Book Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

For the reader, the Wizarding World has become very complex and full. Because of that, I can see why fan fiction in the Wizarding World is possible – and how Rowling herself was able to write books beyond and before Harry Potter himself. The setting has a history, a geography and a sociology beyond the needs of the plot itself. There are many characters that could have their own spin off or prequel or sequel. There was no way Rowling could have tied up every end in this novel – and there was no lack of satisfaction with that; the fact that Rowling created this world means that any amount of fiction can inhabit it. 

Another striking feature of this novel was the amount of waiting around. Ron, Hermione and Harry spend a lot of time accomplishing nothing in various places and getting annoyed with each other. Probably a brave move by Rowling, to slow the pace down, with her readership all set for the events that do eventually come – such as the various climaxes/anticlimaxes of Bathilda’s house, the escape from Gringotts, the Battle of Hogwarts etc. While the filmmaker had to divide the book into two movies, I think Rowling was right to keep this all as one. I suppose she could have had “Harry Potter and the Horcruxes” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” – but they overlapped too much to have as separate volumes. There could also have been “Harry Potter and the Will of Dumbledore”… as I say, this was a very full novel. 

Given that it’s nearly 20 years since the book is out, there’s no point warning people about spoilers. They’d have already read it or watched it. But hey: SPOILER ALERT.

So, when I was reading it this time, I was pretty sure that Snape was going to be redeemed – that the killing of Dumbledore was all within Dumbledore’s plan and that it was all good. This is, of course, what happened – but somehow, on this second reading, I didn’t feel Snape was justifiably redeemed. If I had been Harry, I wouldn’t have named my son after him. I mean, the doe thing was very helpful, but he was still a total meanie. 

Also, I still had issues with the death scene. I don’t really see how Harry managed to die and then have the option to be resurrected. I am probably missing something. There was the weird shrunken shell of the Voldemort body lying on the floor in the white train station – but it was very much just there and not explained. Harry too was there, and the bit of Voldemort in him had been killed – but it seemed that he could choose whether to go the whole hog deathwise or to think nah, and go back. It felt like a bit of a cheat. I remember thinking that, on the first reading, that the reader and Harry were reconciled to him dying; we didn’t need him to come back and live happily ever after. Neville could have done his sword thing and that would be that. But, we got our happy ending and 19 years of possible fan fiction before Albus Potter goes off to school. 

Anyway – my purpose in re-reading this was to have a think about how Rowling used to be cancelled by the right and now gets cancelled by the left. I wanted to read it and see what I thought her message actually was…

I think her “central concerns” are love and bravery. I think her message is that love and bravery involve self-sacrifice. I also think she demonstrates that “love wins”. 

There is another layer about wisdom – and the wisdom of others; of trust and the wisdom or not of trusting in others. For Harry, there was always a wobble of uncertainty about Dumbledore, about James Potter, about himself. I am not sure what the message was about this… maybe that you can never fully trust another person (or yourself) and their motivations?

I think the hero of the series was probably Lily Potter, but she is barely in it. (Again, I am sure there is plenty of fan fiction out there…)

On the cancelling of Rowling at every cut and turn: I think she managed to get a generation reading. She created a world that others have used as a starting point for their own imaginative work: there are board games, theme parks, toys, video games, dressing up ideas, parties… people have had fun.

This year, for World Book Day, I will be Professor Minerva McGonagall. I look forward to wearing my hat. 

The Half-Blood Prince, Interrupted (by a holiday in Australia)

“Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” was a book of two halves for me. I read half of it in June and planned to read the second half of it on two long haul flights to Australia. Weirdly, I found the flights unexpectedly entertaining and spent the whole time people-watching and enjoying the plentiful-yet-miniature snacks and drinks that the BA staff brought round. I had dinner-bed-and breakfast (as it were) to Singapore, then dinner-bed-and-breakfast (as it were) to Sydney. Got nothing read. Didn’t watch anything. 

On holiday there, I read three Australian books: “The Secret River” by Kate Grenville (a historical novel about transportation/colonisation – and I am not sure if reading it was colonising or decolonising – I was quite conflicted about it…); “Cloudstreet” by Tim Winton (a fabulous novel with heart and soul and voice – highly recommend); thirdly, I read “The Narrow Road to the Deep North” by Richard Flanagan (about an adulterous affair and a Japanese prisoner of war camp – an odd mix of sentimental schmaltz and abject horror). 

I think I therefore had about a month of a gap in the middle of “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” – but eventually got there. So saying, I had forgotten the first half of the book by the time I started the second half of the book – and flicking through the first half isn’t all that enlightening. 

When talking about this book, someone asked me, “Is that the one with Slughorn?” This was a helpful way for me to pin down the main thing in the book. Yes it is. 

Slughorn is a teacher at the school and Dumbledore knows that Slughorn has a memory about Voldemort that will enlighten him about Voldemort’s nature. Harry is tasked with getting the truth out of Slughorn. Eventually, Harry gets Slughorn drunk enough to give him the actual memory. Dumbledore and Harry familiarise themselves with the memory and then set off on a mission to find and destroy one of several bits of Voldemort’s soul that he has left hidden in significant objects. 

The end of the novel goes horribly wrong for Harry, and worse for Dumbledore – but at least JK has set up the last book as a set of sinister dominoes for the reader.

I look forward to watching the movie of “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” so that I can remember the first half of the action!

One interaction I found interesting was between Tom Riddle and Dumbledore in a memory Harry is watching:

‘They do not call me “Tom” any more,’ he said. ‘These days I am known as –‘

‘I know what you are known as,’ said Dumbledore, smiling pleasantly. ‘But to me, I’m afraid, you will always be Tom Riddle. It is one of the irritating things about old teachers, I am afraid, that they never quite forget their charges’ youthful beginnings.’

He raised a glass as though toasting Voldemort, whose face remained expressionless. Nevertheless Harry felt the atmosphere in the room change subtly: Dumbledore’s refusal to use Voldemort’s chosen name was a refusal to allow Voldemort to dictate the terms of the meeting, and Harry could tell that Voldemort took it as such. 

Later, Dumbledore does pretty consistently refer to Voldemort as Voldemort – indeed he is one of the few that names He-who-must-not-be-named directly at all. But it is interesting to see the delicate balance of power between these two at this point, historically– how Dumbledore’s rejection of Tom’s self-identification highlights the subjective/objective issues at the heart of one’s own identity.

So. Nearly there. Please stow your tray table securely and put all your belongings under the seat in front of you or in the overhead locker. 

Review: The Magical Music of Harry Potter #RSNO #glasgowroyalconcerthall

Given my current Harry Potter theme in life, I felt compelled to give this event a go. I don’t really ever go to hear music played – I would rather be in the concert than at the concert. 

But, during the opening piece, “Hedwig’s Theme” I was put in my place: there was no way I could have played the violin part! When the piece opened, I couldn’t physically see where the high and tinkly notes were coming from. As the concert progressed, I traced it to a piano-esque machine – that turned out to be a “celeste”. News to me! The next piece “Quidditch” was also instantly recognisable with some good blasting trumpet bits. Very good. 

One weird feature of this event was the role of “presenter”. Instead of the orchestra firing through the programme, an actor, Jerome Dowling, was dispatched to explain and contextualise the pieces as we went. When he first opened his mouth, my heart sank as I thought it was going to be an unnecessary time-wasting element, dragging the evening down. However, even although he was being himself to some extent perhaps, he was presenting in the style and character of Gilderoy Lockhart – and so any irritation with there being a presenter at all was kind of absorbed into the irritation one already associates with the character of Lockhart. So, it was sort of entertaining – and definitely informative and it did work as a continuity device. (But it wasn’t Kenneth Branagh.) The other odd thing was that the guy had to kind of blend in and face the orchestra when they were playing, as if he was watching them from right in beside the first violins. I am not one for patter. But the audience seemed to like his patter. So fair enough – and the evening did not drag. 

The audience was really multi-generational. The people in the row in front of us were three generations together, coming to see a sister/daughter/grandchild in the RSNO Youth Chorus. A real highlight of the concert was the rendition of “Double Trouble” which is from “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”. It is a mash up of Macbeth’s witches’ spell – “fire burn and cauldron bubble” etc. The case was made that this was a foreshadowing of Voldemort’s return at the end of The Goblet of Fire. Interesting – but my point should really be – the choir was brilliant. It was excellent – not some crappy kids’ choir – truly excellent – they were clearly all amazing singers who had rehearsed obsessively for months. Great work. 

In the second half I very much enjoyed “The Knight Bus” which gave me echoes of “The Symphonic Dances” from West Side Story – with Officer Krupke’s whistle and lots of reed-based sounds – it all sounded very New York, somehow. 

While music is something you listen to, in the Concert Hall, you also watch. An orchestra is an odd thing – a very visible embodiment of teamwork – with the many small violins balanced against a few loud trumpets – with everyone with their part to play, literally. I enjoyed watching the surprisingly many double basses, and I enjoyed watching the percussion people swapping around, jumping between instruments – including a swanee whistle (I think) and some clapper board things. The Conductor, Stephen Bell, was also good to watch – managing to convey a lot of character through his stance, as well as through his baton. 

The second half seemed to accelerate somehow through the remaining movies. “Hedwig’s Theme” is the most instantly recognisable melody – but there was a huge range of styles – and when I watch the rest of the movies (I have just finished “The Goblet of Fire), I will have much more appreciation of the score, that’s for sure. 

I found myself overthinking the cultural and historical moment that the concert was. There were hundreds of people – audience, orchestra and chorus – and that combination of people will never be together again. And we all listened and saw, from our own perspectives, with hundreds of internal monologues in response, depending on who we were and why we were there. 

I don’t know if it was mentioning Kenneth Branagh, but I keep on thinking of the quote from “Much Ado About Nothing”; the character Branagh plays says, in response to music – “Is it not strange that sheep’s guts should hale souls out of men’s bodies?” I have always been interested in the fact that the production of music is all physics. Columns of air vibrating, strings being stopped to change the pitch, banging a drum, chiming a bell, forcing air up through your vocal chords… Music is just making noises, technically. But in that kind of full-on orchestral context, with a large youth choir, and the audience with their responses, both silent and audible – all the noises are managed – order is made out of chaos – order streaming out of the tip of the conductor’s wand. I mean baton. 

Despite being clearly unqualified to be in the RSNO, I would definitely have enjoyed the concert more if I had been in it. Those young people in that choir would have enjoyed their moment hugely, I have no doubt. It was oddly heartening to see a form of entertainment invented hundreds of years ago still thriving, boosted by the requirement for movie soundtracks. 

So, congratulations to everyone involved. Excellent music. Fascinating to watch it live.

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Bit of an awkward and sweaty year at Hogwarts for Harry. Not much goes his way. 

For the reader, though, it is all good. The wizarding world becomes more real and the characters have a chance to develop and relationships evolve. Despite the structure of the novel being fundamentally the same as the others, it doesn’t feel that way; it is just as if they are living their lives and things happen and they react to them as they might. There is, of course an overarching sense of build-up, especially in Harry’s mind, to a classic Harry Potter climax and swift resolution – but in general, this felt as it was written by a much more confident writer; Rowling was allowing herself to indulgently flesh out her imaginative creation thus providing her readership with a far richer experience. I can see why she has inspired so much fan fiction; every character begs for their back story to be written. 

The novel is long. It took me a while, what with one thing and another, to get through. But it didn’t drag. There’s too much to talk about, so I am going to have a think about the character of Dolores Umbridge for this post. I dressed up as her for World Book Day 2022, so I was interested to re-read this novel and see her in a new (pink) light, having been her for a day. 

Umbridge is present at Harry’s trial. (He had saved his cousin from a Dementor attack, against the law, allegedly.) The first reference to her was (I think): “On Fudge’s right was another witch, but she was sitting so far back that her face was in shadow.” Her name pretty Dickensian: Dolores meaning sorrow and Umbrage has connotations of irritation/hostility as well as associations with shadow. Very good, JK. 

“(Harry) thought she looked just like a large, pale toad. She was rather squat with a broad, flabby face, as little neck as Uncle Vernon and a very wide, slack mouth. Her eyes were large, round and slightly bulging. Even the little black velvet bow perched on top of her short, curly hair put him in mind of a large fly she was about to catch on a long sticky tongue.”

She then turns up as a teacher at Hogwarts: 

“…like somebody’s maiden aunt: squat, with short, curly, mouse-brown hair in which she placed a horrible pink Alice band that matched the fluffy pink cardigan over her robes… he saw with a shock of recognition, a pallid, toadlike face and a pair of prominent poachy eyes.”

She then gives a speech of utter mince, sounding like someone who has read too many management paperbacks. Hermione could see through the jargon that this woman would become troublesome. 

She turns out to be the worst sort of teacher. She won’t let the pupils do anything; it is all theory and nothing practical or interactive. She is a stickler for meaningless rules and gives mean punishments. 

One low point is her giving lines to Harry. He had to repeatedly write: “I must not tell lies.” Every word he wrote also appeared scratched on the back of his hand, so that the back of his hand pretty much split open. He was telling the truth, so he was utterly enraged as he had to complete his punishment. Nothing like injustice to make the blood boil.

She then goes from bad to worse. It turned out she was a mole from the Ministry of Magic and she started poking her nose in everywhere, banning things and eventually taking over the school. She is appointed as a “High Inquisitor” and then takes over as Headteacher. Simon Sinek wouldn’t have liked her. She totally didn’t embody the ethos. 

Along the way she carries out various lesson inspections and is generally unkind. She doesn’t like Harry as he doesn’t hold to the party line; he knows Voldemort is back (as he saw him at the end of the previous novel); She, and the powers that are, thinks he isn’t (or is she a Death Eater and therefore on his side?). 

Harry’s conflict with Umbridge begins to come to a head when she catches him in her office. She is frustrated and considers using an illegal curse on him, despite her unhealthy jobsworth attitude. Hermione does well and gets them out of the situation. 

During this kerfuffle, Harry’s wand gets taken by Malfoy. He has it later at the climax of the novel, but I missed him getting back… I am looking for that now, as it annoyed me when reading. Found it – Ginny had got Malfoy with a “Bat Bogey” hex. Phew. I am glad it wasn’t a continuity glitch!

Dolores gets her comeuppance eventually and is a broken woman. All good. 

Umbridge aside, there was a lot in this novel. There was a very high-cringe failed romance with Cho Chang; There was a lot of exploration of the different school subjects and their related assessments. There was more about the fickle nature of the media. There were centaurs and thestrals (weird leathery invisible horses) and new characters. 

The Order of the Phoenix were a rag-taggle bunch of people philosophically on Harry’s side and by the end of the novel they came across as a genuine potential life-giving peer group. I am not sure they merit being titular, but there you go. I would probably have called it Harry Potter and the Department of Mysteries. But hey; I didn’t write it. 

Also, if I had written it, “Death Eaters” wouldn’t have been called “Death Eaters”. It struck me as awkward every time I read it. “Death Eaters”? Naw. 

The end of the novel contains a lot of explanation and clarity of reality (well, reality within the willing suspension of disbelief…) and sets us up for the last two completely massive books to round off the series. 

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

At last. Rowling is now into her stride. The clunky, awkward reminders of previous important setting points were largely banished; instead of starting off with some self-esteem crushing incident at Privet Drive, we are dropped into a derelict building in Little Hangleton and the mystery of the Riddles. We have the short-lived character of Frank Bryce who overhears all sorts of teasers and promptly gets killed. Fortunately for the reader, we had been listening along with him. 

Bizarrely, Harry too had been eavesdropping, despite the fact he was miles away, asleep and therefore not paying attention. So, despite the fact that we ended up in Privet Drive, it was only briefly. 

The geography of the Wizarding World really opens up in this book. In The first few novels, it is largely Diagon Alley and Hogwarts, with the occasional visit to Hogsmeade. In this novel, Rowling managed to broaden the idea to this kind of complimentary world that was entire of itself and was global. There were two things that made this happen: the Quidditch World Cup and the Triwizarding Tournament. 

The Quidditch World Cup was allowed to take its time and its place in the first section of the novel. All kinds of travel and accommodation moments, celebrities, supporters and rivals. There were all kind of hijinks and, of course, the sport to watch. What the reader may not have known is that Rowling was desperately weaving the basis of the climax of the whole novel into the seemingly extraneous World cup; what seemed to be incidental, turned out to be crucial. 

The Triwizarding Tournament was also an international competition. Hogwarts was up against two other European schools: Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. Durmstrang seemed to be kind of North Eastern Europe and Beauxbatons seemed to be in France or thereabouts. The Tournament took place over the academic year at Hogwarts, and the visitor stayed in and around Hogwarts for the duration. 

The novel therefore had its structure determined by the Tournament. There were three challenges throughout and each one had its build up and mini climax and resolution. Rowling was therefore able to plot the rest of the novel around these three key events, adding the actual climax of the novel to the end of the Triwizarding Tournament. 

The first time I read this novel, twenty years ago or so, I thought that Rowling had just lost the will to edit, in the face of pressure to write more novels. I was delighted to have forgotton most of what had happened and I enjoyed reading this more than the others. It felt less famous, less iconic and more like reading a book rather than taking an open top bus tour of one’s home town.

I enjoyed Dobby and Winky and their contribution; Hagrid’s lesson involving Nifflers, one of whom will appear years later (or years before in fact…) in “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”. I enjoyed Harry’s bubble bath, and Dumbledore’s “pensieve” where he stores his memories.

So, what of the message of the novel, this time? What of Rowling’s worldview? 

Hermione was unsettled by the status of the house elves that she saw as in slavery, so that was an issue that was touched on, although she did not get much traction with her campaign to right the wrongs there. 

There were also issues of prejudice noted in people’s attitudes to giants with expectations about their behaviour. 

One interesting character was Rita Skeeter, a reporter who would interview people and then add some manipulation and spin to her articles that then prompted public backlash – this seemed very relevant, given Rowling’s experiences. 

The top trait or value in this novel was bravery. In a few places, Harry was commended for his bravery and his moral fibre. The other thing is trust. Harry often is privy to things in these novels – and almost all of the time he fires back to the Gryffindor common room and tells Ron and Hermione everything. He trusts them completely. He does keep some secrets though; he doesn’t tend to share particularly dark moments, thoughts or secrets that aren’t his to share. 

Throughout this novel, there was also a theme of truth – the truth about who you are. Whether a wizard, a muggle, a giant, a human, an animagus, an imposter… the moral high ground was with those who were who they were. We found out a lot about who were on the dark side, in terms of allegiance to Voldemort and those who were against him. And there was more about Harry’s core nature in relation to Voldemort – and this of course is played out in final few books. 

So next, I believe, is “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” and I am pleased to find myself with a total memory blank as to who is in it and what happens. I know that it is long, though. But I am looking forward to it. 

Talking Tabitha

I remember that we learned about Tabitha at Crusaders when I was a child. Except she was called Dorcas. 

What I remember about Dorcas, or Tabitha, was that she died and was raised to life. I also remember that we had to draw pictures of the story. A friend of mine had drawn Dorcas next to a yellow sewing machine and a bunch of clothes, and I had thought at the time that that was probably anachronistic. 

But that was it. 

So, what’s the story? As I tried to remember it, I kind of visualised it with the bunch of clothes and the sewing machine from 1980 – and I also visualised Jesus being there. That’s where I was wrong, in physical terms at least. But the story totally has echoes of Jesus. And I am now thinking that that is the point. 

Here’s the story:

“In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, translated, is Dorcas).”

 Interestingly, or not, when you translate Tabitha or Dorcas into English, it is the word “gazelle”. In the story in the book of Acts, she is referred to as both Tabitha and as Dorcas, as if she was referred to as either, interchangeably. Some people think that this is because she was involved in the community to such an extent that she mixed with people on both sides of a language barrier: she would be Dorcas to some and Tabitha to others (and deer to all…). 

“…who was always doing good and helping the poor…”

Luke gives us a wee summary reputation for her here. He does this. For example, just a few verses later, he introduces Cornelius and sums him up thus: “He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.”

Putting the two initial Tabitha quotes together we get a disciple who has put her faith into action. Interestingly, apparently Tabitha is the only female disciple to be called a disciple in the Bible. If you look for female disciples, there were women there with the disciples, but she was the only one who is designated a disciple directly. 

“About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, ‘Please come at once.’”

The first sentence makes sense. They did what you do, I suppose, in first century Joppa, when someone dies. But why send for Peter? I wondered initially whether they were primarily informing him of the death of this woman – but the way it is phrased implies some kind of urgent hope. They want him to get there. And here again is the point – why do they want Peter?

Peter had been linked with healings; just before this incident with Tabitha, he had been there with Aeneas: “Peter said to him, ‘Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and tidy up your mat.’” this clearly echoes Jesus healing the man at the pool, to whom he said “Take up your mat and walk.” Similarly, this healing of Tabitha echoes another healing that Jesus carried out, when he was called for after the death of Jairus’s daughter. 

The story of Tabitha continues:

“Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.”

So, he is led to see the body and the room is busy with people grieving the loss of Dorcas. It is interesting that the writer has lapsed into calling her Dorcas here – the two expressions of her name were clearly interchangeable, even within the one person telling the story. They want to show Peter what she has made – the contribution that she had made to their lives. 

“Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed.”

Why did he send them out? I presume it was so busy and noisy that he couldn’t hear himself think. He is left then, with the calm of an empty room and the body of Dorcas. We don’t know what he prayed. When Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter, he also “put them all out”; they were “making fun of him” when he said that she was “not dead – she is only sleeping.” In that case, Jesus had a few people with him – the parents of the child and his three accompanying disciples. There is no mention of Jesus praying – he just takes the child by the hand and instructs her to wake up; I think the suggestion is that Peter was alone and “he got down on his knees and prayed.” He needed to pray – he could not reach out and raise the dead by his own hand. 

“Turning towards the dead woman, he said, ‘Tabitha, get up’”

This echoes Jesus, saying to Jairus’ daughter “Little girl, I tell you to get up.” Clearly, the power that Jesus had to raise the dead – or the ‘only sleeping’ was now available through Peter. 

“She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet.”

It is all very physical. Eyes, seeing, her hand, her feet: she is alive, physically. 

Similarly, with Jairus’ daughter “He took her by the hand…” “…She got up at once and started walking around.”

With Dorcas raised, “Then he called the believers and the widows and presented her to them alive. This became known all over Joppa and many people believed in the Lord.”Here there is a contrast with the other story: Jesus “gave them strict orders not to tell anyone.”

In terms of structure, we have the good, kind character of Dorcas, who dies. The goal of her beneficiaries is to have her back. The turning point is when they convince Peter to come and see them. The climax is the moment when Peter is alone in the room: Will she be raised? Yes! God can bring life through the faith of a believer in response to prayer. The resolution is lots of people believe in Jesus. 

There’s a problem with this story for us, though. When good people die and we want them not to be dead – sending for people isn’t going to make the person alive. Even if they pray, a  dead person stays dead. There may, possibly, be exceptions somehow, somewhere (visions of defibrillators dance in my head…) – but in my lived experience, the way things were for Dorcas are not the way things are for us. The Acts of the Apostles were spectacular, the growth of the church exponential; the power of the Holy Spirit apparent at every turn. 

I am reminded of this passage from John’s gospel:

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

There are a few possible take-home points from the story of Tabitha – in terms of Peter and Tabitha as examples of disciples. I think, though, that my take home point today is that – although this was after the Ascension, it reminded me of Jesus – so much so that I had mistakenly thought it was Jesus that raised Tabitha – but it was Peter…. NO! It was Jesus who raised Tabitha THROUGH Peter – and that, I think is the point of the story. 

This was Peter fulfilling Jesus’ words from John. Peter prayed in faith and Dorcas was raised, just as Jairus’ daughter was raised, as the widow of Nain’s son was raised, as Lazarus was raised… “whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing…”

As for Tabitha, I can imagine the kind of person she was as I have known people like her. She had resources and talent and she used them relentlessly for good, for the least in her community. She clothed people. She would have been missed by her community; her contribution was appreciated. 

Like Lazarus, Jairus’ daughter and the widow of Nain’s son – Tabitha would die physically again, in time. This story of the healing of Tabitha is a demonstration of life over death that I take as a sign of Jesus’ power over life and death eternally and a sign of the power of prayers of faith. 

The story of Dorcas now reminds me of those WWJD bracelets: “What Would Jesus Do?” In Peter’s position, I think it is fair to argue that Jesus would have done the same. In Tabitha’s original circumstances, I think it is fair to argue that Jesus would have given to the poor. Both disciples lived lives and carried out actions that would remind people of Jesus. 

Peter himself wrote:

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

Having been surprised to notice the echoes of Jesus in the life of Peter in the story of Tabitha, I will pay more attention to the echoes of Jesus in the lives of those around me. 

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

This is the best of the three so far, by far. It still starts off wading through the treacle of various irritating contextualisation reminders, but the Knight Bus soon turns up and we are off on our adventures. 

The start may be slow, but the end is action packed and concise – as is Rowling’s pattern so far – and yet again, the novel is filled with things that are now ‘things’. The Marauders’ Map, for one. And Hermione’s time turner. (It is weird that now every kid has a version of the Marauders’ Map on their phone in the form of Snap Maps and suchlike, but it was still a cool thing for Harry to get his hands on.)

We have the Knight Bus, the Leaky Cauldron, the promise of a visit to Hogsmeade for some Butterbeer. We have a very tense Quidditch season, magical creatures to care for, Hermione reaching breaking point with too much study and, for once, a decent Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. We liked Lupin. Malfoy continues to be a poisonous brat. The Dementors were an interesting feature – and certainly there are times in life when people can act like dementors, sapping all the joy, warmth and positivity from a room.

I enjoyed the Boggart in the Wardrobe, although it was unquestionably Alan Rickman that stumbled out in my mind, rather than Snape as such. It was like the opposite of the Mirror of Erised in Book 1. Lupin managed the class very well, allowing all to participate as far as was appropriate while Getting It Right For Every Child. 

Trelawney was rubbish though – and it was good that her subject was universally mocked. Trelawney had her one Oda Mae Brown moment when she actually did make a genuine prediction while the rest of it was bunk. Very good. 

It was not just “Ghost” that came to mind – the whole thing had a very “Back to the Future” conclusion ( – although Marty really does see his father punch out Biff… and not himself saving the day, at that point at least… )There was that tension about running into your other self in case you set off some kind of chain reaction that destroys the universe…

Rowling did well to leave the Patronus thing until late on in the novel. And it was very clever how it worked out, although I am sure there is a plot hole somewhere in the middle of it all – but my mind is skirting happily around it, for the time being at least. I was wondering if Harry had a growth mindset, thinking he could learn and improve with his conjuring of his Patronus, but it was only when faced with the fact of his own success is he able to be successful. Which is very circular. But so was the plot. 

I am more and more impressed with Rowling’s plotting. From Black’s motorbike to Ron’s scabby old pet rat, to Hermione’s timetabling issues – everything was there and then everything was necessary. It was all very tidy. 

Aside from all that, I am trying to read Rowling with a reflective head on, trying to see the worldview that underpins the world she created. 

Most interesting was the character of Lupin, who “should” be an outcast. He is medicated and supervised so that he can be a functioning member of society – but he has to keep his secret a secret or he would be outcast. Indeed – he leaves at the end as he thinks there will be too many parental queries about his fitness to teach. People have reservations about him, perhaps justifiably – but his condition was managed and he should not have been cast out. In the past, the school had done everything possible to meet his needs as a pupil with unusual requirements. I doubt any muggle school would go to the lengths of providing a tunnel to a safehouse for a kid who needed some time out. 

Hermione too was given an individualised support package – although it was perhaps not wise to let this child lead her own learning quite so rigorously. 

Speaking of learning – I have this idea that Hagrid was pretty illiterate in the first book? In this one he wrote a couple of pretty articulate notes – even using “you’re” correctly. Perhaps it was in the movie he spelt “Happy Birthday” wrong on the cake. I’ll have to go back and look. 

There was quite a lot of “people not being listened to” in this book and that being quite frustrating for those not being able to get their story out. So, if there was a moral of the story, it was perhaps something along the lines of – take time to understand people and what they need and what they have to say.

If that is Rowling’s message about life here, what is her message about death?

This was less clear. There is a good quote in book 1. Dumbledore says: “To the well organised mind, death is but the next great adventure.” In this book, he is less clear, giving Harry some Lion Kingesque twaddle to explain what had happened: “Your father is alive in you, Harry, and shows himself most plainly when you have need of him. How else could you produce that particular Patronus. Prongs rode again last night.” I enjoyed the fact that Dumbledore left, “leaving Harry to his very confused thoughts.” 

I will look with interest to see if Dumbledore clarifies and develops his philosophy of the afterlife as things go on – I remember that we do see Dumbledore after he is dead, I think? But other people end up as ghosts and other people are in paintings – but not all of them are dead… I guess I will see. 

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

This one was all about the memories. 

Like the first one, this one was really front heavy. It was written so that someone who hadn’t read the first one could leap right into the second one. Realistically, very few people would have done that, and the background details were clunky and tedious. I think, I hope, she eases up on this in book three. I will find out very soon.

However, apart from that, there were plenty of fresh ideas in this book. I very much enjoyed Colin Creevy – perhaps the first ever Harry Potter fan. I presume that Rowling modelled him on her fans in the early days; Harry seems absolutely baffled by Colin and his obsessive interest. Even more sycophantic was the glorious character of Gilderoy Lockhart that I couldn’t help but visualise as Kenneth Branagh throughout. 

Again, Rowling managed to conjour what has since become iconic – the flying car and its altercation with the Whomping Willow – great stuff.

But on to the memories. 

The star of this novel is Tom Riddle’s diary – stashed by Lucius Malfoy during the back to school shop in Diagon Alley – and stumbled upon by Ginny and Harry. Like an unhealthy internet addiction, the diary drew its victims into a toxic online relationship, as it were, with a version of Voldemort from fifty years previously. But they don’t know that. 

I very much enjoyed Harry getting sooked into the diary (just like Bunty Bailey getting into Take On Me back in the day!) and witnessing a whole lot of historical shenanigans. So he was, unbeknownst to him, wandering around in Voldemort’s memories, having a look at Dumbledore and Hagrid in their youth. Very Back to the Future. Fortunately for Harry, he makes it out of the diary alright. 

The other memories that entertained me were the ones that Lockhart had stolen from various wizards that he had interviewed about their exploits. He listened to their experiences then blanked their memories so that he could claim the glory for their achievements. Then he gets a very fitting comeuppance when he loses his memory. 

So, what of Rowling’s “message” in this novel? The Dursley section was again a picture of authoritarian and exclusionary culture getting its just desserts. This line stood out – not just because of the capitals:

“I WARNED YOU! I WILL NOT TOLERATE MENTION OF YOUR ABNORMALITY UNDER THIS ROOF!”

It is perhaps little wonder that so many teenagers, for so many different reasons, identified with Harry’s predicament, living with people who wanted to deny the existence of parts of his very being. He gets to go off and be respected and celebrated (– even hero-worshipped – which he doesn’t want. )

I wonder if this plays into the weird attitude to rules that persists in the Hogwarts world. There are school rules and points, prizes and punishments – but there is a very strong pattern of Dumbledore overlooking shocking infractions – if it was ultimately for the greater good. Harry manages to get a broom against the rules, his father’s invisibility cloak and a blind eye turned every time he is creeping around the castle after hours. Teachers seem to give him special treatment in public when he doesn’t respect them and in secret when he does respect them. 

So, for a fairly short Harry Potter book – there was plenty in this one. At the heart of it is Harry’s fear of himself and his nature. Dumbledore reassures him:

“It is our choices, Harry, that show us who we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

Harry is alarmed by his capacities and worried about how he will turn out – again, this perhaps explains his appeal to the young people of the nineties and noughties with all of their potential for both good and evil. This quote is reminding me of the one from Robin Hood Prince of Thieves: “Nobility is not a birth right; it is defined by one’s actions.”

Choices and actions are therefore how character is created and therefore retrospectively defined. Flip, here comes M-People into my subconscious: “What have you done today to make you feel proud?”

Here’s hoping you gave your house elf a sock. At the very least. 

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

Re-reading this novel this century rather than last, is a very different experience. When I first read it and didn’t “get” it – twenty five years elapse and now the first novel is full of  – and I use the word despite not usually liking to use the word – “iconic” moments.

From Privet Drive to Diagon Alley; from the staircases of Hogwarts to the Quidditch pitch – all of these places are so FAMOUS now – that when I walk down a faceless suburban street, I think – This is like Privet Drive; When I walk through the Old Town in Edinburgh, it is all very, very Diagon Alley. The real world can be seen through a Potter lens. Things that are not real are somehow very THERE.

I was reading it thinking – this is when he gets the letter – this is when he gets his wand – this is when he meets Malfoy – this is when he goes through the barrier. I am planning to go to London soon – and I am planning to go there – to the place where he passed through…

 The other thing that is apparent on a second reading is that JK Rowling was not writing speculatively. She was not randomly writing, waiting to see how it would all pan out for Harry. (I suppose, even for me, the ultimate end was clear from the beginning in terms of his relationship with Voldemort and how that had to come to a conclusion). The first thing that I notice was that the motorbike Hagrid was riding when Harry was a baby belonged to Sirius Black, who does not appear in person for a good few years after that point (I think). Also, Harry has to buy a book written by Newt Scamander, who ends up getting his own spin off movie in the fullness of time in the shape of “Fabulous Beasts and Where to Find Them.” So, Rowling must have had a very full vision of her Wizarding World and its future history…

After we eventually got through the very, very detailed exposition and set up of the whole Wizarding World, the plot gets underway. I found that I was reading the book through the eyes of the people who would become obsessive Potterheads, who would, for a time, base their worldview on all things Potter. I found I was looking for the “moral of the story” – or more like the morals of the story. Rowling, in “The Witch Trials of JK Rowling”, conveys the idea that the Dursley family stand for everything she is against – cruelty, intolerance and authoritarianism. On the other hand, various other characters embody the values that people came to love: such things as bravery, friendship and loyalty.

In terms of a ‘read’ though – this book was too familiar and therefore necessarily lacking in any kind of suspense or thrill – through no fault of the book itself, of course. I have seen the movie adaptation several times, so occasionally things were different or new or underwhelming, in comparison with the film.

The oddest thing about the book, structurally, is how it TAKES FOREVER to get to the climax of the plot – and the resolution is swift. This is in contrast with the almost painfully detailed build up of events and details that allowed the Indiana-jones style series of challenges at the end to take place. We needed the friendship to be cemented through the incident with the troll; Hermione to be a herbology nerd; Hagrid to let slip certain details to Voldemort; Harry to be a seeker so as to catch the key; and for the early trip to Gringotts to take place, goblins and all.

Overall, the book is therefore extremely front-heavy – but, I will forgive JK Rowling this, as, granted, not only was she setting up plot twists, she was setting up a WHOLE OTHER WORLD that – even although she could not possibly know how far this thing would go – required this level of introduction, arguably.

Revisiting Harry Potter

Can you imagine a world without Harry Potter? What would it be like if JK Rowling had never had her idea on a train about a boy with magic powers?

A few years ago, I went to the Harry Potter Studio tour as a birthday treat for my daughter. I wondered how JK Rowling would feel if she were to visit – how weird it would be to see your own imaginings in physical form, embraced by a generation – a necessary and now seemingly permanent part of our culture. 

I remember when Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone came out – or, more accurately, I remember a kid at the back of my class reading Harry Potter. Then other kids reading Harry Potter. Then the school librarian telling me about Harry Potter. Then a fifth year kid wanting  to submit an essay on Harry Potter for their Higher “Personal Study”. They said it was “funny”.  I had a read of the opening, and didn’t find it funny. So, I didn’t really get it.

However, as a dutiful and interested educationalist, I read the Harry Potter books almost one after the other. (I made a horrible mistake and read the book after Azkaban before Azkaban which included Azkaban spoilers – so that was a bit of a fail…. Never mind.)

I read all the way, over the years, to the end of the last one. I remember being irritated with the end of the last one and I wrote an alternative ending. I posted it here on the 3^rd of May 2011, so that was the end of Harry Potter and me at that point. 

By that point, I had children. The eldest would have been eight or nine at that point and would have been reading Harry Potter or having Harry Potter read to him. It was my elder daughter who turned out to be the bigger Harry Potter fan, as it turned out – with lego and bedding etc and the trip to the Studios.

Despite my English teaching career entirely being concurrent with the Potter phenomenon, I feel that it passed me by somewhat. I read them out of duty; I was pleased that reluctant readers were engaged with reading; I considered them to be part of the children’s canon along with Morpurgo and Dahl et al. I did not “get” the novels. I was pleased that, when the movies came out, that they looked right. I went to see a few of the movies when they came out, but still, I was not sure that I really “got” the Wizarding World in the way that Potterheads do. 

During the pandemic, JK Rowling came under fire, not for the first time. I am listening now, to “The Witch Trials of JK Rowling”. It has put me in a really reflective place, hearing how the fans of Harry Potter found the stories so influential in building their worldviews and how distressing it has been to have the art and the artist come into apparent conflict.

I turned 50 this month, and decided to re-read the Harry Potter books over again. I can’t help feeling I missed something in reading them as they came out – as a duty rather than a pleasure. Maybe there are no hidden depths! Maybe I was right enough about the fact that there was so much repetitive exposition in the first few novels and a shocking lack of editing in the last few.

 I hope I am wrong – and suspect I am (or would not give them the time of day!). I want to be able to embrace the novels into the canon of classic children’s/teen/Scottish/fantasy fiction. I want to pay more attention to the elements of the novels that gave a generation that reverence for bravery and love. 

Today I finished “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”. Review to follow. I am about to crack into “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”.