Only one book gets a snippet review this month. I finished up the Harry Potter series on audio!
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Series book #7; book review #79, re-read)
Reader: Jim Dale, who is Perfection
Source: Borrowed from my friend Anne
Finished: 9/15/11
Rating: 9 out of 10
Publisher: Listening Library
Pages: 759 (print version)
Originally Published: 2007
A Short Synopsis: Harry has finally come of age, and finally started on his final journey to defeat Voldemort for good.
Quick Impression: While this isn’t my favorite book in the series (mostly because it drags a bit in the middle), I love it because it so nicely finishes one of my favorite series of all time. Watching Harry and his friends finally defeat Voldemort and his followers is such a rush, and I love how much heart is in this book. I also love how not only do the main characters shine, but secondary characters like Professor McGonagal, Neville, and Molly Weasley.
Are audio books better than reading itself? Cause sometimes, the voices are really dull.
I agree that sometimes audiobooks can be dull, but I think that Jim Dale does a phenomenal job with the Harry Potter books — he infuses so much life into them!
NEVILLE!!!
NEVILLE!!!
They BEAT Voldemort????? Thanks for the spoiler, laser-eye ninja. Sheesh.
;) I kid. I loved this one. It did drag a bit, but it tied up so many threads in such heroic scale, I read it straight through the Saturday it was released. When Kreacher led the house elves into the fray…leaky eyes.
Heh.
I was quite the waterworks when I read this the first time, and definitely during the movie. This time it wasn’t so bad…I knew what was coming. But still!
Nice review, Cori! This is actually my least favourite of the Harry Potter books, because it dragged on and on and I felt that Rowling was just trying to finish off the story, but didn’t want to make it too short. The climax was quite disappointing too. I saw the first part of the Deathly Hallows movie version and surprisingly found the movie better. Glad to know that you enjoyed the audio book version.
I agree — it definitely could have been cut a little and the story still would have worked!
I really enjoy Jim Dale as a narrator! Unfortunately, I tend to get stuck on a format. For instance, I read the Harry Potter series in print, and I find that I enjoy neither the movies (stopped watching after three) or the audiobooks (listened to a couple of discs of one and gave up). I’m glad you enjoyed this one, though, and I will continue to enjoy Harry Potter and Jim Dale’s narration…just not at the same time :-)
I love audiobooks for re-reads — for me, it’s the perfect way to see a book in a new light. But I can understand the format thing — I have a hard time re-reading a book in a different hardcopy form than the one I read it in the first time — re-reading Harry Potter in paperback vs. hardback. I missed the heft of the hardback books!