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From the Wizarding Archive #1-2
From the Wizarding Archive: Curated Writing from the World of Harry Potter
If you've ever wondered why Squibs are never offered a place at Hogwarts, what happened when Vernon Dursley first met James Potter, or how Dumbledore and McGonagall formed their lifelong friendship, From the Wizarding Archive should go straight to the top of your reading list. Containing 80 articles and anecdotes written by J.K. Rowling for the original Pottermore website, Harry PotterTM fans everywhere are in for a treat.
If there's one thing Harry Potter fans have in common (apart from impeccably good taste), it's questions... so many questions. From the simple details that perplex us all - was Professor Umbridge always that awful? Why don't wizards just use phones? - to the personal details that bring us closer to J.K. Rowling's writing process - from her least favourite school subject and its impact on Professor Snape's career, to the personal significance of King's Cross and why it's always where the Hogwarts Express departs - this is a veritable treasure trove of answers.
With editorial writing linking and exploring the articles in greater depth than ever before, plus an exclusive foreword by Evanna Lynch, this is essential reading for any Harry Potter afficionado.
These articles were originally featured on Pottermore and are still free, and available to read in English, on the official Wizarding World website.
This eBook is also available as two separate volumes. The articles in Volume 2 were previously published as three Pottermore Presents eBooks. If you already own those, you might prefer to read From the Wizarding Volume 1 instead of the combined edition.
Pottermore Limited will be donating author royalties to the Lumos Foundation on behalf of J.K. Rowling, expected to be equivalent to a minimum of £1 (or the local currency equivalent) for each copy of From the Wizarding Archive sold.
The Lumos Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales with charity number 1112575.
If there's one thing Harry Potter fans have in common (apart from impeccably good taste), it's questions... so many questions. From the simple details that perplex us all - was Professor Umbridge always that awful? Why don't wizards just use phones? - to the personal details that bring us closer to J.K. Rowling's writing process - from her least favourite school subject and its impact on Professor Snape's career, to the personal significance of King's Cross and why it's always where the Hogwarts Express departs - this is a veritable treasure trove of answers.
With editorial writing linking and exploring the articles in greater depth than ever before, plus an exclusive foreword by Evanna Lynch, this is essential reading for any Harry Potter afficionado.
These articles were originally featured on Pottermore and are still free, and available to read in English, on the official Wizarding World website.
This eBook is also available as two separate volumes. The articles in Volume 2 were previously published as three Pottermore Presents eBooks. If you already own those, you might prefer to read From the Wizarding Volume 1 instead of the combined edition.
Pottermore Limited will be donating author royalties to the Lumos Foundation on behalf of J.K. Rowling, expected to be equivalent to a minimum of £1 (or the local currency equivalent) for each copy of From the Wizarding Archive sold.
The Lumos Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales with charity number 1112575.
335 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 29, 2024
About the author
J.K. Rowling
498 books229k followersSee also: Robert Galbraith
Although she writes under the pen name J.K. Rowling, pronounced like rolling, her name when her first Harry Potter book was published was simply Joanne Rowling. Anticipating that the target audience of young boys might not want to read a book written by a woman, her publishers demanded that she use two initials, rather than her full name. As she had no middle name, she chose K as the second initial of her pen name, from her paternal grandmother Kathleen Ada Bulgen Rowling. She calls herself Jo and has said, "No one ever called me 'Joanne' when I was young, unless they were angry." Following her marriage, she has sometimes used the name Joanne Murray when conducting personal business. During the Leveson Inquiry she gave evidence under the name of Joanne Kathleen Rowling. In a 2012 interview, Rowling noted that she no longer cared that people pronounced her name incorrectly.
Rowling was born to Peter James Rowling, a Rolls-Royce aircraft engineer, and Anne Rowling (née Volant), on 31 July 1965 in Yate, Gloucestershire, England, 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Bristol. Her mother Anne was half-French and half-Scottish. Her parents first met on a train departing from King's Cross Station bound for Arbroath in 1964. They married on 14 March 1965. Her mother's maternal grandfather, Dugald Campbell, was born in Lamlash on the Isle of Arran. Her mother's paternal grandfather, Louis Volant, was awarded the Croix de Guerre for exceptional bravery in defending the village of Courcelles-le-Comte during the First World War.
Rowling's sister Dianne was born at their home when Rowling was 23 months old. The family moved to the nearby village Winterbourne when Rowling was four. She attended St Michael's Primary School, a school founded by abolitionist William Wilberforce and education reformer Hannah More. Her headmaster at St Michael's, Alfred Dunn, has been suggested as the inspiration for the Harry Potter headmaster Albus Dumbledore.
As a child, Rowling often wrote fantasy stories, which she would usually then read to her sister. She recalls that: "I can still remember me telling her a story in which she fell down a rabbit hole and was fed strawberries by the rabbit family inside it. Certainly the first story I ever wrote down (when I was five or six) was about a rabbit called Rabbit. He got the measles and was visited by his friends, including a giant bee called Miss Bee." At the age of nine, Rowling moved to Church Cottage in the Gloucestershire village of Tutshill, close to Chepstow, Wales. When she was a young teenager, her great aunt, who Rowling said "taught classics and approved of a thirst for knowledge, even of a questionable kind," gave her a very old copy of Jessica Mitford's autobiography, Hons and Rebels. Mitford became Rowling's heroine, and Rowling subsequently read all of her books.
Rowling has said of her teenage years, in an interview with The New Yorker, "I wasn’t particularly happy. I think it’s a dreadful time of life." She had a difficult homelife; her mother was ill and she had a difficult relationship with her father (she is no longer on speaking terms with him). She attended secondary school at Wyedean School and College, where her mother had worked as a technician in the science department. Rowling said of her adolescence, "Hermione [a bookish, know-it-all Harry Potter character] is loosely based on me. She's a caricature of me when I was eleven, which I'm not particularly proud of." Steve Eddy, who taught Rowling English when she first arrived, remembers her as "not exceptional" but "one of a group of girls who were bright, and quite good at English." Sean Harris, her best friend in the Upper Sixth owned a turquoise Ford Anglia, which she says inspired the one in her books.
Although she writes under the pen name J.K. Rowling, pronounced like rolling, her name when her first Harry Potter book was published was simply Joanne Rowling. Anticipating that the target audience of young boys might not want to read a book written by a woman, her publishers demanded that she use two initials, rather than her full name. As she had no middle name, she chose K as the second initial of her pen name, from her paternal grandmother Kathleen Ada Bulgen Rowling. She calls herself Jo and has said, "No one ever called me 'Joanne' when I was young, unless they were angry." Following her marriage, she has sometimes used the name Joanne Murray when conducting personal business. During the Leveson Inquiry she gave evidence under the name of Joanne Kathleen Rowling. In a 2012 interview, Rowling noted that she no longer cared that people pronounced her name incorrectly.
Rowling was born to Peter James Rowling, a Rolls-Royce aircraft engineer, and Anne Rowling (née Volant), on 31 July 1965 in Yate, Gloucestershire, England, 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Bristol. Her mother Anne was half-French and half-Scottish. Her parents first met on a train departing from King's Cross Station bound for Arbroath in 1964. They married on 14 March 1965. Her mother's maternal grandfather, Dugald Campbell, was born in Lamlash on the Isle of Arran. Her mother's paternal grandfather, Louis Volant, was awarded the Croix de Guerre for exceptional bravery in defending the village of Courcelles-le-Comte during the First World War.
Rowling's sister Dianne was born at their home when Rowling was 23 months old. The family moved to the nearby village Winterbourne when Rowling was four. She attended St Michael's Primary School, a school founded by abolitionist William Wilberforce and education reformer Hannah More. Her headmaster at St Michael's, Alfred Dunn, has been suggested as the inspiration for the Harry Potter headmaster Albus Dumbledore.
As a child, Rowling often wrote fantasy stories, which she would usually then read to her sister. She recalls that: "I can still remember me telling her a story in which she fell down a rabbit hole and was fed strawberries by the rabbit family inside it. Certainly the first story I ever wrote down (when I was five or six) was about a rabbit called Rabbit. He got the measles and was visited by his friends, including a giant bee called Miss Bee." At the age of nine, Rowling moved to Church Cottage in the Gloucestershire village of Tutshill, close to Chepstow, Wales. When she was a young teenager, her great aunt, who Rowling said "taught classics and approved of a thirst for knowledge, even of a questionable kind," gave her a very old copy of Jessica Mitford's autobiography, Hons and Rebels. Mitford became Rowling's heroine, and Rowling subsequently read all of her books.
Rowling has said of her teenage years, in an interview with The New Yorker, "I wasn’t particularly happy. I think it’s a dreadful time of life." She had a difficult homelife; her mother was ill and she had a difficult relationship with her father (she is no longer on speaking terms with him). She attended secondary school at Wyedean School and College, where her mother had worked as a technician in the science department. Rowling said of her adolescence, "Hermione [a bookish, know-it-all Harry Potter character] is loosely based on me. She's a caricature of me when I was eleven, which I'm not particularly proud of." Steve Eddy, who taught Rowling English when she first arrived, remembers her as "not exceptional" but "one of a group of girls who were bright, and quite good at English." Sean Harris, her best friend in the Upper Sixth owned a turquoise Ford Anglia, which she says inspired the one in her books.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
September 8, 2024
Pretty good book. But the chapter on wand woods really was dry…
November 19, 2024
I really enjoyed diving back into the world of Harry Potter. The audiobook was well done and made for a nice companion during my car rides, though some parts, like the long lists of all the Ministers of Magic at the end, felt a bit tedious. Overall, I really enjoyed it, and it's a great companion book for any fan of the series. I definitely recommend it!
September 3, 2024
Having been a fan of the Harry Potter series for years, I enjoyed the extra content and background information provided. HP and the Cursed Child, was mentioned a few times, and I did my best to ignore those moments, as I think that book/story is an utter and asinine pile of garbage.
September 15, 2024
If you want to geek out on all the who’s what’s where’s and why’s of the Harry potter world! Highly recommend the audiobook 👍🏻
November 3, 2024
My Harry Potter Nerd heart is happy. I love learning about this world. Beware, the wand chapter goes on forever LOL.
December 31, 2024
This one is for the Potterheads. I listened to this audiobook almost every night as I fell asleep, and loved every second of it.
September 6, 2024
The audiobook version of this is great! I love the behind the scenes look at this beloved series and the bonus information.
January 2, 2025
No ha estado nada mal. Me creía que sabía mucho de Harry Potter y aunque era así desde luego ahora sé mucho más
Ha sido super super interesante. Algunos textos fueron de poca información no lo niego, pero otros han sido de lo mejor, con mis personajes u objetos favoritos
Desde luego si te gusta Harry Potter tienes que leerlo
It hasn't been bad at all. I thought I knew a lot about Harry Potter and although it was like that, of course now I know much more
It's been super super interesting. Some texts were of little information I don't deny it, but others have been the best, with my favorite characters or objects
Of course if you like Harry Potter you have to read it
Ha sido super super interesante. Algunos textos fueron de poca información no lo niego, pero otros han sido de lo mejor, con mis personajes u objetos favoritos
Desde luego si te gusta Harry Potter tienes que leerlo
It hasn't been bad at all. I thought I knew a lot about Harry Potter and although it was like that, of course now I know much more
It's been super super interesting. Some texts were of little information I don't deny it, but others have been the best, with my favorite characters or objects
Of course if you like Harry Potter you have to read it
December 15, 2024
Tras una adolescencia marcada por Harry Potter, este libro a conseguido reavivar viejos recuerdos y vivencias, ratos disfrutando de la lectura, cosas que había olvidado, días de espera para el siguiente número…
Solo hay dos libros que haya releído en mi vida y este es uno de ellos (en concreto tres veces) y con este nuevo libro nos adentramos aún más en el mundo Potter.
Este libro es solo para fans, si no ni te lo leas.
Recomiendo leerlo con la versión de notas de la autora que son muy ilustrativas e interesantes.
Con este libro he descubierto un poquito a Rowling y estoy siguiendo la fundación que ha creado. Ahora soy fan también de la autora. Una crack.
Solo hay dos libros que haya releído en mi vida y este es uno de ellos (en concreto tres veces) y con este nuevo libro nos adentramos aún más en el mundo Potter.
Este libro es solo para fans, si no ni te lo leas.
Recomiendo leerlo con la versión de notas de la autora que son muy ilustrativas e interesantes.
Con este libro he descubierto un poquito a Rowling y estoy siguiendo la fundación que ha creado. Ahora soy fan también de la autora. Una crack.
September 12, 2024
This is more like a collection of essays than anything else. Honestly, I prefer to just stick to the original books. All of these additions have felt shallow, a bit off, and forced, in my opinion.
October 24, 2024
Nagy örömmel fogadtam, hogy újabb érdekesség érkezett a varázsvilágból a nyár végén. ♥ Azt hiszem nekem tényleg nem lenne elég semmi ebből, szívesen fogadom a plusz infókat, illusztrált köteteket, díszkiadásokat, bármilyen extra és régi-új tartalmat. Közben igazán érik már egy jóleső újraolvasás is, rettentő rég olvastam el a HP-ket utoljára...
A From the Wizarding Archive egy válogatás a korábban a Pottermore-on, most a wizardingworld.com / harrypotter.com-on elérhető cikkekből. Ezeket az információmorzsákat és érdekességeket különféle csoportokba rendezték, és mindegyik szekció elé írtak egy kis bevezetőt is.
Az Audible-ön elérhető hangoskönyv verzió különlegessége pedig, hogy Evanna Lynch - aki Luna Lovegoodot alakította a filmekben - az egyik felolvasó, és ő írta az előszót is a kötethez.
Nagyon jó volt az ismerős világba belesüppedni, és megtudni néhány újabb adalékot Rowling világából. Szerintem sokan a varázsalmanachtól vártunk hasonlót, úgyhogy ha valaki elégedetlen volt annak az információtartalmával, azt én mindenképp ehhez az íráshoz irányítanám.
Részletes leírás van a varázspálcákról, és minden fatípusról, amiből pálca készül. Mesél a kötet Ollivanderről, Malfoyékról, Marge Dursley-ről, az Azkabanról, mindenféle varázslényről és a mozgó festményekről is. Kedvenceim voltak Sir Cadogan és Remus Lupin háttértörténete, pedig egyébként magamtól biztos nem mondtam volna, hogy na, róluk szeretnék még többet megtudni. :) A cikkeket elolvasgathatjátok egyenként, tetszőleges sorrendben is a már fent is említett harrypotter.com- on, a J.K. Rowling archive-ban. Sőt, itt még több tartalom is megtalálható, amik valamiért ebből a gyűjteményből most kimaradtak.
Kedvenc új kis dilemmám: Honnan tudja a mágus, hogy boggarttal (mumussal) találkozott, és nem a valódi dologgal, amitől fél? Tudom persze, hogy a Riddikulus varázsigével szétoszlatható a mumus, és sok hatalma nincsen, sok mindent nem tud csinálni, de ha teszem azt szembejön veled a sötét rengetegben egy óriás/vámpír/yeti/akármi (ami igazából egy mumus), honnan tudhatják akiknek elregéled, hogy nem igazi óriás/vámpír/yeti/akármi leselkedik-e ott tényleg? Ha szembetalálom magam azzal, amitől a legjobban félek (és az egy lény mondjuk), akkor nekem nem az első gondolatom az, hogy hmm, lehet, hogy csak egy mumus, próbáljuk meg nevetségessé tenni! :D
Kedvenc kifejezés:
- to take something with a pinch of salt - regard something as exaggerated; believe only part of something.
Ha tehetitek, válasszátok az audiobook verziót! Evanna Lynch dreamy hangja sokat hozzátesz a felolvasáshoz, és a többi felolvasó is nagyon jó, + a zenei betétek is hangulatosak.
https://pupillaolvas.blogspot.com/202...
A From the Wizarding Archive egy válogatás a korábban a Pottermore-on, most a wizardingworld.com / harrypotter.com-on elérhető cikkekből. Ezeket az információmorzsákat és érdekességeket különféle csoportokba rendezték, és mindegyik szekció elé írtak egy kis bevezetőt is.
Az Audible-ön elérhető hangoskönyv verzió különlegessége pedig, hogy Evanna Lynch - aki Luna Lovegoodot alakította a filmekben - az egyik felolvasó, és ő írta az előszót is a kötethez.
Nagyon jó volt az ismerős világba belesüppedni, és megtudni néhány újabb adalékot Rowling világából. Szerintem sokan a varázsalmanachtól vártunk hasonlót, úgyhogy ha valaki elégedetlen volt annak az információtartalmával, azt én mindenképp ehhez az íráshoz irányítanám.
Részletes leírás van a varázspálcákról, és minden fatípusról, amiből pálca készül. Mesél a kötet Ollivanderről, Malfoyékról, Marge Dursley-ről, az Azkabanról, mindenféle varázslényről és a mozgó festményekről is. Kedvenceim voltak Sir Cadogan és Remus Lupin háttértörténete, pedig egyébként magamtól biztos nem mondtam volna, hogy na, róluk szeretnék még többet megtudni. :) A cikkeket elolvasgathatjátok egyenként, tetszőleges sorrendben is a már fent is említett harrypotter.com- on, a J.K. Rowling archive-ban. Sőt, itt még több tartalom is megtalálható, amik valamiért ebből a gyűjteményből most kimaradtak.
Kedvenc új kis dilemmám: Honnan tudja a mágus, hogy boggarttal (mumussal) találkozott, és nem a valódi dologgal, amitől fél? Tudom persze, hogy a Riddikulus varázsigével szétoszlatható a mumus, és sok hatalma nincsen, sok mindent nem tud csinálni, de ha teszem azt szembejön veled a sötét rengetegben egy óriás/vámpír/yeti/akármi (ami igazából egy mumus), honnan tudhatják akiknek elregéled, hogy nem igazi óriás/vámpír/yeti/akármi leselkedik-e ott tényleg? Ha szembetalálom magam azzal, amitől a legjobban félek (és az egy lény mondjuk), akkor nekem nem az első gondolatom az, hogy hmm, lehet, hogy csak egy mumus, próbáljuk meg nevetségessé tenni! :D
Kedvenc kifejezés:
- to take something with a pinch of salt - regard something as exaggerated; believe only part of something.
Ha tehetitek, válasszátok az audiobook verziót! Evanna Lynch dreamy hangja sokat hozzátesz a felolvasáshoz, és a többi felolvasó is nagyon jó, + a zenei betétek is hangulatosak.
https://pupillaolvas.blogspot.com/202...
November 30, 2024
From The Wizarding Archive 🎧
J.K. Rowling
2024
-1 cause nothing gets 10/10
-2 I never liked the late addition of wand lore. The chapter on wand lore is dull as dogshit.
-2 Not a lot of this is actually new information or interesting. There's a section on Gilderoy Lockhart and it would be interesting to hear what happened to him after the second Wizarding War but nah, just a tidbit about his time at Hogwarts. Fuckin' snore.
-2 Absolutely not worth it at all. This was such a good opportunity to give us a peek at what happened to other characters after the events of the series but it was just nothing interesting. I regret wasting money on this
Started 30/11/2024
Finished 30/11/2024
3/10 Rubber Chickens
J.K. Rowling
2024
-1 cause nothing gets 10/10
-2 I never liked the late addition of wand lore. The chapter on wand lore is dull as dogshit.
-2 Not a lot of this is actually new information or interesting. There's a section on Gilderoy Lockhart and it would be interesting to hear what happened to him after the second Wizarding War but nah, just a tidbit about his time at Hogwarts. Fuckin' snore.
-2 Absolutely not worth it at all. This was such a good opportunity to give us a peek at what happened to other characters after the events of the series but it was just nothing interesting. I regret wasting money on this
Started 30/11/2024
Finished 30/11/2024
3/10 Rubber Chickens
October 8, 2024
Interesting background and historical details are shared about characters, places, and artifacts. Could have been a little better proportioned, though. With how much she hyped up the inclusion of ghost plots, which included providing the definition of a ghost plot not once but twice, I expected her to go into detail about more than just one of them. Meanwhile, I can't be the only one who got bored and started doing the vacuuming during the half hour-long segment on wand woods.
November 2, 2024
Finally all of the information that used to exist on Pottermore is in an easily digestible and fun format. I highly recommend the audiobook to be able to enjoy Evanna Lynch reading to you alongside a full cast of voice actors who really put the magic into what is essentially a behind the scenes Harry Potter encyclopedia.
December 4, 2024
This was such a fun dive back into the wizarding world! I loved learning about the characters’ backstories and histories along with many other side stories and info that was never told in the Harry Potter novels. Although at times it read like a textbook, the parts with references to events and characters throughout the books made me want to do a re-read of the series!
September 28, 2024
Fascinating snippets bulked up with long, ghost written introductions. This book would have been more wondrous if JK had written all of it!
October 27, 2024
I enjoyed the background information!
November 19, 2024
An absolute jewel for Harry Potter fans!! Amazing to still learn some fun and clever details I knew nothing about even after reading/watching the series a few times.
December 9, 2024
I never got around to reading all the Pottermore articles. This was really nice and very well done with different actors and music in the background!!
December 18, 2024
More Harry Potter is better than less Harry Potter, always super happy to know more about this world!
December 27, 2024
Sok érdekesség a HP világából. Inkább szemezgetésre való szerintem, mint az elejétől a végéig elolvasni. Mondom ezt azért, mert én pont hogy úgy olvastam, és nem tettem jól.
Voltak érdekesebb részek és kevésbé érdekesek. A pálcafák leírása pl. nem érdekelt, azt átugrottam. A legérdekesebbnek a tanárok életútjának leírását találtam, főleg Lumpsluckét és Lupinét. McGalagonyéból már sokat ismertem.
Voltak érdekesebb részek és kevésbé érdekesek. A pálcafák leírása pl. nem érdekelt, azt átugrottam. A legérdekesebbnek a tanárok életútjának leírását találtam, főleg Lumpsluckét és Lupinét. McGalagonyéból már sokat ismertem.
September 15, 2024
I think this is a book I would’ve preferred as a hard copy to join my Harry Potter collection on the bookshelf - not one to read cover-to-cover on Kindle. Having not been a user of Pottermore when I was younger, I didn’t realise it was just excerpts of different bits of trivia etc., I was more expecting short stories. Hopefully it does get released as a nice hard copy so I can get one to sit alongside my illustrated editions and wizarding almanac!
November 21, 2024
This was a lot of fun. While I've read the Harry Potter books more times than I can count, I've never perused the articles on the website. So this was a great way for me to read about all of the extra Wizarding World information that J.K. Rowling has shared.
December 30, 2024
Fosse per me leggerei solo libri così e sarei felice.
September 29, 2024
Would have been 5 stars had it not been for the useless flowery ghost written introductions to each section. My favorite section was the life story of the professors, particularly McGonagall.
September 12, 2024
I LOVE that Evanna Lynch both contributes yo the book in a forward and also read parts in the audio version! She has consistently been able to express what HP and The Wizarding World feels like for us superfans! This is like a resource book for Rowlings works- its not a story. I was a bit surprised by this but once I think it will be an invaluable companion book for those who want to really get deep into the world and the fandom.
September 8, 2024
Really enjoyed this series of essays that reveals much of the background to the Wizarding Workd that Jk Rowling had created but ultimately never made it into the books. Loved having so many of my questions answered! From how Harry’s parents left him so much gold (when they died so young), why Wizards don’t used mobile phones and why Hermione wasn’t in Ravenclaw. Plus so much more besides!
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
October 11, 2024DNF. I was hesitant to read it, but what sealed the deal for me was reading about how JK Rowling doesn’t like people that are bigoted and narrow minded.
Pot, meet kettle.
Had it not been for the author’s notes, I probably would have been fine, but I don’t really want to read her editorial.
Pot, meet kettle.
Had it not been for the author’s notes, I probably would have been fine, but I don’t really want to read her editorial.
December 7, 2024
3.75⭐️
🎧
* I should preface again that in the case of the author, I firmly disagree, and have chosen to separate art and artist when it comes to the Harry Potter world, which I focus solely on how it was a part of my life as a child *
Overall, I enjoyed listening to this book. The audio was well done. I learned some new things that gave more depth to the world however, a lot felt like repeating what we already know. Some chapters were much more engaging than others.
🎧
* I should preface again that in the case of the author, I firmly disagree, and have chosen to separate art and artist when it comes to the Harry Potter world, which I focus solely on how it was a part of my life as a child *
Overall, I enjoyed listening to this book. The audio was well done. I learned some new things that gave more depth to the world however, a lot felt like repeating what we already know. Some chapters were much more engaging than others.
October 15, 2024
A treat for any Potterhead out there. Assuming you haven't read all the extra writings J.K. Rowling published on on the now defunct Pottermore, then you're in for a real treat. Even if you're not, frankly. Whether it's wider wizarding history, the backstories of certain fan favourite characters, or just the reason for certain, dare I say, 'stylistic' choices in the Harry Potter saga (my personal favourite being the history behind the Hogwarts Express, something so simple yet so elegant and logical), this book is a real treasure trove that will appeal to the fans who love companion pieces and wider worldbuilding.
As a Potterhead, history buff, and worldbuilding and author's process fan, I adored the opportunity to experience these in audiobook form, complete with the original author's notes. Without a doubt, the highlight are the backstories of several prominent (and even a few minor) characters from the Harry Potter saga. One of Rowling's greatest skills as a writer has always been characters. The backstories show this perfectly. And she has a gift for not making these backstories look like Wikipedia entries. Much as she was able to turn something as dry and formulaic as a historical study in Quidditich Through the Ages into something funny and entertaining, she manages to make these feel like a story. It doesn't take much. I felt surges of emotions at specific moments: the heartwarming scene of Dumbledore comforting Minerva MacGonagall after she suffers heartbreak, the rare elation felt by Remus Lupin the few times in his life he feels friendship and love, followed by the anguish and stress caused by his condition, even the revolting decisions taken by characters like Gilderoy Lockhart and Dolores Umbridge. The fact that these backstories are able to ellicit such emotions is a testament to the sense of character Rowling can create.
Beyond these things, there's an even simpler reason for giving these pieces 8 hours of our time. When I read that Evanna Lynch (who portrayed the amazing Luna Lovegood, another great character courtesy of J.K. Rowling) was narrating, I dumbly assumed this meant she would just read the foreword. Wrong!!! Instead, Evanna Lynch provides the narration through the book, in a way that makes me suggest that she was the one responsible for writing her own narration. Her contributions not only show off her own deep love for the saga, but echo what I feel when I think back to the Harry Potter books I was lucky enough to grow up with (literally, from reading the first book with my dad after school, to impatiently waiting for the next book to come out, and seeing the film saga conclude as we were coming of age; literally in my case, since I was 18 when Deathly Hallows Part 2 came out). This collection will stand the test of time as a testimony to how those of us who grew up with Harry Potter felt.
Much as Quidditch Through the Ages and the Ickabog did before, I wish that Rowling decides one day to return fully to fantasy. As much as I like the every-day charm of the Strike books, they lack the sense of wonder that she's able to create when she's writing about magic
As a Potterhead, history buff, and worldbuilding and author's process fan, I adored the opportunity to experience these in audiobook form, complete with the original author's notes. Without a doubt, the highlight are the backstories of several prominent (and even a few minor) characters from the Harry Potter saga. One of Rowling's greatest skills as a writer has always been characters. The backstories show this perfectly. And she has a gift for not making these backstories look like Wikipedia entries. Much as she was able to turn something as dry and formulaic as a historical study in Quidditich Through the Ages into something funny and entertaining, she manages to make these feel like a story. It doesn't take much. I felt surges of emotions at specific moments: the heartwarming scene of Dumbledore comforting Minerva MacGonagall after she suffers heartbreak, the rare elation felt by Remus Lupin the few times in his life he feels friendship and love, followed by the anguish and stress caused by his condition, even the revolting decisions taken by characters like Gilderoy Lockhart and Dolores Umbridge. The fact that these backstories are able to ellicit such emotions is a testament to the sense of character Rowling can create.
Beyond these things, there's an even simpler reason for giving these pieces 8 hours of our time. When I read that Evanna Lynch (who portrayed the amazing Luna Lovegood, another great character courtesy of J.K. Rowling) was narrating, I dumbly assumed this meant she would just read the foreword. Wrong!!! Instead, Evanna Lynch provides the narration through the book, in a way that makes me suggest that she was the one responsible for writing her own narration. Her contributions not only show off her own deep love for the saga, but echo what I feel when I think back to the Harry Potter books I was lucky enough to grow up with (literally, from reading the first book with my dad after school, to impatiently waiting for the next book to come out, and seeing the film saga conclude as we were coming of age; literally in my case, since I was 18 when Deathly Hallows Part 2 came out). This collection will stand the test of time as a testimony to how those of us who grew up with Harry Potter felt.
Much as Quidditch Through the Ages and the Ickabog did before, I wish that Rowling decides one day to return fully to fantasy. As much as I like the every-day charm of the Strike books, they lack the sense of wonder that she's able to create when she's writing about magic
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