July 23, 2007
I’m done. I finished a few minutes ago, and the kids are still asleep so I’m uploading another of my fabulously rambling podcasts showing my immediate thoughts after closing the book. Don’t listen unless you’re done. Now - off to my email and my comments waiting to be moderated.
WARNING: Comments may contain spoilers. Don’t read the comments unless you’ve read the WHOLE BOOK.
I finished the book on Saturday, and all things considered, I’m quite happy with the way Jo chose to end it. I think she did a fantastic job of answering our many questions and bringing the series to a close in a realistic way. The book was so full of twists and turns, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, and I cried like a baby the whole last 60+ pages … all I can say is “amazing.”
Wondering how you felt about some of the loose ends… at the end….
1. What happened to Luna, Dean etc….
2. What ever happened to the Dursleys
3. What about Hermoine’s Parents
4. What about George and Freds Joke Shop
5. Hagrid and his lady friend (can’t remember he name at the moment)
6. Where did Teddy live after his parents death?
what do you think?
The way you continually predicted things that were yet to happen freaked me out. You had such insight into JKR’s mind,lol!
I hated the way the book ended. Too neat and convenient. I’m going to start reading it again soon because I know I missed a lot from reading too fast.
I agree with Dianabanana! Perfect ending and I cried the the last 60 pages as well. It did not leave anything unanswered.
I quite agree with you: it was the perfect ending, even though I’d have really really liked to find out, what was Harrys Jobb 19 years later… However, it does not really matter, as he seemed really really happy with his wife and kids and friends!
Loved hearing everything you had to say. I couldn’t agree more about wanting to know more about the last 19 years! But I was happy with the ending. Cannot wait to hear Jim Dale reading this one. And I know I will reread it soon, much more slowly.
Woo hoo! Isn’t it nice to be finished? Though, I do wish the rest of the world would (or at least my coworkers) would hurry up so that we can all talk about it. Overall, I’m just so thrilled. Thanks for the podcasts.
I loved it. I started reading Sunday morning and couldn’t put it down. Took it everywhere with me. I finished it last night at 2:13 am. I had to get up to take my kids to school at 7 am so I am alittle tired but it was all well worth it.
I totally agree about the last chapter though.. wish there was more.
Nicole
Did you pick up on the fact that Voldemort and Harry did turn out to be distantly related? James Potter was descended from Ignotus Peverell, which is where the invisibility cloak came from, while Voldemort’s mother’s family was related the second Peverell brother. Distant cousins, Voldy and Harry. I wonder whether Salazar Slytherin came before or after the Peverells in the family tree?
Also, we never did find out what Dudley’s worst memory was (from the Dementor attack in Book 5). There was also something in an interview Jo said about there being a character who managed to do magic late in life, and I haven’t figured out who that was or whether it ended up not being included in the book.
I do agree - the book ended up exactly the way I wanted - Yay Neville! Go Molly! And I wanted to throttle Ron when he left Harry and Hermione in the woods.
I’m really looking forward to seeing the trio’s break-in and escape from Gringott’s and the Battle at Hogwarts on the screen - I hope they don’t change those too much when they make the movie of this book.
I loved the ending…it helped so much.
I knew, knew in my heart that Snape wasn’t evil and I never wavered from that opinion…and it’s a lovely feeling being right for once. He was tempted, yes, and threw in his lot with the death eaters as a teen and younger man…for awhile. But love, the one thing Voldemort didn’t understand…sadly, because he never felt love and never had love, was stronger.
Fred dying was sadder to me (altho I loved that he died with a smile on his face and a joke just enjoyed) than Tonks & Lupin…not sure why…their deaths were too fast and not really talked about.
I’m going to get the Jim Dale recording today and will listen to it on the way to Vermont this weekend.
“Albus Severus”…OMG that was the one part that made me tear up and smile, all at the same time.
The only thing I would have asked for was … more Luna!
Thanks, girlie, I enjoyed your podcasts
yay! i loved the book. i was biting my cuticles the entire second half and couldn’t put it down. i really only cried at the end when… well, i guess i can’t say. off to listen to the podcast now. zoot, you make me feel normal after this weekend since i was getting yelled at by friends and family for taking the phone off the hook and ignoring everyone except my family. i was told i was being immature.
oh and i so called most of the ending! i am so brilliant!
I want to know more about how things went later too…but we can just hypothesize
zoot, it was a pleasure to read this book with you. thanks so much for doing these podcasts…they really made my reading experience more exciting. every time i stopped reading i could check and see if you had posted something new…it was awesome because no one i know was reading the book this weekend.
anyway, thanks!
HAHA we finished about the same exact time! And I echo pretty much everything you said. I loved it. I was afraid throughout the whole book that I was wrong this whole time about Snape but was very very satisfied when he turned out begrudgingly good, just like I thought.
But Fred!! And Dobby!! and everyone else, Tonks (I was hoping to see more of her!) and everyone…I can’t imagine George without Fred. Did you just SOB when Harry was walking into the woods to face Voldemort? I’m so happy, I thought it ended perfectly.
I just finished reading it. It was sooooo good! I love that there was a big showdown where things were realistic and yet, we got our soppy happy ending… *sigh*
I think I might just go read it again right now.
I have loved these books so much, for so long. It is hard to believe it is over …. I read in a white heat and finished at 3pm on Saturday. Now I am rereading slowly, savoring every word.
Thanks for all the podcasts. I couldn’t stop myself from finishing the book on Saturday, so I looked forward to listening along with you as you read. Helped stretch it out a little longer!
I was glad to hear you say that Snape is a jackass even though he turned out to be good. I couldn’t agree more.
Oh, and Neville? I *heart* Neville. As a matter of fact, I’ve always had a “thing” for him. *sigh*
I too just finished it like 10 minutes ago…and then listened to your podcast as I agree…I loved the ending. It was actually better than I thought it would be!!!!
I have some things about the book I wanna talk about…but I will not on my blog and I will not here…but I loved it…and I am glad to be done…but sad to be done…because…it is done…:(
Hooray! I really enjoyed hearing your whole series, and was chuckling as you hit the wand on its end regarding the wandlore twists that would mean the Elder Wand wouldn’t perform as Voldemort would have expected.
I was relieved at the happy-joy, too, and am eager to comb back through all the books with a new understanding of how the pieces fit together.
Wow. Only one of your podcasts to listen to - only because I wanted to hear what your voice sounded like. Not at all what I imagined. Not sure what I expected, but not it.
Not a bad thing.
I just finished it myself…. *sob* It was SO good. I loved it heartily. I’m sad it’s over, but I loved the way it ended. Just simply perfect.
Love the podcasts, I listened to them all in a row yesterday morning, after I’d finished the book. I couldn’t put it down at all! I need to go reread the book again, I just need a breather, I get SO absorbed into that world, it’s exhausting.
I just loved this book! I think it is great how it all ended and everything tied itself up. I read somewhere that JK had written the final chapter of this book when she started the series. If that’s true, that’s awesome.
Also…..I wish all TV shows, etc. could have this kind of thought throughout the entire series so that everything does tie together.
I loved every single moment of the book. It was done so well, so intense, and I spent some of the time trying to figure out how she was going to wrap things up (Snape mainly) I loved when Ron and Hermione finally kissed. It made me laugh and cry at the same time. I was afraid of every battle. Afraid of who was going to die. I was actually afraid it would be Ron! So glad it wasn’t. I loved the ending and do wish we had more insight as to the lives they were all leading post Voldy…
Who was the cousin that Ted was kissing at the end. That was the only thing that bugged me. Did I miss whose kid that was?
I’m a lurker here, and a fellow Harry Potter fanatic. I agree, this was the best book of the series, and it was just amazing. There were still some loose ends (like the baby at King’s Cross, and the fates of some of the other characters - Neville, Hagrid, the Weasleys) that I’d like to hear you’re opinion on with the next podcast. So sad it’s all over, though.
And I wanted to say, you have a lovely voice.
I loved your podcasts! You have such an adorable, sweet voice.
I loved the book but I agree - we need more! I think maybe when Rowling has had some down time, she might be convinced to do more books filling in those 19 years. I’m sure it won’t happen, but a girl can dream, can’t she?
I loved this book, too. I loved the showdown between Voldemort and Harry, loved that we got to see Mrs. Weasley in action, loved that I was right about Snape’s following Dumbledore’s orders all along. I think the Deathly Hallows stuff was really interesting, but a little confusing in how it all fit in, and I would love to know how they got ahold of the the sword again. Was that mentioned and I glossed over it?
I was also confused about the Horcruxes. I wasn’t surprised that Harry was a Horcrux, but I thought that Harry wouldn’t be able to kill Voldemort b/c Voldemort still had some of Lily’s blood in him. Why didn’t that protect him?
I thought the epilogue was perfect, though I agree that it would have been nice to see what Harry’s job was, and I can’t believe they didn’t reveal who the new Headmaster of Hogwarts was. I was sure it would be Neville, but he was just a professor.
I’m off in search of some HP message boards!
Absolutely time for a re-read! : )
Can’t hear your podcasts at work, but love reading the comments of what people thought. I loved it and had some questions as well… however I read that J.K. is going to an ‘encyclopedia’ that will delve into more story lines of the characters and give people more insight into who the headmaster is now (she hinted it was Macgonagal) and what Harry does, etc, etc,… no time soon of course, but at least there’s something to look forward to!
What a book. Thanks for the podcasts. I loved the ending but of course it is not enough. I want more. The thing I loved best about this book was that it tied together so many other pieces from each book in the series. There were things from the first book that were important in this book. Jo is the master at this.
Thought you might be interested in this article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19959323/
JK mentions the fate of the character and things she couldn’t fit into the epilogue. Some of the highlights include the following.
Harry, Ron and Hermione
We know that Harry marries Ginny and has three kids, essentially, as Rowling explains, creating the family and the peace and calm he never had as a child.
As for his occupation, Harry, along with Ron, is working at the Auror Department at the Ministry of Magic. After all these years, Harry is now the department head.
“Harry and Ron utterly revolutionized the Auror Department,” Rowling said. “They are now the experts. It doesn’t matter how old they are or what else they’ve done.”
Meanwhile, Hermione, Ron’s wife, is “pretty high up” in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, despite laughing at the idea of becoming a lawyer in “Deathly Hallows.”
“I would imagine that her brainpower and her knowledge of how the Dark Arts operate would really give her a sound grounding,” Rowling said.
Harry, Ron and Hermione don’t join the same Ministry of Magic they had been at odds with for years; they revolutionize it and the ministry evolves into a “really good place to be.”
“They made a new world,” Rowling said
And:
The fate of Hogwarts
Nineteen years after the Battle of Hogwarts, the school for witchcraft and wizardry is led by an entirely new headmaster (“McGonagall was really getting on a bit”) as well as a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. That position is now as safe as the other teaching posts at Hogwarts, since Voldemort’s death broke the jinx that kept a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor from remaining for more than a year.
While Rowling didn’t clarify whether Harry, Ron and Hermione ever return to school to finish their seventh year, she did say she could see Harry popping up every now and again to give the “odd talk” on Defense Against the Dark Arts.
I’m loving all the insight from JK, I really hope she eventually does do an Encyclopedia type book! Thanks for the podcasts, they were great fun to listen to.
PHEW! Was that incredible or WHAT? (Sorry, I know I’m late to the party, but…)
I just had to add some of my thoughts. First, I cried harder for the deaths of Hedwig and Dobby than I did for others. And Chapter 34? Cried all the way through it. I mean SOBBED. When Harry was walking to his ‘death’, guided by all those he had loved and lost? And at that point, thinking Dumbledore had betrayed him in a sense? When he told his mother to ’stay close’ to him, I lost it.
I also have to say how vindicated I feel that Snape ended up being a good person. I never gave up on him, not once.
I wonder if you’ve considered what (or who) the dying creature was at Kings’ Cross. Someone at another blog said they thought it represented that part of Harry’s soul that had belonged to Voldemort. What do you think?
Great review, Zoot, and great podcast.