Re-Review: Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone
June 30th, 2011 § 9 Comments
Title: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Author: J.K. Rowling
Published: Scholastic / 1998
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy Fiction
Length: 320 pages
Source: borrowed
Rating: 10/10
i hardly ever do re-reads of books because i’m always so overwhelmed with all of the books i haven’t read. but, when Giraffe Days announced her intent to re-read the Harry Potter series this year, i just couldn’t resist. with the release of the final movie and the recent Pottermore announcement, the world is all abuzz with Potter love anyways, so what better time?
but, i don’t feel the need to do a standard review of this book, since everyone’s already read it by now, right? (if you haven’t, let me be the 1,000,000th person to tell you that you should.) so, instead, i thought i’d chronicle my Potter reading experience.
but first, a story…
when i was between jobs many many years ago, i spent a short time waitressing. there was a girl i worked with who will forever remain in my memory as the girl who first mentioned Harry Potter to me. at that time, i think the 3rd book had just come out and i was mostly oblivious of its presence in the world. but, the way that girl just lost herself in those books curled up in one of the restaurant booths really struck me as something special. it took a few more years until i bought them, but i’ll never forget her and the intensity with which she read those pages.
you see, i didn’t read or watch any of the movies until 2007, when the final book came out. i generally avoid watching books-turned-movies until i’ve read them first, so the movies were off limits. i started the series before the final release date, giving myself two months to read all 6 books. what i hadn’t expected was that i’d read through them all in less than 2 weeks and be left having to wait over a month until the last book came out. so, while i didn’t agonize each year with the expectation of the next release, i did experience it once and i am so glad i read it when i did.
i was an instant, albeit late, fan.
so, it’s been a few years since i’ve visited Hogwarts and while ever bit of the re-read was familiar, it was actually more exciting the second time around, knowing what’s in store for the characters in the future. i mean, it’s in the first pages of the book that we hear about what is expected of Harry, those things which will both haunt and motivate him.
He couldn’t know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: “To Harry Potter – the boy who lived!”
throughout the entire book, i kept being reminded of how well thought out this whole series is. Rowling drops names and sly little comments left and right that meant nothing on the first read, but are all indications of the story to unfold. it’s phenomenal how detailed and intricate the series is and while the first book was my least favorite of the series on the first reading, i absolutely adored it on the second pass.
i was also struck this time around by the seriousness and complexity of themes presented. the first time i read these books was before i became an English major, so my head and reading style were in very different places. but now, it’s almost like watching lines drawn in the sand making connections that never existed for me before. Rowling does some really expert things with themes and characters that would be interesting to study, i imagine. (though, i haven’t seen anything offered in academia that covers Rowling, have you?)
i was particularly intrigued by Dumbledore this time around, since we know so little about him at this point. he’s more of an enigma that commands respect and fear among the students. and yet, with so little said, readers are shown great insights into his wisdom and compassion, which become so meaningful later in the story.
“Call him Voldemort, Harry. Always use the proper names for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself.”
the most challenging part of this readalong is going to be to throttle my reading speed, since the schedule only calls for one book per month. but, tomorrow is a new month, so guess what that means?!? Chamber of Secrets will be in my grubby little hands immediately.
Ha ha, I was just thinking the same thing – why not read Chamber of Secrets right now?
I loved all the hints and clues too – knowing how it all plays out, you can really see how clever this little book is and how carefully paced out it is; it’s deceptively simple really.
What happened to all your copies of the books? Surely you didn’t, gasp, get rid of them?!!
yes, i will be trying to finish up one of my heavier reads and then charging into Book 2. and my vacation this month will help me hold back from running right into the third.
i did actually get rid of the books. *sadface* i was really crunched for space and donated the boxset i owned, which in retrospect was a dumb idea. but, space really is a problem where we live, so new books tend to win out.
We don’t have much room either, and Adam’s asked me a few times if I’d box some of my books up but I refuse! I guess I’m just really stubborn, but they’ve lived in boxes for too many years and I love having them all at hand! Though, many are in slightly precarious piles now… It could be something of a safety hazard.
I agree! I think it’s absolutely amazing how far into detail J.K. Rowling went in even just the first book. It’s INGENIOUS. (I’ve also read wikis and such… did you notice how all the marauders died in backwards order?) I’ve read all the books about 5 times over, haha xD
i also started reading a little background on this reading to learn a little of the history about the publication. the series and Rowling have their own great success story that is fascinating, too.
i don’t think i had realized that about the marauders. i will have to keep that in mind as i keep reading forward.
do you still manage to read something new into the books after your 5th time through?
I reread the first book last year, or well, for the 6th time or so, and I’m always struck by new things. Last year, it was the humour of Dumbledore in this first book. You forget about it because of all the sadness and seriousness later on. And also, the magicalness of the magical world when you first discover it through Harry’s eyes.
wow, 6th time?!? my mind can’t even grasp that idea.
i do agree that Dumbledore is just the best. i’ve always loved him, but even more so on the re-read. i’m super excited to get to the parts with Sirius, too, since he was always a favorite. i’m curious how i’ll respond to him this time around.
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I actually got a lot out of the Harry Potter re-read I did recently. I read the books back to back this time, and I was able to make the connections between each book much better. I have to say I agree with you. These books are a lot more complex, and more skilfully written than I realized when I first read them.