It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends
Rating: 3.5/5
Trigger Warnings:
Spoiler Alert! If you haven’t read the book, this review will contain spoilers so it’s up to you if you continue…
Harry Potter. A real love of mine, something so much a part of my life that as I write this I’m wearing a Hufflepuff jumper. This being said, I read the books once through secondary school and that’s it. I really love them, but I’m not much of a re-reader and, for a long while, there was no point re-reading because I could tell you the tiniest facts about the book. It’s been a long time since that though, and there are a lot of things I can no longer recall. So here we are listening to the audiobooks!
I guess this review might be a little different because of that - I’ve never read an audiobook, let alone reviewed one. I’m not even sure if you say you ‘read’ an audiobook to be honest. It was really enjoyable though, barely even feels like you’re reading something because it’s about half the effort and I can get on with chores/exercise/journeys in the meantime. That being said, I’m not sure I could read a book as an audiobook if it was the first time I was reading it - I feel I’d be skipping back every so often if I missed a detail, or that things wouldn’t stick with me as well as they would had I physically read the book. I can’t complain one bit, however, about the wonderful narration of Stephen Fry. What a great guy.
Onto the book itself though… about as fun as I remember it to be. I’m going to talk a bit about the world building in a minute, but it’s such a wonderful introduction to the series. The first book is just so easy, none of the emotional trauma of the last couple, and I’d forgotten about it to be honest. It really is a children’s book, there’s no getting round it. This series grows so much and I’m really excited to witness that again!
Where I think Rowling really succeeded (and I have problems with her, just as others do, but we’re ignoring them and focusing on the book at hand) is in her introduction of the world. There is so much to introduce, and obviously this is done throughout the series, but Philosopher’s Stone is a really full and encompassing foundation for them to start on. Making the journey with Harry means we learn things alongside him, introduced to the world as he is and therefore learning the relevant magical lore but not being bogged down with too much information, people explaining to him what he needs to know at the time. This third-person narration works really well, and, though I have limited knowledge, would say works best as an audiobook.
What has already struck me in re-reading the first book, is the difference between the books and the films. I love both, but I really, really miss the centaurs in the films. I’d completely forgotten they existed in the first book, thinking they came into play in the fourth or fifth, but I was so happy to hear about them - especially Firenze. The films are, on the whole, an accurate adaptation of the books, but there always those little things that just don’t fit into a film - things like Peeves or Professor Binns - that really endear me to the series.
It’s kinda nostalgic to be rereading the series, and there’s been a number of moments in the first one where I’ve just had to pause and thinking about how much I love these books. Can’t wait to get started on Chamber of Secrets!
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