[The following WILL contain SPOILERS. Be warned]
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This being late, I promise to write something short and sweet. It took me close to two weeks to finish Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. In those two weeks, I also managed to build this website from scratch so sue me! The picture on the right shows me wearing a special Death Eater‘s belt to complete the reading experience. Ok, so that’s not a DE belt. It’s an Oakley. And it’s hella expensive. And I’m an ass.
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Reading the book helped me reinforce the lingering notion I have of JK Rowling’s literary style. One is that her punctuation marks are all over the place. Another is, she could not, for the life of her, write an engaging fight sequence, comparable to how it is they say Michael Bay could not direct coherent fight scenes. The idea of an entire wizarding world siding up with either the good or the bad, fighting to the finish, and each character shamelessly standing for a belief deserves props and I more than applaud it.
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Rowling compensated her misgivings by narrating an intricately woven and interesting plot. So intricate, in fact, that she had to close HP6 with a whole lot of loose ends, sending her cramming to mend as much of them in the final chapters of HP7. Interestingly, she still managed to come up with odd surprises like the riveting Deathly Hallows plot and new enchantments (I’m looking at Thief’s Downfall here). It takes talent to paint a grim non-existent world where realms far and wide are cloaked in total fear and panic. That part, though, where Voldemort and Harry were facing each other and moving sideways in a perfect circle while uttering the longest exchange of words in the history of final death matches was a let down and very Hollywoody. They spent like what, thirty minutes doing the round about?
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Somebody I work with asked me, “Know what? I’ve been wondering. How did the Sorting Hat manage to survive when I could have sworn it had burned?” I answered nonchalantly with an air of sophistication and authority, “Magic!” Because no normal creature could survive being tossed around trees, let alone muster the control to stay still and pretend to be dead when dying is the most logical, convenient, and easiest thing to do in the situation. Magic and Love because love is sprinkled liberally in that book like warts on Quasimodo.
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So, did the manly me cry as I journeyed with Harry one last time like when I first did in book 3? Yes, and shamelessly, in three separate occasions. First was when he had read those encouraging words his fellow wizards wrote on the memorial stone at his parent’s house. Second was while he was digging Dobby’s grave. Third was when he felt most alone while looking at the sea. A fourth if you count that time I nearly lost it when Percy came into the picture. I’m a sucker for deep emotion because I rarely show mine.
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As I closed the book, I said that finally we could all set aside the series and get on with our normal lives. And for those who haven’t read a single HP book, you suck!
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Twitter Updates
5 August 2007 at 7:51 am
I haven’t read a single Harry Potter book. Does that mean I suck? Because I only read the Bible.
5 August 2007 at 10:27 am
My words, like what the Angel of Death did when she saw lamb’s blood painted on the door posts of those who believed, has Passed Over you. You untainted being you! Ten Plagues, Old Testament style!
5 August 2007 at 6:36 pm
My mom says Harry Potter is the devil’s book! It teaches witchcraft and she says those who read the book must be burned to the stake! :(
5 August 2007 at 6:56 pm
So, did she burn you yet? Come on Ade, you were the first to finish reading HP7 (yeah, before you posted your 08:36:30 PM 07/21/2007 message at TMB)! Or did you witchcraft your way to make her think you weren’t reading the book? You Sneaky Snape, you!
5 August 2007 at 8:59 pm
I remember buying book 2 back in high school. I ended up giving it as a gift a week later. The first few paragraphs totally did nothing for me. The big letters didn’t help either. hehe
Ive watched all the movies though.
5 August 2007 at 9:18 pm
My HP1 was a photocopy I borrowed. Yes, I was that cheap then. HP2 I borrowed. Bought a paperback HP3, and the rest I bought as they came out. I still don’t consider myself as a hardcore fan, though. Nuh-uh.
6 August 2007 at 1:54 pm
It’s just sad that some peeps do not find the books the way we do. O well, it’s their loss not ours. The book did not left me in a hurry. In fact, my eager discussions with our fellow enthusiasts have made me quite a scholar. You promised we’ll have coffee after you’re done reading…or tea with milk as we prefer it in London.
6 August 2007 at 2:03 pm
(in my best British accent)
Oh, I’ll prefer lemon with my Earl Grey, milady, thank you. Looking forward to tea then, in my chateaus, perhaps?
(chateaus daw, men! wala ako nun! wahahaha!)
6 August 2007 at 7:40 pm
I. Love. Your. Layout.
With your post, uhh. Hindi ko muna binasa since may spoilers. :)) Hanggang 5 pa lang ang natatapos ko sa sequel ni Harry Potter so for now.. iwas-iwas muna sa spoilers.
But almost everyone tells me na mamamatay si ganito. Si ganyan. Hayz.
:p
6 August 2007 at 7:48 pm
Sa two weeks na binasa ko sya, bawat may makikita akong HP7, automatic nag-u-blur ang mata ko. Yung parang sa ibon pag nahanginan. Ganun.
I’ve read the spoilers before I finished the book. Iba pa rin yung ikaw mismo makakabasa. So maski ilang spoilers pa binalewala ko lang.
About the layout, thanks man! Everything looks flat but, hey, I think it worked.
7 August 2007 at 8:09 pm
Thank God my “spoiler” didn’t, well, spoil your experience! I was so worried it did! Hehe.
7 August 2007 at 10:57 pm
Nah. Spoilers do nothing to whet ma cravin fo som ‘Arry Potta man-luvin. Undahstand that, y’all?!
8 August 2007 at 3:39 am
At the risk of going off-topic, I’d like to point out that Fritz’s crotch is as big as mine, if not bigger.
9 August 2007 at 1:02 am
Just the belt, Steel. Focus on the belt and not an millimeter higher!
21 August 2007 at 8:09 am
hmm.. ba’t sa crotch area ang pic? teehee.