The Deathly Hallows

Well, I just finished reading "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" at about 1am this morning. I am still processing it, but I have to say that it was amazing. However, it was very hard to read. J. K. Rowling has been saying for years that this was a full out war and that there would be lots of casualties. However, when you actually experience them in the book, along with all the other atrocities committed by Voldemort and the Death Eaters, it really is difficult. I found myself flipping ahead a few pages in certain chapters just to make sure the main characters would survive. I've never done that before in a Harry Potter book. The only other book I can remember doing that was Phillip Pullman's "The Amber Spyglass" when Lyra and Pantalaimon were separated. I just couldn't stand it and had to flip ahead just to be sure. Needless to say, I cried quite a bit in this book, cheered in several places, and laughed in at least a few. That Rowling can cause such emotion in her readers is surely a testament to her skill as a writer, no matter what pompous naysayers like Bloom say. It's hard to believe the story is over. It has been a part of my life for over 6 years now, and while I will still go back and re-read the novels, it will never be the same as experiencing it for the first time. I hope that very young children and the generations that come after them will enjoy these books as much as we have, though they will never no the anticipation of years of waiting for the next book. Wondering what clues the author has left us, picking over and parsing each word, each new title, each piece of cover art. Goodbye Harry, and thank you for letting us share your magical journey. Thank you, Jo Rowling, for giving us Harry and his magical world.