[HPforGrownups] OOP : My Review (SPOILERS)

[Jesta Hijinx]

No: HPFGUIDX 65710




>From: "jonathandupont" <jonathandupont at hotmail.com>
>Reply-To: HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com
>To: HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com
>Subject: [HPforGrownups] OOP : My Review (SPOILERS)
>Date: Sun, 22 Jun 2003 20:20:21 -0000
>
>So, it's finally out. Feels strange, doesn't it? Anyhow, had to
>write a review just to work out my own thoughts, and naturally
>enough it contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the whole book. Short non-
>spoiler version : Me like.
>
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>Well, JKR, sort of did it, and I love her for it. She didn't go
>the whole way, and I would have preferred a more concrete long time
>rebellion at the end, the DA continuing despite being found, and
>Harry to be expelled, but what we got was pretty good.  The DA by
>themselves were fun, and I defy anyone to come up with a better
>moment than Fred and George's exit.
>
That was a *classic*.  Oh, hurrah, as one of my British friends is prone to 
say.  ;-)

>I realise that I completely and utterly don't understand
>shipping. People are already declaring Harry/Cho dead, and well,
>don't any of you actually care that the boy got his first kiss?

I care - I was predicting Cho would be his first kiss.  :-)

>Oh, and one other thing  can someone explain to me Harry and
>Sirius's relationship? I just don't understand why Harry
>feels so much closer to Sirius than Lupin, both of whom were his
>parent's friends who now care for him. Lupin helped him out for a
>whole year, while he only knew Sirius for a couple of days. Yet when
>he wants to talk about something they both know in Snape's
>memory,
>it's instinctively Sirius he goes to.
>
Because Sirius is his godfather and he's in the wedding pictures and he was 
James' best friend - Lupin was part of the group, but Sirius is symbolic to 
him because of all the *personal* connections he evokes with his parents.

I think he'll grow closer to Lupin now.

Often, people who are symbolic to us have their own personal characteristics 
obscured by the sheer symbolism of what they stand for:  didn't we see that 
go both ways in this book with Sirius-->Harry (seeing him too much as James, 
on occaison) and Harry-->Sirius (treating him as the father figure even 
though he hardly knows him)?

>All the characters seemed to come on a lot this year, with the
>possible exception of Hermione, who however was still in the book an
>awful lot (Hagrid's brother, and so on). I don't think this
>is necessarily a problem as she got her own development in GOF and
>there was more than enough in everyone else to make up for it. Ron
>finally got some of what he wants in being a Prefect and playing at
>Quidditch, but he's not instinctively amazing at it 
>excellent, and a clever way to ensure that we don't have to get
>bored through another whole tournament. I'm not sure what excuses
>JKR's going to come up with for the next two books, although I
>suppose just the war could cover it, as I'm fairly sure we're
>never
>going to see Quidditch as full on as in POA again.
>
>Neville, obviously, grew an awful lot stronger, while still being
>hopeless at DADA. Ginny's development was slightly more
>problematic and making her into a Seeker was perhaps a tiny bit too
>much, but overall I like it. She managed to constantly surprise me
>throughout the book, and her frantic love life off screen can help
>offset the Trio's relative calm. Sirius, James and Lupin all were
>shown faults, while we were given some nice Snape sympathy. If fanon
>didn't hate her as much, Cho could be a very interesting
>character
>what with her inner conflict between Harry and Cedric  I like
>her.
>Draco stayed as one dimensional as ever, but there you go
>Percy's
>arc was also near the edge of being over the top to me, but I think
>it just about worked, and where we go from there could be
>interesting.
>
I liked Ginny as Seeker, and I thought all of the development was nice.

>I can see where people may have been under whelmed by the Prophecy,
>but to me it's helpful to remember what's obvious to the
>reader, won't necessarily be so to the characters in the book.
>Harry's literary destiny has always obviously been to confront
>Riddle, but there's a difference between that and the character
>knowing for sure for himself. Rather than contradict the message
>that what counts is choice, I think this instead nuances it by
>reminding us that some things that are inevitable. After all, the
>idea of destiny and prophecy has been with us since PS, and
>JKR/Firenze goes to great lengths to point out that nothing is ever
>certain.
>
And that's important.  :-)  The prophecy was the keynote for this book, but 
nothing is ever certain, and this prophecy is obscure to say the least.

Felinia

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