Saturday, September 15, 2007

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J K Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Author: J K Rowling
ISBN-10: 0747591059
ISBN-13: 978-0747591054
Publisher: Bloomsbury; Children's edition (21 Jul 2007)
Hardcover: 608 pages

How does one review a book that is so hyped? What is there to left for us late readers to say that would interest other readers? Harry Potter series has become a cult and J K Rowling is a very happy woman laughing all the way to her bank/banks! To give her credit, she got children to reading books and same might be said for some adults also.

I have read all seven, after borrowing those from my nieces and nephews. I was enthralled into the world of magic. While reading the books, one gets sucked into it. Though her books are for children or young adults, many serious readers do pick up her books and read it at one go.

Some how this book did not leave me with a satisfied feeling. Harry, Ron and Hermione are on the look out for Horcruxes. While in the lookout, there are subtle changes between their relationships. All three try hard to cope with that in their own ways. This book is also about growing up, friendship and acceptance of that. I have deliberately left out the wizardry, the evil, the magic and what have yous. Enough has been said about that. I am not even going to tell the story in a nutshell. I had guessed about the relationship between Dumbledore and Snape.

The Deathly Hallows are characterized by an equilateral triangle with a circle inscribed within it. A straight line bisects both the triangle and the circle. The circle represents the Stone of Resurrection, the triangle represents the Cloak of Invisibility, and the line represents the Elder Wand. In fact, this symbol fascinated me more than anything else did.

There are too many internal dialogues. Voldemart and Harry are shown to be communicating most of the times. So do Dumbledore and Snape too, with Harry. Lose ends are tied up and that makes the book very flat. It cannot hold a candle against the very well crafted Goblet of Fire or The Prisoner of Azkaban. The ending is what the majority of readers want but it left me feel cheated.

One should read it if one has read all the others, to completes the series. Otherwise, safely give it a miss.


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