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Summary: Wonderful blend of reality and fantasy
Review: I am not a reader for whom this book was written, as I am a 50+ year old. However, after hearing about it from various reviews and readers I bought a copy and enjoyed it thoroughly. It reminds me very much of the books E Nesbit wrote at the turn of the century, especially the Psammead (?spelling?) and the Phoenix and the Carpet books, in the wonderful blend of fantasy and reality. Also the Arden books, again the fantasy and reality blend. I shall be sending copies of all J K Rowling books to my 10 year old nephew and 8 year old niece for their birthdays this year.
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Summary: Excellent book for adults and children alike!
Review: I am not going to go into a full description of this book, as I'm sure you've either read it, heard about it or read the other reviews.I received this book and the other two that were published at that time, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in around March 2000. I finished each book in one day and thouroughly enjoyed them all. Although J.K. Rowling is not my favourite author, Harry Potter is my favourite series. I have told my parents so much about Harry Potter, my father even told me who the Minister of Magic is (Cornelius Fudge)! I know Harry Potter may not appeal to everyone (More than a few children don't like it in my class), but please, just give it a try.
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Summary: Beautiful edition, sure to become a collectors item
Review: I am not going to review the story, but the book itself. By now everyone knows about the tale of the boy who lived and went on to wizard school. It is a fabulous series and everyone that I know loves it. This book, this leatherbound edition is truly beautiful in that it has gilt (or is it gilded) edges with an original drawing by JK Rowling of Harry in front of a fireplace. If you are a book collector, you will want this book. Thanks for reading! **Pandora
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Summary: Brilliant!
Review: I am not ordinarily disposed to being drawn into overly hyped fads and Harry Potter certainly seemed like one such to me. Add in that it's a series for juveniles and it's not hard to understand how it took over a year for me to give Harry Potter a chance. But someone close to me suggested I might enjoy them, so I picked up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and gave it a shot.
I am very glad that I did. It has been a long time since I enjoyed a book so much. I am in my 30's and found it as fun and enchanting as any teenager. Sure, it's written at a middle school reading level and is lacking in the kind of great depth one would expect of "adult" literature, but providing that is not its function. Rather, it exists to draw the reader into a unique and delightful world where magic actually works and the good guy can win with heart, grit, and imagination.
Harry's miserable existence is transformed overnight upon the discovery that he is a wizard and heir to a magnificent repuatation. But that reputation has a dark side, since he has earned not only widespread admiration but some dark and implacable enemies. To save himself and his friends, Harry must seize hold of his legacy and use every trick he can learn, despite his youth. A tried and true formula for adoscent fiction, to be sure, but the Harry Potter series is one of those rare examples that rises above its formula and presents the reader with something truly brilliant.
Harry's journey of discovery begins here and I encourage anyone to join him for a few hours of very pleasant reading. I found myself completely drawn in and, even though I knew it was a juvenile work and that no serious harm would ever come to Harry or his friends, Rowling nevertheless had me on the edge of my seat on numerous occasions as Harry finds himself in seemingly insurmountable difficulty. Extricate him from such trouble with wit and creativity, while maintaining the reader's interest and faith in the narrative, is one of the hallmarks of Rowling's achievement in creating this wonderful little universe. Another is a terrific feel for creating character-driven humour. Harry Potter books are full to the brim with flashes of wit derived from the foibles and idiosyncracies of their exquisitely drawn and thoroughly knowable characters. I found myself plowing straight through all four books in short order (and they really do get better as you go, too). I now find myself anxious for the next (and, of course, the upcoming film) to be released.
Sometimes things attract a lot of hype because they truly deserve them. Rare though they are, this is one of those cases. I encourage anyone who wants a delightful read to pick up this brilliant beginning to the series.
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Summary: A mandatory reading
Review: I am not really fond of fantasy and I thought that peole were far too excited about that book until I read it ! IT IS GREAT ! I couldn't stop reading it till I finish the book ! You will be spellbound by the aventures of Harry and his friends ! And you will wish you could find platform nine three quarters !
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Summary: This book is incredible!!!
Review: I am not the biggest reader, and I definitely don't read too fast, but I got so into Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone that I read it in only two days. It totally brought me inside the book. When I finished it, I was so upset because I wanted to find out what happened next, but I didn't have any of the other books. I couldn't stop thinking about it, and I sort of felt like I was Harry and that school the next day was going to be at Hogwarts. You can't put it down; it catches you with it's suspense, makes you laugh with its humor, and makes you wonder how it's going to end. I think my favorite part was the twisted ending, which is totally different than what you think. I recommend this book to anybody. no matter how old you are, or how much you like reading, I am sure you will like this book.
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Summary: How Can You Top This?
Review: I am not, perhaps, the normal reader Ms Rowling had in mind when she began writing this series. I am a 35 year old career woman, and while an avid reader who has read thousands of books in my life, and really enjoyed hundreds of them.......this is without a doubt the BEST book I have ever read (as an adult or child). I bought it to read to my young son, but when he fell asleep after the first chapter, I had to stay up until 3 in the morning to finish it. I am also normally a fast reader who often just skims books, skipping the long descriptive passages, but I had to read every single word of this in order to be sure I didn't miss a thing. I then rushed out and bought the 2nd the next day and the 3rd as soon as it was released. I have gotten everyone I know hooked on these books, from my mother and brother, to co-workers who don't even have children. What a fantastic imagination J.K. Rowling has. I can't even explain exactly what it is that has me and my friends so entranced, except that maybe the books have spells on them placed by Harry Potter himself. All I do know, is that once these 7 books are done, I don't know what we'll all do, as Rowling has made it impossible to ever be as entertained by any other book. Every other book can only hope to be mildly pleasing to me after this. Wait...here's an idea....Harry Potter's children - the next series!!!
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Summary: Brilliant Start To A Series
Review: I am now in the process of re-reading all four books now. But, the first time I picked The Sorcerer's Stone up was after my little sister and my grandma kept saying that these books were so great. So, I started into the book and found an odd sense of adventure, magic, and pure originality in the first 10 pages when 3 mysterious people drop a small child off on the doorstep of his muggle aunt and uncle's home at Number Four, Pivet Drive... And so starts everything. As the story moves on as Harry, who is an outcast in his adopted family, realizes he is an already very famous wizard because of his defeat of Voldemort, the most powerful and evil wizard when he was only an infant. His aunt and uncle (the Dursleys) are Muggles, but the kind who are aware of the wizarding world, and hate it. Soon Harry gets a letter that sends him of to Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry, and his adventures unfold without stopping. Read the book to find out how. Rowling has created four masterpieces of literature that will not soon die out in people's hearts. There are the people who will read this and wonder 'how those books about witchcraft can be good! They are from Satan himself!' If there are any of you who do think that, it is your opinion and you are entitled to it. But, if you could actually READ the books and possibly find a way to say they are from Satan, you need to open your eyes to your own imagination. Being a devout Christian, I know that God did not give us an imagination just to lock it away. I know of a good God that gave us an imagination to USE it. And Harry Potter is a perfect example and I pity anyone who can not see anything more than the 'witchcraft'. Just for anyone's information, the 'witchcraft' Rowling narrates is the purely imaginary kind with magic wands and old wizards, dragons, potions, and broomsticks, NOT the kind of REAL witchcraft where people get around a fire and pray to the devil. I am a 16 year old male who cannot put these books down, which may seem odd. But I have found these books to create a whole new side of fun in my life! There are parts of this novel (and its sequels) that absolutely make me feel just EXHILERATED. My first experience with reading about the wizarding game Quidditch had me in fits once I straightened out all the rules in my head and got a clear understanding of it. It is so completely original and I can't think of anything more exciting than chasing balls and other players on speeding broomsticks high up in the air. It is incredible. And to make it better, the way Rowling creates it in the story is that WE discover it at the same time Harry does, but when he understands, we do too. And now I would give anything to have it to be real because it is so fun! This book only has a blurred focus of who Voldemort really was, but purposefully I think, because in the sequels, what happened to Harry as an infant are played out in more detail. Rowlings tequnique at giving us loveable and hateable characters is fresh and awesome. This story though, has very real themes in it, such as Harry's friend Ron and his poor family being taunted by rich kids. It is real and we see it everyday. I am sorry for those of you still reading that this review seemed to stray from the main parts of this novel, but I had to say the things I did. But this is the best start to such a wonderful series of adventures. And Rowling, if you EVER read this, I want to thank you for sharing such a great piece of you with the rest of the world. I know you wrote these books for YOU, and I am so glad that you wanted to share your sense of fun and spirit with everyone. You have single handedly changed the way kids and adults alike view reading. You won't ever be forgotten.
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Summary: ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS... SOME REVIEWERS ARE NUTS!
Review: I am outraged at the type of reviews people are posting here. Along with your basic "THIS IS THE BEST BOOK EVER" reviews, I have found three that i would like to complain about. First, the one that said this book lacks verisimilitude, a feeling of BEING THERE with the characters. My opinion on that is that the person just wanted to show off their bigheaded vocabulary. Second, the review that said that JK is making it OK to ridicule fat people and that the behaviour examples are horrible... especially the part that said that Hermione wasn't accepted until she started to lie and break rules. Okay, my opinion on that review is: 1. The Fat Lady is the TITLE of the painting. And when the unpleasant and FAT character was turned into a pig and only got the tail, it was because his PERSONALITY was like a pig's. 2. Hermione doesn't WANT to break rules, but sometimes you HAVE TO. If Harry and Ron hadn't Hermione would be dead. If they all hadn't Voldemort would have taken over. The last review said that these books are glorified horror stories. I get nightmares easily and NOT ONE of these books has given me one no matter what time of night I read it. John Bellair's books can be glorified horror stories. But NEVER HP! I LOVE this book and anyone should read it. parents kids aunts uncles teachers grandparents stepmoms stepdads cousins... what ever! ANOTHER thing on the #2 review. The person said that he or she would NOT give it to her children to read. Well, better that kids be reading where the "horrific" and "bad behavior" things are covered by magic and a sense of "this can't really happen" then be off shooting guns or something. Or reading horribly violent books. GREAT BOOK - READ IT!
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Summary: Take your imagination on a ride into the world of Potter!
Review: I am probably one of the few people who has read "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" AFTER the movie came out. The reason is because I didn't find any interest in it at all. But after seeing the movie and finding it very interesting, I wanted to read the first book to see what it was like. And I must confess, I found the world of Harry Potter to be rather fun! Ever since he could remember, Harry Potter had been living with his awful Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and abominable cousin Dudley. He cannot remember his parents and does not know how he came about having the strange lightening scar on his forehead. Then surprisingly, on his 10th birthday, he finds out from the giant Hagrid that he is really a wizard! And not only that, he is now being offered to be enrolled into Hogwarts School of Wizardry, a very distinguished and best school. There, Harry makes friends Ron Weasely and Hermione Granger and begins to learn the art of wizardry. But something is amiss, something that concerns a mysterious trapdoor guarded by a terrible three-headed dog. And that something has something to do with Voldemort, the evil wizard, and... the sorcerer's stone. A totally enchanting book, it's one of the best fantasies I've ever read. J.K. Rowling has made up a world of imagination you could never dream of. Parents who are worried about the books involving wizardry should be warned though in this way. If children cannot understand that there is a difference between reality and fiction, imaginary places, and magic, I suggest that they should know that. Other than that, I think it's fun for kids to read, mostly around the ages of 8 and or older. I cannot say anything about the other books in the series though because I have yet to read them. But I have to agree with some people who said that the Harry Potter series aren't the best. "Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" are so far the best fantasies ever written of its kind though these books are mostly recommended to older kids and adults. Another series that draws greater attention for all ages are the "Chronicles of Narnia" by C.S. Lewis (by the way, writer J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis were the greatest of friends!). So if you have enjoyed the Harry Potter books, I greatly recommend all books by J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.
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