 "A wonderful beginning to a great series -- and it is great on a rereading!" | 2009-09-20 |
| - Reviewed By robertwmoore |
I am currently rereading the Harry Potter books for the first time since J. K. Rowling concluded her series. What most impressed me about the series the first time through was how much better it got as it went along. The first two novels in the series -- THE SORCERER'S STONE and THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS -- were fun and interesting, but not great. THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN, however, I did think qualified as great, and the subsequent books were even better. I tremendously admired Rowling in all this. I'm sure that she had absolutely no idea that the books would become the phenomenon that they did. She could have coasted and produced several more novels on the same level as the first two, but instead she worked extremely hard, improved her craft, and kept faith with her readers. The quality of the first novels compared with the later novels is immense. Whether or not the series deserved the degree of hype it received early on can be debated, but by the time Rowling completed her saga it definitely warranted all the praise that it had received.
Nonetheless, even though THE SORCERER'S STONE is nowhere as good as the later books would be, this is a better book than I remembered. Rowling does a tremendous job of setting up the overall situation, imbuing her story with primal elements that perfectly appeal not merely to child readers, but any reader. Many of these elements are similar to what one finds in classic fairy tales: a child with a hidden destiny and unacknowledged worth is abused and debased by uncaring foster parents. This is as basic a set up as they come. And the details that Rowling develops as she chronicles Harry's life with the Dursleys are exquisite. There are times when she almost goes over the top and the neglect of the Dursleys become absurd, but all in all the effect is delightful. The contrast between Harry's nightmarish life with the Dursleys and his exciting, if sometimes dangerous, life at Hogwarts is immense.
The closest thing I have to a complaint to the first novel is that the overall story is simply not very strong. What makes up for this is the frequently delicious description of Hogwarts. The places, traditions, people, and entities she describes are consistently marvelous. Diagon Alley, Haggrid, the Hogwarts Express departing from Platform Nine and Three Quarters, the Sorting Hat, the four houses of Hogwarts, Nearly Headless Nick, and numerous other details are simply superb. And Rowling creates a wonderful cast of characters. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are a truly great trio, as is Dumbledore and Snape and all the denizens of Hogwarts. As I said, I think the dramatic arc of this novel is the weakest part of the book, but the world she creates is nearly perfect. The subsequent novels would exploit this wonderful world to create a great overall story.
Now I'm going to say something controversial and will probably make some people mad, but I want to write an honest review. For me the one really false note that runs through all of the Harry Potter books is quidditch, which is improbably described as the greatest game in the world. I find almost nothing interesting and appealing about this game, even if people could ride on brooms. One could point to a host of minor problems with the game, but the biggest would be the absurd number of points assigned to the catching of the Golden Snitch. Catching the Snitch garners so many points as to render the rest of the game as nearly irrelevant. Apart from the fact that the game is played by people who are flying, I found almost nothing interesting about the game. And as much as I came to love the series in the later novels, I never came to like anything about quidditch.
All in all this is a fine start to a great series. The main achievement in this first book is the wonderful, literally magical world that Rowling creates. While the stories would get better, the initial set up could not have been more perfect. I look anxiously forward to the next book in the series. |
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 "Will The Last One to Read the Book Please Shut off the Lights?" | 2009-09-15 |
| - Reviewed By menfai |
At the time I write this, there are some 5,512 Amazon reviews written about J.K. Rowling's HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE, and while not all of them are to the point (there are grumblings about shipping, for instance), there's not much more I can say to persuade or dissuade someone to read this book. Indeed, although I am sure there are still many first-generation readers to come after me, I do feel like I'm the last person to get around to this book. Indeed, not having even seen a Harry Potter movie, I'm a complete neophyte.
As with some other books I've reviewed on Amazon, I've read this first Harry Potter entirely because my daughter wanted it read to her. (Mind you, she's already read it many times over herself, could tell if I made a gaffe in my reading, and in fact was sure to point it out in every instance. Moreover, she took offense at my growling, slightly Scottish accent for Hagrid. I can't help it if his dialect as written sounds a wee bit Highlander to me.)
So, for all those Muggles (i.e., regular dudes, squares, laobaixing, what Rugrats become) who haven't read HP/SS (to use the fandom lingo, or HP/PS, if you're reading the original British version, HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE), here's the upshot: Harry Potter, the son of a pair of heroic wizards is deposited on the doorstep of his wretchedly Muggle aunt, uncle and cousin, the Dursleys, where he's forced to live as a Muggle in a dirty cubby under the stairs and is regularly mistreated throughout his childhood. When it comes time for him to go off to middle school, Harry, who, as it turns out, is famous in the magic world, escapes from the Dursleys to attend the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The rest of this volume recounts Harry's first year at Hogwarts, including his making friends, his success at the game of Quidditch, and his encounter with the evil being said to have killed his parents, Voldemort.
It's a charming read. (You probably think I'm being sarcastic; I'm not.) I won't get into the argument as to whether or not it's truly literature. Children adore the book, and a lot of adults as well. I must admit that I found Harry taking a bit too much delight in the suffering of his enemies to make me feel comfortable about him being a role model of any sort to my daughter; then again, Harry went through a childhood guaranteed to keep a Muggle child in therapy for years to come. As far as my daughter is concerned the bad kids simply deserved it.
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 "Tree" | 2009-09-12 |
| - Reviewed By tkeaton3 |
| The main thing I was up set about was how the seller mailed the product to me. It should have been put in a box instead they put it in a manila envelope and by the time it reached me it was smashed. I have every book on cd and the box is as much of the product as the disc. I had to us packing tape to somewhat put the box back together. |
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| "waa'sHP&SC" | 2009-09-12 |
| - Reviewed By User: ATSG2RASH419C |
| great adventure - book in excellent condition - timely delivery - story itself makes you want more |
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| "Good Book" | 2009-09-11 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2Z9OY8ETL85WN |
| Book is in excellent shape and well worth the money spent. Very enjoyable reading. Thank you |
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| "One of the best novels read in a long time" | 2009-08-16 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1AST89AHN17O7 |
For a first novel, I have to say that J K Rowling really knows how to glue her readers to her story. The characters are believable, the story is just excellent, especially the miror of erised chapter which is probably one of the best in the whole series.
Not only is it a great book, but we get to see how Jo Rowling started plotting her whole series and we get to see all the little clues and details that eventually not only influence the future books, but also important elements coming back in the last chapters of the series.
A great beginning for a great author. |
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