What I loved is how the tiniest things in her story suddenly became big things. Like Dumbledore's wand, a seemingly normal object for the whole series, was actually the most powerful wand in the world, the Elder Wand. Reading JKR makes you feel like you're in some sort of delightful maze game. Every time you think you have it figured out, she throws a new direction in your way, seemingly twisting the story but in reality that was her plan all along. She's like a master puppeteer, able to coerce you into feeling angry at what first seems the truth (Snape being a death eater) and then revealing that what you thought was true isn't (Snape being a triple-crosser of sorts). She's so skilled that way, it's like the 7 books were all planned out before she even started the 1st one.
No. That is definitely NOT true. Yes, there were quite a few things that were mapped out from the very beginning, but I heard interviews with her during her later books in which she agonized over some of the choices she made in those books. It's one of the reasons that the later books took longer to complete than she had planned.
But she spent one and a half years outlining the plots for her series before she started philosophers stone. I always thought that was the reason why her books were so brilliant. Because she didn't just start writing one or two, and then add on for each subsequent book, but had a master plan, and knew the exact role that each book had to play in the execution of that plan. I suppose you can't think of everything. Writing has a way of surprising you, regardless of how much thought you put into it beforehand.
totally not a predictable ending, especailly when you take all the stuff that spanned the series and helped create the ending, again, totally not predictable.
It's never about the destination. It's all about the journey. Why read an adventure story? You know the hero will achieve the objective, woo the girl, and stop the bad guys. Bond will stop the nuke from detonating with 007 seconds to spare. Harrison Ford will tackle the sniper as he has the President in the crosshairs, and the shot will miss by inches. Harry will defeat Voldemort, and whether he lives or dies in the process, he will achieve victory. It's all about the journey.
Exactly. The end didn't surprise me, but the story sure did. A surprise ending is just a cherry on top.
I completely agree. There wasn't anything wrong with the ending, I just expected more. Quoted for truth. Which is why (despite all my comments in this thread) I try when I read the books to not let the ending bother me. I love the rest of the books so much, I would never let one little chapter, even if it is the last chapter, ruin that for me.
True! As Cog says, it's about the JOURNEY. I never would have predicted the break into Gringotts, Hermione being tortured by Death Eaters, Dobby's death, etc. As for a "predictable" ending, I didn't expect that. I thought that JKR was going to have them both die at once from a double Avada Kedavra or something like that.
I still expect more. Like the post-graduate Harry series. Okay, okay, I know she said she won't be doing any more, but that doesn't mean she has to hold to it! Charlie PS. I loved what Cog said, that it's all about the journey.
The boy who lived as the man who lived. It was dreadful enough just reading it for those last few pages. Imagine reading a whole book. Harry should have remained young at least on paper. A grown up Harry Potter just sounds a bit silly and not nearly as much fun.
I remember reading that J.K. Rowling early on set it in stone that she would only write the seven HP novels, then never come back to the series once it was over. This was back before the last books were even written. I think part of the reasoning for ending the series the way she did, was to make it difficult to try and go back and re-cash-in on the series a decade or two later. But then again, she did write 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' after it was all over, to benefit 'The Children's Voice' charity campaign. Even though it wasn't about Harry directly, it did feature many key characters from the series.