Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Starred review from August 13, 2007
Daletackles Harry's last hurrah with the same undercurrent of excitement and mind-boggling roster of distinct character voices that he brought to his previous six performances. Less of the Hogwarts setting, and a more dangerous quest for Harry and his friends, means that Dale has less jocularity to work with here (something at which he excels), but he does not disappoint in conveying both the heart-rending drama and sense of closure of Rowling's final Potter outing. Late in the recording, when Harry realizes his fate and Rowling's plot twists fly, Dale is at the top of his game, drawing listeners into the orbit of his comforting voice. Throughout, Harry and his friends appropriately sound a bit older than they did in the early volumes, and it's hard to know whether it's imagined or not, but there's a hint of wistfulness in Dale's voice, perhaps because both narrator and listener know it's the last time they'll be together for a new Potter adventure. The CD packaging, which makes extensive use of Mary GrandPré's spot illustrations and cover art on the discs and sleeves, is also a treat for fans. Ages 10-up.

There's only one word that can describe Jim Dale's work on HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS--"magical." Few audiobook narrators can stretch the medium like Dale as he interprets more than 200 characters, giving each a distinctive voice. Giants, wizards, elves, witches, centaurs, and muggles have singular voices that are instantly recognizable. It's hard to imagine anyone else doing justice to J.K. Rowling's brilliant finale to the story of the boy wizard as he conquers fear and turns into a man. Dale has raised the bar on audiobook interpretation so high it's hard to imagine any narrator vaulting over it. If anyone were going to make a case that listening to an audiobook is superior to reading it, this book would be the best evidence. Bravo. M.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine


bibliophile - I haven't read this series in... forever... I read the whole series when I was in third grade... (PRESENT) but I was looking at my mini library... and I saw the thick hardcover book(I even blew out the dust on the cover :P)... and it brought back so many memories :)... I remembered watching the awesome movies (Emma Watson and the twins lol), and going to Orlando to go the World of Harry Potter... NOTE: YOU HAVE TO DRINK THE BUTTERBEER... IT'S AMAZING...I really wished they have something like this in Cali... but I heard they are going to make a Harry Potter World in Universal *squeal* and I am soooooooooooooooooo excited :-D... but now I'm kinda getting off topic... so back to the subject... I blew the dust... and I started reading it over... and this is a *a kind of a SPOILER* So Dumbledore passed away *sobbing* from Snape; and now there are so many sacrifices to protect Harry from the evil Voldemort... Like Mad Eye had passed away *tears* and one of the twins (Fred and George [my fave/hilarious characters] ) got really hurt... by using a potion to look like Harry...but they do arrive at the Burrow.... Anyways they are looking for the Hocruxes to officially get rid of Voldemort for good... Later on a wizard tell Harry, Ron, and Hermoine about the Deathly Hallows... So honestly I really do not want to spoil anything... but here it goes... a lot happens... so most of it there's a lot of action where some people (SPOILER) gets tortured... SPOILER: Also Snape was actually one of the good guys (my suspicion was actually correct... Some of my friends who read these series thought I was crazy :D) *yay...* Anyways they are still looking for the remaining Hocruxes... Will Harry and his friends find the Horcruxes before it is too late? Will Harry defeat Voldemort for good or will he strike back? Well it is up to you to read and find out... PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE READ THIS AMZING BOOK AND SERIES FROM THIS REALLY TALENTED AUTHOR!!! Hope you enjoy :-D!!!!

Starred review from July 30, 2007
It would seem churlish to review the Harry Potter series finale with something less than overwhelming enthusiasm—after all, there’s no one like Rowling. Who else has sustained such an intricate, endlessly inventive plot over seven thick volumes and so constantly surprised her readers with twists, well-laid traps and Purloined Letter
–style tricks? Hallows
continues the tradition, both with sly feats of legerdemain and with several altogether new, unexpected elements. And yet the revelations don’t pack as much of a punch; the moments of genuine astonishment or grief that mark every other book in the series go missing here. Perhaps readers know too well the rules of Rowling’s magical universe, a universe she has constructed with extraordinary thoroughness and care.
As the ending of the previous book suggested, Hallows
revolves around Harry, Ron and Hermione’s quest for the rest of the Horcruxes into which Voldemort has poured his soul. Without the Hogwarts school year to supply structure, the plot can meander, and Harry himself is tempted to go on an altogether different search. For once some puckered seams trouble the surface of the storytelling—is Harry now using forbidden spells? How many Horcruxes are there?
It’s hard not to wish that the editors had done their jobs more actively. Hallows
doesn’t contain the extraneous scenes found in, say, Goblet of Fire,
but the momentum is uneven. Rowling is better at comedy than at fight scenes, and Hallows
has less humor and more combat than any of the preceding books. Surely her editors could have helped her build tension with more devices than the use of ellipses and dashes? And craft fight dialogue that sounds a bit less like it belongs in a comic book? True, none of these flaws is fatal to a fan’s enjoyment. But why not have make the bestselling children’s book in history the best it could possibly be?
One great virtue remains constant: Rowling’s skill at portraying characters. Harry and friends mature, not in straight lines but in realistically messy patterns. Over the course of the seven books, Harry develops from the scrawny misfit of no. 4, Privet Drive, to a teenager who can pull off acts of self-sacrifice and goodness without cheapening his charisma for readers—no mean feat for a writer. And when Rowling concludes her long story, she does so the old-fashioned way, without ambiguity. Harry Potter has finished growing up, and even the most ardent fans will know that it is time to say good-bye. Ages 9-12.