Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling

[keilexandra]

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
by J.K. Rowling
759 pages (hardcover)
Genre: Fiction/Fantasy/YA

I read this a while ago, in one sitting the day after coming back from Alpha/Confluence, but didn't feel up to posting about it until now. This is going to be short compared to many other reviews, because at heart I'm a casual reader. I tried reading critically; it didn't work out. So the complaints will be superficial. Massive spoilers, obviously.

First, I knew going in that this was going to be filled with infodump. I didn't mind it much, strangely enough. The plot is complex and satisfying, but I definitely have nitpicks. The trio waste so much time just sitting around and arguing, and a lot of things--like wearing the locket--smack of Idiot Plot. Polyjuice Potion seems to last way longer than an hour, new magical abilities like talking Patronuses were jolting, and I still don't understand how exactly Harry managed to kill Voldemort.

On the other hand, I did like how various details from previous books were tied in--accidental splicing from Apparation, Neville saving the day by pulling the sword from the Sorting Hat just like Harry did, the realistic portrayal of Snape/Lily. The character development in general worked well for me, with the notable exception of Harry/Ginny in the epilogue (which I quite liked, particularly the namesakes).

Style is still unpolished but bolstered by talent. Rowling's ellipses annoyed the hell out of me, though.

Nothing more to say, but here's a pile of links.

- kate_nepveu's brief LJ review and booklog review
- rilina's review
- telophase's review
- gwyneira's review
- oyceter's review
- femmequixotic's review
- sartorias's rambling review
- calico_reaction's review
- magicnoire's fanworks roundup

Comments

[magicnoire.livejournal.com]

Rowling's talent has never been her writing style or prose, honestly. I know people complain about her adjectives and her infodumpy tendencies all the time, but eh. She excels at accelerating a plot towards the end of a book (though I admit the structure of HP7 was a little different from previous ones, given that it no longer has to "Go off to school!" foundation) and she is, if nothing else, very enthusiastic and energetic about what she's writing, even if it's not necessarily where you, as a reader, would like to go.

After books 5 & 6, which I didn't care for too much, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this one. It was a good way to end the series, particularly because -- as you pointed out -- it drew on threads that'd been mentioned in prior books.

I thought the humor was nicely handled in this one too. Not too much, not too forced.

[keilexandra]

Yes, I know that I personally would never try to write something as complicated and overarching as Harry Potter. Her prose is mediocre, but the story is always compelling.

[sarahbrand.livejournal.com]

I found the epilogue to be unsatisfying in the extreme (although I did like the book as a whole). I mean, it's the LAST CHAPTER in the whole series, and she can't give us more than the names and relative ages of everyone's children? We don't even find out what the main characters decided to do with their lives (except for Neville). The namesakes are nice and all, but that's nothing I couldn't have guessed.

[keilexandra]

I guess I'm just easily satisfied. ^_^ As I said, very casual reader.

[anaidiana.livejournal.com]

I was irritated by the lack of epilogue details as well, so I gave in and did some digging. Apparently, JKR had written out quite a lot (read: more infodumping) and she nixed it because she wanted it to be as if you were looking through the mists at Platform 9-3/4 and only catching glimpses of people. She's given several interviews where she offers up more info about careers and the future of the trio, as well as the wizarding world in general.

[keilexandra]

Hrm. I saw the Wiki entry, but in a way I suppose I'm glad that she cut the info. (Ginny quitting Quidditch to be a mother? Ugh.)

[adonnenniel.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who couldn't figure out exactly how Harry managed to kill Voldemort.
The info-dump in this drove me crazy, and while I liked the plot, I found it extremely *boring* at some times, particularly the middle. I did like how she tied in the little bits from the other books, but I wanted more of that. And, mostly, I wanted to see something that made me go "wow," something I didn't *expect*! (I'd guessed so much of the plotline, apart from what and where the Deathly Hallows were). The wearing of the locket, and the Polyjuice Potion lasting longer than it should bugged me as well.
Er, I think I have more nitpicks than you... :)