ValenCina Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 Event though I'm not the biggest JK Rowling fan (nor a big fan of fantasy in general), I recognize that the story is very well written. You can clearly see that the plot was very carefully planned and structured, every single detail makes sense in the end. She is also very imaginative in the use of the language, which makes the books a very pleasant and entertaining reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 I think their mass appeal comes down to: Being very readable and accessible Being very imaginitive (sp) Being very well plotted Full og likeable characters They are not literary masterpieces but they are cracking stories and very light and escapist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 I can't work out if the HP books are derivative, or written so well that they feel familiar. They're like a kids' version of Star Wars meets Lord of the Rings. I've read them all (out of order - 2,1,3,4,5,6,7) and like them well enough, but...I dunno, I prefer other children's book series, such as the Chronicles of Narnia. No doubt I'll read HP 1-7 again in the correct order this time now that I have the complete series but really, I honestly don't believe it deserves all the hype. Don't get me wrong - Rowling deserves credit, just not hype. Whenever advertisers and the public go hairy-mental over something, it makes me reluctant to indulge, for fear of an Emperor's New Clothes experience. It's all very well saying Rowling got children (and many adults) reading but I'd be interested to know how many of those folks went on to read something else and how many stick to HP alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValenCina Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 Don't get me wrong - Rowling deserves credit, just not hype. Whenever advertisers and the public go hairy-mental over something, it makes me reluctant to indulge, for fear of an Emperor's New Clothes experience. I agree with you on this. I think the hype is a consequence of marketing, and not directly linked to JK Rowling's writing ability. As a matter of fact, before the movies were made, Harry Potter's success was a product of word-of-mouth, there wasn't any massive commercial campaign (at least here in Italy). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 I think the hype is a consequence of marketing, and not directly linked to JK Rowling's writing ability. As a matter of fact, before the movies were made, Harry Potter's success was a product of word-of-mouth, there wasn't any massive commercial campaign (at least here in Italy). Isn't that statement contradictory? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 I think it's because she told a very good story. As simple as that. She built up an entire magical world and opened up a lot of questions that had readers guessing until the very end. Yes, I agree she told a very good story and told it well. There are not many books that both kids and adults read AND enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nici Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 I think it's because she told a very good story. As simple as that. Yep I agree with that. And at the end of the day anything that gets Robbie excited about reading like these books did gets a big thumbs up from me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 I love Harry Potter and I think they're great, but I must say there are one or two other series out there that could do with as much attention. Unfortunately, some fantastic series tend to go unnoticed and don't make megabucks like HP did and still does, which I think is a shame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 Any particular series that you would recommend, Tiger? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts because I'm always on the lookout! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thelastwatcher33 Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 I love Harry Potter, I think it is because the story is good but also and perhaps more so because the characters she uses to tell it are not flawless heroes. Like sometimes Harry would be trying to cope with the general human struggle of grief and growing up while simultaneously fightin against evil it shapes the story into something more than just being about evil and good but about the grey areas in between. Like, for example, when the root of Snapes dislike and yet protection of Harry is explained it gives the character more depth and therefore makes it more engrosing. Anyway I ll stop going on now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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