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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter #07)by J. K. Rowling
Staff Pick
I couldn't imagine a better ending for this extraordinary series. J. K. Rowling, thank you for staying true to your vision.
The seeds planted throughout the series bear fruit in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. How did Dumbledore's nose get broken? Or his hand burned to a crisp? You will find all the answers here. This is the finest book in the series; the writing is excellent and action and emotion come together seamlessly. Harry emerges from the pages as an adult, confident and grim. Synopses & ReviewsReview:"Potter fans, relax — this review packs no spoilers. Instead, we’re taking advantage of our public platform to praise Rowling for the excellence of her plotting. We can't think of anyone else who has sustained such an intricate, endlessly inventive plot over seven thick volumes and so constantly surprised us with twists, well-laid traps and Purloined Letter-style tricks. Hallows continues the tradition, both with sly feats of legerdemain and with several altogether new, unexpected elements. Perhaps some of the surprises in Hallows don't have quite the punch as those of earlier books, but that may be because of the thoroughness and consistency with which Rowling has created her magical universe, and because we've so raptly absorbed its rules.
We're also seizing the occasion to wish out loud that her editors had done their jobs more actively. It's hard to escape the notion that the first three volumes were more carefully edited than the last four. Hallows doesn’t contain the extraneous scenes found in, say, Goblet of Fire, but the momentum is uneven. Rowling is much better at comedy than at fight scenes, and no reader of the sixth book will be startled to hear that Hallows has little humor or that its characters engage in more than a few fights. Surely her editors could have helped her find other methods of building suspense besides the use of ellipses and dashes? And craft fight dialogue that sounds a bit less like it belongs in a comic book? Okay, we're quibbling. We know these minor nuisances won't dent readers' enjoyment, at least not this generation of readers; we couldn't put Hallows down ourselves. But we believe Rowling, and future readers, deserved even better. Ages 9-12. (July)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.) Review:"It would seem churlish to review the Harry Potter series finale with something less than overwhelming enthusiasm — after all, there's no one like Rowling. Who else has sustained such an intricate, endlessly inventive plot over seven thick volumes and so constantly surprised her readers with twists, well-laid traps and Purloined Letter-style tricks? Hallows continues the tradition, both with sly feats of legerdemain and with several altogether new, unexpected elements. And yet the revelations don't pack as much of a punch; the moments of genuine astonishment or grief that mark every other book in the series go missing here. Perhaps readers know too well the rules of Rowling's magical universe, a universe she has constructed with extraordinary thoroughness and care.As the ending of the previous book suggested, Hallows revolves around Harry, Ron and Hermione's quest for the rest of the Horcruxes into which Voldemort has poured his soul. Without the Hogwarts school year to supply structure, the plot can meander, and Harry himself is tempted to go on an altogether different search. For once some puckered seams trouble the surface of the storytelling — is Harry now using forbidden spells? How many Horcruxes are there? It's hard not to wish that the editors had done their jobs more actively. Hallows doesn't contain the extraneous scenes found in, say, Goblet of Fire, but the momentum is uneven. Rowling is better at comedy than at fight scenes, and Hallows has less humor and more combat than any of the preceding books. Surely her editors could have helped her build tension with more devices than the use of ellipses and dashes? And craft fight dialogue that sounds a bit less like it belongs in a comic book? True, none of these flaws is fatal to a fan's enjoyment. But why not have make the bestselling children's book in history the best it could possibly be?One great virtue remains constant: Rowling's skill at portraying characters. Harry and friends mature, not in straight lines but in realistically messy patterns. Over the course of the seven books, Harry develops from the scrawny misfit of no. 4, Privet Drive, to a teenager who can pull off acts of self-sacrifice and goodness without cheapening his charisma for readers — no mean feat for a writer. And when Rowling concludes her long story, she does so the old-fashioned way, without ambiguity. Harry Potter has finished growing up, and even the most ardent fans will know that it is time to say good-bye. Ages 9-12. (July)' Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)" Review:"All great writers are wizards. Considering the mass Harrysteria of the last few days, who would have been surprised if they had logged on to YouTube at 12.01 a.m. Saturday and seen J.K. Rowling pronounce a curse — 'Mutatio libri!' — that would magically change the final pages of her book and foil the overeager reviewers and Web spoilsports who revealed its surprise ending? Yet... Washington Post Book Review (read the entire Washington Post review) Review:"[T]rue to its roots, [the series] ends...with good old-fashioned closure: a big-screen, heart-racing, bone-chilling confrontation and an epilogue that clearly lays out people's fates....While Ms. Rowling's astonishingly limber voice still moves effortlessly between Ron's adolescent sarcasm and Harry's growing solemnity, from youthful exuberance to more philosophical gravity, Deathly Hallows is, for the most part, a somber book that marks Harry's final initiation into the complexities and sadnesses of adulthood." Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times Review:"I'm amazed, when I sit back, at the sheer, immensely complicated arc of the story; Rowling has always said she had the entire seven-book series plotted out from the very beginning, and it's clear she did....Rowling winds up her tale with a stunningly beautiful simplicity. As an added flourish, she gilds it with a moving epilogue, one that brought tears to my eyes." Entertainment Weekly Review:"It's hard to imagine a better ending than the one she's written for her saga....Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows may be a miracle of marketing, but it's also a miraculous book that earns out, emotionally and artistically." Elizabeth Hand, The Washington Post Review:"[A] triumph. Its weaknesses become a source of strength, like the scar on Harry's forehead, and the seventh and last novel in J.K. Rowling's series turns out to be the best one." The Oregonian Review:"Book 7 is no less penetrating, but it lacks much of the charm and humor that distinguished the earlier novels. Even the writing is more prosaic, less fanciful.... Review:"It's a great read. Don't be sad that it's over — to be complete, a finished, fully realized creation, Harry's tale had to end. We had to know what would finally happen to him, and now we do. I'm satisfied, and I can't wait to see the movie version of this last book." Philadelphia Inquirer Review:"Seventh time's the charm. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows isn't letter-perfect, but it's the most captivating book in J.K. Rowling's series. Dramatic, poignant and deftly plotted, it's a classic yarn." Kansas City Star Review:"[A]n exhausting, gut-wrenching experience....It is very, very good. Rowling's seventh novel shows she's mastered her craft: All her powers are on display here — the magnificent imagination, the keen wit, and, most of all, her tremendous gifts as a mystery writer." Miami Herald Review:"[W]hat Rowling has achieved in this book and the series can be described only as astonishing. Just as her characters have matured, the language and tone of the books have grown in sophistication and lyricism. But she has never lost the sense of wonder that has propelled her into literary legend." Los Angeles Times What Our Readers Are SayingAdd a comment for a chance to win!
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