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Would you recommend the Harry Potter Series?


Star

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Ok I'm starting to enjoy a good fantasy series at the moment.

 

Read the twilight series & now have my eye on the shiver series.

 

I have never even thought about reading Harry Potter. The films have never interested me & to be honest I didn't think magic & wizards & all that would be for me but I was talking to someone who felt the same as me & who also loved the twilight series & she gave HP a try & said they were amazing & they get better & better & that JK Rowling is a genius.

 

Just wondering ...... are they that good?? Do you think I'd enjoy them? :D:rolleyes:

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Hi Star

I'm glad you asked that question,as I have been wondering the same thing,as an OLDER adult, would I enjoy Harry Potter ?

I have asked many people who have read him as an adult and love the books as much as kids do .

I have been collecting the set and am only missing one,so sometime I guess I'll give them a try .

I have no clue when .. I just finished counting and sorting out my books and have 310 currently waiting for me, not including the hundred some on my Kindle.

 

I'm being buried alive by books !

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Speaking as a 45-year-old, I thought the Harry Potter series was great fun. True, the first couple of books are definitely for younger readers, but the series matures with its characters as it goes along, and it's so well written, it really is worth it. Generally, I like much grittier, darker, grown-up fantasy series, but I'd have no hesitation in recommending HP.

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I can only second Karsa Orlong's words here. They do start young, but they mature well and develop a depth and detail that is highly readable for all ages.

 

Something I read a while ago was one reason they are so compelling is that we the reader never know more than Harry at any given time. It was described as us being the monkey on Harry's shoulder seeing and hearing what he sees and hears. As Harry is propelled forward through the story, so are we and that makes them compelling to us.

 

As a 44 year old I comfortably recommend them. Ultimately a good story is a good story, no matter the age group for whom it is intended. :)

 

 

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I have always loved them. I was 14 when the first book became available to me and was hooked from the start. Now I am 28 and I have just read the series for the 10th time I believe. My hubby was saying to me "You are crazy, no book is good enough to read 10 times" and he refused for a very long time to read them himself. I do have amazing persuasion skills and relentlessly wore him down, and he tried them this summer. He didnt much like the first book, as it was too childish, but he kept on going and before he knew it he had read them all in under 2 weeks, and he is not a fast reader.

 

I highly recommend you to read these books! They are easy to read and Jo really, really manages to bring her worlds to life in your head. I love the books and I think there is a little for every taste in them!

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I grew up with Harry Potter (I was 7 when I got the first one from my great nan and 17 when the last one was released) so I might be biased when I say they are great.

 

The books do get better as the series goes on so do the characters. The main characters are young at the beginning (11 years old) but as the series progresses they mature and you see them turning into adults before your eyes. I think Jo really captured the awkwardness of crushes, first love and jealousy in the last half of the series.

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Thanks everyone for your replies. I think I may add these to my wishlist.

Yeah I was told they get better & better as the series progresses.

 

I thought it was just about wizards & it sounded boring :giggle2: but I was told its about magic & good verses bad & that there is romance in it too. I'm a sucker for romance :smile2:

 

Anything else you would say it's about without giving it away?

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I read them as an adult and loved them, but if you expect them to be anything like Twilight or Shiver, then you'l be barking up the wrong tree, because there's nothing really supernatural romance-y about them at all. The characters are all quite "normal" apart from being witches and wizards as part of their heritage. It's more a school series (think Malory Towers etc) with a touch of magic thrown in. Yes, there is some peril that needs to be overcome, and they grow darker as the series progresses, but you'll find no vampires (sparkly or otherwise) or angsty teens worrying over whether or not they should kiss/sleep with their boyfriend and having to decide between two of different species as a potential boyfriend, or considering how that relationship will affect their family.

 

I actually think the Harry Potter books are WAAAAYYYYY better than the likes of Twilight (which I find well below mediocre, to be honest), but they're an entirely different kettle of fish, so you can't realy compare the two directly. In terms of writing ability, Rowling beats Meyer hands down every time, even with the earlier books which are far simpler in style (her writing preogressed with the stories and grew with Harry and his friends). In terms of storyline, again, Harry has a more complex tale - yes, it starts simple, but everything weaves together to make a rich tapestry of plot and characters which have far more depth than anything in the Twilight books. Also in terms of universal suitability, Harry wins again - you can read the earlier books to a much younger child and not have to worry about any kind of reference to anything steamy, whereas I'd say Twilight etc are strictly for the older teens and adults, Harry potter can be enjoyed by readers of ALL ages and appreciated by all.

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my own experience

 

I read the first one as an adult just to see what the fuss was about. This was just before the 5th book was due out. I then quickly read all the others in time for the 5th ones coming out.

 

My Sister and Brother in law have just been asked by my nephew if they will read HP to him and neither of them were that keen to start with and now they fight over who gets to read them as they are both gripped. My brother in law as a rule doesn't read my sister does read but she doesn't do si-fi.

 

my verdict is give them a go.

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I read them as an adult and loved them, but if you expect them to be anything like Twilight or Shiver, then you'l be barking up the wrong tree, because there's nothing really supernatural romance-y about them at all. The characters are all quite "normal" apart from being witches and wizards as part of their heritage. It's more a school series (think Malory Towers etc) with a touch of magic thrown in. Yes, there is some peril that needs to be overcome, and they grow darker as the series progresses, but you'll find no vampires (sparkly or otherwise) or angsty teens worrying over whether or not they should kiss/sleep with their boyfriend and having to decide between two of different species as a potential boyfriend, or considering how that relationship will affect their family.

 

I know they won't be anything like twilight / shiver but twilight are the only books I've read that I would class as fantasy. I know shiver is very similiar to twilight but I wondered what all the fuss was about with Harry as I know it's completely different. All I know is it's about magic & hogwarts.

 

I think I will give them a go when I get a chance after all the good comments you've all said.

 

thanks everyone :D

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Can someone tell me the book titles in order please as I'm not sure what I'm looking for :friends3:

 

1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (aka Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

 

Goblet of Fire is my favourite. :)

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1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (aka Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

 

Goblet of Fire is my favourite. :)

 

Thanks Kel you are a superstar :wink:

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you'll find no vampires (sparkly or otherwise) or angsty teens worrying over whether or not they should kiss/sleep with their boyfriend and having to decide between two of different species as a potential boyfriend, or considering how that relationship will affect their family.

These are all major plus points, imo :lol:

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I'm in the middle of the series at the moment (just finished Goblet of Fire), and I love them. They are definitely getting better as the series carries on, and I'm disappointed that I only have 3 books left to read. I'm kind of drawing them out a bit, rather than reading them back to back, though it is tempting. :giggle2:

 

I say give them a go. What do you have to lose?

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These books are my favourite series of all time. I love them, I re-read them probably about one a year and still never get tired of them.

 

Like others have said, the language gets more mature as the books go on, and I think they are fantastic.

 

I'm currently re-reading the series and I'm on The Chamber of Secrets. :D

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I was really cynical about this series and really couldn't see how they could have such universal appeal - thought it was all hype. I think three of the books were out before I was loaned them over christmas during a book swap I had with a woman at work (we each gave the other about 6 books we liked to expand our horizons) She slipped the first three in as extras and on christmas eve I settled down to read the first one, still highly cynical!!! I barely looked up all afternoon!!!!!! The next three were devoured quickly too and then I think I had to start the waiting game for the publication of the others

 

Definitely give them a go. I really didn't think they were up my street but I loved every single one.

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I have never read the books, and now that I am an adult I have no interest in them at all. I have seen the films, I kmow what happens. Same with the twilight books. I don't want to read the books if I've already seen the films.

 

Everyone has to do what they think is best, but I can honestly say that the movies are far from as good as the books, and a lot more happens in the book that never made it to film.

can't speak for twilight, but in most cases I find that the books are always better than the movie. :)

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