This is the 29th book I have written about in this blog, but the very first one that is a re-read. It's not that I've run out of new books to read (not by a long way), the time just felt right to read something more familiar. And after a book that was pretty heavy-going in places it was nice to read something a bit lighter.
Like a lot of other people, I've read all 7 Harry Potter books. Books 4, 5, 6 and 7 were read as close to the day of release as could be managed. But actually, the Goblet of Fire is the only one of those that I've ever read since. Despite reading the earlier books several times I've never found the motivation for the others. Until now.
My husband has said I need to watch the films, which I've managed to avoid very successfully. The condition for me giving in is that prior to each viewing I will read the relevant book, and so will be fully equipped to complain about portions of the plot which are incorrect or missing. And so yesterday I sat down to read Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. It was somewhat of a novelty to be finished just a few hours later.
The main thing thing to strike me about the book was the content balance. In my head, Harry arrives at Hogwarts really early on, and a large section is devoted to trying to get the Stone at the end. I'm not sure if I should be blaming this on my devotion to Lego Xbox games, but it was a fair distance from reality. Around three quarters of the way through the book it's only got as far as Christmas. And conquering the challenges to reach the stone takes merely a chapter.
This may actually be a good thing, as it helps the book to retain its innocence. The focus is on making friends and adjusting to life in a new school, with inter-house rivalry being of the utmost importance. Sure, the basics of the evil that has occurred are told. Yes, Harry has to face the guy who tried to kill him. But really those parts serve as what they are supposed to be, a warm up for next time.
And for me that next time may be very soon indeed, as easy-reads are about all I can manage this week!
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