Feelings on OoP

[slgazit]

No: HPFGUIDX 79998

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "msbeadsley" <msbeadsley at y...> 
wrote:
> "mom31" <mom31 at r...> wrote: <<I've been wondering how everyone else 
> is feeling about OoP now that we've had time to re-read it and let 
it 
> sink in.  For me, it didn't even feel like canon at first.  When I 
> first finished it, I felt very emotionally drained, and had 
> absolutely no idea how I felt about the book.  <snip> It seemed 
such 
> a downer.>>

I loved the book, although it lacked the tight plot lines that the
previous books had. I loved the way Harry developed - screams and
tantrums and all (it helps that I have a 15 year old with a late
July birthday, so I can relate :-)). It would seem unrealistic to
me to see Harry going through the traumatic experiences in his
life without a breakdown, and the book also let him make his
mistakes. I liked how he is being developed into a leader, whose
followers go with him even when he messes up. I also felt that
the bleak state the WW was in was to be expected - certainly
it was foreshadowed in the end of GoF with Fudge's behaviour. It
was so much more realistic than similar situations in other
fantasy books where the chief leader (e.g. Gandalf) talks and
everyone follows. Voldemort's chief talent was always described
as being able to operate behind the scenes and saw discord and
chaos. This is exactly what has been happening.

I really felt for Harry in this book. He felt so much more real
than the somewhat flat character in the earlier books.

Then there were the fabulous plot lines, especially F&G who
really shined in this book. Umbridge was brilliantly done
(as were, come to think of it, the DADA teachers in all the books
with the exception of Quirrell). Luna Lovegood and Hermione
were also great.

I thought Sirius' plot line to be very realistic. It was
rather expected that 12 years locked in a prison with dementors
24 hours per day would leave their mark. I thought he was very
convincing and such a tragic figure. It was so heartbreaking
to have him die, even though it was necessary for the plot.

Where I did not like the book: I was not as enchanted with
Ginny and Neville plotlines - I felt that their personality
change was a bit too abrupt and unconvincing. Until this
book Ginny had been this little wide eyed girl with a crash
on Harry, then without warning changes into this confident,
mischievous, social butterfly and fighter. Neville was this clumsy,
rather dumb but sweet, self effacing kid who out of the blue
becomes a leading character. I suppose JKR needed them to
change for the sake of the plot (Neville set to become Harry's
No. 2 and Ginny for the long expected romance w/Harry) but there was
hardly any buildup in previous books for their personality change.

Plotwise the book did not feel as focused and was hurried at the
end. I was not surprised by the prophecy as it was clear from
book 3 that there must have been something like that (when
DD mentioned that what Harry heard was Trelaney's second
prophecy), though the Neville part in it was unexpected.
But on the whole I really liked the book and am looking forward
to books 6 and 7.

Salit