Post-Potter Depression
Nine years ago, I read the first Harry Potter book to my kids. At
the time Chris was 9, Cari was 8 and Liz was 7. Jennie at 3 was too
young for HP. Since then, every year or two has been marked by a new
release of the series. When a new book would arrive, we spend at least
an hour every night enjoying the world of Harry and his friends. We
were HP beginners back then - I would pronounce 'Hermione' as
her-me-ow-ny, and Voldemort had a silent 't' (it looked French to
me), I would do the voices, we'd linger over the drawings and we'd
stop and explain the plot points when things got a bit complicated.
When book 5 (order of the phoenix) was on the horizon, Jennie was 8 and
ready for the series, so we restarted at at volume 1 and read them all
again (this time with correct pronunciations all the way through).
The kids certainly could have read the books on their own (and
they did re-read them many, many times), but the first reading through
was always a family affair. It had become a tradition. Even when Chris
was a junior in high school he would look forward to the family reading
of The Half Blood Prince. Halfway through the series I did a mental
calculation and realized that the last book in the series would likely
be released after Chris was in college. How would that work? Would he
call home every night so his dad could read to him? That seemed very
unlikely.
And now the final book is upon us. Chris and Carolyn are
working their summer jobs away from home, Liz and Jennie are spending
time at camp - Chris leaves for his freshman year in a
month. It seems like the last Harry Potter book is arriving just a
little too late for us to finish the series as a family. So come
Saturday morning I'll head out to the local bookseller and purchase at
least 3 copies of the book - one each for Chris and Cari, and the
read-aloud copy for Liz and Jennie. Sigh...
Posted by rouftop on July 22, 2007 at 11:08 PM EDT #
*sigh* All was well...
I love a happy ending. But I hate when good things have to end. At least the magic of Harry, the magical world, fierce love, friendship and all the many good qualities people need will be alive in our hearts and will never end. I'm so thankful to J.K. for the wonderful times spent reading the book. It has enriched my life and imagination, and has given me many thoughts on life and many aspects of it. Although at this moment the ending of the book and the atmosphere of it will leave me with an almost sad feeling that everything has ended ,later on I'll always look back with a shining smile to the books series and re-read them ( with my children, wife, grandchildren, or just friends ), to enter the grand world of Harry Potter, because it will keep amusing people for generations, just like any other book, that has become a must-read classic. The most important thing is that he book has made me think about life, appreciate my loved ones, fight for my friends, make people happy.
Everything that has a beginning has and end... but not the circle. The circle of life, love. I believe that Harry Potter has sealed that circle of needed qualities for the humanity and will be used as a mean of hope and inspiration. Harry was my companion from the start of the book, when I was 11 (just like Harry). Now that I'm 18 I feel that a part of Harry will always live on with me, I'll try through Harry to inspire people to love, and to live their lives. For what it's worth...
Posted by Martin on August 11, 2007 at 04:45 AM EDT #