I think that by this point, we've established [goats.com] something of a tradition [goats.com] of discussing the books after they come out. So let's keep it up.

This thread is open to spoilers, so do NOT read it if you haven't read the whole thing. Unless you want any surprises spoiled.

And please don't upmod or downmod anything in this thread, or else it will show up in people's meta-moderation.

Now, my pedantic beauties, let us begin.

Just finished late last night. We only have one copy and I've been fighting my ten year old for access to it.

There is so much to discuss but I guess the ending is what is sticking with me the most. The ending was a bit too neat and nice for me. With all the loose ends tied up, it didn't leave me with much to think about after finishing. I guess it's understandable since it was the final book but I was still hoping for something to be left to the imagination. I much prefer books that continue to occupy my thoughts even after I've read the last word. Snape's dying memory and the conversation with Dumbledore at King's Crossing explained too much. I was also disappointed that Rowling could not kill off one of the main characters. With all of those close calls in Gringott's, at the Malfoy's and the battle of Hogwarts, it's hard to believe that there wasn't one tragic false move for one of the beloveds. They were, after all, just barely of age and much less experienced than their enemies. It would've made for a much more bittersweet ending.

Does anyone else have an opinion?

In Response to IceCreamAddict (#38372):

The ending was a bit too neat and nice for me. With all the loose ends tied up, it didn't leave me with much to think about after finishing.

I win? [goats.com]

In Response to IceCreamAddict (#38372):

While it served a few purposes, I didn't like the epilogue. As for the rest of the ending, it worked for me. But I certainly agree; I very much expected Ron or Hermione to die. I didn't want it to happen, but I was kind of steeled for it to. So I was somewhat surprised when it didn't. The deaths which did happen impacted me, though to varying degrees. The one which probably had me most upset, honestly, was Dobby's, perhaps because he was so...good? Devoted? Loving? Free? Harry's epitaph for him had me in tears.

In Response to Llamarama (#38374):

I was prepared for Ron to die, especially when he left the trio, but I think I had already decided in the back of my mind that JK wouldn't do that, no matter how many dire situations she put them into.

I did expect there to be a few other deaths though. Remus and Tonks I was waiting for, especially after Harry was made Godfather to Ted, but I figured Mr. Or Mrs. Weasley might get it.

I had figured Snape wasn't a bad guy all along, there were too many hints about his allegiance to Dumbledore, but I had expected it to be revealed at a more dramatic moment (in the heat of battle or something), so I was kind of impressed with how that was carried off.

And I see the whole epilogue as JK leaving herself an out to write more about the Potterverse.

In Response to pupdog (#38376):

A coworker told me that JKR was supposed to kill of Mr. Weasley but that she couldn't do it because she like the character too much. Perhaps that is why Fred got it instead.

Snape's contempt for Harry wasn't enough to convince me he really was evil. I knew Snape wasn't really bad when he was countering the jinxes of Quirrell during Harry's Quidditch match in the first book.

In Response to IceCreamAddict (#38377):

Snape's contempt for Harry wasn't enough to convince me he really was evil. I knew Snape wasn't really bad when he was countering the jinxes of Quirrell during Harry's Quidditch match in the first book.

Exactly, and when he basically pushed past Draco to kill Dumbledore, it screamed 'setup'.

In Response to IceCreamAddict (#38377):

That's right--supposedly, she planned for Mr. Weasley to die in Book 5 when he was attacked by the snake. But she decided not to. As Mr. Weasley points out in Book 6, Harry saves a bunch of them--Ginny in book 2, Mr. Weasley in Book 5, and Ron after the poisoning in Book 6. So for them to end with only one family member dead (Fred), though two were injured (Bill and George), still seems like they came out not too bad.

I don't think that Snape was an altogether good character. He obviously had great regret over the death of Lily, and he clearly sacrificed his life to save her son. But his dislike for and abusive treatment of that son was not merely an act. Snape was a very complex character, and I don't think that one can just shrug off the fact that he was actively cruel to many kids (and not just Harry--Neville is another clear example).

In Response to Llamarama (#38386):

I'm not saying he was Gandhi or anything, just that (to me) it seemed obvious he wasn't going to be the bad guy of the piece, or the good guy for that matter. Even in the end, it didn't seem he was admitting to any faults or seeking redemption from Harry, just trying to carry out orders and pass on knowledge from Dumbledore. That's what I liked most about his ending, it wasn't a dramatic turn in mid-battle or some other Hollywood-ish cliche, but just 'here's what I did and why I did it, warts and all'.

In Response to pupdog (#38387):

Agreed--I liked that too. It was a level of complexity that one deoesn't find in contrived children's books with pat endings [goats.com]. So there, Z!

On another note, my Mom, who was just partway through it last I heard, compared the early scene as they leave the Dursleys' place to something out of Star Wars, just on brooms and thestrals rather than Speeder Bikes.

I could see what she meant, especially given that JK had a scene like that so early in the book. Star Wars films often had relatively early battle scenes (Hoth, Jabba's Barge, Anakin's killing of Dooku, etc.), but it was a real dceparture from the other Harry Potter books. The closest parallel was the post-Quidditch World Cup rampage, and that was neither as violent nor as early in the book.

I have not read your post or any of the others in this thread as I only picked up HPv7 on Monday and am reading through all of them in order first. I also had to pick up v1 as I never actually read it, only becoming interested the HP series after the first movie.

In Response to Dynedain (#38392):

As with almost all movies based on books, you'll like the books much better. Most of the movies stayed true to the books but still alot is left out. If you haven't seen Order of the Phoenix, that is, in my opinion, the least like the book. And probably my least favorite of the movies.

You are also at an advantage reading the books back to back. I read the first four that way and then had to wait for the rest of them. You will catch on more quickly when events in previous books are referenced.

In Response to Llamarama (#38386):

Because Snape wasn't inherently good or bad, he was very much in contrast to the rest of the "do gooder" characters. And probably why he was one of my favorite characters. It's understandable why he disliked Harry so much since he looked so much like his father.

In Response to IceCreamAddict (#38394):

I've read all but vI, I did re-read v5 and v6 before the movie, but figured I'd do things right by re-reading the entire series.

So far, vI is the closest movie to the book, but it's also the most simplistic of the books. v5 (OotP) made for a really weak movie compared to the book, and they made mistakes by slipping in thing from v6 (like levicorpus)

In Response to Dynedain (#38403):

Yeah, as far as the movies go, I've not been disappointed, but did think it was interesting that the longest of the books produced the shortest movie. There were some things that felt really sped through to me. I was willing to sit through another 20-30 minutes, not sure about anyone else.

what about the sword??? i hated that she never addressed how the goblin got away with it and then magically it came out of the hat to neville...BS if you ask me...i want more!! more harry potter!!!! lol

In Response to Lonely Goatherd (#38426):

A fair question, but I kind of figured that the sword was transported to the Sorting Hat by whatever magic it was transported from Dumbledore's Office to the Chamber of Secrets in Book 2. Griphook would have had it off the Hogwarts grounds, but do you feel like that would have prevented the Sorting Hat from calling it? Or am I missing part of your complaint?

In Response to Lonely Goatherd (#38426):

JK herself even explained this afterwards - As Dumbledore explained, any True Gryffindor can find the sword when needed.