Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1)
by J.K. Rowling
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Book Summary Information
Author: J.K. RowlingBrand: Scholastic
Illustrator: Mary GrandPré
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1999-10-01
ISBN: 0439708184
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
Product features:
- Harry Potter
- and the
- Sorcerer's
- Stone
- (Book 1)
Book Reviews of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1)
Book Review: A Great Beginning to a Great Series
Summary: 5 Stars
J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is the greatest debut in speculative fiction since...The Hobbit? No, it's better than The Hobbit. Though the Harry Potter stories are about children, they never make the adult mistake of becoming arch or patronizing at the wrong times, as Tolkien later regretted having done in The Hobbit. Sorcerer's Stone is famous as the opening chapter in the Harry Potter saga, but even on its own it is one of the best entries in the Potter series.
As an orphan whose mistreatment at the hands of his stuffy relatives is exaggeratedly nasty, Harry draws the reader's sympathy from the first moment he is introduced. The many deft touches of detail that distinguish Rowling from her herd of imitators are on display even early in her first book. The precise addressing of a letter to Harry in his "Cupboard under the Stairs" both amuses readers and informs them that someone out there is very conscious of Harry's plight.
The hints that something out of the ordinary is going on with Harry are not drawn out to the point of exhausting the reader's patience. His suspected ability to perform magic is quickly confirmed (by an umbrella-wielding giant), and we are soon shown the alternate wizarding community which Harry has unknowingly been a member of all his life.
The main reason that the series has become so wildly popular is the friendship between Harry, Ron, and Hermione. The other reasons that Rowling has succeeded where so many have failed are disarmingly simple. Instead of relying merely on action, or plot, or humor, or characterization, or mystery; Rowling has used all these tools. More impressively, she has skillfully used them to complement each other (action perhaps a little less well, and humor perhaps even better than the others); letting humor lighten certain serious passages without spoiling them, etc. She has managed to create a great coming-of-age story which also thrills, amuses, mystifies, and in the end, satisfies.
The one thing Rowling does only sparingly is moralize - which of course is another strength. There is the occasional summation or point-driven-home passage (often made by Hermione, Dumbledore, or Lupin, in later books), but it never spoils the overall nature of each book - which like the first, are all designed primarily to entertain. The lack of depth of the books has frequently been criticized. This is a charge that earlier generations of critics lobbed at P.G. Wodehouse and before him, at Dickens. Needless to say, both authors have held up well over the generations and have finally had their reputations confirmed simply by their lasting success.
Eventually even the dullest critic gets the point: a writer who has made millions of people's lives more enjoyable simply cannot be dismissed as someone who doesn't address the big issues. Rowling doesn't have to stand on her soapbox and preach about life and death, misery and happiness, and the human condition in general. Instead, she actually does something about them.
Rowling frequently speaks of liking her characters: being amused by what they say, being saddened when they suffer. This is another deceptively simple rediscovery that she has made: the best creations often result from authors trying to write the kinds of books that they themselves would like to read. That was the inspiration behind the imaginative writings of Tolkien and his friend C.S. Lewis as well.
It takes Rowling half the book just to get Harry to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. On the trip there, the most important occurrences in the entire series transpire in short order: Harry meets Ron Weasley and the two of them then meet Hermione Granger. The triangular friendship that soon develops among the three is the foundation of the rest of the series.
The magical world, the school, the rules: none of them really make sense if thought about too closely. Rowling makes a wise choice in not getting caught up in magical minutiae. The wizarding world is the way it is. The lack of detail gives the book an almost dreamlike quality, which is not a negative, unless the reader likes their escapist fantasy to be grounded in grim reality. This impression of that world is accentuated by our seeing it through newcomer Harry's eyes. If wizard-born Ron had been the main character, much of the new sense of wonder would have been lost.
The mystery within the story of the Sorcerer's Stone is simpler and less convoluted than those in the later Harry Potter books. This book and the second book are relatively straightforward kids' mysteries. What is important is that the character strengths of Ron (the steady one) and Hermione (the smart one) are defined. Even other secondary characters who will later gain in importance, such as Neville Longbottom, the Weasley twins, Draco Malfoy, and of course loathsome Potions master Severus Snape are introduced and have their roles fixed.
The only part of the book that I take a bit of an issue with comes at the end. The way that Dumbledore gradually awards Gryffindor the points necessary to first tie, then pass Slytherin in the house standings makes for dramatic storytelling. And to the Gryffindors, it would have seemed like the best and most satisfying way to win. But from the Slytherin point of view it must have been the worst and most unfair-seeming way of losing that could be imagined. It seems needlessly cruel on Dumbledore's part to allow the dining hall to be decorated in Slytherin colors, then to award Gryffindor just enough points to tie, then to allow them ten more crucial points. I can't think of a better way to provoke justifiable Slytherin resentment of Harry, Gryffindor, and the school in general than to do what Dumbledore did.
But aside from that minor misstep, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is great entertainment. And yes, I too wish the American publisher had left the title unchanged, but what's done is done.
Summary of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1)
Harry Potter has no idea how famous he is. That's because he's being raised by his miserable aunt and uncle who are terrified Harry will learn that he's really a wizard, just as his parents were. But everything changes when Harry is summoned to attend an infamous school for wizards, and he begins to discover some clues about his illustrious birthright. From the surprising way he is greeted by a lovable giant, to the unique curriculum and colorful faculty at his unusual school, Harry finds himself drawn deep inside a mystical world he never knew existed and closer to his own noble destiny.The amazing popularity of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone means that now even Muggles know about the Leaky Cauldron, Diagon Alley, and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Whether or not you've read about Harry, this unabridged audiobook brings his world to life. Reader Jim Dale brings an excellent range of voices to the characters, from well-meaning Hermione's soft, earnest voice to Malfoy's nasal droning; from Professor McGonagall's crisp brogue to Hagrid's broad Somerset accent; and from snarling Mr. Filch to p-p-poor, st-tuttering P-Professor Quirrel. Some of the characterizations are peculiar--why do the centaurs have Welsh accents?--but that's a small price to pay to hear one of the myriad ways to sing the Hogwarts School song. Harry Potter fans of all ages--Muggle or not--will enjoy curling up with a few chocolate frogs, a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans ("Alas! Ear wax!"), and this marvelous, magical audiobook. (Running time: 8 hours, 6 cassettes) --Sunny Delaney
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