SPOILER WARNING - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - discussion

[Bellatheball]

The epilogue didn't even "sound" like Jo. My guess is that little chapter was a gift for younger readers who may want everything wrapped up with a bow on top. I also think it closes the door on more books about Harry (though prehaps opens them for new books on the kids).

I still can't get past those kids' names though. It was too sweet, too corny, too silly for Jo. Someone else must have written it.

[sputnik]

^^^
except for scorpius malfoy
i liked that one.

[yanna]

Originally Posted by sputnik

totally agree about the epilogue. i loved all of book 7 and wasn't disappointed once until i reached those cheesy last few pages. so i've decided that i will pretend they don't exist and that the book ends with the 3 kids in dumbledore's office and harry deciding to put the wand back

i also knew snape would turn out to be good. i guess i have too much faith in dumbledore to think he could make such an error of judgement. as for his undying love of lily, it all makes sense though. it explains that mixture of revulsion (for the parts of harry that remind him of his father) and the need to protect him. i was so sad that he died though. he's always been one of my favourite characters. i was way sadder for him than for any of the other dead. though i really liked lupin, mad-eye and fred.

I think that Snape actually being good had been pretty well set up. There was pleading in Albus' voice when he was asking Snape to kill him and with that blackened hand and all it really looked like the old man didn't have much time left.

I'm not a hundred percent against Snape's love for Lily as a motivation. It looked to me like he had been starved for affection and would value her friendship very much. Not enough not to hang out with the Junior Death Eater league or not to call her a mudblood in his worst memory (though that was said under duress). Add in his pain over having played a part in her death (though not the only one, all he did was relay a Prophecy to Voldemort and once he knew that it was Lily who was targeted he turned. The rest was a combination of James being a moron who trusted Peter, Peter being a traitor and then James again being a moron who answered the door without his wand in his hand while an Evil Wizard Overlord was after his son.

What I truly objected to, was pathetic Snape still having a doe as his Patronus (wonder how he explained that to anyone who had known Lily's) and that scene where he was crying like a big wuss and then tore out the part of the letter his beloved St Lily had signed. WTF ever! We get a badass character suddenly act so incredibly pathetic I just wanted to hit something. Or someone but the only person next to me was Aella and she was a bit ahead of me and so pissed off about the Snape character assassination that she was banging the book against her head.

I wanted Snape to fight for the greater good because it was the right thing not trying over and over to repay his debt to Lily and protect her beloved son. And how he wanted to look into Harry's eyes for the last tiime because they were Lily's eyes??

Ugh, I got mad again and that's not good for my blood pressure.

[karistiona]

You know what, the epilogue was like a balm for my battered soul. Everyone wanted Voldemort gone so they could get back to having a normal life, and the epilogue was nice. It shows that life goes on and our main characters end up just fine, and happy. Yes I would have liked more, but for me the main thing was that Harry, Ron and Hermione were fine.

I love that she's left it open for more books, there's nothing like hope for something wonderful. It sounds like Teddy Lupin or the bizarrely named children could be a follow up...Scorpius Malfoy...I mean really, has JK never seen Farscape?

I like how Ron really came into his own in this book, sounds like Lavender Brown was good for him!

Snape...sniffle...I knew he couldn't live, but it was still really really sad when he died. Shocking too how fast it was.

[govegirl]

Originally Posted by karistiona

You know what, the epilogue was like a balm for my battered soul. Everyone wanted Voldemort gone so they could get back to having a normal life, and the epilogue was nice. It shows that life goes on and our main characters end up just fine, and happy. Yes I would have liked more, but for me the main thing was that Harry, Ron and Hermione were fine.

I love that she's left it open for more books, there's nothing like hope for something wonderful. It sounds like Teddy Lupin or the bizarrely named children could be a follow up...Scorpius Malfoy...I mean really, has JK never seen Farscape?

I like how Ron really came into his own in this book, sounds like Lavender Brown was good for him!

Snape...sniffle...I knew he couldn't live, but it was still really really sad when he died. Shocking too how fast it was.

I agree

And it is left so open so maybe we can twist her arm to write more! I heard that it is being considered!

[birdmadgirl]

Originally Posted by awshuks

I know she's said that this is the last of Harry Potter, but she has certainly set up in this last book many situations she could write about. Harry's kids would be one, Harry's mom and dad in school, or even Dumbledore's young adulthood. There are lots of ways she can carry this on. I think there will be a lot of pressure on her to write more. I hope she does. She's too good of a storyteller to stop now.

Yeah, I wish she'd pull a Star Wars and go back and write the beginning now.

[tofucheesecake]

Not if she's as poor at it as George Lucas was... :\

[ekee]

I just finished the book an hour ago. Can't believe this is it.

I agree with most of you. The epilogue is just cheesy. I didn't know whether I should gag or laugh at it.

Boy Snape and Girl Lily are too cute. I'm glad Snape is on the good side. I never minded Snape. But this book totally won me over.

Harry is quite annoying but not as much as he was in Book 5.

I actually got bored with those Ron-less chapters. Haha. Can you tell he's my favorite?

I need to re-read the book. I think I'm very biased now.

[birdmadgirl]

Originally Posted by tofucheesecake

Not if she's as poor at it as George Lucas was... :\

Very true!

[Mel1973]

I've also finished it... cheesy fucking epilogue had me a little pissed. The death that did me in the most was Dobby. Got my wish when Molly killed that evil bitch Bellatrix.... Glad she got some ass whoopings throughout the book too for letting Harry escape. Once she killed Dobby, I wanted her dead but not too damned quickly. I was glad Snape turned out to be a good guy - but not surprised. Hated the kids names in the epilouge - except for Scorpius. Wound up liking Snape more than before when Dumbledore asked him to kill him and he said "would you like for me to kill you now or do you want a moment to prepare an epitaph?". That was just funny smarcasm! Loved it. I kept waiting for the comparison of Teddy and Harry.. both orphans, both lost the parents due to Riddle .. blah,blah,blah - was glad that didn't come... I have more and will be back with it....

[Bellatheball]

I'm rereading it again. There was one scene that really stood out the first time and I loved rereading it the second...when Molly gives Harry her brother's watch for his 17th birthday. He hugged her and tried to put a lot of feelings into the hug. It was a beautiful, brief moment.

I would have loved an extra chapter or two between the last chapter and the epilogue. I'd have loved to read what the characters would say to one another after that battle. What did Harry say to Ginny? What did Mr and Mrs W say about losing a son? What did McG and Harry say to each other?

[birdmadgirl]

I loved it when Molly fought with Bellatrix. All we've ever seen of Molly is her being a mom and cooking and cleaning and screeching at people...

[ekee]

I'm gonna re-read it, too.


But maybe i will skip some chapters about when Harry and Hermione were on the run.

[karistiona]

I think the camping chapters will be better when you're not desperate to know what happens...if you know what i mean.

[sputnik]

^^
true that.
also, i agree with those that said the book could have used more snape. he only shows up at the end to die and have his thoughts read.