Books - JK Rowling/Harry Potter Discussion #3 We Are All Crazy for Potter

Kimberly · 08-01-2005, 09:56 AM

Hello you guys! We are on the Aug. book club choice HBP

What did you guys think of this one?

Did you guys feel it was one of her better or worse books?

What are some of your favorite parts?

What was the most touching part of the book?

Start discussing

Warning there are going to be spoilers in here so if you haven't read the book turn back now!

galela · 08-02-2005, 10:10 AM

i loved this one. it was, in my opinion, definitely better than the order of the phoenix which just felt sort of longish to me & in some parts, didn't really make sense.

for HBP

Spoiler:

but the half-blood prince was very entertaining. i just wish i hadn't known from the very beginning that someone was gonna die. i was so worried about whom it was gonna be & throughout the entire book i kept wondering when's it gonna happen, when's it gonna happen. i was so worried it was gonna be dumbledore & then there's this point where he makes harry promise to leave him behind & it made me go: oh no, not him! then i thought he was gonna make it & it was gonna be snape. and when snape finally kills dumbledore i was so shocked - i re-read that part three times to make sure i read right. and i bawled like a baby.
i can't believe she killed sirius & dumbledore. i feel so lonely & alone for harry, if that makes sense.

but i so KNEW from the very beginning that snape was trouble! i've hated him through all the books. i like him in the movies, it's that sorta humorously dark & snarky character. but in the books i hated him with a passion & it's so heartbreaking that harry is once again right about the warnings & dumbledore won't listen.

i loved this one. definitely one of my fave hp books.

Kimberly · 08-02-2005, 05:47 PM

for HBP

Spoiler:

See this book actually felt really rushed to me. I wanted to know more about Harry's reaction to losing Siruis. All of OOTP dealt with was Cedric's death and Harry's reaction to that. Harry barely knew Cedric. So the fact that she didn't talk about his death bothered me a LOT.

I actually was spoiled about Snape killing Dumbledore but that didn't make it any easier to read. I figured that Dumbledore had to die before the end of the series but I never thought Snape would be bad. Really I'm not ready to accept him as "bad" I wonder if Dumbledore and him were trying to save Draco and Dumbledore sacrificed himself.

I'm just not sure.. I just hate to think that Snape is evil. Why spend all that time telling us he is good.

I loved Draco in this book!! I have always been a fan of Draco but seeing him cry and scared. OMG I just wanted to hug him. I don't think he is evil or could ever be evil. I don't think he would of killed Dumbledore. In fact given 2 more mins. the book would of been totally different with Draco on the good side. I still think Draco will be a major reaon Harry wins over Voldmort in the end.

The whole couples part of the book irritated me. I found a lot of the behavior out of line or weird I guess part of that might be because I have always like Harry and Hermione as a couple. But I just really got annoyed with Hermione and Ron. Not only did their fighting bother me but the fact they didn't believe Harry. That just killed me. Hermione who even believed Harry in GoF didn't believe him about Draco! WTF Ginny and Harry was ok.. kind of rushed. I wanted to see more of their talks. I felt like she never let the audience understand why Harry chose her.

hmm.. other things.. I loved the idea of the Horcruxes and learning more about Voldemort's past. Those were some of my favorite parts of the book. They seemed like the most thought out part and the least rushed.

All and all an ok book. I wouldn't put it near the top of the series though. Maybe if she had made it 200 pages longer I would of liked it more. I just felt like we never really got to deep in this book.

Angela12 · 08-03-2005, 08:13 PM

I'm still kind of too heartbroken over this book to discuss it much. I'm sure you understand why, Kim.

Kimberly · 08-06-2005, 01:58 PM

aww Angela

Question for you guys..

for HBP

Spoiler:

Was it just me or do you not like the idea of them not being at school next year? Some of my favorite moments in the past books were the moments in the school.

I will miss that.

However, I was glad that Ron and Hermione are going home with Harry

I wonder if we are going to see more of the Dursley's. In book 5 I felt like JK opened so many questions about Petunia and just dropped them in book 6. I hope she explains more about Petunia and Lily in this book.

~*Echo*~ · 08-06-2005, 09:49 PM

for HBP

Spoiler:

I liked it a lot, although I agree that it felt rushed. I wish we could have seen a couple more classroom scenes. The only ones we really saw were Potions classes. It would have been nice to get a little more of the description of daily life at Hogwarts. And all the couples drama was a little irritating to me too.

I was kind of prepared for Dumbledore to die when I started reading the book because of the names of the last two chapters: "The Flight of the Phoenix" and "The White Tomb." I saw the words 'phoenix' and 'white tomb' and was almost immediately worried for Dumbledore. Still, I was shocked when it happened, especially when it was Snape that actually did the killing.

Right after I finished the book, I spent hours trying to process it. When I first finished, all I could think was: "Draco isn't completely evil and Snape is. This is so weird!" After thinking about it for a long time though, I'm still not completely convinced that Snape's evil. Could just be denial on my part (I'm kind of a Snape sympathizer), but I have a hard time believing that all that stuff Dumbledore said about his complete trust in Snape was just a huge mistake on his part. I think he had a bigger reason for trusting Snape than just "Oh, he seemed really, really sorry."

And Draco! Wow, and all this time I thought he was just a big bully. Well, he still is (I was cringing when he broke Harry's nose on the Hogwarts Express), but at least he interests me more now. Here's hoping the Death Eaters don't wipe out that streak of humanity we saw when he was with Dumbledore.

I like the whole Horcrux idea. I makes the final battle more interesting than just having Voldemort and Harry battle it out in a straight fight. Dumbledore's speech to Harry about the prophecy was great too; I wish I had room to put the whole thing in my signature.

I actually predicted that Snape would be the Half-Blood Prince not long after his first appearance. I was very proud of myself, because I rarely ever get these things right.

Overall, the book ranks somewhere around second or third overall for me. I can't decide if I like it more than Goblet of Fire or not yet. It'll take a re-reading and a little more time to help me decide for sure.

LittleMilkJug · 08-07-2005, 12:59 AM

for HBP

Spoiler:

I really enjoyed the book and it gets better with every re-read. Jo herself said that this is more or less the first part of a two part story arc, thats why I wasn't too worried about the slightly flat ending, as it's really the middle of the story. Also she had to explain alot of information, especially about Voldermort, which she did very well. I really loved the part where we saw Dumbledore talk with a very young Tom Riddle in the orphanage.

And the hunt for the Horcruxes is something I can't wait to read. She really knows how to keep you interested in the story. And Snape OMG, there is so much more going on with this man. I can't hate the guy, no matter what he did and how he has treated Harry in the past. I really think he will die in book 7, but not before he helps the Order to defeat Voldermort..mark my words. Also a really powerful scene was Draco crying in the toilets and talking to Myrtle, it just goes to show him as he is, a boy not ready to be a Death Eater yet.

Harry. You can see how much he has matured over the last year, like a lot of people he annoyed me in OoTP, but here you can see him thinking for himself and not fly off the handle so quickly.

Hermione So glad to see her put down her books and act her age(instead of someone 10 years older) for once. Though I was slightly surprised at how Jo made her and pratically everybody else not listen to Harry.

Ron Great Comic relief! the Won-Won/Lav Lav had me in stiches! I'm surprised alot of people were shocked at the violence between Ron and Hermione. There was nothing worse than what you get in Tom & Jerry (how many times has poor old Tom had birdies fly around a lump on his head?). They are just two teenagers in love who have still to figure it out. Please kiss and be done with it already

Ginny Just love this character more and more. I love the direction Jo is taking her, sassy, spitfire that she is. I'm glad that Jo didn't dwell on Harry and Ginny getting together, it's not afterall a romance, but I loved what she did write, and you just know there is more to come

Fred & George Who didn't think the gold painted gnome on top of the Christmas tree was the funniest thing?

Luna I wished there had been more of her. She has a future in Quidditch comentating!

This book has done just what it was meant to, make you go crazy to read how it all ends

Kimberly · 08-07-2005, 11:45 AM

for HBP

Spoiler:

Quote:

Originally Posted by ~*Echo*~

.

Right after I finished the book, I spent hours trying to process it. When I first finished, all I could think was: "Draco isn't completely evil and Snape is. This is so weird!" After thinking about it for a long time though, I'm still not completely convinced that Snape's evil. Could just be denial on my part (I'm kind of a Snape sympathizer), but I have a hard time believing that all that stuff Dumbledore said about his complete trust in Snape was just a huge mistake on his part. I think he had a bigger reason for trusting Snape than just "Oh, he seemed really, really sorry."

And Draco! Wow, and all this time I thought he was just a big bully. Well, he still is (I was cringing when he broke Harry's nose on the Hogwarts Express), but at least he interests me more now. Here's hoping the Death Eaters don't wipe out that streak of humanity we saw when he was with Dumbledore.

I know Draco and Snape are the most interesting parts of this book

I still think that Snape was trying to save Draco and that Dumbledore knew. I mean that is a big mistake trusting Snape for all of those years if that whole time Snape hated him.. I know there is more to that.

I actually was really sad about the change in Hermione's character

I have always been able to identify with Hermione more then any other character in the book. Was bookish too and I love the fact that she always is wanting to help. I found the fact that she didn't believe Harry to be totally out of character. We have seen Ron not believe Harry before but never her. I would of liked Ron to believe him too. You would think that after GoF Ron would know by now to trust Harry.

I loved Luna too and I wanted to see more of her and Neville

I love both of those characters and after book 5 I thought they would play a bigger role.

I also really liked the Dumbledore/Harry parts of the book. After OotP I hated Dumbledore felt like he had been lying to Harry for years and didn't know what he was doing. But this book really made me love Dumbledore again. Which is really cruel since she killed him

I keep wondering if maybe it was a fake death. You know how Dumbledore was telling Draco that they could fake his death. Well it would have to be a good fake to get past Voldemort so maybe this is the same thing

I don't know..

but it was a heartbreaking scene that is for sure.

I worry about Draco being with Voldemort too. As we clearly see he isn't evil and I don't think he wants to be a death eater. I think a lot of his hate towards Harry must be because his Dad must give him trouble about how he isn't as good as Harry. Either that or I've been reading too many fanfics!

Angela12 · 08-07-2005, 04:09 PM

for HBP

Spoiler:

Quote:

Originally Posted by k46

aww Angela

Was it just me or do you not like the idea of them not being at school next year? Some of my favorite moments in the past books were the moments in the school.

I will miss that.

Thanks...and yes, I agree that the thought of them not being in school bothers me. I love the setting of the castle.

antillesrogue · 08-07-2005, 04:20 PM

I loved this one. It's my second favorite, just after Prisoner of Azkaban.

The extent of getting spoiled for me was looking at a list of chapter titles that we weren't sure were accurate or not (turns out they were), but I've never been good at symbolism so it didn't make much of a difference.

Spoiler:

I really liked what JKR did with HBP. She started to focus a little more on the teenage aspect of their life with the relationships and teen angst and everything. It made them seem more like teenagers, which I thought was important. I loved the ships, of course

but it didn't make the book for me. I was thoroughly engrossed in the Snape-Draco plotline. I'm a firm believer that Snape was working for Dumbledore and still is. But I won't get started on that, I wouldn't be able to stop.

I thought the concept of the Horcrux was deliciously brilliant. I mean, splitting up your soul so you can never die, but becoming more tortured as you do so. Talk about a double whammy. Of course, it's also pretty evil.

HBP was a HUGE cliffhanger. Will Harry, Ron, and Hermione ever come back to Hogwarts? Will Ron and Hermione actually get together, or were they by the end of HBP? What will Ginny do when she finds out the trio's plans to leave Hogwarts? How will Snape be able to help the Order/Harry once everyone discovers his 'betrayal' (if indeed he is still working on their side)? How will Harry be able to find the Horcruxes without Dumbledore's help? Is Harry himself a Horcrux (theory I've heard quite a fw times)? The questions that haunt my mind...

22 Umbrellas · 08-07-2005, 10:07 PM

for HBP

Spoiler:

Quote:

Originally Posted by galela

but i so KNEW from the very beginning that snape was trouble! i've hated him through all the books. i like him in the movies, it's that sorta humorously dark & snarky character. but in the books i hated him with a passion & it's so heartbreaking that harry is once again right about the warnings & dumbledore won't listen.

aww...I always really liked Snape, both in the books I've read and in the movies. What exactly happens? Why is he completely evil? I haven't read the book which is probably not a surprise, but I hope you guys are right and there's more that we don't know. I don't want Snape to be bad. I don't think he is.

I was really surprised and happy when I first heard about the cliffhanger. In the first 3 books the ending was all "points subtracted here, points added here, Gryffindor wins the house cup again!" which got very dull for me and was one of the reasons I was not very happy with the books. But I like this cliffhanger. Definitely spices things up. I'm sad about Dumbledore, but that wasn't such a big shock.

I do plan to read the remaining books someday. In fact, last year my sister and I found OotP at HPB for only $.50 (!!!) and I totally wanted to get it but it was huge and we were carrying many books and CDs so we had to give up some of it.

Kimberly · 08-08-2005, 09:17 AM

Spoiler:

Susan Snape kills Dumbledore

It is sooo sad..

but I am sure there is more to it then meets the eye.

LittleMilkJug · 08-09-2005, 05:30 AM

for HBP

Spoiler:

Quote:

Originally Posted by antillesrogue

HBP was a HUGE cliffhanger. Will Harry, Ron, and Hermione ever come back to Hogwarts? Will Ron and Hermione actually get together, or were they by the end of HBP? What will Ginny do when she finds out the trio's plans to leave Hogwarts? How will Snape be able to help the Order/Harry once everyone discovers his 'betrayal' (if indeed he is still working on their side)? How will Harry be able to find the Horcruxes without Dumbledore's help? Is Harry himself a Horcrux (theory I've heard quite a fw times)? The questions that haunt my mind...

My thoughts exactly

PS. If you like to have fun with Harry Potter, London's Guardian Newspaper had a competition, to write the Dumbledore death scene, anyway you wanted but in the style of a famous author. The competion is closed but the results are still up, some of them are really funny and worth a look, the Dumbledore death scene in the style of Chaucer won, but my favorite is Hermione Granger's Diary..in the style of Bridget Jones(Helen Fielding)

Here's the link

The Jane Austen entry starts..how else?

It is a truth universally acknowledged that an old wizard in possession of a big secret must be in danger of his life.

Kimberly · 08-09-2005, 11:49 AM

Thanks for the link

I'll have to check that out later.

Lindsey Mayer · 08-10-2005, 06:34 PM

This had to be one of the best Harry Potter books, my 2nd fave after Goblet of Fire. It made more sense to me than Order of the Phoenix did. And i liked how Harry was a bit less angry in this one. Hardly saw any caps which was great.

for HBP

Spoiler:

It was hard to read the death of Dumbledore, very hard, because i loved this character so much. I cried so much. It was like i couldnt believe it was happening. Yes i was sad when Sirius died in the last book but Dumbledore had been there since the beginning.

And Snape doing it was even harder to read. I had always had a weird liking towards him but now im kinda confused. I never really understood his relationship with Dumbledore and i always thought Dumbledore to be right in his views of people and if they were good or not. And i had always had a feeling Malfoy would be a death eater just cuz of his father and what not. That wasnt much of a surprise there.

I loved the teen angst they had in this book. Harry and Ginny were way cute, and being a big Sidekick fan, i loved everything about the Ron and Hermione parts.