You must be living under a stone if you don't know Harry by now (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - J. K. Rowling)

Member Name: Glory_FishesII

Product:	Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - J. K. Rowling
Date:	17/08/04 (93 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Ron - I love him

Disadvantages: Harry - he is a bit of an arse

BASIC PLOT.
At this stage I feel like I'm teaching my grandmother to suck eggs, given all the hype surrounding the films etc.. but here goes nothing.

Harry Potter is an orphan. He has lived with his only surviving relatives at 4 Privet Drive, in suburban Surrey.

For some reason his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon don?t seem to keen on him. For the past decade they have lavished every ounce of attention upon their rotund and spoilt child Dudley. Horsey Aunt Petunia only took him in for the sake of appearances; he is after all her sister?s son. Uncle Vernon despairs at Harry?s messy hair and general tendency to breathe in his presence.

Aside from eating copious amounts of food, bullying Harry happens to be Dudley?s greatest pleasure.

All things remain seemingly suburbia and ultimately unpleasant until Harry starts receiving letters. Unposted, strange letters, addressed to him.

It seems that someone really wants his attention and Uncle Vernon will do almost anything to stop Harry getting the message, even going as far as camping beside the letterbox, nailing the letterbox shut and taking the family to a hotel to avoid the post.

This isn?t rational behaviour for a grown man, but then again the circumstances are exceptional to say the very least - being a muggle i.e. a person of non magical descent and knowledge, this ignorant reaction becomes understandable.

Harry Potter is far from a ?normal? ten-year-old boy. His parents James and Lily didn?t die in a car crash as Harry had always believed, but they instead died very tragic and exceptional deaths at the hand of one of the most dark and powerful magicians to draw breath, Lord Voldemont.

To add to matters, Harry is not only a wizard, but also an important figure in magical folklore as he is the only person to survive the onslaught of the Dark Lord?s wrath, with only a scar on his forehead for his luck.

So when Professor Albus
Dumbledore, a kindly eccentric wizard and headmaster of Hogwart?s School sends his trusted friend Rubus Hagrid, a great giant oak of a man and school gamekeeper to collect the child to begin his magical instruction, Harry realizes that he is destined to live in a world far greater than the cupboard under the stairs, where he has slept for the past decade.

Once at Hogwart?s Harry soon makes firm friends with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger and mortal enemies with Draco Malfoy and Potions master Sirius Snape.

He also becomes readily acquainted with magical customs and past times such as Quidditch, Harry is actually a natural at this much-revered sport, which is almost hockey on broomsticks.

Not content with being the kudos of being the away from the dastardly Dursleys and being the darling of the Quidditch team, Harry, Ron and Hermione embark on a mission to uncover Hogwart?s greatest secret finding that it is a matter of life and death!

CHARACTERS.
I will try not to go into raptures over the delightful characterization in this book. The names of even the smallest of figures, delight me. Rowling has a good ear and I for one shall call my next cat Mrs. Norris.

Although at this stage I can say that I do not feel I know Potter as well as I would have liked and I much prefer Ron. Rowling scatters some great seeds in the initial presentation of the genial Dumbledore and amiable Hagrid.

But my favourite character is the deliciously vile Severus Snape, who in the progress of the books becomes one of the most developed characters in the range.

The contrast between the Dursley and Weasley families is also a constant source of humour.

JK Rowling has an eye for detail and the absurd that is both refreshing and utterly charming. Her writing is fluent and enrapturing. I have not been this enthralled with a book since James and the Giant Peach, what a shame I had to experience this as a twenty fiv
e year old woman and yet, this book proved that a slither of the imaginative little girl I once was remains and she is holding Ron's hand all the way through this incredible book.

Book was £3.49 from Tesco

Summary: