The final Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is a very entertaining read. My initial decision to wait until after one of my friends read it and borrow their copy afterwards was over-ruled by a burning desire to know the fate of Harry Potter in this series finale. I bought it in my lunch-hour at work yesterday after learning Woolworths was selling it for a lot less than other shops and finished it lunchtime today.
Overall the book was definitely one of the best in the series, including several plot twists you may not have guessed. Rowling, whatever you think of her, is able to captivate as an author and the adventure was vivid in my head throughout. I have decided that the stories appealed to me initially because of my innate attraction to power, and magic — in this fictional sense — provided almost limitless possibilities. Rowling made me feel part of the story and I felt compelled to learn more.
The ending, which I am definitely not about to reveal, was satisfying and the build-up even more so. A more adult darkness swept though the final books and turned the previously humour-filled series into a more adult and thought-provoking bildungsroman.
I wonder sometimes whether the main attraction to fiction is to escape the problems of everyday life. For a long time I haven’t read any fiction whatsoever: instead opting for non-fiction books/articles on various topics. It is enjoyable, but I always fear a waste of time compared with advancing a real-world topic that appeals to me — although I know this is irrational and reading fiction improves my writing skills dramatically.
Comments