Only those who were lucky enough to receive an advance copy from the publisher know how it will end. Jim Dale, the voice of the Harry Potter audio books in the United States, knows, but lucky for us, he isn’t saying. In an article for the New York Times he says “it’s a surprise ending.” I for one am looking forward to the surprise.
I have a million and one questions that I’m dying to have answered. Who will die? Will Harry Potter die in his own book? Could J.K. Rowling really kill off her hero? She has proved in the past that she is not afraid to kill off her characters, to take that chance with our emotions. I know several people who believe that Harry will die and be reunited with his family. I’m worried that this could be the case.
In some ways I think that all the buzz around the final chapter in Harry’s adventures has been a good thing. For the true fans it has only increased their excitement and if you didn’t know about Harry Potter before, then you sure do now; with all the media coverage it is not only hard to miss but near impossible.
This Friday I am going to be in line at my local bookstore for my personal copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. If you have not been to a Harry Potter book party now is the time to go. I’ll keep an eye out for you.
Article comments
1 - Christine
Regarding the reviews and the response.
A. The reviews were not just in US papers, so it was unfair of JKR to blame them. The last time I checked, Toronto, Winnipeg and a lot of other cities whose newspapers ran reviews were not in the US. Perhaps someone should buy JKR an atlas.
B. If her books being "spoiled" by reviews that give little, if any, detail is the worst problem JKR has to deal with, she should count herself very lucky.
C. Sounds like an ego problem to me.
I had reserved the book and will purchase it because I committed myself to paying $55 for it from a small bookseller near me. And have spent the last 10 years of my life reading her "novels". I will NOT, however, be going to see the rest of the movies or purchasing any other merchandising. This woman has made millions and obviously doesn't care enough to agree to have the "works" put into e-book form or take into account how other honest people make their living. The lawsuits over a shipping error prove that. Sometimes mistakes are made. The lawsuits over that are just senseless. I will also never purchase another book published by Scholastic...not that they're worried about me and a few of my friends. Every public school in America has contracts with them.
I loved JKR's comment about the reviews "selling a few more papers". Yeah, like it's going to hurt your franchise. I would laugh if it weren't so ludicrously sad. Scholastic makes millions and yet the Baltimore paper is raked over the coals for wanting to sell a few more copies.
E-G-O T-R-I-P
2 - Katie McNeill
I agree that the books should be put into e-book format so that they could reach a wider audience. I hope that with this final book they will be. But JKR is not the only author that chooses not to have her work presented this way.
As for JKR’s ego trip… well maybe that has something to do with but in all honesty I don’t think it has that much to do with it. These books have, in a lot of ways, become about the children, young adults, and adults reading them. Sure they are her “work” or “novels” (as you condensed to put it as if these weren’t novels or work. Of course they are. Could you write seven books? It’s hard to be as successful as she has been as an author. Her work, her novels whether you like them or not should be respected.) but she has written it to be shared. Once out there in the hands of someone it becomes a personal world for them to step into. In some ways you feel as if you are given guardianship of her story and in a way it becomes your own.
With the lawsuits and everything else I believe that JKR just wanted us to step into this final adventure together. And why wouldn’t she? Why wouldn’t we all want to wait and not ruin the experience for anyone else? I usually read the end of a book before I start it but this is one book I will not read the ending to first. And anyone (newspaper, TV, friend) that told me the end before I got there I would be angry with.
While those reviews don’t give much away they give you enough of an idea. Although I agree that it is wrong for JKR to point her finger at the US if there were reviews posted in other countries as well. But if the US newspapers posted them first then sure they are going to shoulder most of the blame. It’s only natural that you would be angry with the leader of the pack.
3 - Red
Hi!I just downloaded a pirated version of the book from a Russian website. Its available for those who know how to look for it.
4 - katie mcneill
that is just sad
5 - Katriona
***********SPOILERS************
jus a warning!!!ive been combing the net for all sorts of reviews to read and get a taste of other fans opinions of the finale to H.P. and I feel I must share my own!!!
I agree that spoilers ruin the excitement at the prospect of getting the book and for the week or so in the run up to the launch date I didn' dare turn on the internet for fear of terrible spoilers.I was so impatient waiting for the final installment but I wanted to read to find out the answers to my many questions and any friends who came close who I knew had the book (I got it a little late) got stern words about keeping their moths clamped shut!!!Spoilers like the person who put pictures of every page of the book on the net ruin people's excitement of a new book, especially one so long awaited by fans, young and old alike, that for the ending to be revealed is harsh...
But to get to the point...the actual book itself and the fantastic story that I was truly satisfied with!
I loved the book, the plot and the unexpected twists and turns really made the story!
There were some faults that I could find with the book but only if pressed to do so...at times it felt a little rushed, a little too quick paced and almost seemed to skip ahead and at other times it seemed slow, dull, as though nothing exciting was happening but these paces in the story added the suspence and set the mood and clearly defined the parts of the story for what they were about.
The Hallows were confusing, I'll admit that, they were added very late on and caused a huge twist in the plot and at times I felt I didn't know what was going on but then I would remember that through J.K.'s unique writing style, all would (hopefully) become clear asap!But sometimes a story (especially one like this with so many high expectations preceding it's release) needs a good confusing twist to really unsettle the reader and make them want to continue on and that is what this book really achieved with this reader!
The deaths...unfortunately were necessary to the story and helped develop our mindset and made me personally relise that yes this is a war not a fairy tale that J.K. is describing so we needed to feel the pain and sadness.I will be the first to admit that some deaths seemed to fade into the background and didn't get a good paragraph that it deserved...Lupin and Tonks and Fred's deaths being the best examples...while others were clearly publicised...such as Moody's, Hedwigs and Snapes.
The characters were fantastic...most of the book focused on the main trio but this helped me relise how alone they really were in their quest to destroy the Horcruxes.And J.K. was brilliant in bringing back every character I could remember although she slipped up in the way that many big characters...Hagrid,Mc Gonagall,Neville, Luna,the Weasleys...were left out even at the very end but it was all very dramatic and fantastic.
I was soooooo glad Harry survived and I'm sure many fans were...I would be crushed if he had died after everything.
The epilogue,while tacky, was a beautiful touch that ended the story perfectly I felt.
It was a brilliant book that I throughouly enjoyed, I'm rereading HBP so that I can read DH again and really enjoy the story!!!10 out of 10!!
Absolutely fantastic! xxx