Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Less than two days before the much anticipated release of the final installment of the Harry Potter series, NY Times writer Michiko Kakutani wrote a review of the book.

What's good about the review is that it didn't spoil the reader's experience of the book but it actually heightens it. It revealed a couple of terms by saying what "hallows" are. Hallows are, by the way, three magical objects said to make their possessor the master of Death. It also revealed that we could expect more of the Harry-Ginny romance which I'm decidedly looking forward to reading about. It compared Harry to King Arthur, Spiderman and Luke Skywalker since all the heroes have their own inner battles as well. The review also gave me a sense of assurance that the book won't leave me hanging and that it would have a proper resolution that I would "agree" on in the end. And that's important as I don't want my beloved Harry to be treated unfairly. I hope I won't be disappointed. At the end of the review, here's what the author (reviewer) imparted:

"The world of Harry Potter is a place where the mundane and the marvelous, the ordinary and the surreal coexist. It’s a place where cars can fly and owls can deliver the mail, a place where paintings talk and a mirror reflects people’s innermost desires. It’s also a place utterly recognizable to readers, a place where death and the catastrophes of daily life are inevitable, and people’s lives are defined by love and loss and hope — the same way they are in our own mortal world."

I'll definitely miss the anticipation of a new Potter book. I guess I will have to just settle with the movies. Or I can just re-read them again. After all, I can always use an escape from the Muggle world from time to time.

Read the full review here.

*****UPDATE*****
I just read from this site that JK Rowling didn't approve of the NY Times review of her 7th book.

JK Rowling said at 1pm today, 'I am staggered that American newspapers have decided to publish purported spoilers in the form of reviews in complete disregard of the wishes of literally millions of readers, particularly children, who wanted to reach Harry's final destination by themselves, in their own time. I am incredibly grateful to all those newspapers, booksellers and others who have chosen not to attempt to spoil Harry's last adventure for fans.'