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I feel weird writing this post, because I don't really feel like posting, yet it seems like I should, and then I think--what, do you imagine the public is waiting on pins and needles for your words? Get over yourself!:-D
Anyway, I didn't much like it. Perhaps my feelings will change, but stop here if you don’t want to read any negative stuff. I don't have any rants prepared or anything or want to harsh anybody's buzz. (But misery also loves company!) I was talking to someone who's asked me what I needed from the book, what I wanted to happen or what would have made me satisfied, and the truth is, I don't have an answer. I don't have a list of prescriptive criticism, or think things were done badly, or should have been done a different way.
Well, except one little thing, which couldn't be helped. When that white doe showed up I never doubted for a second it was Snape's Lily!Patronus (cause she's a lady!James!). We'd seen Arthur's and Kingsley's Patronuses talk, and oh, how I wanted that beautiful sparkly stag to come up to Harry and tell him to get this Quest going already in Snape's sarcastic voice.
I've never loved these books the way some do--which should not be taken as a criticism of people who do. I just mean that I know there are people who re-read the books over and over as comfort, and that's not something I ever did. I didn't ever want to re-read to spend time with these people or in this world. There are other books I do feel that way about, books that other people find meh. Basically, I felt like JKR was writing a story of good and evil, and life and death, that resonated with her and satisfied her, and felt like a triumph for her--just not me. So I was a bit left out of the story, objectively even seeing characters doing good, brave things, and just not sharing much in the emotions. More than once I felt like I was seeing more story outline/structure than story so that it seemed very contrived (a couple of times Harry himself seemed to admit it) and made it feel like nothing was building to anything.
What it mostly made me do is go over all the ways I was reading it wrong, making my issues more central than the author really considered them. I don't think I was ever so off as, say, a Harmonian banking on the Hippogriff o'love or anything like that, and some things that happened I did predict (Snape/Lily, obviously, and DDM!Snape). But in general I think I was reading Rowling a bit too much like a Tolkien fan, and maybe too much as a Jungian (not that I'm any expert on Jung, but I was reading from my own idea of his stuff). And I think when JKR said that she was Christian and if she talked about her faith we'd know the ending, I immediately began interrogating from the *wrong* Christian perspective and got that wrong too.
Contrary to what some may have thought at times-or not-I don't hate the good guys. Still don't hate them, just still would not want to spend time with them or re-read the books to spend time with them. The characters I liked the most I think less of now or am just kind of confused by, which is unfortunate. I find Harry affectionately naming his child Albus Severus downright creepy--but that wasn't the first time in the book where that kind of thing happened.
Not sure what I predict fanfic-wise. I wonder if people might not start writing some interesting stuff. I did at one point think how I wanted to take a favorite character and put him in a different story.
Oh, also I've been dreading the epilogue for years, because I've always hated epilogues. Even when I was too young to know the name for them I hated them. Some books I guess can make a case for them being appropriate. HP is really not one of them that I can see. There was no reason I could see for needing to see these people married with children. The one good thing I read about it was after it was leaked, before I read it, and I read a comment where someone said the epilogue read like any cliché H/G fic...or any cliché post-war H/D fic.;-)
Anyway, I didn't much like it. Perhaps my feelings will change, but stop here if you don’t want to read any negative stuff. I don't have any rants prepared or anything or want to harsh anybody's buzz. (But misery also loves company!) I was talking to someone who's asked me what I needed from the book, what I wanted to happen or what would have made me satisfied, and the truth is, I don't have an answer. I don't have a list of prescriptive criticism, or think things were done badly, or should have been done a different way.
Well, except one little thing, which couldn't be helped. When that white doe showed up I never doubted for a second it was Snape's Lily!Patronus (cause she's a lady!James!). We'd seen Arthur's and Kingsley's Patronuses talk, and oh, how I wanted that beautiful sparkly stag to come up to Harry and tell him to get this Quest going already in Snape's sarcastic voice.
I've never loved these books the way some do--which should not be taken as a criticism of people who do. I just mean that I know there are people who re-read the books over and over as comfort, and that's not something I ever did. I didn't ever want to re-read to spend time with these people or in this world. There are other books I do feel that way about, books that other people find meh. Basically, I felt like JKR was writing a story of good and evil, and life and death, that resonated with her and satisfied her, and felt like a triumph for her--just not me. So I was a bit left out of the story, objectively even seeing characters doing good, brave things, and just not sharing much in the emotions. More than once I felt like I was seeing more story outline/structure than story so that it seemed very contrived (a couple of times Harry himself seemed to admit it) and made it feel like nothing was building to anything.
What it mostly made me do is go over all the ways I was reading it wrong, making my issues more central than the author really considered them. I don't think I was ever so off as, say, a Harmonian banking on the Hippogriff o'love or anything like that, and some things that happened I did predict (Snape/Lily, obviously, and DDM!Snape). But in general I think I was reading Rowling a bit too much like a Tolkien fan, and maybe too much as a Jungian (not that I'm any expert on Jung, but I was reading from my own idea of his stuff). And I think when JKR said that she was Christian and if she talked about her faith we'd know the ending, I immediately began interrogating from the *wrong* Christian perspective and got that wrong too.
Contrary to what some may have thought at times-or not-I don't hate the good guys. Still don't hate them, just still would not want to spend time with them or re-read the books to spend time with them. The characters I liked the most I think less of now or am just kind of confused by, which is unfortunate. I find Harry affectionately naming his child Albus Severus downright creepy--but that wasn't the first time in the book where that kind of thing happened.
Not sure what I predict fanfic-wise. I wonder if people might not start writing some interesting stuff. I did at one point think how I wanted to take a favorite character and put him in a different story.
Oh, also I've been dreading the epilogue for years, because I've always hated epilogues. Even when I was too young to know the name for them I hated them. Some books I guess can make a case for them being appropriate. HP is really not one of them that I can see. There was no reason I could see for needing to see these people married with children. The one good thing I read about it was after it was leaked, before I read it, and I read a comment where someone said the epilogue read like any cliché H/G fic...or any cliché post-war H/D fic.;-)
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From:
no subject
I think I must agree with you, in general. And I'm curious about what you think, in turn, about this: Have you read The Little White Horse? Someone pointed me to it as one of Rowling's favourite books. At the end of it, the heroine invites everyone - everyone in the book - to a tea party. And the smallest details become important; they all join together, like puzzle pieces into one picture.
This is the impression I had after DH. I've grown to Rowling writing like this before, combining the details into a tapestry, but in this book, it was especially visible; and especially in the final battle.
But I felt that... well, to Rowling different details were important than they would have been to me. To me, things like - 1/4th of a population cannot be evil!; House reconciliation; Snape's life debt; Unforgivables are evil! - these pieces were the important ones. To her, it was that Harry's Quidditch team should be present in the final battle - I was reading the chapter, and this one inclusion just... jumped at me. WTF the Quidditch team? What are they supposed to do?! Fly around people?!
I was just gearing for different pieces of the puzzle, I think. (And I so wanted Draco to be that dragon on the cover, too, going with the Trio on the Quest as the Slytherin representative...)
And I also thought that it's odd how that first part of the story is so very adult - not that I don't have my issues with that, mostly the taking off WWII ones someone talked about above - while the last one is about the importance of children's tales, with copious references to PS/SS. I just think that this part, as a whole, was planned long ago - not only the Epilogue. And while her writing moved on, this part sort of stayed behind. It really reminds me of The Little White Horse. Snape's Patronus reminds me of it, too. (And, to me, as a Snape fan, Prince's Tale was just... atrocious. I knew that, the way his tale went, he was slated to die. But the melodrama of the process, I could have done without.)
Then, obviously, I wrote a scene which, although it doesn't right all my personal grievances, goes a long way towards doing so. It's 200 words long, and it's fairy tale-ish, too... but it's a fairy tale from *my* world. There is House reconciliation included, sort of. It's on my LJ, if you want to have a look at it...
...but, mostly, I'm just curious what you think. If you read that Little White Horse book.
From:
no subject
Yes, I have. It made me think even more that there was going to be reconciliation between the houses, but it seemed like I just got the whole Slytherin thing wrong. It's unfortunate because I now realize that readings that I always hated in fandom, the ones where things I thought had to be addressed were fine and should be brushed aside, and the Slytherins should just be hissed at--were "correct." But I just can't read it that way.
It's like you said, the puzzle pieces just turned out to be different ones I thought were important, or in different ways. And maybe another part of my disappointing--which goes right back to the central wrong way I was reading--was that I thought it had to come down to Harry making different kinds of changes in himself. So for me the victory didn't seem very complete at all, more like just another fun battle for people to look back on fondly and probably call on the next time all the problems they still have start up again. Even when she did stuff like have Harry forgive Snape and recognize him as DDM, it wasn't in the way I thought was important.
From:
no subject
Yes, I agree - that part where Dumbledore compliments Snape that 'perhaps they Sort too early' reads really atrocious to me. That's where DD becomes not as much as a flawed, slightly manipulative man as a very repulsive and simply evil character to me. Even if evil is a strong word... that's exactly why I'm using it, I suppose.
I think that a lot of my confusement and anger has to do with the morality Dumbledore, and Rowling through him, paid lip service to, as opposed to what I feel they actually did; and, of course, that these books are now immensely popular and that they are geared at children.
From my point of view, she simply might have done a lot of harm. It's one book, but it's a hugely popular book - I can't help but remember the case of Jean Jacob Rousseau: when he introduced the idea that women should stay at home and take care of the children?
It's a different world now, of course.
In any case, thank you for reading and replying to my ramblings!
From:
no subject
I hope you don't mind me butting in to say thank you and I think this is very well-put! I've been trying to sort out my own reactions to book 7, and you've put something into words that has been nudging around the edges of my brain.