Hardcover, 772 pages
English language
Published Jan. 9, 2003 by Bloomsbury.
Dumbledore lowered his hands and surveyed Harry through his half-moon glasses. 'It is time,' he said, 'for me to tell you what I should have told you five years ago, Harry. Please sit down. I am going to tell you everything.'
Harry Potter is due to start his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizadry. He is desperate to get back to school and find out why his friends Ron and Hermione have been so secretive all summer. However, what Harry is about to discover in his new year at Hogwarts will turn his whole world upside down . . . (back cover)
4.5/5
This book includes one of the elements that I loathe the most: Adults who refuse to explain anything to children because they... have some desire to see them still as naive, innocent, or something. And it's even worse because you're reading a book from a child's perspective, and it's not even in critiqued or questioned in any way.
That's the major point of this book, which honestly could be retitled as "Harry Potter and the Adults Who Keep Infantilising the Only Person to Repeatedly Face Voldemort and Potentially Endanger Him Because They Refuse to See Reality," but that'd be much too long despite its accuracy. Everything Dumbledore does... messes everything up because he refuses to see the reality of people. He refuses to see that Harry could handle the situation, he refuses to see that Snape is really a big fucking asshole who refuses to continue his duty to …
This book includes one of the elements that I loathe the most: Adults who refuse to explain anything to children because they... have some desire to see them still as naive, innocent, or something. And it's even worse because you're reading a book from a child's perspective, and it's not even in critiqued or questioned in any way.
That's the major point of this book, which honestly could be retitled as "Harry Potter and the Adults Who Keep Infantilising the Only Person to Repeatedly Face Voldemort and Potentially Endanger Him Because They Refuse to See Reality," but that'd be much too long despite its accuracy. Everything Dumbledore does... messes everything up because he refuses to see the reality of people. He refuses to see that Harry could handle the situation, he refuses to see that Snape is really a big fucking asshole who refuses to continue his duty to the Order (and never has any redeeming qualities ever). And this isn't really interrogated, either. It's brought up, he apologises, and oh... well, I guess we forgive him!
There wouldn't have been a book without these elements, obviously, but this book is among the worst of them for me because I get so tired of chapters where Harry is lashing out at someone or something because some adult has refused to acknowledge the events of the past four years (or has acknowledged them and then completely did the opposite of what any other thinking person would've done). It's just exhausting because, while that could be a useful exploration of a real life phenomenon... It's just used as plot and nothing else.
I know so many people like this one more than the others, but I find it the most infuriating. This is probably because I actually work with children in this age range, and I know they're capable of handling so much (and probably because I previously was a teenager who handled a lot of shit that teens shouldn't have to handle and have subsequently worked with a lot of girls who have also had to deal with shit they should've never been forced to). So it really frustrates me a lot to read this book with these adults just being... stereotypical adults and nothing else is ever said or done. Somehow there's not even one who breaks this mold at any point? (Which, to be quite honest, I would've thought Sirius or Remus would've taken that spot.)
Also: Dolores Umbridge. For fuck's sake, she is probably one of the better 'villains' of the world because she actually is present and making a mess out of things. It's also where we start getting a real look at some of the better characters (Neville and Luna), but it also creates a weird thing with Hermione that I hate?
So she's usually one of the best in terms of talking to people, making sure everyone is on board, she knows her information back-to-front, she remembers almost everything. Then, when they take Dolores out to the forest to get the Centaurs to deal with her, she... tells them that she was using them? Despite the fact she knows they're upset with humans and that Firenze working with the school is a major problem? And that even Hagrid isn't welcome in the Forbidden Forest? It feels like the person that should've been saying that was Ron, since that is the kind of mistake he would've made.
everyone is too angry and conveniently dumb in this one
Oh how I hate to give this two stars; I mean there's always a ton of praise surrounding this series and I did give the first four of this series four stars.
I think to myself, "You are just too old to appreciate these books," but then again, when the books originally came out in the late 1990s, my stepmom read them alongside my step-nephew and kept encouraging me to read them. She thoroughly enjoyed them; I am now her age. I just don't get all the hoopla surrounding this series.
This one seemed to drag on forever. Umbridge was cartoonish at best. A point system that was always a bit ridiculous in that there was no rhyme or reason to the points a teacher or staff could add or dock from a house for a nefarious deed/great accomplishment.
SpoilerAnd now a student can add or subtract as they see …
Oh how I hate to give this two stars; I mean there's always a ton of praise surrounding this series and I did give the first four of this series four stars.
I think to myself, "You are just too old to appreciate these books," but then again, when the books originally came out in the late 1990s, my stepmom read them alongside my step-nephew and kept encouraging me to read them. She thoroughly enjoyed them; I am now her age. I just don't get all the hoopla surrounding this series.
This one seemed to drag on forever. Umbridge was cartoonish at best. A point system that was always a bit ridiculous in that there was no rhyme or reason to the points a teacher or staff could add or dock from a house for a nefarious deed/great accomplishment.
SpoilerAnd now a student can add or subtract as they see fit?!? Come on . . . how does that not lend to abuse of the system --
Spoiler"my house is going to get more points, and all the other houses are going to continually have points taken away?" Ugh.
Anyway, I guess I'm gonna have to go against the flow on this one and give it a low rating. Hopefully, the last two books of this series will be better.
Again and again I have asked the question "Where the hell are OFSTED?" in the previous books the pupils are always getting injured, at one point a pupil actually dies. Does any authority get informed? No! Dumblydoors covers it up or just mumbles something about "He who cannot be named". In this book the Ministry of Magic have finally put their foot down and Send the mighty Umbridge to sort things out.
Straight away she stamps her authority, creepy teachers get the sack, she finally puts an end to Harry bullying poor little Malfoy. And whilst she is there no pupils get injured. Yes I know she turns Hogwarts into a kind of North Korea but that what the place needed.
This is also the book where Potter finally gets his period! He is grumpy, snaps at everybody, trashes Dumblydoors office and eats chocolate to calm down. He was incredibly …
Again and again I have asked the question "Where the hell are OFSTED?" in the previous books the pupils are always getting injured, at one point a pupil actually dies. Does any authority get informed? No! Dumblydoors covers it up or just mumbles something about "He who cannot be named". In this book the Ministry of Magic have finally put their foot down and Send the mighty Umbridge to sort things out.
Straight away she stamps her authority, creepy teachers get the sack, she finally puts an end to Harry bullying poor little Malfoy. And whilst she is there no pupils get injured. Yes I know she turns Hogwarts into a kind of North Korea but that what the place needed.
This is also the book where Potter finally gets his period! He is grumpy, snaps at everybody, trashes Dumblydoors office and eats chocolate to calm down. He was incredibly annoying throughout this book with all his whinging....at least that made Hermie more bearable.
There is one hell of a spooky coincidence here too, the kids are taking their exams, known as their O.W.L.S, I wander if Rowling noticed that spells owls.
One thing I don't get with this series is Lord Voldemort, why call him that or "He who cannot be named"? That seems to give him a lot of power, just call him by his real name and people might stop flinching every time he gets a mention.
Not much really happens with the plot, Rowling has mixed things up a bit and broken the repetition from the previous books. You also get a better explanation about Harry's battle with the bad guy when he was a baby. There is some dull romance stuff too. Overall the best book in the series so far, a strong 3.5 stars.
tl;dr: Why is Dumbledore being so stupid?!
I have read this book, in its entirety, for something between the fifth and tenth time now. It is a brilliant book like all of the others, but it is definitely the most tedious and probably least enjoyable one. The obvious reason for that is the frustrating experience of reading through anything related to Umbridge. (Also, sometimes Snape).
This is my favorite of the Harry Potter books – but the corresponding movie is my LEAST favorite of them. Despite the fact that there are inconsistencies in the world, I still love the book.
