I give you a thumbs up for this review. It's one of those rare reviews on this site that just expresses honest feelings about a work. I agree with you. You don't have to look at a work of fiction critically in order to enjoy it.
I wholeheartedly agree! Corny as it sounds, these books are what got me into reading, and why I love fantasy so much. They're just so well-written so that people are inspired, and you can grow with the characters in each new book. (I'm proud to say that I was a part of the original audience.) I also agree with what Miragician said above me.
I'm alive and less annoying than ever before.
Thanks, both of you!
It was my childhood too!
I agree completely. Harry Potter is one of the best book series I've ever read. :)
For the most part, I agree... with only one "but". Personally, I just don't like the fact that the story as a whole takes a noticeably darker turn after the third book. While the first 3 books still have this more or less childish sense of wonder and whimsy, the rest of them decide for some reason to kill this whimsical sense and stubbornly head towards the Darker and Edgier path. I must ask: why? What, in the end, did it accomplish? Why was this the better option than keeping the whimsical tone?
The series is my childhood as well and I love it dearly, but sadly I have to say I very much dislike the fandom. It's done some great things, yes, but it can be very argumentative and elitist at times, and too many fans often forget that Harry Potter is an escape into a magical world, and doesn't need to be so over-analysed and obsessed over. Well, to be honest, I dislike the very concept of fandoms. I am strong believer in the fact that you can be a fan, but don't have to be in a "fandom". Thus, I am not in one.
However, I can thankfully ignore the fandom because it's never been loud or in-your-face (unlike some fandoms... yeah, you know which one!), and it hasn't spoiled my enjoyment of the series at all. I still adore almost everything about this series, books and movies. Calling J.K. Rowling a genius is an understatement. I can't wait until she writes a brand new series for all ages again. =D
Oh yeah, the epilogue... yuck. Yeah, sorry, but I actually dislike the book's epilogue. It's very sloppily done and unneccessary in my opinion. Every time I finish Book 7 I close the book right before "19 Years Later". Thankfully, Deathly Hallows Part 2 (the movie) greatly improved the epilogue. It would be nicer though, if the series ended with Harry, Ron and Hermione going home on the Hogwarts Express, instead of a cheesy flash-forward.
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Harry Potter = My Childhood
I'm not going to review all of Harry Potter here. That would be impossible. Really, all I have to say is this- Harry Potter still holds the same amount of wonder and mystery for me today then it did when I was six years old trying to figure out how I was going to get those four HUGE books down from the top of my parent's bookshelf.
It's odd, with all the death, angst, and violence the series contains, that I consider Harry Potter to be my ultimate escape. More than comic books, more than Star Wars, more than video games, more than any other fictional universe I have ever come in contact with, I feel compelled to retreat into the Harry Potter world every few months or so. Why? Because in Harry Potter's world, there's always a home waiting to take you in, always friends that will never abandon you, always some new secret to discover. Harry said it best when he called Hogwarts the place where all abandoned boys could find a home, as this socially awkward, often bullied and even more often friendless Troper can attest to.
And don't even get me started on the fanbase. So much has come out of Harry Potter: Potter Puppet Pals, A Very Potter Musical, wizard rock, and more fanfiction then you could shake a wand at. Jo Rowling's dream hasn't just succeeded in entertaining- it has kickstarted an entire wave of creative thought, and brought so many people to reading that it just boggles the mind.
Lots of people claim that the books are overrated. Are they? In my opinion, absolutely not. The story and characters are amazing, but beyond that, the prose is very excellent- why do so many people call it simple? Does it have to be complicated to serve its purpose, which is to entertain and spark the imagination? I don't think so.
I still get an empty feeling in the pit of my gut every time I read the epilogue (which is kinda cheesy, but in a good way), but I always find great contentment in reminding myself that one doesn't need to be a British kid born with magic powers to visit Hogwarts- if you for some reason can't visit it in your dreams, there's always those books (which seem to get smaller and shorter with age- Shrinking Charm?) sitting on the top of your shelf, begging you to crack them open and get back to Hogwarts again.