Top 5 answers coming tomorrow. 😀 Thanks to everyone for the suggestions! Keep ’em coming!
And becuase I really haven’t been able to think about anything else… some comments on the now infamous JK Rowling interview as well as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince itself (in list form, of course)…
So… the interview. I guess you can say I’m a *little* (ok, a lot) disappointed in JK Rowling. I don’t think I should have to re-read the books just because I’m a Harry/Hermione shipper. I acknowledge there are many obvious hints of a potential Ron/Hermione relationship but it was H/Hr that grabbed me and made me fall in love and I don’t understand how that’s wrong (or delusional). Books mean different things to the readers because our lives and experiences color our interpretation — and I just happened to find meaning in the little details rather than taking the text at face value.
Anyway.
Brief comments on the actual book (which I absolutely LOVED and could NOT put down, despite the ships)…
1. It was totally jarring not to start the book with Harry’s point of view. Not sure that I liked that at all. But maybe that was JKR’s intent? To kind of throw the reader off balance right at the start?
2. Dumbledore’s death made my heart ache. He’s grounded the books for me (him being the wise old wizard and such) and now that he’s gone, it’s like all bets are off. And the way he died? Gave me chills. Which brings me to…
3. Snape. He’s evil. Or at least I want him to be, if only because he’s treated poor Harry like crap since he first arrived at Hogwarts. AND he killed Dumbledore! Come on now. Plus, part of me wants to see what Alan Rickman can do with the role, lol.
4. Horcruxes. Loved how these gave us the opportunity to find out more about Riddle’s background. I know he’s the villain but Voldemort intrigues me.
5. BWAH at Luna’s Quidditch commentary! More Luna! And Neville! I thought that we would be treated to more Neville in this book (especially after OotP). His reduced part was a bit of a letdown. But was it just me or did it seem like there weren’t too many characters involved in the story in HBP? I’m currently rereading OotP and it’s like every imaginable character is in it. I suppose that’s because of the OotP and DA meetings. Nothing significant, just something I noticed.
6. The ships. I’m not surprised at all that R/H happened (doesn’t make me happy about it, though — at least I’ll always have H/Hr in fanfic!) but Harry/Ginny was unexpected. I had a feeling R/H would be canon so I didn’t think anything AT ALL would become of H/G. It’s just too convenient, you know? I did end up enjoying them anyway. In the end all I want is for Harry to be happy… (As an aside, I was just thinking of the movie that will most likely be made for HBP and does anyone else think the producers/director may possibly recast the part of Ginny? Bonnie Wright is cute but she didn’t exactly impress me in CoS.)
7. Trio Love at the end. SO GREAT. This is *THE* relationship of the books me for me (OT3, hee!) and it made me so happy to know that while Harry has a huge undertaking ahead of him, he has his best friends by his side. HRH4eva!!!11! But no Hogwarts in Book 7?! Wow.
Can you link me to the first part of the JKR interview? I can’t seem to find it and I want to read it from the beginning.
Starting the book outside of Harry’s POV – I think it happened in GOF too – when they started by talking about the Riddle murders? *runs to check*
Yep: in GOF chapter one starts, “The villagers of Littel Hangleton still call it ‘the Riddle House’, even though it had been many years since the Riddle family lived there.” And goes on to tell the story of the Riddle murders.
But yeah, I was also thrown off a bit by it, and when I went to start re-reading the book today, I was tempted to skip over the PM and MM stuff. 😮
Question, didn’t it used to be Minister OF Magic, and then in this book it was Ministor FOR Magic? Or am I smoking crack, or is it a difference between US and UK versions? (I read this one in the UK verison, the others in the US version.)
I abhor Snape with a passion. I don’t care whose side he ends up on, he needs to DIE.
I love the trio too. I’m so glad that despite everything that has happened to them, in books 1-6, that they are still there together, friends for life I hope.
I was hoping Percy would have died in this book. Or something more would have happened with him at any rate. Perhaps not death, but I would have liked to have seen him as developing more I guess, even though I know he’s not the focus of the books.
I love H/G. I was really glad when it happened, and you’re right, it is convenient, but I think their relationship has been building since book 1, so I’m happy that they are together.
Die Snape die! I’m in your boat. I guess at this point I don’t care what his motivations were, good or bad, he killed Dumbledore, and he’s just a pretty cruel guy in general I think.
I just finished HBP. Wow. I had held off on reading your comments until I finished. I know, shameful that it took me this long, but am I ever glad that I’m done.
So sad that Dumbledore is dead. It broke my heart reading that.
I CAN NOT BELIEVE SNAPE. It makes me angry just thinking about it.
I loved Harry and Ginny together. It was a bit surprising, but enjoyable. Sad that he had to let her go at the end of the book. I have hopes for the still.
It’s going to be far too long before the final book. FINAL book?!? I can’t believe it. I need the story to go on and on forever. One book every two years, that’s not too much to ask for is it?? 🙂
I’m going to go and watch that J.K.R. interview now.