A few words about Deathly Hallows
Jul. 23rd, 2007 10:53 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ebonlockOk so, book 7...
I would like to say that I didn't hate this book, per se, nor will I swear off all things Potter henceforth. I will undoubtedly remain a fan and I'm even looking forward to reading a lot of the fic this book inspires. Hell, I may write some of it myself.
However, I've seen a lot of people lining up to turn this book into a religious war and I would like to say that feeling the need to lead a crusade, possibly alienate friends and acquaintances, and act like a general ass about a work of fiction is, in a word, foolish. If you loved the book and thought it was the greatest thing ever written in the history of literature, hey, good on you. I'm delighted it worked for you, I truly am. I wish I could share the sentiment but I can't and no amount of strident pleas, logical arguments or pointing at critical response is going to change that.
If you hated the books and will never, ever, ever read another word in the Potter universe because JKR is not getting another cent of your money, well I'm very sorry. I mean I'm profoundly sad that we'll not be able to discuss the series in the future. But no matter of impassioned, angry rants, logical arguments or pointing at critical response is going to change my mind either.
There were some things in the book I enjoyed, though they were few and far between. There were some things in the book I would just as happily have skimmed over or skipped entirely had I been reading alone. There was a scene or two I loved, and several that I outright hated. Overall I found the book extremely disappointing, and I will admit I spent several days last week utterly depressed after I'd read the spoilers.
But you see I understand that this is my opinion about a work of literature. I do not expect anyone to share it, I don't look down on anyone who doesn't, and I expect the same respect from everyone else. I am entitled to my rational, emotional and literary responses to the work, and anyone who tries to say otherwise is every bit as bad as every other religious zealot out there. Your opinion is yours and you're welcome to it, just don't try and cram it down my throat.
Allow me to reiterate just for clarity's sake, anybody out there who alienates a single friend because of an opinion about this book is a fool. An absolute, unmitigated fool.
However I will say that if you liked the epilogue we probably should never discuss it. Seriously, just don't tell me. I don't want to know.
Now, I'd love to point you at Rexluscus' take on the Snape revelations in Book 7 which almost completely mirror my own. We differ on a couple of points, but her overall summary got me definitely nodding. Shouldn't need to say this, but there are spoilers.
Comments are definitely open and I'm delighted to hear everyone's take on the book.
UPDATE:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
aelfsciene just sent me this very funny review of book 7 which I just had to share:
Page stillnonumbersbutafterthetableofcontents: A quote from Aeschylus and another quote from More Fruit of Solitude by William Penn. I am reminded of how Joe Queenan once suggested that if mediocre books were going to preface with quotes from great literature, how great literature could return the favour by prefacing themselves with quotes from Tom Clancy explaining the technical specifications of a military helicopter.
Read the rest, it's so worth it.
I would like to say that I didn't hate this book, per se, nor will I swear off all things Potter henceforth. I will undoubtedly remain a fan and I'm even looking forward to reading a lot of the fic this book inspires. Hell, I may write some of it myself.
However, I've seen a lot of people lining up to turn this book into a religious war and I would like to say that feeling the need to lead a crusade, possibly alienate friends and acquaintances, and act like a general ass about a work of fiction is, in a word, foolish. If you loved the book and thought it was the greatest thing ever written in the history of literature, hey, good on you. I'm delighted it worked for you, I truly am. I wish I could share the sentiment but I can't and no amount of strident pleas, logical arguments or pointing at critical response is going to change that.
If you hated the books and will never, ever, ever read another word in the Potter universe because JKR is not getting another cent of your money, well I'm very sorry. I mean I'm profoundly sad that we'll not be able to discuss the series in the future. But no matter of impassioned, angry rants, logical arguments or pointing at critical response is going to change my mind either.
There were some things in the book I enjoyed, though they were few and far between. There were some things in the book I would just as happily have skimmed over or skipped entirely had I been reading alone. There was a scene or two I loved, and several that I outright hated. Overall I found the book extremely disappointing, and I will admit I spent several days last week utterly depressed after I'd read the spoilers.
But you see I understand that this is my opinion about a work of literature. I do not expect anyone to share it, I don't look down on anyone who doesn't, and I expect the same respect from everyone else. I am entitled to my rational, emotional and literary responses to the work, and anyone who tries to say otherwise is every bit as bad as every other religious zealot out there. Your opinion is yours and you're welcome to it, just don't try and cram it down my throat.
Allow me to reiterate just for clarity's sake, anybody out there who alienates a single friend because of an opinion about this book is a fool. An absolute, unmitigated fool.
However I will say that if you liked the epilogue we probably should never discuss it. Seriously, just don't tell me. I don't want to know.
Now, I'd love to point you at Rexluscus' take on the Snape revelations in Book 7 which almost completely mirror my own. We differ on a couple of points, but her overall summary got me definitely nodding. Shouldn't need to say this, but there are spoilers.
Comments are definitely open and I'm delighted to hear everyone's take on the book.
UPDATE:
aelfsciene just sent me this very funny review of book 7 which I just had to share:Page stillnonumbersbutafterthetableofcontents: A quote from Aeschylus and another quote from More Fruit of Solitude by William Penn. I am reminded of how Joe Queenan once suggested that if mediocre books were going to preface with quotes from great literature, how great literature could return the favour by prefacing themselves with quotes from Tom Clancy explaining the technical specifications of a military helicopter.
Read the rest, it's so worth it.
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no subject
Date: 2007-07-23 11:49 pm (UTC)Keeps you guessing through deft, well thought out plot twists, yes, but not by withholding information or having characters just suddenly understand something out of the blue. I'm a huge Sherlock Holmes fan, and yet I'll admit there were several stories where Doyle withheld too much because you'd figure the mystery out pretty damn quickly if he didn't. It annoyed the hell out of me. But at least I could forgive it a little because it was being told first person by a guy who wasn't exactly the most observant human being on the planet.
Fair enough.
But there's no reason we couldn't have gotten a more nuanced version of Dumbledore's past a while ago. No reason it couldn't have been well known and mentioned that Snape was friends with Lily, etc., etc. If the storyteller is deft enough they can afford to give you these clues well in advance and still manage to keep you guessing. Sometimes JKR can manage to do that (I thought the reveal in HBP was great, she'd given us all the clues we needed to figure it out but enough red herrings to make us wonder right up to the end), but she didn't even seem to try in this one, which was sad.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-24 01:49 am (UTC)