Ahira's Hangar

Not from the first book. Harry is, as are many abused persons, pretty much isolated and cut off from the world. Before Hogwarts, he pretty much only has contact with his aunt and uncle and cousin (hardly a healthy family group) and their immediate circle (that one squib babysitter, a few of his cousin's rancid friends, ect.). Once he gets to Hogwarts he only has contact with his teachers and fellow students.

It is no wonder he cannot take his eyes off of Molly Weasley, a very caring mother, and the way she interacts with her children when he sees them at the train station. And why he has such an immediate positive reaction to Ron, part of that large and loving family.

You know, I might be one of the few people left in the world to say this, but I've never read a word of Harry Potter. Never seemed to get started on any of the books and the whole thing seemed to pass me by.

You're not alone man-I read the first three chapters of the first book with my 6th grade reading class, but didn't really pay any attention to it and never read any further.

They're the only books that my wife and I ever read together (Don't ask what happened when I gave her Lord Foul's Bane). I liked them, but did not love them. I actually thought the parody "Barry Trotter" series was better (guess my wife did finish the first one of those).

*slowly and saddly shakes head*

...but then, I am the Rowling forum mod over on the Watch...

This ain't the Watch baby!

...don't I know it...

I heard them described somewhere as a mish mash of Tolkien and Billy Bunterish public school adventure, so I never really went out of my way to get into them!

I like 'em. *shrug* I've read 'em all except the Half-Blood Prince, and ejoyed them all, especially the evolution of the characters, the increasingly dark themes. I'll have to read the last one again to recall the minor crits I did have of it, but overall, I like 'em fine.

--A

How come you skipped 1/2-Blood? That was probably my favorite of the six.

I don't think there's anything Tolkienesqe about the books. They're more like the Narnia books, if anything.

Rather than Tolkien, I would probably say more like Diana Wynn Jones?

And what is Billy Bunterish? I have never heard the term before?

Billy Bunter was a comic character from the 40s and 50s; he was a fat, cowardly, sneaky kind of guy in an English public school, always on the lookout for the next cream bun. His world was populated by good eggs and rotters, all working class characters were either servile or spivs, the only ethnic characters allowed were indian princes speaking perfect english; kind of like Biggles or the famous five.
George Orwell did a brilliant essay on english comics if anyone wants to buy the Collected Letters and Journalism and then pass them on as an early xmas prezzie! (Orwell is perhaps my fave writer).