Shane Life

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
by J.K. Rowling
Rating: 10 out of 10

Out of the five Harry Potter books I’ve read so far, this is the most complex to date. However, it is battling with The Goblet of Fire for the top spot of those that I have completed.

I have come to realize just how genius JK Rowling is as an author. Her vision of Harry’s world is so far reaching that we are beginning to realize that lesser-appreciated books, like The Chamber of Secrets and The Prisoner of Azkaban really served as foundations for later books yet to come out. I’m so impressed by the way that she continues to write these long novels and I have not yet found myself bored once…something is always happening that is moving the timeline of the story forward.

The Order of the Phoenix starts out as all the rest do, with Harry at his aunt and uncle’s on Privet Drive, miserable because of their mistreatment of him. The events that ensue bring many of the characters that have come and gone into Harry’s life over the past few books come together in glorious harmony as we finally are given the reason for Harry’s special gifts and his ultimate place in the wizarding world.

When we last saw him in The Goblet of Fire, he had suffered much, but had once again emerged triumphant over his enemies. When I began this book, I could only wonder where the story was going to go and it just continued to be revealed as I read on.

Rowling’s character development is just phenomenal. This book introduces a couple brand new characters, most particularly, a member of the Ministry of Magic named Dolores Umbridge who becomes a member of the teaching staff at Hogwarts. Her methods and personality do not sit well with anyone, but because she sits in a position of power, she is seemingly untouchable. I found her so loathsome that I wanted to punch the pages of the book. Seriously, she’s THAT irritating.
I was looking at the film listing on IMDb and found that she is going to be played by Imelda Staunton, recently nominated for her work in Vera Drake. I’m not sure it’s the best pick, but we will see. It is certainly not who I imagined playing the role while I was reading the book.

Other events of the book…Harry’s first date, Neville comes into his own (FINALLY!), and we finally start seeing some serious magic-ing going on.

It’s just flat-out a terrific book. I hope seriously that I’m not setting myself up for disappointment with the rest. I’m so enjoying these books, moreso than I even thought I would. Thanks to those of you who suggested me reading this book. (JULIE!) I’ve enjoyed them all so much. If you haven’t read these books, you should…doesn’t matter what age…you should just read them.

All I have left in the series to be totally caught up is the most recent…Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince. Jason has been kind enough to lend it to me…otherwise I would be finding it in the library or tracking down someone who has it.

I’m almost halfway to my goal of 25 books this year and it’s only April. It has been helpful that I’ve read great books up to this point…we’ll see what happens once I finish the last Harry Potter book…