Oh, Harry, must you leave so soon?
I waited and waited. Finally, the happy day came. I woke up in the morning, ran downstairs, threw open the front door, and there it was, sitting there on my doormat...the latest Harry Potter book from Amazon, just as they promised. I took it inside and tenderly, carefully removed the book from the box. Oh, so big (900 pages), so blue (what a pretty color), so full of promise and joy and happiness for me...so many hours of happy reading, so many pages in which I can escape into a world that's so much more interesting than the one I actually live in.
One of the best feelings I know of is when you've got a great book on your lap and there are many more pages in your right hand than in your left. Too quickly, the pages of the Harry book moved from my right hand to my left until suddenly, only a few pages remained. I tried to stop. I tried to read slower. I couldn't. I was at the top of a waterfall and I had no choice but to allow the momentum to carry me over the edge. And then it was finished, just like that.
I'm distraught because I will have to wait so long for the next book. I feel that I've read through greedily, gluttonously, what it took that genius Ms. Rowling so long to write. I should have taken it slower, out of respect for the effort and planning it must have taken her to create it. I'm also depressed because if I feel this bad now how will I feel when the entire series is over...and that's just TWO BOOKS AWAY.
I have so much to say about these books on so many levels. First, there's the writer-to-writer perspective. She's a hell of a writer especially for someone who really hit it big on her first shot. She is incredibly skilled at creating a world the right way -- one tiny, creative, interesting detail at a time. She is also really good at creating characters and never allowing them to remain one-dimensional. They grow with the series, and believably, too. (I love how Hermione is still corresponding with Viktor Krum. I love how Ron is just a little jealous.) She has crossed all her Ts and dotted all her Is in an almost compulsive way, tying up even the plot details that didn't really need to be tied up. She also knows how to get out of her own way, almost instinctively knowing when to shut up and move on, and even though this book is huge there's not much fat at all.
Then there's the reader perspective. These books appeal to everyone, young and old, from all different backgrounds, simply because they appeal to our need to escape, to immerse ourselves in a different world for a little while. They are a little bit of magic. I feel sorry for people who aren't readers and who will never get to experience this phenomenon.
Then there's the plot analysis perspective. When you get down to it, it's all about good vs. evil and how the most important weapon there is in that very basic battle is love. Voldemort does not understand the power of that weapon. Dumbledore does. Harry does. This is why in the end they will triumph over evil...but I can't wait to see what happens in between. I love that Harry is finally getting a little pissed off. I love that he makes mistakes, sometimes really big ones. I don't want to spoil the plot for anyone so I won't say anything more.
So in a nutshell...this book was worth the wait. J.K. Rowling deserves every shilling, every accolade she gets because she proves again and again that she's got the right stuff. I am filled with admiration and awe over the magic she has wrought. I love these books.
9:38:24 PM 
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