OOP: Re: I Didn't Care For OoP -- So Sue Me! :-D

[jlastra]

No: HPFGUIDX 65456

--- "Cindy C." wrote:

> OoP contained several new characters, and it developed some of them 
> quite nicely.  But other characters -- even beloved characters from 
> the first four books -- had mere cameo appearances.  The book would 
> have been tighter without Lupin and Moody, who had nothing to do, 
> really.  I feel misled a bit, to be honest.  I think JKR said Real!
> Moody was cool and Harry would get to know him.  That didn't
happen, 

> so why did we need Moody?  

> For me, the acid test is, "Would I have finished OoP had it been a 
> fanfic on a fanfic site?"  

> I'm afraid I wouldn't have.  I would have thought it was OK, I would 
> have read the first half maybe, but it was not worth spending 
> considerable amounts of time to read.  So if I'm reading the book 
> only because it is canon -- only because I feel invested in the 
> series because I read the first four books and plan to read the next 
> one -- then the book fell far short of being excellent.

I, too, did not care much for OOtP.  I read it through rather quickly, 
but I had to force myself.  Unlike the other books, I found myself 
closing it and literally leaving the room.  I've been trying to 
re-read it, but I'm finding it harder to get through the second time. 
That didn't happen with the 4 previous books.

I can understand the change to Angry!Harry. I was once a teenager,
too (although it was very, very, very long ago).  And Harry was 
certainly receiving the mushroom treatment -- being kept in the dark 
and fed nothing but ... uh ... fertilizer.  I'd be angry, too.

I also understood the purpose behind the evil Umbridge.  And that is 
one of my biggest complaints.  Someone on this list (I think) 
described Umbridge and her decrees as descending into farce.  I
hadn't thought of it quite that way, but I agree.  At the time, I
felt that JKR was beating her point to death.  Over and over and over 
again.  Yes, these books are for children, and children are not as 
quick to pick on subtle hints.  But the other books were able to make 
their moral and ethical points without resorting to excess.  

I was also puzzled by the appearance of all the new characters. Don't 
get me wrong, I found some of them appealing.  But I kept wondering if 
they were part of the story simply in order to play a part in book 6 
or book 7.  If that is the case, then I once again think JKR lost the 
subtlety she had in the prior books.  When reading POA and GOF, I 
remember thinking "Oh, so that's why such-and-such happened in book 1" 
or "Oh, so that's why so-and-so said whatever in book 2".  I wonder if 
I will have that feeling about OOtP when I read books 6 and 7.  

Having said all this, there are some portions of the book that I 
loved. I, like many others, really enjoyed the way Neville is 
beginning to blossom.  And it seems appropriate that Ginny is
becoming a very powerful witch -- anyone who could survive the CoS 
without landing in St. Mungos must be very strong, indeed.  And Fred 
and George are my heroes.  Their departure from Hogwarts was hilarious 
(just about the only part of the book that was actually fun), and I 
think it showed that they are more accomplished wizards than others 
might think.  I suspect they will play a significant part in the 
downfall of Lord V.

All in all, I think my objections to OOtP lie less in its plot than
in its craft.  I loved the first four books because they were so very 
well written.  JKR had managed to weave the stories so tightly that 
there were few if any loose ends to tie up.  I don't think that the 
quality of the writing in this book is nearly as good.  And I'm
afraid that if I tug too hard on one of OOtP's many loose ends, the 
whole book will unravel.

... returning to lurker status now ...