Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

[fajrdrako]

I enjoyed Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince more than the previous couple of Rowling books, mostly because I liked (and respected) Harry more in this one. Even Ron and Dumbledore seemed less annoying to me, so the book was more of a pleasure to read.

I'll put my comments under a spoiler-cut just in case there is anyone in the world who hasn't read it yet.


1. I liked the concept of the Half-Blood Prince, the idea of the spells in Harry's book, even the Half-Blood Prince's name. I did not for a moment guess it was Snape who was the half-blood prince - in fact, I thought it was Harry's mother.

2. Though Snape has always been my favourite character, I don't see a loophole to his now-revealed evil. I think the whole point is that he hates Harry and Harry hates him, regardless of what he has done or why.

3. Though I liked Dumbledore more than before, I still didn't like him much, for numerous reasons. I find it hard to see Dumbledore objectively; I just don't like his style, and on this reading I realized why. It's because he seems insincere to me, and manipulative.

4. Most of the action was in the last ten per cent of the book.

5. I wasn't sure why Harry was so certain Ron wouldn't want him dating Ginny - just adolescent nerves, perhaps?

7. Nice funeral for Dumbledore.

8. I liked Tonks and Lupin. I wished we'd seen more of them.

Comments

[rosiespark.livejournal.com]

I read it the weekend it came out, and while I enjoyed it quite a lot, not a lot seems to have stayed with me. Not enough to really discuss it, at any rate. How annoying!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yes, I find that the books don't stay with me and while I was reading I was forgetting details - like what happened to Katie Bell. No big deal, but I wish I had better memory-retention.

[rosiespark.livejournal.com]

I have a vague impression of Katie Bell as a Quidditch player, but as for what happened to her, I have not the faintest idea. ::frowns::

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Heh. Yes, she was a quidditch player on Harry's team. Near the beginning, walked into the loo and was handed a necklace by someone. It put her into a coma or something and she's hardly heard of after that, until she gets better at the end.

I think.

[rosiespark.livejournal.com]

I'd completely forgotten about that incident. And I'm afraid a re-read isn't on the cards at the moment - I'm having enough trouble getting anywhere with my Lymond reread. I suppose it doesn't help that I pick up Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell whenever I'm in the bathroom, have just finished a reread of The Charioteer (they're reading Last of the Wine next on maryrenaultfics), am slowly working my way through an audio version of Henry V, have just finished watching all of Firefly, re-watched Stage Beauty on Saturday, watched Home twice (squeee!) yesterday and feel the need to re-watch Lawrence of Arabia this evening because I didn't really feel that I "got it" the first time round. Whew!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm not really planning to reread the Harry Potter any time soon if ever. Lower priority. I bought a copy of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell at a garage sale but haven't had time to read it. (Maybe I'll take it to Malta with me? I'm wondering what to read on the trip, besides Dunnett.) I'd love to join in on the discussion of The Last of the Wine but I'm immersed in the George R.R. Martin discussion in the Dunnett SF list, and I'm trying to reread the Lymond books. I've been talking about watching Firefly again before the movie - maybe on the weekend? - and I taped Stage Beauty on Saturday because it was on TV but only had time to watch about half an hour of it. The beginning.

I love Lawrence of Arabia but I've only really seen it once. I figure the important point about it is that Peter O'Toole was young, beautiful and looked like Lymond.

[rosiespark.livejournal.com]

Isn't it strange (and wonderful!) the way our lists of stuff we love or are reading/watching overlap? Or maybe it's not that strange, after all. :)

Jonathan Strange is very good. I read it a few weeks ago; took me a while to get into it but once I did, I was enthralled. Much like certain characters in the book... *g*

I opted out of the GRR Martin re-read because I had too much else going on - and I can't read the new one without having read through from the beginning again, there's too much I've forgotten. *sigh*

Have you seen Home yet? I watched it twice yesterday. Heh, better not say anything else in case you haven't got round to watching it yet... ::bounces impatiently::

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Isn't it strange (and wonderful!) the way our lists of stuff we love or are reading/watching overlap? Or maybe it's not that strange, after all. :)

I think it's quite wonderful. In fact, I occasionally remind myself that it isn't really predictive - you won't necessarily be a fan of all the same things I am - but there's an amazing amount of overlap. And when we do like the same things, it tends to be for the same reasons.

Having forgotten too much is exactly why I wanted to do the George R.R. Martin reread, and I must say, I'm enjoying it immensely - rather too much - it feels like a guilty pleasure!

Yes, I saw Home on Saturday morning and I'm dying to discuss it! Wasn't Starbuck wonderful?

[rosiespark.livejournal.com]

you won't necessarily be a fan of all the same things I am

No, but there's a pretty good chance that I will be. And I'd seriously consider anything you recced, even if it didn't quite sound like my cup of tea. Like Firefly, which I've finally got round to watching. I enjoyed it, very much, but haven't fallen in love with it. Not yet, anyway. *g* I do plan to rewatch the whole series, and am looking forward to Serenity.

I know there's often no point comparing, but BSG has grabbed my heart in a way that Firefly hasn't managed to. I like all the Firefly characters, but there's no-one I relate to in the way that I do with Lee and Kara, and no relationship that comes close to Lee/Kara. Which, I may add, is why I adored Home so much. All the cues at the start of the pyramid ball scene seemed to be pointing towards it going the same way as their last disastrous encounter in KLG - and then Lee makes his little speech about how he's her friend and he loves her, and I get the feeling that he isn't really expecting her to respond to it but he goes ahead and says it anyway, bless him. And she gets this tiny smile on her face, and then she's teasing him, mercilessly, but you can see how pleased she is about it all, and by this point I am all asquee and have melted into a little puddle of goo. Guh!

And when we do like the same things, it tends to be for the same reasons.

Which is why you make such a wonderful beta, and why I love discussing my fic with you - same wavelength. :)

Is it October yet? *g* I'm so glad you're staying on after the Siege.

[widget-alley.livejournal.com]

Lupin and Tonks... well, I hate to be all teenage-female, but OMFGSQUEETHEIRLOVEISSOCUTE.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I have to agree. Somehow it's a relationship that just works. Which I never would have guessed.

[widget-alley.livejournal.com]

Oh, how happy I was that Remus finally had someone, too. I always want to give him a hug.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

There was quite a bit of pair-bonding in that book, which I liked. I always thought it was odd that Dumbledore had no wife or lover.

[widget-alley.livejournal.com]

That anyone knows about, anyway.

[(Anonymous)]

Well, yes, that's just it. The man is a cipher. I don't have a sense of knowing anything about his personal or inner life. Of course, we're seeing him through the eyes of a young student - Harry wouldn't necessarily know much about Dumbledore. Is it a requirement at Hogwarts that the teachers be unmarried?