Sunday, July 22, 2007

Never Fear, No Spoilers Here (But don't read comments)

Don't read the comments (though this post reveals nothing of story value) if you haven't finished the book. You've been warned. I take no more responsibility.

I walked into Barnes and Noble Saturday morning around 9:30. I was handed a souvenir poster which said "3,440 pages read, only 784 more to go!"

I just finished those 784 pages not 20 minutes ago. It took me 2 days, only because "the guy" had this weekend off, and I wanted to see him too. Bad timing for a book release.


I wanted to get to the end, to see how it all turned out, but as I approached those final 100 pages, a bittersweet sense came over me. This was it. My last 100 Harry Potter pages. When it was over, it was over. There wasn't another year at Hogwarts to come.

I knew. I knew at that last 100 pages how the story would end. Not the details mind you, but the core issue. Though JK did try to throw me. Clever girl.

I cried, but laughed through my tears (Go Prof. Trelawny! And that's all I'll say about that). That's the mark of a good read. I cheered, I screamed, I had to go back and reread not only parts of this book that I didn't grasp at first, but to refer to OTHER books (is that what happened? I forgot, and I just reread the damn things.)

And now, I'll probably wait a few weeks and re-read the whole thing all over again, to make sure I understood the finer points and to take it all in again.

So have you finished? Tell me in comments - for this post only please. IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED, PLEASE DON'T READ THE COMMENTS. I don't want to be responsible for revealing anything, because I wouldn't want it to happen to me. I'll respond in the comments to anyone needing to connect, as I do, to someone that's finished the book and wants to discuss it at length. :)

17 comments:

Unknown said...

GAH! I finished it last night. I laughed, I cried, I laughed while I was crying. Kreacher's attitude change really was adorable! Sigh.

When R&H finally kissed and Harry was like, "Uh, hello?! You pick now?!" Too funny!

Very sad about Fred...I thought he was too peripheral (for lack of a better word) to die. And Percy?! Trying to shield Fred's body? GAH!

I'm glad it wasn't just me having to re-read certain passages in this book--it took me a while to realize we were transitioning straight into Voldy's thoughts. I had trouble keeping things straight for a while.

Snape's memories in the Pensieve? How truly sweet. And poor Petunia actually WANTED to be a witch! Fascinating!

I was a bit disappointed with the way Wormtail died...I was expecting him to like throw himself over Harry's body or something--something braver, you know? I was also hoping Neville would be the one to take out Bellatrix...although he DID do a heck of a lot! I heart Professor Longbottom! :)

Really liked the epilogue--Albus Severus. Sigh.

Janet said...

"Albus Severus" was the one thing that made me tear up...and smile at the same time :-)

Fantastic book, it was a present from JK to her readers. My favorite chapter was, of course, The Prince's Tale. Snape wasn't evil, I knew it. And I knew Harry was a horcrux! HAD to be!

You know...Wormtail was so repulsive to me that when I was listing folks who had died, I didn't put him on the list!

Carmen said...

Virginia/Janet,
I loved that Neville pulled out the Gryffindor Sword from the Sorting Hat to kill Nagini. Only a true Gryffindor could've called that sword, even though that Goblin stole it!

And she said TWO MAJOR characters would die. Um, I don't think that anyone who died was a MAJOR character. I was surely expecting one of the core three to die.

I was sad about Fred, and Lupin and Tonks both - but with Harry as godfather.

I think the epilogue was a nice touch, but a bit extranious. But Albus Severus? That kid is going to get the crap beat out of him. ;)

And Janet, I'm glad for you that Snape wasn't evil. But he wasn't exactly GOOD either, now was he? Who knew he loved Lilly?

I loved Trelawny throwing the crystal balls in the battle. ha ha.

The house elf rebellion led by Kreacher? Priceless! But poor Dobby.

I still don't get the mirror thing - wasn't that mirror supposed to show HArry Sirius? How did Aberforth get it?

Unknown said...

If I'm remembering correctly, I think Aberforth said Mundungus sold it to him...somehow it was mentioned that Mundungus stole it from the house--which I find odd since Sirius said he'd always have it with him. I have my review of sorts posted now...although I seem to get righteously indignant on some of these death scenes! :)

Renee Nefe said...

I finished this morning. I LOVED it! I was so expecting it to be THE END when all the horcruxes were gone ('cuz I knew that Harry was one...and I think that Harry suspected it as he accepted it very well.)

I was telling DD that I thought a good way to go would have been that Arianna didn't actually die but her death was faked so she could live a Muggle life (this was before I got to the part that explained that she wasn't a squib) and that Arianna married an Evans and begat Petunia & Lily...making Harry related to Dumbledore. But I guess that's why I'm not the author. hee hee

I think I would like to still see an ancestry of Harry and I still want to know what happened to the Evans & Potters. I know that JK had to have them not around for the orphan w/o a home thing...but she could have explained where they went. LOL!

Renee Nefe said...

Oh and did anyone else notice that there was swearing in this book? These are supposed to be for kids, still...right?

Anonymous said...

I didn't read any comments, I jumped right to the bottom here.

haven't finished it yet, haven't even bought it because I don't want this crazy thing to be over.

haven't seen the latest movie yet either, because I want to re-read #5 before I do.

glad to read the review though and hear it was good. Can't wait!! I just might have to go buy it myself tonight.

Jennifer said...

I was a little surprised at the swearing, too...my kids are dying to read it...I'm going to let them, but I was a little miffed about that :(
Other than that, though....oh, joy, it was wonderful!! I was so shocked when Snape died...I kept waiting for him to redeem himself somehow...amazingly enough, his memories in the Pensieve fixed everything. I have been holding out hope all along that he would turn out to be a halfway decent fellow...and I was so proud that Rowling allowed him that!!
And Fred... :( I just loved those Weasley twins...especially after watching them in the movies...they are such a hoot!!
I got choked up at the "Albus Severus" too, although I'm with Carmen...poor kid ;)
Prof. Flitwick throwing the mandrakes got me tickled...and TOnks and Lupin both dying and leaving the little turquoise-headed one behind was sad :(
I think Rowling has outdone herself...again...Bravo!! :)

Hootin Anni said...

I finished it?!!! NOT. I'm not a Harry Potter fan.

But I DID read in the news online that the book sold to a whopping 8.3 million count. Wow.

Carmen said...

I was suprised at the use of 'effing quite often. I don't remember that before. But remember, they are supposed to be 17 in this book. I've never really thought that they were kids books - really dark and adult content.

But it was still a great, great, great read. :)

Libragirl said...

I just finished it. I thought it was great. When R&H kissed it was great, but he had his arm around her it seemed like all the time.

BEST ENDING EVER.

YellowRose said...

I finished mine and loved it! All the deaths were quite sad, though it was a war. Fred got to me, and Dobby, man I loved that little elf! Molly Weasley is my hero! And personally I'd have called Bellatrix a b*tch too! ;) LOL I loved that Harry and Dumbledore were able to meet again. One of my favorite chapters. And the epilogue I loved, I know some thought it was cheesy, but I loved it. Albus Severus...gotta love that!

Uisce said...

I'm a little jealous, I feel so left out! I never got into the first book and haven't followed any of it.

It was funny, though. I walked into a friend's office and I said, hey did you get to the part where Double Door dies? he said that was last book.

Dang, I can't even play along! :)

Anonymous said...

My human found it a bit disappointing. She felt that the pensieve memories of Snape were a bit of a plot device--she'd have rather had him DO something that seemed to say what his motivations were. Also his motivations to protect Harry were thin.

A few of the Dumbledore motivations throughout seemed thin. We realized that he was fascinated by that ring all his life, but at the age he was and from everything he always said, it seemed out of character for him to be so drawn to put on this ring which was supposed to "cheat death." I didn't buy that.

And the epilogue--WHAT IS HARRY DOING?! I wanted to know what they all did, not how many kids did they have! :).

However, as my human points out, it was the last book and it was Harry. The human sat for many hours straight and I got to snooze on her...

She laughs at you saying it was a poorly timed weekend--she read it the Saturday a week before getting married!

Jennifer said...

I tagged you for a meme...do you wanna play along?

Carmen said...

Chey,
In an interview with JK on tv, she said that she originally had what they did in the epilogue, but she took it out. Apparantly, Ron and Harry revolutionized the Auror's office. :)

Eimi said...

Somewhere around the time they started listing the horcruxes, I started wondering "wait a second... we aren't at 7." Still I was not clever enough to figure out that Harry was, in fact, one of them. And I did really believe he had to die and I was PISSED for a while. But then the whole heaven-like thing happened and explained a bunch. It was a bit cheesy IMO, but we needed to see dumbledore again in some form!

I loved the house elves (esp Kreacher) in this book. The Prince's Tale was def my favorite chapter!! I couldn't put it down!! I was glad to see Hagrid and Grawp made it through. I want that Barnes and Noble poster! Very cool!