HP7: I read it! Spoilers Spoilers Spoilers Spoilers!

I finished reading HP7 last night. I know a few of you have as well.

Feel free to post what you thought about it.

If you haven't read the book yet, turn away lest ye be spoiled!

I'll start.

I feel cheated by that epilogue, man. I really expected more about what happened AFTER that last chapter. We get the dibs on.. six of our favorite main character and I feel cheater we don't know what happened to more. :(

lalalalalalalalalal   I can't hear you  lalalalalalalalalala

I know what you mean, it was a very Hollywood ending, you can just imagine the "to be continued" before the credits roll, but if you were her would you let such a good franchise end?

Also did you thing her writing style had much improved?

I also thought the ending was crap. The whole book the trio was faced with troubles, deaths, and a lot of misery, and suddenly it ends all happily and perfect? I thought she left it dark to get a point across- that seems to ruin it.

The parallels also annoyed me:

Grindewald held people in Nuremgard or something like that instead of Nuremberg with the Holocaust. Suddenly Harry comes back to life? Christ parallel here. I am so sick of reading that for school, and now in recreation?

Rowling, while an awesome and creative writer, also has no grasp of politics. Come on, a silent takeover of the Ministry? I know it was corrupted, but there are people like Mr. Weasley to stop or care.

I did like the book, and I don't want to give the impression I'm not a huge HP fan, but there were a lot of disappointments. Mind you- that's just because of the high expectations I had for it, and it's not necessarily the author's fault.

EDIT: I also don't understand why she did the whole open ending thing, as she's always said she wants it to end here.

I enjoyed it, but it didn't meet my expectations.  I thought it was very slow in the middle. 

However, all of our expectations were so high for this book, it was bound to not meet up to them.

Oh...and maybe I read it too fast and just don't remember....but, Who was the person that used magic later in life?

I LOVED it.  And Harry didnt come back to life...he was still alive because Voldemort didnt kill him, he killed his part of soul that was inside Harry.  He just kinda knocked Harry out and Harry had a vision.

So did harry finally die?

Don't read the books but was wondering, do ginger boy and smart girl finally get togather?

It was impossible for her to end that book well.  IF you kill "good" main characters at the very end when there is no coming back possible people get pissed, you make them all live happily ever after people say "i saw it coming."   what she should have done is end it with   ...THen he woke up in his trailer park and it was all a dream... but now NOW HE HAD AN IDEA FOR A BOOK!"   i promise no one would have been like i saw that comin...

Harry doesnt die, he marries some girl, they have some baby. his scar stops hurtning.  The girl and the fat boy (from the movie) get hooked up have a kid.  Harry tried to sacrafice himself but it was like, "OMGZ LOL IT WAS SUCH A NICE THING THAT YOU ACTUALLY DIDNT DIE YOU ARE SO PUREZ!!!!"

Thank god the internet saved me 2 days of reading ^_^

giggle_puppy  I love that ending ... made me LOL:)

THen he woke up in his trailer park and it was all a dream... but now NOW HE HAD AN IDEA FOR A BOOK

lol! I know it is sometimes over used, but that line really did make me laugh out loud.

It would have made the story go into a nice little circle if that was the ending.

I'm so glad I read this book...what a story! I was satisfied the way it wrapped up, I've been so rooting for Hermione and Ron to get together! The part where Harry went to Dumbledore after Voldemort cursed him, I was in tears. I was in tears during Snape's Pensieve.

What a great, great book. What a shame that people are chalking it up to characters like "the fat boy".

*shakes head*

Oh good, so ginger boy and smart girl do get together then.

yup and they have sex too... or i guess they may have adotped...  the author opted not to go into steamy detail about the sex... i really dont know why...

I did not see any "christ resurrecting" symbolism - I think she made a very logical reason it happened that holds together with  the magical world she created.  Perhaps you are reading something into it.  Come now - she couldn't have him die and it was beautiful when he "came back" for the final battle.

Quiet take over of the Ministry - I can see that. HECK we still have Bush and Cheney don't we ruining/running the USA for Oil interests.  BLECH!  

What I WAS disappointed in was the heavy thematic elements of the Nazi oppression.  I wonder if British writers will ever be able to move away from that.  People not saying anything because they don't know if they can trust their neighbors, those different being oppressed and segregated.  Seeking "purity" of blood. Just got a little heavy handed.  

Epilogue is likely there so the KIDS have a happy ending. It is very positive for kids to see that you can live through bad things and still get on and still have a happy life. To see that your past does not determine your future.  It does not matter what HOUSE you are in, it matters what you do.

I was very pleased with this book. It is WORTHY.  I think she did a phenominal job in closing her story lines in a plot effective manner - no Deus ex machina here. Nice to learn Snape's story.  

I was quite impressed by some of the things that did not happen in the story.  Petunia never hugged Harry. Harry did not forgive the Dursley's. Harry never told HIM that he loved HIM. HE never told the whole story. Neville did not get his revenge on Bellatrix and his parents did not have a miraculous recovery.

I laughed and cried during the story. WONDEFUL!! I want my husband to hurry up and finish it so I can start 1) talking with him about it and 2) start rereading it.

Favorite Quote -- " wow she was right.... it works much better when you really mean it".

Those "heavy thematic elements" were not just of the Nazi oppression, you know...

Maybe she couldn't kill Harry off (I haven't read the book... any of them, so ignore me if I'm talking rubbish).

She has been writing Harry Potter for years now, and I know from experience, no matter how crazy it seems, that you get attached to your characters.

I write stories, but only one got up to about 600 pages, and it took me years. All through it, in my mind the main character was going to die at the end. But as the ending approached, I just couldn't do it, and so now she lives. Woo.

Finishing a book is just like you took a child out in the back yard and shot it-Truman Capote

I thought it was a nice ending for the book. I know that a lot of people wouldn't be very pleased if Harry had died and Voldemort had taken over the world.

I also liked how we found out that Snape was on Harry's side the entire time. I admit, it was kind of a shock but after reading numerous theories, the thought crossed my mind that maybe Dumbledore's death had been planned.

I really loved the names of Harry and Ginny's children, although when they were boarding the Hogwart's Express, it would've been nice if Draco had gone up and said something to Harry and Ron but...what are ya' gonna do? Can't have everything, now, can we? :-)