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Who's Finished with HP?: A Spoiler-Free Zone
July 23, 2007

Isn't everyone done with the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows? There is some argument in my house between the camp that believes a book is to be savored slowly and the camp that could not stop reading for one second.

If you think that the former is the older, wiser camp, you're dead wrong. I was finished with HP7 by Saturday midnight, and the only reason is took me THAT long is because Mr. Bethanne and I had a previous dinner engagement. While I can't claim heirloom tomato salad, soft-shell crab, and dining outdoors on what may be the single most beautiful evening of the summer to be hardships, I was still itching to get back and turn those last few dozen pages. 

Don't know about you, but I was not disappointed. I refuse to tell you anything about what I liked and didn't like, though, since I realize that many people may not have spent their weekends in thrall to young Harry (see how specious all my previous curmudgeonly comments were?). I do know that my blog pal Amy over at Wozabooks did; take a peek at this entry to understand why she, like me, paid top dollar for our copies of HP7.

So let's keep this a spoiler-free zone, but tell me: did you finish The Last Book over the weekend? Were you satisfied? Any other thoughts you can share without revealing (too many) details?

                                                            Cover Image

Posted by Bethanne Patrick on July 23, 2007 | Comments (14)


July 23, 2007
In response to: Who's Finished with HP?: A Spoiler-Free Zone
Claire Kirch commented:

Despite attending my brother's wedding Saturday evening, and a weekend of parties with family, I still finished HP 7 on Sunday morning. My daughter finished it that evening, she also fitting in reading it between parties and swimming in a hotel pool all morning Sunday. All I can say is WOW, JK Rowling more than met my expectations. I re-read HP 5 and HP 6 last week, and intend to re-read them and then re-read HP 7 again.




July 23, 2007
In response to: Who's Finished with HP?: A Spoiler-Free Zone
DuqWingMan commented:

I did indeed finish the book. I had pre-ordered it all the way back in February and much to my delight, it arrived just as I woke up Saturday Morning. I read it all day, taking breaks for meals and a 2 hour nap and finished it 1:00 AM Sunday morning. I enjoyed the book thoroughly and without giving too much away, It left me with calm satisfaction about completing the series (though I do hope this is not the last book in Rowling's Wizarding World).




July 23, 2007
In response to: Who's Finished with HP?: A Spoiler-Free Zone
Bethanne commented:

Claire Kirch and DuqWingMan, I'm with you: J.K. Rowling did a fantastic job with HP 7. However, I agreed with Dan Kois over at Slate that the hero-quest narrative structure was not as much fun for HP fans as the school-year narrative structure. But maybe that's because we're all geeks?




July 23, 2007
In response to: Who's Finished with HP?: A Spoiler-Free Zone
Lesa Holstine commented:

I received my copy so late Saturday, that I waited until Sunday so I could read it all in one sitting. Yes, I'm one of those who believes it needs to be read all at once. And, she met my expectations totally. I thought it was a perfect ending, and I don't think she should take us back to Hogwarts. I'm satisfied with it as it is.




July 23, 2007
In response to: Who's Finished with HP?: A Spoiler-Free Zone
Mary Ann Scott commented:

I tend to savor books, but for two reasons I simply had to pore through HP: I wanted to read it before the spoilers became too hard to avoid; and I just needed to take it all in and satisfy all my hunches and questions and desperate desires. There are very few books, even books I have loved, that I have wanted to speed through. But I simply had to know what came next. I had to turn the page. Yes, I am absolutely satisfied and proud of JK Rowling for wrapping it up this way.




July 23, 2007
In response to: Who's Finished with HP?: A Spoiler-Free Zone
Laura Chilberg commented:

This book WAS different from the first six. I did notice the lack of centering on the school, and I sometimes missed ineraction with the other characters, but it in no way hampered my enjoyment ... I loved it. As I have reread the books, I note how they move from being extremely entertaining children's novels to literarily challenging fiction for all ages with complex characters and multi-level plots. Rowling has progressed from a good writer to a truly excellent one. I'm sad it's finished, but it was a totally satisfying end to the series.




July 23, 2007
In response to: Who's Finished with HP?: A Spoiler-Free Zone
Kim L commented:

I finished that Saturday, after receiving the book at approximately 12 (noon). It took me until 4:30 to finish & I was trying to read slowly. Beautiful book, well-written, great plotting. A very redemptive book (which is what I consider its theme). Some very heart-wrenching moments too.... Rowling always surprises me with her ideas & writing.




July 23, 2007
In response to: Who's Finished with HP?: A Spoiler-Free Zone
amy@wozabooks.com commented:

Bethanne: I am a very slow reader, and sharing one copy with my 15-yr-old, so have not yet finished HP7, even though we bought it at 12:01 on Friday night. I hope that other bloggers and reviewers will be as considerate as you and not spoil it for us by giving anything away. My husband was musing last night at dinner about the difference between our children, who have read along over the past 10 years, not knowing what would happen next, and our grandchildren (not yet on the horizon) who will one day read the books but with the knowledge of how it ends because it will become part of the pop culture. What is your take on how that difference will affect the reading of future generations? Amy PS--Thanks for encouraging people to visit my blog! (And kudos to you for buying HP7 at your local indie!) Amy www.wozabooks.com




July 23, 2007
In response to: Who's Finished with HP?: A Spoiler-Free Zone
Michele M commented:

I was very happy with the fact that all the loose ends were tied up, and all loop-holes closed. I felt the last few chapters were a bit awkward in parts, there were a few explanations that I felt were a bit off. Overall, I loved it and look forward to re-reading this last book again.




July 23, 2007
In response to: Who's Finished with HP?: A Spoiler-Free Zone
Rachel commented:

I gave in to the impulse to but HP7 at Target Saturday night and finished the book around 6am Sunday. I enjoyed the book immensely, with some of my hopes being fulfilled, and others not. Though I am truly sad about two of the characters who died (they deserved to live!), I was really impressed with the character development of some of the supporting characters. I need to re-read HP 5 & 6 before reading this again.




July 23, 2007
In response to: Who's Finished with HP?: A Spoiler-Free Zone
Julianne Daggett commented:

I finished reading the book in the early afternoon on Sunday and I throughly enjoyed it, but her editor could have done a better job--twice the wrong character was quoted which is easy to do when your writing, but an editor should have caught such an obvious mistake along with the many other grammatical mistakes in the book. I'm nitpicking of course, because aside from a few mechancail problems this was Rowling's best yet and I hope she continues writing, whether it be Harry Potter or brand new books that are just floating ideas in her mind, because her writing continues to improve with each book and although I'm not sure her next books will be as much beloved and anticipated as Harry Potter, they will still be great books and great reads and I look forward to reading what ever Mrs. Rowling dreams up next.




July 23, 2007
In response to: Who's Finished with HP?: A Spoiler-Free Zone
MotherOf4 commented:

I, for one, have never read a single word, paragraph, or book of the Harry Potter series. Nor seen the movie. Am I bragging? Not sure. I suppose I've not been tempted to turn those pages because I'm not one to follow the masses just because "everyone else is doing it." So all you Potter piranhas, go ahead--enjoy every last word. I hope Rowling did a great job for you!




July 23, 2007
In response to: Who's Finished with HP?: A Spoiler-Free Zone
Alana Abbott commented:

I had a full shift of work on Saturday and company on Saturday night (all three of whom had finished the book before I got home), so I spent most of Saturday evening keeping them from spoiling me and hurried to catch up--finishing it late on Sunday. ;)




July 24, 2007
In response to: Who's Finished with HP?: A Spoiler-Free Zone
MARTHA DRAPER commented:

Finished Sunday evening 9 p.m. ish. That was cram reading around events of life. I attended a great independent bookstore party, in costume too. I loved the book but cried over one death in particular and grieved over another as well. I am studying to be a library media specialist and am currently a speacial reading teacher. J.K. Rowling's genius shines with brillance to the very end of book 7 and all of the other books fit so beautifully into it. So HP is not just for kids. I am 50+years young!!!





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