It’s FROS! (For Refreshment Only Sunday!)

Jul 28th 2007
Your Friendly GoddessesGoddess Classics

37 Responses to “It’s FROS! (For Refreshment Only Sunday!)”

1. Kasey on 28 Jul 2007 at 11:49 pm #

   1. I did reread the series before reading the 7th book. Since I am going to be working on my thesis which is on Harry Potter a lot this next year I thought it was a great excuse to reread the books.

   2. I was satisfied with the ending of the book. I did have some unanswered questions but after reading an article where they interviewed J. K. Rowling some of my questions were answered. She is also thinking of doing a Harry Potter encyclopedia that will answer some more questions too. So that would be nice.

   3 and 4. I did notice there were some changes to her style of writing but four but I also thought it was nice that the books got darker and more mature with each year that Harry grew up. I thoguht it worked for the series.

   5. The part that I liked best about the book was that HARRY LIVES! I was worreid before reading teh book that he might not. I was pretty certain that he would be with all the rumors flying I was somewhat worried. Another scene that I liked a lot….

2. Kasey on 28 Jul 2007 at 11:50 pm #

   was the kiss between Ron and Hermione. It was a long time coming and I thought it was great that it took place at such an intense moment in the book. I loved the series and I plan on rereading Deathly Hallows again soon.

3. Dilimis on 29 Jul 2007 at 12:40 am #

   1. I’ve read the Harry Potter books so many times that I didn’t really need to do it again. Still, going to Rowling’s magical world is always fun so I reread them anyway.

   2. I really liked the seventh book in the series. I thought Rowling did an excellent job. I’m looking forward to rereading it soon.

   3. I think that I can say her style changed, but that’s okay because all of the books were excellent!

   4. The books, long as they are, are not too long. There was always something going on. Rowling made them the right length for what she wanted to tell her readers, but I don’t think anyone would mind more about Harry!

   5. The part of the book that really stands out for me is when she tells you that Harry must die. I freaked out. For me, that was a huge climax, and I was really glad when she didn’t actually kill him.

4. twolilhahas on 29 Jul 2007 at 1:12 am #

   Come on, can’t we have some guy candy too? For those of us that haven’t read/aren’t going to read HP? lol It’s going to be a boring Sunday without you guys.

5. Kay on 29 Jul 2007 at 1:15 am #

   1. My kids and I reread all of the HP books in the last few months, to get ready for movie # 5 and book # 7.

   2. I was mostly satisfied with # 7. I think there should have been more of the book set at Hogwarts, and some of the characters could have been more involved in the whole book. I had enough of Harry, Ron and Hermione in the woods!

   3. Her style has changed. It think it is partly due to the fact that the readers are older. I thought that the Rita Skeeter “info dumps” were a bit much.

   4. The books became progressively darker, and that made sense to me.

   5. I liked that Snape really was not evil. Second best was Dudley beginning to care about Harry.
   I’m really angry that Hedwig died! That death bothered me the most. My other big disappointment was that Dumbledor was really dead. I was hoping that his death had been faked. One of my children and I had a bet about that, and I lost. LOL My youngest child LOVED what Harry named his son–after Dumbledor and Snape.

6. Kay on 29 Jul 2007 at 1:20 am #

   QUESTIONS I WANTED ANSWERED:

   !. What are the professions of Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Ron?

   2. in what ways did the Ministry of Magic change it’s treatment of magical non-humans?
   Mainly, what happens to all of the house elves?

   3. What is the history of Harry’s father’s family? Who were Harry’s grandparents? Are there cousins or other distant relatives?

7. Tracy Kay on 29 Jul 2007 at 1:47 am #

   I definitely loved the book, but I do think that JK started dragging things out. My favorite part of the book was finding out that Snape was in love with Lilly - I was really glad to find out that Snape was really good in the end (I hoped he would be!) I think that she didnt pay enough attention to some of the older characters like mcgonnagal and the malfoys, but overall, I’m happy with the way the book ended and with the way the series ended in general. and it was DEFINITELY awesome that harrys kids were named after snape and dumbledore…it only seems right that way. i LOVED that she gave us an epilogue and told us what happened when they all grew up. FANTASTIC BOOK!

8. Judy F on 29 Jul 2007 at 2:06 am #

   sniff no hotties. I am going back to bed.

9. pri.r. on 29 Jul 2007 at 3:03 am #

   1. no i didn’t re-read the series…i felt that i had a pretty firm understanding of what happened, though when i started reading HP7 i had to pull out HP6 and 5 just to check on some facts, for instance there wasn’t any inklings of Tonks and Lupin marrying… and neither for Bill and Fleur… that i can remember..but i was still overjoyed that Rowling could put some romance in there for the rest of us
   2. i really did like the 7th book…. my friends read it at the same time and said that they found it really emotional and many cried throughout some people’s deaths..but for instance,SPOILER ALERT, when fred died i didn’t find that so sad… kind of upset for Lupin and Tonks because of their kid.
   3. i think rowling became more mature…as harry became mature i think rowling adopted a new, more emotive and descriptive style of writing because by yr7 harry had enough wizarding knowledge and he was attached to killing voldemort on more emotional levels ..forgive me for not making sense

10. pri.r. on 29 Jul 2007 at 3:09 am #

    cont….
    4. umm…. i think the books were a good length… because as they went on they had to encompass more (ie: harry’s adventures became more and mroe complicated)… at times in the 7th book though i found myself skipping pages for action, because places like when they were camping, were just going a bit slow.
    5. hmmm .. well ever the ‘happily ever after’ romantic that i am, i LOVED the “nineteen years later”, where harry & ginny got married and had kids, as with ron and hermione and ooohhh Teddy (lupin’s child) making out with Victoire(bill and Fleur’s) girl was sooo cute!! also…. that part where harry is joined by his parents and sirius is the most emotional point for me.. i loved harry potter..ps: incredibly cool how dumbeldore actually knew all about it, and have now got deep and abiding love for snape.. ok maybe not love but like *pats snape on head*… acceptance i think

11. helen on 29 Jul 2007 at 3:54 am #

    1. I have read the first 5 3 times each so I only read the 6th one before no 7.
    2. Absolutley loved it I cried and laughed thru out the book
    3. Defiently changed her style but I think it needed to as everyone in the books were growing up
    4. Got darker as they went along but the situations in the storyline called for it that way
    5. I loved the epilogue but in saying that I wanted to know what jobs Harry Ron Hermione and Ginny had and I too would have liked to have seen more of the other DA members a lot more involed. I was surprised that Snape turned out to be good which one of my daughters told me all along he was. Loved the names of their children and am still sorry Dumbledore had to die as well as Hedwig and Dobby and Fred and Lupin and Tonks but really gald Harry didn’t I really thought he was going to at one stage had me in tears.
    Finally I would love to see a book about James Albus Lilly Hugo and Rosie and I want to know waht happened to Luna.
    Have Fun
    Helen

12. DebMarlowe on 29 Jul 2007 at 6:28 am #

    In an interview last week, JK Rowling said that she could give some more info on what happened with the characters. Here’s what I can remember, somebody correct me if I am wrong.

    Harry and Ron are both Aurors and at the time of the epiloque, Harry had become the Department Head.

    Hermione is also high up at the Ministry. Was it in the Dept of Misuse of Magic? Somebody help me with that one…

    She said the Ministry had been rebuilt and reformed and was now a great place to work.

    Luna is a sort of magical naturalist, traveling the world and looking for mythical and fantastic beasts.

    Hogwarts has a new headmaster, whom she did not name. New Defense against the Dark Arts teacher too–not named.

    Did anybody else read that interview? I can’t recall anymore specifics…

    I totally called the whole Snape storyline! I was so happy to be right, but sad too.

13. gannon on 29 Jul 2007 at 9:01 am #

    Deb (and Kay), I believe that J.K. Rowling said that Hermione worked in the Department of Magical Law. I think you got the rest of the high points! The encyclopedia that she talked about eventually writing will be great.

    I didn’t re-read the series, but probably should have done so with the 6th book.

    I really loved this book, but I’ve loved them all! The fact that the books get darker is appropriate as Harry gets older. His connection to Voldemort and their imminent confrontation make it necessary, IMO.

    I thought that this book was by far the most “action-packed” and, if it is done correctly, will make an AWESOME movie!!!

    I must say that I was mightily relieved that Harry lived, but I thought the scene when he was “dead” and with Dumbledore was an excellent twist and kept me guessing as to what Rowling was going to do. All of the deaths were sad, particularly Lupin, Tonks and Fred. But the chapter that had me weeping copiously was when Harry was on his way to meet Voldemort.

14. gannon on 29 Jul 2007 at 9:04 am #

    When he used the Resurrection Stone and his parents, Sirius, and Lupin were with him—it was brilliant. He’s so frightened, yet brave and asks them if they will stay with them, and his father says, “until the very end.” Oh, I cry right now just thinking about it.

    I’m going to really miss Harry and the gang. For certain, I’ll be re-reading them regularly.

15. Shawna on 29 Jul 2007 at 9:07 am #

    I read that article, too. I think Hermione was in the Magical Law Enforcement, kind of how the Minister of Magic asked her if she was interested whenever he gave them the things that Dumbledore left them in his will.

    1) I wanted to reread the entire series before this one came out, but I didn’t get the chance to actually do it. I’ve read the first four a zillion times, I had just seen the fifth movie, and I quickly skimmed the sixth a few days before the seventh came out, but I didn’t sit down and actually read them slowly.

    2) When I got to the end the first time, I didn’t like it. But I will also admit that I was frantically reading so that I could lend the book to someone at church (so they wouldn’t have to wait another week to get it). The more that I thought about it after I finished, the more I liked it, and I went back to reread a few sections. It’s not my favorite (I still love POA), but I did enjoy it.

16. Shawna on 29 Jul 2007 at 9:12 am #

    Continued…

    3) I really do think her writing style changed through the series. The first book was written almost like a classic kid’s book, and that slowly changed into a more mature and adult style as the books went on and Harry aged.

    4) I didn’t have any problems with the length, although parts did seem a little dark to me. Actually, the biggest problem I had was that the trio seemed to be camping FOREVER at the beginning after they left Sirius’s old house. And Harry was a little too moody for my taste in book 5, but thankfully he outgrew that a bit for the last two.

    5) I liked how she tied everything together (well, almost everything). We had a conclusive answer about Snape being good or evil. We know that Voldemort is gone, that Hogwarts reopened, etc. And we know that Ginny and Harry end up together, as well as Hermione and Ron. And I actually am not that fond of Albus Severus, but I accept it. It’s her series.

17. Shawna on 29 Jul 2007 at 9:18 am #

    I found that article mentioned earlier, where she says what jobs people had.

    http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/19959323/

18. jessie on 29 Jul 2007 at 9:42 am #

    1. I had plans to reread all of them, but I had to skip 3 and 4. Didn’t really matter because I’ve read 3 so many times and I didn’t really like 4.

    2. As Kay said, I am mostly satisfied with the book. The most disappointing aspect, I think, is the fact that Ginny is in so few scenes. Maybe it’s just because I’m a romance fan, but I think her relationship with Harry could have been SO MUCH MORE developed. And even if the relationship wasn’t developed, her character could have been. J.K. Rowling did a great disservice to Ginny, and Harry, by not including her more.

    I also hate the epilogue. Is anyone else with me on this? Not only is there a lack of information (how is George doing after the death of Fred? What are their jobs (I’ll be reading that interview now, thanks everyone for mentioning it)? Is McGonnagal still teaching? etc. etc.). And, as I read from someone else, it just seems very fanficcish. I don’t know. I expected more.

19. jessie on 29 Jul 2007 at 9:47 am #

    2. (cont) Other than that, I love the book. I love that Harry, Hermione and Ron embark on their own. My favorite small part had to be the radio show by Lee Jordan and friends. I am so sad that Fred, Lupin, and Tonks died. I really didn’t think she’d kill L&T since they had a baby. Also, why isn’t Teddy Lupin living with Harry at the end? Isn’t Harry his godfather? The ending is great, very tense and exciting and epic. All in all, A minus.

    3. I’m sure her style changed, but I didn’t really notice.

    4. I started reading the books in middle school and now I’m 20, so I matured as the characters and the tone matured. I’m very glad that the tone got as dark as it did. I would still have enjoyed the books if they had stayed as light as the first two/three, but I don’t think I would have connected with them as much if they had. And I think the length is great because the longer the book, the longer I get to read it.

20. jessie on 29 Jul 2007 at 9:48 am #

    5. (sorry this is so long!) I like Harry, Ron, and Hermione out on their own, fighting the good fight. Everything is so much more dire and tense and frightening when they don’t have the grown-ups to help them.

21. Ellen on 29 Jul 2007 at 12:09 pm #

    I have nothing to contribute to this discussion. Never read a single word of HP, although my son enjoyed them when he was younger. He still has the first three on his shelf.
    Enjoy your HP, Gees.
    I’m taking a nap.
    Ellen

22. doglady on 29 Jul 2007 at 12:09 pm #

    1. I did a quick reread of the other six books, kind of skimmed through them to make sure I had all my facts straight.
    2. I loved #7 ! She snatched me in and didn’t let go and I like that in a book. I do love a good redemption story - Snape. I thought it was a fitting end to another in the long line of heroic epics. Very classic in many ways.
    3. I think her style has changed and frankly, grown throughout the series. She’s expanded her abilities and I have enjoyed each book a little more.
    4. I have no problem with the length of the books, but I tend to want to stay in whatever world I am reading as long as possible. If it was up to me, romance novels would be 1000 pages or more. Don’t throw stuff at me, Goddesses! As to darkness, when the main theme is a fight between good and evil, there has to be darkness. I like that she gives us a real darkness, not just a euphemism for it.
    5. I love the story and the characters. I love that friendship plays such a big role in the story. (con.)

23. doglady on 29 Jul 2007 at 12:14 pm #

    Friendship means a great deal to me. I love finding out that sometimes people are not what they seem. For better or worse. The best part of this series, for me, has been the closeness it has fostered between my niece and nephews and I. When the first book came out, my nephew Bo wanted to read it. My brother’s minister had declared it “Satanic,” so he told my nephew no. I DESPISE people who censor books, especially those who do so without reading them. My brother and I got into an argument about it. Our other brother said “What if Pam reads them first?” So, that is what we did for the entire series. I read the books first and then gave the okay for Bo and later, Alex - my niece - to read them. We had to go through this routine for EVERY book at my brother’s insistence. The brother who made the suggestion has recently married a great lady with a ten year old boy, Aaron, and now he is in our little reading group. It has been fun and we talk about the books at every family event. (con.)

24. doglady on 29 Jul 2007 at 12:17 pm #

    They have not finished the last one yet, but I am sure they will call me when they do. It will be a great memory for all of us. I am the aunt that always gives books as gifts. They all three got a 40th anniversary edition of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD for Christmas this year. I will always be grateful to Harry and J.K. Rowling for giving me this gift. Of course, when they talk about what a terrific aunt I am, my brother says “She’s only being nice to you because she knows y’all will be picking out her nursing home.” (I don’t have kids, except the four-footed furry kind.) My response? “What’ your point?”

25. Keri Ford on 29 Jul 2007 at 12:44 pm #

    Just popping in to say I’m glad I know how HP ended. Never opened one of the books, but I’ve seen the movies!

    Now how about some beefcake?

    …or maybe not…cause I need to write instead of drool.

26. Louis on 29 Jul 2007 at 3:07 pm #

    Didn’t re-read any of the previous books.
    Excellent book..ties up a lot of loose ends. It would be nice if JKR does write the encyclopedia for the series.

    Now I’ll have to go back and re-read the series.

27. Kay on 29 Jul 2007 at 5:52 pm #

    Shawna, thanks for the link! I felt that Neville and Luna would end up together, so it’s nice to know that I was on the right track. I wanted Cho to wind up as the DDA professor, and have Luna to teach the Magical Creatures class.

    I don’t, as Rowling said, need to know the middle names of Harry’s great-great-grandparents, but I do want to know how James was related to the other wizarding families. She took great pains to explain the Malfoy and Black families’ histories, and I felt cheated about Harry’s past. LOL

    My kids are hoping Rowling will break down and write a prequel, and end it with on the night Harry’s parents die. I guess the Star Wars prequels give them hope.

28. Karen Hawkins on 29 Jul 2007 at 9:22 pm #

    I promise you will get beefcake next week for your FROS. Word of honor!

    Thanks for discussing HP7! It’s a cultural phenomenon and as a reader, I loooove it when people ‘get’ the same books I get. I especially love it when an author is able to get kids reading.

    I hope she writes the encyclopedia, too. It would help explain a few things, wouldn’t it?

29. Ladytink_534 on 29 Jul 2007 at 9:56 pm #

    1) No I didn’t re-read the books this time because I read them last time and I couldn’t wait to dig in the last one.

    2) I was satisfied with HP and the Deathly Hallows although it is sad that it’s all over I’m happy with the way it ended.

    3) A little bit. I noticed that the last time I reread the books her writing style seemed to grow with the characters.

    4) Everything was perfect about all the books.

    5) The epilogue was my favorite part although Voldemort being vanquished and the trip through Snape’s memories were also very good.

30. pri.r. on 30 Jul 2007 at 4:16 am #

    i agreee with ladytink

31. Susan K on 30 Jul 2007 at 9:11 am #

    1) No I didn’t re-read all of them. I couldn’t wait that long. I do plan a re-read of the entire series very soon though.

    2) I am very satisfied with the ending. I thought she tied up Harry’s story very well. I hope she does write the encyclopedia because I have soooo many unanswered questions.

    3) I didn’t really notice.

    4) I thought the books were just right.

    5) I loved EVERYTHING about the book!

32. Elizbo on 30 Jul 2007 at 9:33 am #

    1) No. I kinda wish I had, but I didn’t have the time.

    2) Yes! I adored the book. Though I thought the middle part with Harry and Hermione bouncing around in the tent dragged a wee bit, but the rest of it was just wonderful. I loved the epilogue and was sorry there wasn’t more information, but at the same time, I had my fingers crossed for more books in some form or another. Like so many others I was terrified she was going to kill off Harry, and when she killed off Dobby, that was when I burst into tears. I mean, I never really was attached to Dobby, but I thought if she’s going to start killing off poor house elves, who’s safe? I cried all through the epilogue because I was just so happy that they made it, but also because I was so sad because the books are over.

    3) Definitely the writing changed. But I think it only got better.

    5) Snape’s redemption. Because it was all about the love, baby! That he loved Lily so much. And that wretched Voldemort never saw it coming.

33. BethanyHamilton on 30 Jul 2007 at 10:02 am #

    1) I tried reading them for a first time (I had only seen the movies so far) but I couldn’t get through the earlier ones. I hated her writing style, and was worried I might not be able to read Deathly Hallows. Her early books read, to me, like a first draft.

    2) Overall, I was very satisfied. I really only had two complaints, and both were fairly minor. The middle part was WAY too long with Harry, Ron, and Hermione wandering around whining they didn’t know where the go. That could have been cut in half, easily. Also, the epilogue. I wish it hadn’t been there at all. The story ended when Harry defeated Voldemort, so the book should have ended there as well.

    3) Thank God, yes!! She learned how to write like a professional! (Am I going to get stoned to death for this?) lol, just my opinon, of course I just couldn’t stand her style in the early books…at all…I can’t stress this enough. They seemed very….amatuer filled with every rule I’ve ever learned…

34. BethanyHamilton on 30 Jul 2007 at 10:04 am #

    being broken repeatedly. I only got halfway through POA and I had to stop, I couldn’t take it anymore.

    4) I think the second and third ones were only longer than the first because she spent WAY too many words recapping what happened in the previous books. I can’t say anything about 4, 5, or 6 because I didn’t read them. However, book seven was about right. It could have been a bit shorter (see answer to #2) but overall, I think it was nearly perfect.

    5) Her action scenes were amazing - both the flight from Privet Drive, and the final Battle at Hogwarts. I couldn’t believe she went on for so long, and it didn’t drag at all. Fabulously written

35. zambonigirl on 30 Jul 2007 at 10:44 am #

    1)I tried to re-read them all, but I really didn’t have time. I am planning on reading them all over again at some point before the end of the year.

    2)I was disappointed to see that it’s over with, but it’s pretty much everything I expected it to be. There were no real surprises. People have speculated for AGES that Snape was in love with Lily (blech-didn’t like that), and that Snape was innocent (did like that) and that Ron would marry Hermione and Harry would marry Ginny. I always figured that his first son would be called James, etc. No real surprises.

    3)In a way, yes. I think she always kept everything magical, though. And as you read the series, you see an evolution, it wasn’t just *poof* it’s different. I think if you read the first book and then the last book, you would notice more of a difference.

    TBC

36. zambonigirl on 30 Jul 2007 at 10:48 am #

    4) I think that too many people died for no reason. Yes, in real life it happens that way, but it’s sort of unnecessary in books. Especially Remus and Tonks both dying. After Harry’s impassioned speech to Remus, I would have thought that one of little Teddy’s parents would have survived. Not so. Now Teddy is as parentless as Harry. Segue into another series, perhaps? I don’t know. But it had to be dark. It always had to be dark. I thought that GOF was much darker, actually.

    5) Neville. Neville rocked my socks off. Reforming the DA, going toe-to-toe with Snape, cutting Nagini’s head off. He gave me shivers. I’ve always really loved him as a character because he’s everything that Harry isn’t without actually being perfect. Perhaps if he had been living with a piece of Voldemort’s soul in his body, he would have been different and more like Harry, but regardless, he really earned his place in Potter History, and I don’t think that he’ll ever be overlooked again. *hugs little Neville*

37. colinfirthfan on 30 Jul 2007 at 3:38 pm #

    I am entering this discussion really late (went camping last weekend).. I loved hte book. Loved that Harry LIVED!. Didn’t much care for the name Albus Severus. What happened to the name Fred? Didn’t Ginny get a turn to name the kids?

    I really liked that Snape was in love with Lily. Loved the whole Deathly Hallows plot and that Dumbledore had feet of clay and wasn’t completely perfect!!

    I was 3/4th the way through bk 6 when bk 7 arrived so I am now finishing up 6 to get clrification on the whole “Elder Wand” bit and how Malfoy comes into play.

    I want to know who Malfoy is married to. Is Ginny working as well?

    I am so sad that this series ended. My fave book is #3 - POA!!