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2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
never put an author under pressure, 2 Feb 2007
This review is about the adult edition.
What I am going to do here is an educated guess, not being sure about the chronology.
When she was writing this third episode Ms Rowling had probably achieved international repute and was probably being constantly harassed by her publisher, by filmmakers, gadget manufacturers and press.
Be it as it may, the book is clearly splitted in two: the first part is essentially flawless, up to the standard of the first two volumes; the second part, charged with excellent ideas, rich in exciting possibilities, possibly suffered under those harassments and was not properly revised.
No doubt a loss: the author was trying to give here more depth to her characters, to facet situations and load them with meaningful ambiguity. A commendable effort put to waste: there is nothing outright wrong but many paragraphs are clumsy, logical connexions are not always clear and the writing is not as polished as always.
The latter is indeed an enormous loss: the charm of Ms Rowling's previous works is her ability to depict an ugly frightening world with the smooth language of children stories.
I wish that she would revise all her novels now that the urge to finish the saga is past, concentrating exclusively on her language, bringing every single page to the shiny perfection of some of them. This would gain her even more renown, artistic appraise and possibly a heap of money.
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1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Entertaining but conceivably dangerous if overdosed, 25 Nov 2000
By A Customer
As a teacher and fellow writer, I can only applaud J.K. Rowling for her success in getting the young off the screen for once, and into a book. Her latest Harry Potter story is no less gripping than the rest, and yet ought not parents be on their guard for cult fanaticism? My belief is that Ms Rowling herself will recognise this danger,and hopefully get out there into schools, spreading the word that there are some other good children's books around too. Another recent 'fad' in kids' books has been Roald Dahl. It is surely time that all responsible authors spread the word that books open whole new worlds to children - beyond their own immediate scene. All the Harry Potter books have a similar appeal - like Tin Tin or Asterix. That's meant as a compliment. But I believe intelligent authors - of which Ms Rowling is undoubtedly one - should make it their business to spread the good word about books for children as widely as possible. I believe she will do this. So watch this space for reommended other reading.
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1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Harry Potter And The Darker Novel, 5 Dec 1999
Because I had heard so much about the Harry Potter phenomenon, I decided to give them all a read over the last few weeks.The Prisoner of Azkaban is the third in the series of books by J K Rowling and is as good in parts as the rest, but this one takes a definite turn towards a darker plot. The first two are hilarious and tell of the escapades of Harry, Ron and Hermione, as they go through Hogwarts School. The scrapes that they get into are wonderfully crafted and funny and keep the reader amused, whatever age they are.The most hilarious times come usually when the reader is confronted by the larger than life character of Hagrid. This character is nothing but pure genius on Rowling's part. The Prisoner Of Azkaban is different though. There is still the hilarity of the scrapes that Harry finds himself in, but these are fewer in number and the storyline is much deeper and darker than the rest. The search is on for Sirius Black, a demented madman, who is after Harry and who, it is believed, wants to kill Harry. This is no different from the character of Voldemort in the other books, but the description seems much more effective in this book. It is as though J K Rowling has written this book for a slightly older audience. The characterisation is wonderful, but at times, the reader can get totally immersed in an intricate structure of events that are slightly confusing. I read this book over the period of a weekend and enjoyed it immensely, but did not laugh as heartily as the first two. Why ? This was because the description of the guards of Azkaban, the Dementors, and their activites, made this a much more chilling read. It had more intensity than the previous novels and for that reason, was more difficult to digest. In saying that though, it is a thoroughly good read and one which I would strongly recommend. If you have not read any and are looking for a good novel to read to your children, then start with The Philosopher's Stone. I am reading it to my son at the moment and he is loving it. He cannot get enough. When you get to The Prisoner Of Azkaban though, be careful. A child with an over fertile imagination may have problems with some of the imagery of the third novel. What I will say though, is that the three novels, when placed together in order, make for the most exciting read I have come across in a long time. They are addictive and I for one, cannot wait until July 2000 for Harry Potter 4.
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1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
The other two were better, 17 Jul 1999
By A Customer
When I read this, I was a little dissapointed. It didnt live up to #1 and #2.
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1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
The two prior books were better, 24 Sep 1999
Please! Have the rest of you been reading the same book? Have I received a different book with a much more predictable plot amd an ending that is flatter than a coke left opened for several hours.. Or are the rest of you just sheep that must replicate the sam responses that have been made prior to your very own. Anyway this book was so bland and lacked the magnificant descriptions that the prior two gave us. I was thouroughly saddened by the apparant lack of effort the author made to keep in line with her previous offerings. I hope this will be corrected by the time she releases the fourth in the series. Oh well this is my two cents worth! Buy the book and judge for yourselfs :)
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0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
a good but ultimately shallow book, 24 Mar 2004
By A Customer
Firstly id like to mention i didnt like book 1 or 2 at all, this book belongs to my sister and i read it (as with 1 and 2) because i had no other books to read. as an 18 year old whos favourite authors include Trevanian and Roger Zelazny i am a lover of an interesting plot and well written descriptions. with the plot i wasnt let down. the story is full of almost everything a reader could want: an interesting (if stereotypical) hero, a heated rivalry, plenty of action scenes. However where the book fails is in its length. Rowling seems unsure whether the book is for adults or children. If for children it seems a little complex and possibly frightening, but if for adults the book should have left people feeling a little empty. the book could have been two or three times as long whilst still being as interesting and hold the readers attention. Emotions are skimmed over and Rowling seems to want to not so much as give the reader an in depth look at wizards, witches and other wonders as to allow the tiniest glimpse. As the book was started for children it is not a fault in the writing as such, just a dissapointment to adults who can see past the hype and wonder what could have been had it been explored as deep as it could. Instead it only skims the surface.
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0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
One of the best! (next to the other 2, or course.), 28 Jul 1999
By A Customer
I just absolutely loved this book. Words can't really express it, I got totally immersed in the plot. I couldn'y put it down! I loved how Harry developed more of a personality, when he shows anger and sadness, he becomes more human. Just like one of us. 'Can'y wait for the next book, really...
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