On the Trail of Harry Potter Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Lee writes a good book, very readable & informative. For the most part. There are two places where this book doesn't quite come up to snuff. First, it bills itself as the first literary analysis of the Harry Potter series. I suppose it is if you ignore everything John Granger & Travis Prinzi have written about Harry Potter. Those two authors have already covered to a great extent everything Lee covers in her book. However, they don't even get a reference in the bibliography. That shows sloppy research on the part of Lee, in my opinion. I wouldn't make such a big deal of this except for the claim of Lee's book being the first literary analysis of Potter. It's not, even though it is still a good analysis.
Second, Lee makes some obvious errors in fact throughout the book, primarily in references to events in the Potter books. For instance, in one place she describes the effect of some event on Harry in the 5th book. But the event she uses didn't actually happen until the 6th book. There are at 4 noticeable errors of this nature I saw while reading the book. Again, this smacks of a little sloppy research.
Despite these two complaints, Lee does shine in some areas. Her discussion of the main characters is good. She has an excellent section on the humor of the Potter books. And much to my delight she does an excellent analysis of why Michael Gambon just doesn't work as Dumbledore in the films & also why the romance between Harry & Ginny in the 6th movie fell flat.
In conclusion, even though I have a few complaints about the book, I would recommend it for Potter fans to read.

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This is the first study to cover all seven volumes of the Harry Potter cycle, to examine Rowling's three spin-offs and to compare the seven books with the seven films. It presents a careful analysis of Harry and his inner circle, their character development and their interrelationships. Further, it demonstrates how Rowling's plotting techniques, her humor and her style contribute to the success of the series.Refuting those critics who have dismissed Rowling's work as "not great literature," the author explains how and why it became a blockbuster and why it will remain a classic, loved and appreciated by children, young adults and adults throughout the world.The book is written in a clear and accessible style and is geared to young adults and adults, both Harry Potter fans and the general public.

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