Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. J.K. Rowling. 1997. 345 pages. [Source: Library]
First sentence: Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.
Premise/plot: Harry Potter, our protagonist, is an orphan destined for adventures--and misadventures. Raised by muggles, his aunt and uncle, he is clueless that his parents were involved in magic--witch and warlock. Both attended Hogwarts. Though the Dursleys plan to send Harry to an ordinary school, well, fate (if you will) has other plans. He receives dozens--and dozens and dozens--of invitations to Hogwarts. No matter how much his aunt and uncle want to deny Harry his heritage--his legacy--they are thwarted. (One might sympathize with them if they weren't presented as Roald Dahl style caricatures. After all, if they treated Harry as their own flesh and blood, if they treated him well, if they truly, deeply had his best interests at heart...then one might argue that they are trying to protect Harry.
Much of the book is set at school--Hogwarts--and involves Harry interacting with his closest friends (like Ron and Hermione), his classmates, his professors, his enemies. Harry (and company) get in and out of trouble on multiple occasions. Harry does have a BIG ENEMY (one who is not to be named, perhaps). He does make a brief appearance towards the end of the novel.
My thoughts: I have not read the series. Let's just get that out in the open from the start. I read this for the first time in 1997 as a college student for a course in children's literature. I wasn't intrigued enough to get into the craze, the phenomenon, the obsession. In the twenty-five years since, I've not picked up another title in the series.
Honestly, I'm not sure I will continue with the series this time. I might. I might not. It's just enough out of my comfort zone that it is not an easy decision.
I will say that it was easier the second time around. I got so confused the first time through. Perhaps because I was probably juggling a million different texts and textbooks at the time. That's life as an English major for you. Each class has a heavy load of books, books, and more books.
© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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