Harry Potter: Its all over

SPOILER ALERT!!!!.
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First, the book did not follow the standard Potter formula, with school being the gel that held everything together.

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I disagree, and actually think that this is one of the strengths of the book.Everything that Harry loved or that protected him or gave him any guidence had to be taken away from him in order for him to do what he needed to do, and that included Hogwarts and the teachers there.Loss and abandonment and how we pesevere and make our own way is a major theme of the series.

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The far more critical issue with the book was the lack of any real epilogue or 'denument'. After investing seven plus years and 3000 or so pages into a setting and characters the lack of closure really, for lack of a better word, sucked.

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I think you are missing the point of the epilogue."Nothing happens", because nothing much happens in normal life during peacetime when people are free to live as they wish and are not under constant thread of attack, torture, and death.That is exactly what Harry and everyone who opposed Voldemort was fighting for; the ability to have a normal life.

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Am I alone in not liking either the books or the movies? She seemed to invent the magic as she went along. There were far too many rabbits out of hats.

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The magic really isn't the point of the story, Percy.It's just a fun and engaging backdrop to the tale of an ordinary boy who is thrust into extraordinary circumstances and has to make many chioces, all of which have consequences, and not just for him.It is a great morality tale about choosing to do the right thing, even when it costs you dearly, and how incredibly hard it often is to do that.The first two films aren't very good; the third is very good and this latest one is almost as good.And, you actually have no idea if you like the books or not if you have only read a quarter of the first one.Edited by nator, : No reason given.

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I enjoyed the deathly hallows more than any of the others, but only because I knew we would finally get all of the answers.

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Yeah, some people really have a strong need to know all of the answers, don't they?

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Where you sad for Snape? I was. I thought he was a good guy - that's the only prediction I got right really.

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I was sad for Snape (and sad we didn't get more of him in this last book). However, I don't really think he was all that good of a guy, although I also guessed that he was a double agent. Ultimately, the only thing he had was an unrequited love/unhealthy obsession for Lily. He didn't really care about Harry.

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Oh - and does Hermione remind you of anyone Shraff?

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Wow, such an excellent compliment! I am flattered.

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It's my experience that it's the good/nice guys that never get the attention they deserve in real schools.

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The first couple of books are pretty innocent.Harry has it pretty hard for most of the rest of the books. His life really sucks, pretty much all around, for years.

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Every step of the way, Harry is protected and embraced by the figures of authority.

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...except for Snape, who hates his guts and tries to make his life hell....and also except his blood relatives, the Dursleys, who also do their best to make his life a terrible one.

The first two movies were just a bunch of scenes from the books, played on the screen. Too simple and list-like.The third, though, actually had a central theme (time), was cinematically interesting and very well-edited, and the kids' acting was better, I think, because they got better direction. It also had a sense of humor and felt more like the director had a creative, cohesive vision.

You make very good points, and I shall ponder them.PS Excellent post about "femininity" to Juggs over on the Feminism thread, BTW.