Hmmm. What's your favorite *now*?

[kiricat4001]

No: HPFGUIDX 183008

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "cubfanbudwoman" 
<susiequsie23 at ...> wrote:

> That question is:  Now that we're almost a year out from the 
release 
> of DH and the completion of the series, which of the books has 
become 
> your favorite?

Marianne:

Boy, it's been a while since I've had a chance to spend some time 
with HPfGU. But, it's good to see SSS coming up with a skein of 
thoughtful questions.  PoA has remained my favorite since I read it. 
I think it was the best constructed of the book and told a complete 
story, but one that also has additional depth when re-read with what 
we know of the characters now that the series has ended. Yes, there 
are some niggling issues, like just when does a werewolf turn into a 
werewolf - When the moon rises?  When he goes outside and acutally 
sees the moon?  When it comes out from behind a cloud? But, on the 
whole I didn't find these sorts of minor issues detracting from the 
book as a whole.  And, it introduced Remus and Sirius, who have 
remained my favorite characters.


> *Which is/has become your least favorite book of the series?  
Again, 
> can you express why?

I've never been fond of CoS. I don't hate it, and I don't skip it 
when re-reading the series, but it never grabbed me. I like OoP now 
more than I did, although I'd love to take some editing scissors to 
it because, in light of how the rest of the story went, we didn't 
need the whole story of Hagrid with the giants and could have done 
without Grawp.  

But, my least favorite is DH.  I felt that many of the underlying 
themes that seemed to be pointing towards resolution were not dealt 
with - house unity, rights of house elves, giants, etc. I also 
thought that larger themes of right and wrong became pretty flexible 
in that the good guys were allowed to behave just like the bad guys, 
but with no sense of them realizing they were crossing a line. I 
found the emphasis on people doing the right thing (Narcissa Malfoy, 
Regulus) to be somewhat lacking in that they acted how they did only 
because someone they cared about was in danger.  There was no sense 
that they ever had the least bit of sympathy or concern or empathy 
for others who suffered from Voldemort. It's only when it slapped 
them in the face that they turned on their Master. 

> *Is there a character you find yourself especially fond of now 
that 
> it's all over?  Any pourquoi to add?

My favorites are still my favorites, although I hate how Remus was 
portrayed in DH.  I have to go sort through old JKR interviews, but 
I'm sure she said after PoA came out that Remus would not only be 
back in later book(s), but that he had an important part to play. If 
she really did say something like that, I wonder if his important 
part changed when she decided not to kill off Arthur.  Or maybe the 
important part was to be the father of the next generation's orphan. 
Seems a little lacking to me.


> *Which character would you just love to follow from here on out if 
> you could?  Por que?

Love to follow? None.  Mildly interested in following? Neville.

> *Are there chapters or scenes (or whole books) that you skip when 
you 
> (if you) re-read?  Warum?

The ones mentioned in OoP. I haven't reread HBP or DH, nor have I 
felt any compulsion to reread them.

Is there anything 
> about how you feel about the series now that you never expected 
you'd feel?

I never expected to dislike Dumbledore as much as I do now.  I also 
never expected to feel sorry for Snape. 
I'm also not clear whether I'm judging DH too harshly. Part of it, 
I'm sure, is that things that were important to *me* were not as 
important to JKR. So, that's my problem as the reader, not her 
problem as the writer. I think that looking at the series as a whole 
will still take a while for me.  Maybe in another six months to a 
year, I'll do a complete reread and see whether my opinions change.

Marianne