Nourez Rawji
The Harry Potter series was integral to my childhood growing up, each new release feeling like an event in the way that I don't think I've ever had since. I recall lining up at midnight for the release of each of the books after Prisoner of Azkaban as they released, seeing each of the movies in theatres on release weekend and so on.
But I haven't re-read the series since the release of The Deathly Hallows films, give or take.
So I came into the start of thir re-read a little apprehensive about if the books would live up to my expectations and memories as as a teen and young adult now that I'm comfortably in my 30s.
I'm glad to say that The Philosopher's Stone abosolutely did. It's the perfect example of a childrens novel that's still just as magical and relatable as an adult as it is when you're 11. Rowling's worldbuilding is masterful, and the prose while not the focus infuses the story with a fairy-tale sense of whimsy and wonder that holds up to this day.
The only real complaint I have coming back to it over the years is that the short length does mean a lot of the charcter development and friendship between the core trio of characters happens off-screen, with chapters jumping months ahead into the future. We're told about half-way through that Harry and Ron became friends with Hermione, and it then jumps forward from Halloween to Christmas, where she's home for the holidays. In fact, we don't actually see the three of them doing much of anything before the final confrontation due to the lack of pages. As a child, I was okay with "then they were friends" as being enough, as an adult it felt like the book would have benefitted from just a little bit more content in the middle act. However, this is a minor complaint that has no bearing on my enjoyment at all.
I also listened to the Audible Full-Cast audiobook, which was also great. It's more of an audio-drama with music and sound effects than a straight audiobook, so I wouldn't recommend it for first time readers, but I thought for a re-read it added so much to the experience.
The Harry Potter series was integral to my childhood growing up, each new release feeling like an event in the way that I don't think I've ever had since. I recall lining up at midnight for the release of each of the books after Prisoner of Azkaban as they released, seeing each of the movies in theatres on release weekend and so on.
But I haven't re-read the series since the release of The Deathly Hallows films, give or take.
So I came into the start of thir re-read a little apprehensive about if the books would live up to my expectations and memories as as a teen and young adult now that I'm comfortably in my 30s.
I'm glad to say that The Philosopher's Stone abosolutely did. It's the perfect example of a childrens novel that's still just as magical and relatable as an adult as it is when you're 11. Rowling's worldbuilding is masterful, and the prose while not the focus infuses the story with a fairy-tale sense of whimsy and wonder that holds up to this day.
The only real complaint I have coming back to it over the years is that the short length does mean a lot of the charcter development and friendship between the core trio of characters happens off-screen, with chapters jumping months ahead into the future. We're told about half-way through that Harry and Ron became friends with Hermione, and it then jumps forward from Halloween to Christmas, where she's home for the holidays. In fact, we don't actually see the three of them doing much of anything before the final confrontation due to the lack of pages. As a child, I was okay with "then they were friends" as being enough, as an adult it felt like the book would have benefitted from just a little bit more content in the middle act. However, this is a minor complaint that has no bearing on my enjoyment at all.
I also listened to the Audible Full-Cast audiobook, which was also great. It's more of an audio-drama with music and sound effects than a straight audiobook, so I wouldn't recommend it for first time readers, but I thought for a re-read it added so much to the experience.