Finished - no spoilers...

[bluesqueak]

--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "carolynwhite2" 
<carolynwhite2 at ...> wrote:
<snip>
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And the wretched Yahoomort is making the above into one big line, so 
some more spoiler space for those who get the first two lines shown on 
message view.

> My verdict is that she has simply lost the plot big time as the story 
> has rambled on. If there ever was an over-arching connecting theme, 
> then somehow she has allowed her characters to screw it up at various 
> points and simply has had no idea how to tie it all back together 
> again except by introducing a new and preposterous plot device (the 
> Deathly Hallows) at the very last minute.
> 
> Carolyn
> ..who did enjoy the Ravenclaw password system
>
Pip!Squeak
Yeah, I enjoyed the Ravenclaw password as well.

I liked your breakdown of the plot. Start the day giggling, that's what 
I say. But I don't think she ever lost the over-arch. From memory, Book 
1 is the Philosopher's *stone* giving eternal life plus a mirror that 
means Harry can see the dead - and the DH ring contains a stone, 
bringing back the dead. It also has DH 2 inherited by Harry. Book 2 
contains a horcrux as its major plot. Book 3 makes much play of the 
invisibility cloak (DH2). Book 4 is titled *goblet* of fire - another 
ref to the horcrux's, and also makes much play of wands (another DH). 
Book 5 contains another horcrux, which no one recognises. In Book 6, 
while we don't realise this, DD's doom is brought about by his reaching 
for a DH, AND the horcrux, and Draco finds himself official owner of 
another DH. In fact, aren't all three together on the Tower? Book 7 
brings both plot arcs together.

The ring thing, is , I think, a play on Tolkien. There is One Ring - 
and the Dark Lord is not only *not* trying to find it, he doesn't even 
recognise the bloomin' thing when he's got it in his hand. But there's 
a broader point as well: Voldy doesn't want to bring back people he's 
killled, he doesn't want a cloak that can hide other people besides 
him - all he wants of the three DH's is the Wand that can give one 
person, and one person only, power. 

And there's another, more subtle point. Voldemort doesn't know the WW's 
fairy stories, never bothered to find out about them and because he has 
no knowledge of them , he fails. In other words, this is a guy who 
would *never* have read a children's book once he was officially too 
old for them. ;-)

The bit that made me laugh out loud, though, was when JKR pointed out 
firmly via Mad-Eye's exit that if someone is hit by the killing curse 
and then falls from a great height without a wand, they're dead, OK? 

Pip!Squeak