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The End, Thank God, of an Era
By bukkhead | July 30, 2007
BOOK REVIEW: ‘HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS’
by J.K. Rowling
759 pages
Published by Scholastic, Inc.
This is going to be tough. You already know about Harry potter, so I can’t waste a portion of these 500 words on telling you who he is and where he’s from. And since The Deathly Hallows is one of the most anticipated books, ever, I can’t very well reveal the plot. I mean, in movie reviews, I can give you a brief description of what’s happening, not unlike what you’d glean from a trailer… but folks were writing in to the Seattle Post-Intelligencier, saying that since their reviewer describing the book as having a “satisfying” ending, they gave it all away. Just with that one word. Well, here, let me verge on giving it away and tell you it was not “satisfying” at all.
I mean, I’m glad it’s over, if that means anything. I hear tell that J.K. Rowling is working on new books now, non Harry Potter books, one of which is for adults, and so I’m hoping she’s going to up the writing style a bit. I didn’t seem to notice in the first book how awful the writing was (and I’ve got a degree in this stuff, so I might even be able to show how the writing’s gotten worse. But I’ve only given myself 500 words here). But here in book 7, the writing was almost laughable.
I don’t have the book in front of me right now (sloppy reviewer, I know) and besides, to give away a few sentences would probably make folks angry (if, somehow, this got out. Ha!) So you’re going to have to trust me on this. But the writing is really sophomoric, the kind of thing you expect from someone in junior high. I’ve said it more than one forum: you don’t have to write like a 12 year old to write for a 12 year old.
For me, bad sentences are the least forgivable sin. I’ll read utter crap if the sentences sing. I’m not talking poetry, but I am talking rhythm, nuance… in a word: voice. The Deathly Hallows has no voice. It’s like extended notes. Yes, there’s the ghostwriter rumors. Hire new ones. Yes, I know, J.K. was allegedly depressed during the manuscript phase. Get some Effexor. There’s no excuses for not making your sentences rock.
And the crime of crappy writing is only compounded by length. This plot does not need 750 pages to unfold. There was no character development—if anything, this book, more than any other, depends so much on the previous books, there is actual character undevelopment. The artifacts, the magic and the doodads, are all old and stale. You ask me, this book should have been about worked over word by word, wittled down to 200 pages, and written by Terry Pratchett. Then it would have sung.
Of course, none of this matters. Those who were planning on reading this book still will, regardless. Maybe that’s these books are so long—to get us invested. Can I have my time back?
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