I just posted a Harry Potter thread in GD!

I loved all 6 of the books so far.

:hi:

I'm on the greatest page!!!!!

:swoon!:

:hi:

:cry:

"I'd like to thank the Lounge...."

other than "thank you!" :D

I've tried to read since I finished #6 a few months ago.

(If I may ask)

I loved the beat of the words. I jived with it. Took me 3 months to read all 6 books and I have to say if was 3 months of having something to look forward to.

And I read a lot....Lately I can't find anything that matches the writing, the story telling, the character development. Rowling is an amazing writer.

Rowling's style is decent, average, and not bad. But I do not consider a outstanding writer.

I am still a fan of the Potter books but Rowling's style is more formulatic and not out of the ordinary.

and again recently. I don't like symbolism, poetically written, swirly words that take me away from the story. Guess I'm more blood and guts, lay it on the line, get to the point, spit it out and don't waste my time beating around the flowery bush type of reader.

I had read as a kid most classics - Balzac, Dostoievski, Tolstoi, Hugo.
You know what they all have in common? They write in clear, direct prose. You don't need a dictionary to go through the page.
As Dumbledore demonstrated: the great ones are always doing it with simplicity.
Prose is not something that should be visible when one reads. Unless one reads simply for the pretensiousness of it. (Kinda like acting)

I think it's because it SUCKS YOU IN.

The first three books, I was like, eh, but somewhere during book 4 I went "whoa." I read 5 in a feverish haze, and of course after 5 I had to do the reread of the first four.

The character development is so intense. At first everyone starts out as sort of a caracature, but at some point they all begin to walk and talk and move around for themselves.

One of the things that really strikes me about the books is the amount of sympathy she has for all of her characters. There are really only a handful of characters you don't end up feeling deeply sorry for. And I think that's a function of the amount of motivation and emotion she embues in each character.

For example, Draco's a total brat throughout the books, but at the end of 6, you think "wow, he's in WAY over his head." Rowling said that the critical moment for Malfoy is that the first time he meets Harry, he tries to make friends. That's pretty sad.

And the rereads offer so much! Like the vanishing cabinet, which is mentioned in an offhand manner at least three times before 6. She put so many arrows in the narrative pointing to the outcome, but there are so many different arrows pointing to different things there that on the first reading, you don't even see the important arrows.

I could go on and on... :D

(edit: basic sentance structure forgotten in the happiness of writing about what makes Harry Potter SO satisfying!)

I love the way Harry is becoming dark and mercenary-like. Books 4-6 were extremely intense. I found myself dreaming about them if I stayed up too late reading. It was almost like a death in the family when I finished #6.

I think the fact that Rowling kills off characters that you actually develope a "love" for is so effective. Stephen King does that, also. But somehow, I never got so wrapped up in the characters as I have with the Potter series.

and the fact that it's now what? 3000 pages???

There's a lot of what seems like filler, but turns out to be critically important on rereads. It's a very simple writing style, but dare I say, almost Hemingway-esque in its simplicity.

I agree with you about Tolkien; it just never did anything for me at all.

We tried similar books (Eragon et al) - but the language was so heavy - it didn't work. Only other so nicely written (as language) "A Series of Unfortunate Events"
LOTR - sorry, I get lost in that English...

like I'm nuts. It drives me crazy because I felt the same way at one time. I refused to give in to the hype. But I worked in a bookstore for awhile and all these "grown ups" kept telling me how great the books were, so one day I went to the library and forced myself through the first book. After that, I was hooked.

Not saying King's the pinnacle, but he used to be a breeze to read before - now seemed forced.

But I liked the one he wrote about the girl lost in the Maine woods better. That was a great story.

n/t

I think this was one of his best. The ending was very satisfying.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0671042858/104-0290142-9301510?v=glance&n=283155

I used to be all about Stephen King, but his later stuff has gotten very odd, IMHO. (Not that his earlier stuff wasn't). But it seems like he's trying too hard to craft a Tolkien-esque mythology, when all I'm looking for is a good story.

It's very different from most of his stuff.

I'm looking for some good reads to fill the time until what, 2007?

:D

:patriot:

I nominated it earlier tonight. Very insightful.

Some of the responses are very insightful.

Oh! And thanks! :hi: