OOP(mild): Not Surprised People are Disappointed

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 65898

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "michaelkgidlow"
<Veritas771 at h...> wrote:
> I'm sure many of you have noticed that not a few people were 
> disappointed in OoP. Personally, I liked it, though it was quite 
> different from the other books. I have offered some reasons listed 
> below as to why people were disappointed in the book:
> 
> 1. The massive hype surrounding it. ...edited..
> 
> 2. Introduction of new characters and the absence of the old. 
> ...edited...
> 
> 3. Abensence of popular plot ingredients. ...edited...
> 
> Well, those are the main ones I noticed. I think Rowling, in her 
> quest to make each book unique and fresh, is getting rid of the very 
> things that has made the series popular.  ...edited...
> 
> Michael

bboy_mn:
True the book has change, but the book has change because the story
has changed. Someone mentioned the lack of mysteries and plot twists.
But I think the book is becoming less of a mystery book and more of a
suspense book.

Let's define - (cut from my previous post; pre-book 5)

The difference between Mystery and Suspense-

Mystery is when you know what happened, but you don't know 'who done
it'. As the story unfolds the mystery is revealed.

Suspense is when you know 'who done it', but you don't know how or
when the will 'catch him'.

I think what we are seeing is JKR adding more suspense to the story,
and that seems to fit where the story is logically going.

In the beginning, we are discovering the mysteries of the wizard's
world and Harry's life. Now, we know 'who done it'; Voldomort done it,
and we are going to see more of what Voldemort has done and is doing,
the suspense will be in hanging on the edge of our seat wondering what
Harry and friends are going to do about it. How are they going to stop
it? How are they going to fix it?

I found a great deal of suspense in this story, with hundreds of plot
twists and turns, not necessarily plot twists in the traditional
sense, but the plot twisting and turning all over the place. We knew
someone was going to die, but that evil writer JKR brought person
after person to the edge of death only to shift the focus on death to
another character. I felt death hanging eminent on every page of the
book, and over every character's head. For one brief second, as some
point in the book, I thought each character in turn was surely dead.

We know what the story is and where it is going now. Voldemort's back,
Voldemort is the bad guy, and Voldemort 'done it'. Now, how are they
going to catch him, how are they going to stop him? 

So again, to the comment that the new book wasn't like the old books,
I repeat that the new story is different than the old story. We've
begun anew, moving in a whole new direction, for whole new reason.

I will add that SS/PS tops the my list of tender stories, GoF tops my
list of heartwrenching and action pack stories, and PoA tops my list
of amazing mysteries with unbelievable plot twists. CoS was still
good, but didn't touch me or thrill me like the ones list above. In
the areas mentioned, OoP did not reach the peaks that the other ones
did, but it was still thoroughly captivating and I couldn't put it down. 

Just a thought.

bboy_mn