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Title: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Author: J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fantasy/Children's Literature
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〰First Line〰
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Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number four, Privet Drive were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.
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Synopsis: (From Goodreads)
"Turning
the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal
bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger and a snake
surrounding a large letter 'H'."
Harry Potter has never even
heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at
number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment
with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and
uncle. Then, on Harry's eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of
a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry
Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft
and Wizardry. An incredible adventure is about to begin!〰First Thoughts〰
Last year, I successfully completed reading the entire Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis. This came after several years of starts and stops, overanalyzing the stories and characters, and reading too many arguments as to which order the books should be read. Ultimately, I--as my friend Emily told me to--became a kid again and simply enjoyed the stories for what they were. When I pondered what unfamiliar children's books to read next, I thought of the Harry Potter series. I know that I'm late to the Harry Potter trend. But that's just it, I generally don't like to read something simply because it's trendy, or because Oprah says everyone should read it. Like the Chronicles of Narnia series, the stories are more fun when I'm ready to hear them, not when everyone says I should be ready to hear them.
I believe I'm ready to read about Harry and his adventures.
Book completed 5/1/25
Rating: ✮✮✮1/2 stars
Conclusions: I enjoyed this fist of Harry's adventures. However, I'm not sure that I will continue the series anytime soon. Rowling's writing was engaging and the ending was surprising (the person I thought was the bad guy throughout the whole book turned out not to be so). So it's not the book itself. I think it's my current phase of life that's giving me trepidation about reading further right now. The book was good, but I found it quite stressful. It was painful to read how this child had no supportive adult around him. Even those who appear so at first turn their fancies on a dime. At times, Harry didn't know if he was coming or going. Plus, at the end of the book, he has to go back to an abusive situation.
Yes, I know it's "just fiction," but avid readers know that if a story doesn't somehow affect them emotionally, it wasn't a very good one. I also know that the way the book ended was to entice the reader into going into the next book to see what happens. But I'm not ready to go back to Hogwarts yet. If I do, I'll let you know.
So, what's the first line of the book you're currently reading?
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