Voldemort is Dead...WooHOO!!!

I’m trying to come up with a word to describe my mood right now. Vexed? Nonplussed? Bemused? I’ve just finished the seventh installment of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books and I’m not sure how to describe my reaction; not just to this book but the six before it. I think maybe “railroaded” might be appropriate. Maybe “victimized.” I mean, what were we thinking? The books are okay, not great; fodder for 14-year olds but not something I meant to waste precious time on.

How many books can one read in a lifetime? How many books have I read in my lifetime? Thousands certainly; tens of thousands maybe? Of course a high percentage was adolescent trash and probably not worth reading but one doesn’t really know that right away. I’ve certainly tossed aside many a book after reading only a few chapters, but I think that’s fair. With the Potter books we’ve been brainwashed into reading not one, not two, but seven books aimed at a tween-age audience and subjected to all the highly professional public relations and peer pressure accompanying each installment. The only thing that tempers my horror is that I never bought any of the books myself. They’ve just kind of appeared in my presence without any thought from me…maybe therein lies the magic purported to be beyond an ordinary Muggle like myself.

“Resentful” is a good word; also “exasperated,” in that there are seven really good books out there that I will never get to read because I spent so much time on these. I don’t resent Rowling; she deserves all the money and fame she has reaped, with her publishers somehow manipulating the public into adoration. So, good for her.

I have never regretted reading L.B. Carroll, J.R.R. Tolkien or especially T.H. White’s The Once and Future King which is truly the definitive book for the 15-year old in us all. Rowling doesn’t even come close to these giants so maybe “regretful” is the word I seek. Nice try, J.K., and thanks for stopping by but thanks for stopping.

Cordially, your Muggle (and proud of it) friend,

J.W.

Caution: the book did not end where it should have. Rowling (and her publishers) certainly recognize buttered bread and have left the door open with an “Epilogue;” thereby creating the possibility for further mischief. And Harry’s rival, Draco Malfoy, survived the final mayhem and continues to give him frosty looks. Uh oh.