ericcoleman | The book

You're viewing

ericcoleman's journal
Create a Dreamwidth Account Learn More

Reload page in style: site light

I have finished the book ... if anyone wishes to discuss it ... please do so here ... I'm going to scroll back tonight and look at other folks comments as well.

of course ... there may be spoilers in the comments ... well duh ...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

ntrlstgrl.livejournal.com

What book would that be? :)

From:

ericcoleman

well, a book is something that has a cover and pages, and there are words on the pages.

Oh wait, that wasn't the information you wanted. Sorry, I didn't mean to talk down to you (the hell I didn't)

From:

ntrlstgrl.livejournal.com

LOL

OH MY GOSH! THOSE are BOOKS? Is THAT what's been cluttering up my house? Along with all the other stuff...crafty projects, dust...(Although...since I have a measly 1000 and Mom & Dad have 10000+ books...)

LOL

I liked book 7. I think she was gutsy in who she killed off (Hedwig? DAMNIT!) although I was surprised that the way she kept Harry alive seemed a little sketchy. Hard to describe my impressions. Will likely have to reread it.

From:

barondave.livejournal.com

You can listen to the Shockwave Radio Podcast on the subject.

From:

tony-goldmark.livejournal.com

To reiterate what I've said in my own journal:

I loved it for the first thirty-four chapters. I really did. Hell, I damn near cried when Harry walked to his doom, resigned to his fate. I was overwhelmed with the sheer poignancy of the event, and the ballsiness inherent in J.K. Rowling ACTUALLY KILLING OFF THE TITLE CHARACTER OMG!!!

But then, Harry wasn't really dead. I'm sorry, but that was weak. I still don't understand the logic of that happening, but even if I did it'd still be weak.

And then, in the Goddamned epilogue, J.K. Rowling personally sawed my skull open, took a big fat steaming dump all over my brains and said, "HEY! Are you over ten and reading my shit? WELL FUCK YOU, IT'S A CHILDREN'S BOOK! So long, losers!" And then she jumps into her solid gold limo and goes "VRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOM BEEBEEP OUTTA THE WAY BITCH, PUNCH IT!" and crashes into the brick wall to Diagon Alley.

I thought I'd be disappointed, but I also thought I'd be defending her at this point, saying "She's not a sell-out, and here's why..." but I can't. After seven years of dark magic, torture, possession, murder, soul-sucking wraiths, all manner of betrayal and lies......shit, when J.K. Rowling told Lisa Simpson "He grows up and marries YOU, is THAT what you want to hear?" I didn't think she was SERIOUS. That ending/epilogue was like being promised a delicious filet mignon, one so tasty that it took a 3000-page, exquisitely-written menu just to describe its succulence. Mm-mmmmm. And when it finally arrives at your table, it's a Burger King Kids Meal that an elf had farted on. Now, I know kids love Burger King Kids Meals, and I know they love elf farts too - but that doesn't mean it's good for them.

And that's why I looooooooooooooooove condoms. I'm sorry, but I DON'T CARE about Harry Potter's children. AT ALL. I care about Harry Potter's children even less than I care about a ten-year-old Darth Vader or a three-year-old Kermit the Frog. So Harry grows up to sire offspring, hoop dee damn doo, I DON'T GIVE A SHIT. I'd have rather found out what Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione have been doing to maintain peace, silence the crazier purebloods, and enhance muggle/wizard relationships in the intervening years - you know, the WHOLE FUCKING THING THEY WERE FIGHTING FOR THIS WHOLE TIME! Shit, even mentioning how George has been holding up without his twin, to me, is infinitely more intriguing than a slappy-happy-doo Brady Bunch ending like the one Rowling shat in my brains.

The last thing I wanted was to see Harry Potter turn into a Goddamn Yuppie Suburbanite Whose Life Is Just Fine. If his life is exciting, or even if his friends' lives are exciting, WHY NOT TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THE EXCITING PART?!

As a friend of mine recently put it, "Harry drops his kids off for school, then goes back to his shift at McDonald's." Mmmm, McHaggis.

From:

ericcoleman

I can certainly understand your point. The thing is that you are commenting right in the middle of the demographic ... as an old fart I found the part about the kids charming ...

also, the part you want, it would take another 34 chapters, and really not be all that exciting.

From:

tony-goldmark.livejournal.com

Not necessarily. Just show a judiciously-selected five minutes of Harry's life which shows him, I dunno, throwing Draco in Azkaban for killing a muggle. And there's elf judges and goblin judges on the panel. And then Ginny contacts him via floo to remind him about little Albus' quidditch game Saturday, and he assures her he'll be home no later than 7:30. That's just off the top of my head.

If you're gonna let him live, at least show that he still has some darkness in his life, as we all do. I don't mind him having children, as much as I mind an epilogue CENTERED around characters who weren't even swimming in Harry's balls yet for the entire story. Bottom line, I hated that after all that darkness, the epilogue was so hopelessly light.