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THE ELIXIR OF LIFE
My second foray into Harry's world was the first book Rowling wrote: a fun-filled introduction to the wizarding world.
After surviving a Killing Curse which rebounded on its master, one-year old Harry Potter is left at his aunt's home. After eleven miserable years with the Dursleys, one day, a giant arrives at his doorstep and tells him he is a wizard, and the most famous one at that. Harry sets off to study at Hogwarts from an enchanted platform, makes friends and enemies alike, faces trolls and three-headed dogs, and searches for The Philosopher's Stone.
The first chapter introduced Dumbledore and his Put-Outer, a device I found so fascinating that I couldn't wait to read more. And more there was, from Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans to centaurs to Snape. Rowling's style was simple and direct, no frills and no over-dramatization. As I said before, her wit shone in every page, in situations like Hagrid's first arrival at the Dursleys and Fred and George's ribbing of Percy. The book stresses on the concepts of friendship, loyalty and courage, but doesn't deliver elaborate eulogies on the subject, instead depicting it through small incidents. When I reread the book later, I felt the writing to be somewhat childish, maybe not that ageless as the others in the series. But it didn't take anything away from the magic of the books, still doesn't. Also, I realised how wonderfully Rowling had sprinkled clues for later books throughout the story; while reading a later book, you'd be like, Oh, it was there right in the first book!
I kind of missed the charm of the book in the movie. When it first came out, I was a little disappointed in how much had been pruned and altered. It's not like I am a die-hard Potter fan that I would be sorely disappointed in the movie: I just felt that it was not very true to the book. If you had just seen the movie and not read the book, you'd be a little confused as to what was going on.
What do you think about this book? Share your opinions and set the conversation ball rolling!
My second foray into Harry's world was the first book Rowling wrote: a fun-filled introduction to the wizarding world.
After surviving a Killing Curse which rebounded on its master, one-year old Harry Potter is left at his aunt's home. After eleven miserable years with the Dursleys, one day, a giant arrives at his doorstep and tells him he is a wizard, and the most famous one at that. Harry sets off to study at Hogwarts from an enchanted platform, makes friends and enemies alike, faces trolls and three-headed dogs, and searches for The Philosopher's Stone.
The first chapter introduced Dumbledore and his Put-Outer, a device I found so fascinating that I couldn't wait to read more. And more there was, from Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans to centaurs to Snape. Rowling's style was simple and direct, no frills and no over-dramatization. As I said before, her wit shone in every page, in situations like Hagrid's first arrival at the Dursleys and Fred and George's ribbing of Percy. The book stresses on the concepts of friendship, loyalty and courage, but doesn't deliver elaborate eulogies on the subject, instead depicting it through small incidents. When I reread the book later, I felt the writing to be somewhat childish, maybe not that ageless as the others in the series. But it didn't take anything away from the magic of the books, still doesn't. Also, I realised how wonderfully Rowling had sprinkled clues for later books throughout the story; while reading a later book, you'd be like, Oh, it was there right in the first book!
I kind of missed the charm of the book in the movie. When it first came out, I was a little disappointed in how much had been pruned and altered. It's not like I am a die-hard Potter fan that I would be sorely disappointed in the movie: I just felt that it was not very true to the book. If you had just seen the movie and not read the book, you'd be a little confused as to what was going on.
What do you think about this book? Share your opinions and set the conversation ball rolling!
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I'm a huge Harry Potter fan ... I think they are amazing books and J.K. Rowling does a fantastic job with all the little details. Her imagination is amazing. I plan to read them all again with my son one day and can't wait to immerse myself back in that world!