Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. The first novel in the Harry Potter series and Rowling's debut novel, it follows Harry Potter, a young wizard who discovers his magical heritage on his eleventh birthday, when he receives a letter of acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry makes close friends and a few enemies during his first year at the school, and with the help of his friends, he faces an attempted comeback by the dark wizard Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents, but failed to kill Harry when he was just 15 months old.
The book was first published in the United Kingdom on 26 June 1997 by Bloomsbury. It was published in the United States the following year by Scholastic Corporation under the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. It won most of the …
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. The first novel in the Harry Potter series and Rowling's debut novel, it follows Harry Potter, a young wizard who discovers his magical heritage on his eleventh birthday, when he receives a letter of acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry makes close friends and a few enemies during his first year at the school, and with the help of his friends, he faces an attempted comeback by the dark wizard Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents, but failed to kill Harry when he was just 15 months old.
The book was first published in the United Kingdom on 26 June 1997 by Bloomsbury. It was published in the United States the following year by Scholastic Corporation under the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. It won most of the British book awards that were judged by children and other awards in the US. The book reached the top of the New York Times list of best-selling fiction in August 1999 and stayed near the top of that list for much of 1999 and 2000. It has been translated into at least 73 other languages, and has been made into a feature-length film of the same name, as have all six of its sequels. The novel has sold in excess of 120 million copies.Most reviews were very favourable, commenting on Rowling's imagination, humour, simple, direct style and clever plot construction, although a few complained that the final chapters seemed rushed. The writing has been compared to that of Jane Austen, one of Rowling's favourite authors; Roald Dahl, whose works dominated children's stories before the appearance of Harry Potter; and the Ancient Greek story-teller Homer. While some commentators thought the book looked backwards to Victorian and Edwardian boarding school stories, others thought it placed the genre firmly in the modern world by featuring contemporary ethical and social issues, as well as overcoming obstacles like bullies.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, along with the rest of the Harry Potter series, has been attacked by some religious groups and banned in some countries because of accusations that the novels promote witchcraft under the guise of a heroic, moral story. Other religious commentators have written that the book exemplifies important viewpoints, including the power of self-sacrifice and the ways in which people's decisions shape their personalities. The series has been used as a source of object lessons in educational techniques, sociological analysis and marketing.
Review of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
So much magic in these books, and I'm not referring to wand flicks and incantations. The world that JKR has created is just magic in and of itself. Call me silly, but I get teary-eyed when I think of it. Dumbledore especially. I haven't reread the books in a long time, and when I read about him and how ALIVE he was, all sparkly-knowing eyes giving Harry, Hermione and Ron the tools they'd need to do the things that others would say they shouldn't...
I'm not making a lot of sense I know. But I just love these books.
Review of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Full marks for re-readability. I haven't even got the faintest clue of how many times I've read this book now. I remember being sceptical about the series but finally gave in to giving it a one day when I was going to the library and saw a girl coming out with a Harry Potter book. She was reading as she walked, not even slightly looking where she was going on the stone stairway in front of the library. I figured if it could override basic safety like that, it had to be good. So I tried it and by the end of chapter one, I was a lost cause.
Review of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
It read really nicely. Something about simplicity of the story and...it made me feel good in the end. It's not a literary masterpiece, but I can see why it's a bestseller. Quite entertaining.
Review of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Le premier tome de la célébrissime saga Harry Potter, qu'on ne présente plus. Un premier volume enfantin, à l'image de l'âge des héros dans ces débuts pleins de naïveté mais qui donnent tout de même envie de lire la suite.
