I've read it, and I have stuff to say
Well, I opened Book 7 at around 10pm on Saturday night and read the first two chapters before I fell asleep. And I read the rest of it in one huge gulp yesterday. So I guess what follows are my initial reactions and there might be more thoughtful stuff to come. But I have a few things to say, nonetheless.
Overall, I really liked it. It was gripping and dramatic in all the right places and I felt pretty happy with how all the plot strands were tied up. And I even liked the schmoopy epilogue, although Ron & Hermione's choice of kids' names was a bit suspect. And I liked the sense that JKR was saying a fond goodbye to her characters right along with us - I particularly got that sense with the Dursleys, and Draco in the epilogue, and I found it really touching.
But there were some bits I really liked, and one bit that really upset me:
- Didn't Neville kick arse? I love Neville, just doing what he needed to do in an understated, totally brave way. And then I thought she was going to kill him off with the Sorting Hat (and I was thinking of you, lyras) and then he whips out the sword and slices Nagini's head off! Yay!!
- And hoorah, hoorah for Molly getting rid of Bellatrix. She's always been one of my favourite characters, Molly, and how amazing for this to be her final job for the Order. And I'm really glad that Neville didn't have to do it - that would have been too sad.
- I loved all the ear related humour after George had his ear sliced off by Snape. So twinny (sniff).
- The pictures on Luna's ceiling really touched me. I thought Luna was really just a bit of comic relief the first time she showed up, but I've really warmed to her as the books have gone along. I like to think she's living in an unconventional partnership somewhere with Neville. I think they'd get along swimmingly.
- I thought the scene in the garden at the Burrow when we were waiting to find out what had happened to everyone was a masterful piece of writing. So early in the book, and after the shock of poor Hedwig (sniff again) I felt like I was standing alongside them waiting for everyone to turn up. I was on absolute tenterhooks.
- And it's probably a bit soppy of me, but I'm glad that Snape turned out to be good after all, even if the reasons for it were a little cheesy. And how he wanted to die looking into Harry's eyes because they reminded him of Lily's - that was poignant. And the fact that Harry named his son after him. There was more sniffing at that point.
- But I bet you can guess what I didn't like. Remus! Dying! Off-screen! In what feels like a bit of a pointless fashion given that she had just offed Fred!! I am unhappy about that, to say the least. I understand that she was probably trying to draw a parallel between Teddy and Harry, and thus make some comment about the importance of family whatever shape it happens to take, but still I think she served Remus poorly. I just get the sense that she was never quite as fond of him as a character as she was Sirius or James, and I guess I feel a little sad about that.
But poor Remus was my only serious complaint. And I think I'm going to go home tonight and read it all over again, so I guess that's a thumbs up from me.