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RockGolf 
"1500+ reviews. 1 joke."
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 Posted - 07/22/2007 : 17:29:03
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Well, I see on Facebook that at least one other FWFRer has finished the book. I stayed up til 3:00 am to finish it.
I have to congratulate Rowlings on not chickening out. I fully expected several "dead" characters to be revived by the book's end, so their deaths during the book (or series) wasn't very convincing to me. But unlike may fantasy series, the dead stay dead, and even the missing in action and presumed dead don't get to come back.
Should be interesting to see how the movie plays out. The first two-thirds of the book is deliberately slow with short intervals of terror, while the last third could make a full 3-hour movie on it's own.
I pity the screenwriter. |
Edited by - RockGolf on 07/23/2007 13:14:46 |
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Sean
"Necrosphenisciform anthropophagist."
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Posted - 07/23/2007 : 02:05:46
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I read some spoilers for it a month ago, but they turned out to be completely fake!  Deliberate misinformation perhaps. 
I haven't bothered with the books, too lazy, I just watch the movies. Hence I read the book spoilers online on Saturday.  Interestingly, a large number of die-hard HP fans went straight to the last page when they bought the book.  Can't see why anyone would want to do that. 
Yep I noticed on Facebook that at least two fwfrers have finished it already. BTW, yesterday was a glorious winter day here, sunny and still, but I noticed the roads were very quiet, and even fewer boats out on the water. I'm guessing everyone was at home reading HP.
BTW RockG, it's Hallows, not Hollows.  |
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Stalean
"Back...OMG"
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Posted - 07/24/2007 : 00:56:25
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I'm not sure what Facebook is, but I finished it yesterday, July 22. My opinion is that there was: lots of action--tears--slooow--lots of action--tears--angst--lots of action--lots of revelations--sadness--lots of action--lots more revelations--anger--lots of action--(won't spoil with interjection)--unsatisfying very last chapter (*in the sense that I wanted more characters included in the series wind-up). All-in-all a very satisfying series  that I wish didn't have to end. 
*After 7 books, you become attached to more than just the main characters. |
Edited by - Stalean on 07/24/2007 01:32:02 |
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Sean
"Necrosphenisciform anthropophagist."
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Posted - 07/24/2007 : 02:00:25
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quote:
Originally posted by Stalean
I'm not sure what Facebook is...
This is Facebook:-
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2442381064
Just another internet timewaster  but that's the link to the fwfr group anyway. The main use for it for those who don't want to waste time there is most (all?) of the pics from the fwfr picture gallery are there (49 pics in it). Plenty of fwfrers have joined, and plenty haven't. RockGolf noticed that some have read HP as they mentioned it in their status updates. |
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Wheelz 
"FWFR%u2019ing like it%u2019s 1999"
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Posted - 09/24/2007 : 17:51:09
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Yes, I know the book has been out for months now...
But I just finished it this weekend and have been dying to discuss it with somebody (my wife hasn't started yet and she's a rather slow reader )
I'm guessing a few more FWFR's may have gotten around to it by now so maybe we can revive this thread.
While I have some specific points, I'll start with a generality to get things going:
I very much enjoyed the book - a solid sendoff for the series - but my opinion is that the first three-quarters should have been the first half, and the last quarter should have been the second half. In other words, a whole lot of plodding followed by everything all at once. Maybe that was the point, but the wait for action was too long, I thought.
Any other opinions? |
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turrell
"Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhh "
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Posted - 09/24/2007 : 20:48:34
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| I agree with you: in generalJK's series spend too much time in minutia - even when they are trying to teach the characters something - but it's the charm of the series that the readers -mostly younger ones - can tie something in the climax back to the beginning, so its a construct to provide all details that wrap up in the end - but it is plodding for more distinguished readers like yourself. |
Edited by - turrell on 09/24/2007 20:49:43 |
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Wheelz
"FWFR%u2019ing like it%u2019s 1999"
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Posted - 09/24/2007 : 23:02:18
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quote:
Originally posted by Turrell
but it is plodding for more distinguished readers like yourself.
*** SPOILERS AHEAD! ***
I understand what you're saying about setting everything up so that it all becomes tied together in the end... I also realize that I'm a grown man reading a series of "kid's" books.
However, the Potter series has always been somewhat deeper and more sophisticated than most children's literature, and the themes therein have grown up right along with Harry. Even the youngest readers of Sorcerer's Stone are into their late teens now, and are probably nearly as distinguished as myself.
Even having said that, I had no problem with the amount of exposition -- I just felt that all the relevant information could have been presented much more economically, and we really didn't need the repetition of, for instance, setting up the tent, casting the concealment spells, taking down the tent, doing it all again the next day, etc., etc...
As the right side of the book became thinner and thinner, I started thinking the same thing I thought when there were 10 minutes left in the final Sopranos episode: "A lot of stuff has got to happen really soon!" Of course, in the Sopranos, nothing did happen. In Deathly Hallows, too much happened in too short a time. I actually found myself re-reading entire passages just to make sure I was clear about who was hexing whom, where they were within the castle, or which character had uttered a particular bit of dialogue. So, yeah, Turrell, as distinguished as I am, I got confused a time or two.
But, having said all that, and despite the fact that I still have a few nits to pick (I was not impressed by the mundane manner in which Fred was killed - thought he deserved more of a hero's death; I didn't get how Neville could produce the Sword of Gryffindor from the sorting hat after Griphook had run off with it; Why couldn't they have just disapparated from the dragon's back instead of continuing their terrifying ride?), I will say that Rowling managed to create a fantastically imaginative world, one that completely pulled me in as I read. And to echo one of Rockgolf's original points, I did like the fact that the dead stayed dead, and also that there were shades of grey among the "good guys" and the "bad guys."
I looked forward to each new installment, and I'll admit to being a little bit sad that it's over. |
Edited by - Wheelz on 09/24/2007 23:08:58 |
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Deathly Hallows - *** May contain SPOILERS***
