No spoilers here. This past weekend, Shalini and my wait for the sixth Harry Potter book came to an end. We had preordered a copy at the local Borders and picked it up on Saturday. Here is a quick review with no spoilers whatsoever.
The book is great but could have been better. Bear in mind that J.K.Rowling is so good that even a less than fantastic effort from her is much better than most books out there. That said, the focus on apparently unimportant issues (could become important in the last book but does not appear so, to me) is more than the important ones. Romance is given lot more space than in the past and understandably so. The kids are 16 and romance is pretty high on the list of 16 year olds. I would have preferred a little less romance but thats just me. There is much more Dumbledore-Harry interactions in this book than ever before and that is a good thing. Sometimes a bit too disconnected but nevertheless pretty interesting, we see more of the human side of the great HeadMaster that we always wanted but never got until the sixth book.
Harry is not a pain in the a$% like in the "Order of the Phoenix". In fact he is the total opposite. He is mature, intelligent and getting to be the role model he is expected to be at the end of the series. The lovable Harry who got lost in Book 5 makes a triumphant return in book 6. Ron and Hermione undergo changes too and for the better. Ginny gets more space and so do a bunch of people.
The two main characters in Book 6 are Snape and Dumbledore, not to mention Harry and each one gets an excellent character exploration from Rowling. The Book is worth reading for just them if not anything else.
Finally, there is a death. Much more sadder than Sirius's death in Book 5 and far reaching too. For the faint hearted and emotional ones, there are tears here for certain. So be prepared with hankies and all.
The stage is all set for the final book in the Harry Potter series. It is expected in 2007 but could very well get to 2008. Nevertheless, the events have been set in motion and the reader can be assured of an explosive ending to the beloved series. I personally cant wait for the final book!
Enjoy.
Image Courtesy: Scholastic and Bloomsbury. Picture refers to the cover of the deluxe edition.
7 comments:
haven't read even the first one. will get my hands on to it soon. did you guys read that big book in one single day :)
Saran
Its a whole different world and lots of fun too.
And yes, Shalini and I each took a day to finish the book.
a day....hello!!! ungaluku vera velaye illaya!!!! saranya..im with u too...havent read any of the potter series so far...see all the movies though...!!! (pats...now dont say!! joy of reading potter is better than watchin it as a movie)!!!
Hari
Its the feeling of getting hooked onto to a book that is truly enjoyable.
The movies are good. I prefer the third to the first two but the books are way better.
Seriously, how can people read it in a day? I took two days for Da Vinci Code - most interesting book ive ever read...
Thanks for the post.
I am tempted to buy it...but my daughter isn't too interested.
yeah, I read a lot of reviews on the climax and people said it was depressing.!
Harish
I did A&D in a day and then Da Vinci the next. But that was long before they became the bestsellers they are today. And yes, my wife and I are fast readers.
Narayanan
Get your daughter hooked on the first book. I am sure she will like it.
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