Comments on: Revisiting Harry Potter: Origins

By: litlove

litlove — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 10:18:05 +0000

Just wanted to say that I love Neville. Love him. Want to put him in my pocket and take him home.

By: Dana Huff

Dana Huff — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 04:52:11 +0000

You make a good point. Dumbledore had to have been doing SOMETHING for eleven years. Oh well. But you make some good points. Except about Snape. I love that character. Though he is an ass.

By: Alyce (@AtHomeWithBooks)

Alyce (@AtHomeWithBooks) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 03:08:10 +0000

I always have felt that way about the wizard money system. And really, they can easily multiply by seventeens, but find a system based on ten confusing (in later books)? 🙂 Oh, and Snape is one of my favorite characters; that being said, part of the reason is because he is so easy to hate. I do like that he has depth and complexity that shows up later books; that he’s not just evil for the sake of being evil.

By: Laura

Laura — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 02:25:24 +0000

I don’t hate Snape, even though the first book really sets you up to. Maybe I like bad guys? I haven’t read the books, although I know a lot of what happens from the movies, but I think Snape is the most genuinely mysterious character in the book.

However, wizard money = total bullshit. I am in agreement.

By: Jenners

Jenners — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 01:20:31 +0000

If any author ever deserved 10 million sparking stars, it is JK Rowling!

By: NWK (@MumsyNancy)

NWK (@MumsyNancy) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 01:11:24 +0000

In reply to Jenny. Yes, but Sirius is an irresponsible, living-vicariously-thru-an-adolescent, impulse-driven, ADD-having adult. I DO NOT ADMIRE HIM. I don't admire Snape either; I wouldn't like him in real life, but I love him in the books. Because he is a complete bastard, and yet. I have a soft spot for children with crap parents, and Sirius would have been fine if he had not been Harry's guardian. People in loco parentis should behave better. He was already off my Christmas list before he broke Harry's heart by being an idiot.

By: Ela

Ela — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 23:41:18 +0000

BTW, LOVE your Chrestomanci tag. Chrestomanci is the best.

By: Ela

Ela — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 23:39:35 +0000

It’s ages since I last did a HP re-read (probably when the last book came out), and I was never really really fannish about it. I didn’t ever get the impression that JKR had fully fleshed out her world at the beginning – though evidently she had ideas about where she wanted to go with the whole thing – which is why, I think, certain things in the earlier books don’t match up with what happens in later ones. Still, I don’t think she was expecting the massive fandom, either!

I always assumed Rowling was poking fun at the British pre-decimal currency with the wizard coinage system. Back before 1972, there were 12 pence in a shilling and twenty shillings in a pound,not to mention all the other coins (half a crown, or 2s6d, or a farthing, 1/4d, and so on). Arithmetic was really tricky, since all costs were relayed in pounds, shillings and pence. I’ve always been very glad that I was just young enough not to have to learn all that stuff!

And I disliked Snape, but I thought he was an excellent character.

By: Kim (Sophisticated Dorkiness)

Kim (Sophisticated Dorkiness) — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 15:44:56 +0000

This is totally what I love about the first HP book too — the world building is SO DELIGHTFUL. There are just all these details that you get that set up the rules of wizarding that are shared in such a fun way, and then you get the mystery at the end and new friends and all that jazz. It’s just awesome. My sister and I are going to do the read-a-long, but we have to start late because she is super busy now. But I’ll get to be delighted soon!

By: Jenny

Jenny — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 14:05:53 +0000

In reply to Jenny. Sure, but that's true on the second go-round too, and you may recall, the Ministry is terrible at it and Dumbledore has to be like, If you want something done right..., and he does it himself.