 "What Can One Say?" | 2009-09-29 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2CISZ4JLKQRJA |
At this point in time (late 2009), what can one say about the first Harry Potter book? Almost everyone must know the story by now, so what is left to say? Well, I'll put my two cents in on why one might want to read it as an adult so late in the game by telling why I did it.
I went to see the movie corresponding to this book when it came out - that was late 2001 I guess - and really enjoyed it. Didn't think of reading the book, since it was a kid's book, and I was over 40. A co-worker soon after admitted to me that she was reading or had read the book and that it was very good.
Later, I saw the second movie and found it a little hard to follow and thought that the books might be worth reading before seeing the films. Since I had seen the first two movies and was short on time, I started reading with the third book. After that, I read all the later books as they were available and saw the movies as they came out in theaters. Recently, when I saw the 6th movie, I decided that maybe I would read the first two books and watch those movies again as the series was almost over and maybe I did miss something.
I finished the first book today. It was very good as most people know already. From what I can remember, the movie followed it pretty closely, but I think I did pick up some details that I had missed. I congratulate the author for her wonderful contribution to literature and movies - for children and otherwise.
One thing that I will say to an adult who is hesitating to read this or any book in the series is this. They aren't written all that simply, and there are some good vocabulary words thrown in now and then. As the series progresses, I think the author wrote aiming at an older audience as well - in subject matter, style and length.
One thing about this first book that an adult might notice that is a little off is that it was weak on continuity from one chapter to the next here and there. That is, it seemed more like several closely related short stories strung together than one coherent story at times. This was not the case in the later books from what I saw. This may be because the author had so much to introduce to get the series going and/or it was to keep a younger audience from getting bogged down otherwise.
The author did a great job in making the wizard world seem all so real. It was great fun - maybe as adults we could all use a little more of that in our lives, especially when times are tough otherwise.
I'm glad I read this one and look forward to reading the second book and re-watching the first two movies before seeing the final two movies due out in future. Well done, Ms. Rowling!
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 "Poor packaging protection" | 2009-09-23 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2QIUXEWQVPYQX |
| I received the CD box with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1) and was disappointed that is was not well protected. It was dented at both ends. If I had been a collector I would be very disappointed. I did not return it since I just wanted to record it and listen to it on my iPod. After openining the lid would not stay in. I kept poping out...making it easy for the 2 cases to fall out if it lay flat. The CD were great, however; they were not damaged. |
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| "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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| "FUN: Highly enjoyable escapist fantasy, especially for kids." | 2009-08-08 |
| - Reviewed By greatstoat |
A lot of the accusations made in the one-star reviews are true... There is a lot about this book series that is derivative of Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, and many other well known books, fairy tales, and fables. It is also a pure fantasy adventure with lots of stock or archetypal characters (but let's be honest, what fantasy isn't?), and there really isn't a whole lot going on under the surface.
However, since I don't think ANYONE in the right mind could mistake "Harry Potter & the Sorceror's Stone" for the title of work by Dostoyevsky, those arguments don't really hold up as an accurate assessment of whether the book is successful (let's also not forget that Tolkien and Lewis purloined mythology to build their exciting worlds).
What this book IS is a quick and easy to read fantasy romp with lots of heart that has been massively successful in persuading digital-age kids to sit down and read complete English sentences (with each book upping the reading level, no less), plus some good life-lessons and unpretentious morals to boot. I don't have children yet; but if I ever do, I will definitely give them copies of these books. It's also quite a good way for adults to relax and blow off steam without having to contemplate the harsh realities of wage slavery and the military-industrial complex. You might even crack a smile.
The audio book version that is narrated by Stephen Fry is also terrifically fun and light-hearted; it makes my work day pass relatively painlessly.
My final word: There's better lit out ther, better fantasy, better kids' books, even better kids' fantasy, but that still doesn't detract from the fact that this is a highly enjoyable read.
If your kid like's these books, also try Coraline by Neil Gaiman, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through The Looking Glass by Lewis Carol, Hobbit & LOTR by J.R.R. Tolkien, Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle, and the Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. |
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| "Overrated? Sure, but still a fun read" | 2009-08-07 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3NSP35DYZNEE0 |
I tried reading this book some years ago, it didn't catch my interest right away and after only a couple of chapters I put it away thinking that the target audience was definitely kids and that it clearly was overrated. Besides, I was pretty bored of the tired old theme of the young boy who learns he has magical/super/special powers. Gee, never read that one before.
Fast forward a few years and I found myself about to head out on a long plane trip and didn't have time to go to a bookstore and pick something I really wanted, so in desperation I picked up this book again.
The book still has a slow start, but once Harry gets to the magic school a sense of wonder kicks in that really turns the book around and makes it a fun read. And that is really what makes it work - the author does a good job of conveying a sort of childlike wonder without overly dumbing it down and making the book seem too much like a kids book. There are also some interesting minor characters to spice things up, and although Harry himself is to me the least interesting of the three main characters, his two companions make up for his shortcomings.
Is it overrated? Sure it is. But what we have here is an example of good story-telling. The story itself isn't really new, and there are plenty of tried-and-true (and perhaps worn-out) fantasy themes and props throughout, but what makes this book work is the balance of humor, wonder, mystery, and darkness. Those things, together with good pacing - make for a very tight and overall satisfying read. I'm glad I gave it another shot. |
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