Mischief Managed

Not one to get carried away in Harry Potter mania, I nevertheless have read each HP book and watched most if not all of the movies. The movies are hit and miss, in my opinion. Their need to truncate and ellipse certain material in the books is, of course, obvious and required, and it is a skill and an art to do it in a way that leaves those of us who have read the books still satisfied.

The books have been less than stellar. Although the stories have improved since the first book, the writing has mostly been at the same level, although progressively geared towards an older audience. I don't mind if the book is written for a 10-year old audience, it can still be written well. And they have not been written well. Engaging? Yes. Good stories? Absolutely. Well written? Not on your life.

Until this last book. It makes you wonder what changed between the 6th book and the 7th book. Perhaps the editor? Vocabulary training? Perhaps Joanna read a series of really wonderful books right before sitting down to the Deathly Hallows? Regardless, the combination of the great story in addition to quite good writing led me to really enjoy this latest book, more so than any of the others.

I'm positively drooling to get my copy back and re-read it. But I shudder to think how the movie will butcher a wonderful ending.