Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I pre-ordered my copy from Amazon.com back in February, and was told it would arrive on Saturday by UPS. When I did this for Half-Blood Prince, it arrived either the evening before release or early that morning. This time, I spent my morning running to the door whenever the dogs barked, hoping to see a brown delivery truck. I told James that if the book hadn't arrived by 1pm, I was heading to Wal-Mart to buy a copy. Yes, I'm impatient. Of course, it did allow me time to get some work done on my sermon and other church-related stuff.

At 12:50 p.m., the mail arrived. Guess what was in the mail? Yup, Harry Potter #7. Apparently Amazon decided to have a bunch of books arrive via the Postal Service. Anyway, I ripped the box out of James' hands, grabbed the book, and headed to the nursery (and the ultra-comfy glider) for some heavy reading. Five hours later (without even so much as a bathroom break), I finished the book, Yes, I read almost 800 pages in that time period. After all, it is a children's book. :) I'll go back and re-read it to get a deeper understanding, but this time I really just wanted to capture the plot and, of course, find out what happens at the end.

Here's my brief summary/impression: J.K. Rowling is freaking brilliant. God has given this woman an incredible mind and writing gift. She keeps the reader guessing at every moment, and has sudden plot twists that you'd never expect. The way she ends the series is, in my opinion, perfect. Yes, lots (and lots...and lots) of characters die. There is great sadness throughout, and I will admit that I found myself in tears several times. HOWEVER, the book (and thus the series) ends on a positive and hope-filled note, ties up many loose areas in the plot, yet still leaves the reader desiring more. That's pure genius, I think; having a very clear final ending, yet with just enough information withheld that the reader is left with a small amount of speculation.


Here are just a few impressions/questions from my reading (SPOILER ALERT!)


Scroll down to read:

1. I liked the parting from the Dursleys. Uncle Vernon clearly wasn't going to miss Harry, but Dudley seems to be turning into a decent human being.
2. I cried when Dobby died. And then I cried more when Harry buried him without magic.
3. I found the last fifty pages or so of the book to be mesmerizing and really good sermon material. Snape winds up being a "good guy" after all, willing to do anything for the love of Lily Evans Potter. His actions play a huge role in Harry's defeat of Voldemort. Harry's willingness to die for the greater good, and subsequent "resurrection" have very strong links to Christian theology. Harry's willingness to lay aside potential immortality (through the three Hallows) shows an incredible character, quite the opposite of Voldemort.
4. Oh, Fred. Poor Fred...I had a feeling one of the twins would die, but it hurt when it happened.
5. I wish there would have been a little bit more to the epilogue...what vocations do the trio wind up choosing? Is Harry an Auror, which was his fondest ambition? What happens to George? Who becomes the new headmaster of Hogwarts? The natural choice would be McGonagall, but it doesn't say anything about that.
6. GO NEVILLE! I was so psyched to see him become the powerful wizard he was meant to be, to save the day by killing Nagini, and to become a Howarts professor. Cool.