سيتعرفون عليها من الاساس ثم كيف سيدمرونها..وهم وحدهم بدون مرشد او دليل وفي النهايه كيف سيتم تدميرها؟كيف سيقوم الابطال بعد ذلك مواجهه فولدمورت نفسه, واتباعه من اكلي الموت و سناب الخائن قاتل دمبلدور؟اعتقد اني -ولست وحدي- ظن ان النهايه ستكون اما متسرعه لانهاء كل شئ, او سيظل بعض خطوط القصه لها نهايه مفتوحه.ولكن لم يحدث هذا, اتسع الكتاب لكل الاحداث المنتظره..بل واحداث جديده وفكره "مقدسات الموت" التي اتت لاغلاق دائره صراع الهوركروكس وفكرتها الرهيبهالاحداث قدمت لنا كل مانريد معرفته عن الابطال, الاحداث السابقه والاماكنمن لم يتأثر بوداع هاري من ابن خالته "ددلي" وتلك "الختمه"الجميله لشخصياتهم سواء المؤثره او الكوميديه في بعض اجزائهاومن لم يتأثر من مشهد هاري وهو يتجول بها في بيته في برايفت درايف , وفي حجرته القديمه تحت السلم..وهو يتذكر هذه الايام وكأنه يتذكر أخ اصغر له ضاع منهIt felt most strange to stand here in the silence and know that he was about to leave the house for the last time. Long ago, when he had been left alone while the Dursleys went out to enjoy themselves, the hours of solitude had been a rare treat: Pausing only to sneak something tasty from the fridge, he had rushed upstairs to play on Dudley’s computer, or put on the television and flicked through the channels to his heart’s content. It gave him an odd, empty feeling to remember those times; it was like remembering a younger brother whom he had lost. (view spoiler)[ثم موت هيدويج..والذي لا اعتقد ان هاري وحده شعر بالحزن لذلك بالتأكيد كلنا شعرنا به لذكرياتنا معها و نجحت المؤلفه في تعميق ذلك الاحساس باخر مشاهدها في برايفت درايف. وان كنت احسب للفيلم تعميق دورها بهذه الطريقه (hide spoiler)]
—Mohammed Arabey
