Thursday 5 June 2008

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5)




Product Description
The book that took the world by storm....In his fifth year at Hogwart's, Harry faces challenges at every turn, from the dark threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be- Named and the unreliability of the government of the magical world to the rise of Ron Weasley as the keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. Along the way he learns about the strength of his friends, the fierceness of his enemies, and the meaning of sacrifice.





Customer Reviews
Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix is a suprising, entertaining book. The main characters are Harry,Ron and Hermione.The main characters broke the rules that would get them expelled from Hogwarts.My favorite character is Ron Weassly because he never fights to make people stop teasing him.I can relate to the character Ron because I don't like to be teased. I also find ways to make them stop teasing me. I loved the book; every page was exciting.I recommend this book to people who like fiction and have questions after every chapter.
My favorite of the series While "Azkaban" and "Goblet of Fire" began the transition of the series towards the darker and more mature side, "Order of the Phoenix" was the first to really explore the pure evil that Voldemort and his death eaters were capable of and the conflicting feelings going through Harry's mind. This was when Harry first realized how close of a connection he really did have with Voldemort: he could be in his head and vice-versa. I loved that Rowling explored this more mature side to the story and the way that Harry was maturing along with the stories. Overall, this was my favorite book from the series.
Heart over Mind Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (year 5 at Hogwarts)... This is a very tricky book for me to review. I have mixed feelings about it for a lot of reasons, which I will elucidate momentarily. However, I decided to award it 5 stars, based more on my "gut reaction" than anything else. Here's why: This book is chalk full of some of my absolute favorite moments in the series. The character of Umbridge, while extremely one-dimensional, is also very effective as a foil to Harry in this book. She frustrates me to no end, and I dearly wish her to get her comeuppance. Thus, any circumstance in which someone stands up to her (notably, Fred and George, McGonagall, and Dumbledore) is an absolute delight, and these are the moments that stand out in my mind when I think about the book. We also meet the fantastic, imaginative character of Luna Lovegood, one of my favorites. Another great thing about this story is the fact that the central struggle is not between "good and evil," (i.e. Harry/Dumbledore etc. vs. Voldemort), but rather it is between, as spelled out in book 4, what is right and what is easy. Harry, Dumbledore, and a select group of believers are preparing to fight the danger of Voldemort's return, whereas the Ministry of Magic is in outright denial of the return, and goes to unbelievable lengths to frustrate Harry's and Dumbledore's attempts to spread the word. This generates a unique story, in which characters who should be on the same side are working against each other, and I think it creates a wonderful dramatic tension. It also inspires "Dumbledore's Army," one of the most effective examples of character growth in the series. On the other hand, the book has several faults that are hard to ignore. For one, it is very LONG, and could use a great deal of editorial tightening. It also begins to have a lot of plot holes and logical gaps, and returns to the disturbing trend of inept adults (does the Order of the Phoenix accomplish anything at all in the course of the year?). Perhaps the most annoying aspect of the book is the nearly unbearable negativity of Harry throughout, which may be understandable given his circumstances, but it certainly gets old fast. In the end, I guess I am able to overlook the shortcomings of the story and simply enjoy its better moments, possibly because by this point in the series, I am already committed to the long haul. It is definitely the last book of the series that has much left of the "fun" that made the first part of the series so enjoyable, so... enjoy it while you can!

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