Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix....

[fajrdrako]

I spent most of the day reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which I finally got from the request list at the library after months on the waiting list.

When it first came out, a lot of my LJ friends talked about it; I skipped most of their comments for fear of spoilers, and now I have to remember who was talking about it and hunt out their comments, as I really want to hear what their reactions were.

I thought that while Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire had departed from the pacing and style of plot of the previous books, this one was much more in the same style as the first three.

1. I liked Harry's angry, temperamental mindset. He has a lot to be angry about. A lot to learn, too, I think.
   
   
2. Generally speaking, I liked the characters I liked before: Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Cho, Sirius, James, McGonegall, and especially Snape.
   
   
3. The only characters I can think of that my attitude changed with, was the Weasely twins: I liked them a lot on the previous books, but for the first half of this one or more, I thought they were mercenary and annoying rather than amusing and anarchistic. They came out all right in the end, though.
   
   
4. I still think Ron is a twit, though I liked him better than in previous books.
   
   
5. The centaurs remain my favourite of the non-human sentient creatures.
   
   
6. There wasn't much about Slytherin in this book, which is good, because I always feel defensive of the Slytherin students and impatient because they are all written as such obnoxious jerks. I want them to be redeemed; partly because I love their symbol, the snake; partly because I can't believe that one quarter of any student body would be innately bad. I agree with Hermione, that the student body should not be divisive.
   
   
7. It was interesting to see Harry first baiting Dudley, then protecting him.
   
   
8. I find it difficult to believe that the Ministry of Magic is collectively as innocent or as stupid as they appear. Especially Cornelius Fudge.
   
   
9. Harry's memory seemed to wax and wane in tune to the needs of the plot. I can't believe he would forget that Snape was in the Order of the Phoenix, or that Sirius gave him a package. Yeah, Harry was stressed, but those things were sort of unforgettable!
   
   
10. Dumbledore, at the end, seemed more interesting and sympathetic than he had ever seemed to me before.
    
    

Comments

[lmondegreen.livejournal.com]

The only characters I can think of that my attitude changed with, was the Weasely twins:

Personally, I grew to tolerate Ginny Weasley (whom I didn't particularly like before), and my admiration for Neville Longbotton grew by leaps and bounds.

It was interesting to see Harry first baiting Dudley, then protecting him.

Yes! I love his rapport with the Dursleys in this book; they're a lot less like a caricature of a Roald Dahl family in this one, I find.

I find it difficult to believe that the Ministry of Magic is collectively as innocent or as stupid as they appear.

What did you think of Umbridge? ;-)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I've always liked both Ginny and Neville. Neville was nicely heroic this time.

I still don't lke the Dursley sections of the books, but they were more interesting this time. And I liked Harry's magical friends threatening the Dursleys in the end.... About time!

Umbridge was appalling.