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bookishlybecca's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Alongside reading the gorgeous illustrated edition of Philosopher's Stone for the first time, I also listened to this wonderful audiobook narrated by Jim Dale. It was such a special way to re-experience one of my favourite books and stories. I'd highly recommend it, particularly for other avid Harry Potter fans who have read the print books multiple times. It genuinely changed the way I feel about this first book in the series. <3
You can read more of my thoughts (about both the audiobook and the story itself) in my review of the illustrated edition, which can be found here: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/28a8c489-828c-48dc-a944-b4bdc89e7c60.
Moderate: Bullying, Classism, Confinement, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
charm0nix's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Bullying, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Death of parent, Confinement, and Death
Minor: Fatphobia and Body shaming
bookishlybecca's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."
The magic of this book (and series) never goes away. <3
I’ve, honestly, lost count of how many times I’ve read this first book at this point, but I think it’s around 10?! And yet, there are still little details I’m picking up on that I haven’t fully understood or noticed in previous read-throughs. It’s amazing how much foreshadowing and planning for the latter books Jo does in this one too. It’s all just crazy, wonderful good! I’m never going to not love re-reading this wonderful, fantastical series. :3
- Gosh, I love Book 1 Harry. *hugs him* He's so innocent, naive, and determined to prove himself. BabyHarry has no idea what Hogwarts (or rather Dumbledore) and the Wizarding World as a whole have in store for him...
- Snape is such an interesting and complex character. His feelings towards Harry are very complicated and deeply rooted, even in this first book when he doesn't really know Harry as his own, individual person yet, outside of his parents' shadow. At this early stage in the series though, it's very easy to "love to hate" him. ;/
Also: I don't know if I've noticed this before, in previous read-throughs, or not, but there was some nice foreshadowing in Chapter 13 (pg. 179) to Snape being a Legilimens, with Harry feeling as though Severus could possibly be reading his mind. It's pretty darn cool that Jo thought to include that already, especially as it's referenced in a fairly casual comment made by an overly paranoid Harry. ;3 - The illustrated edition of Philosopher's Stone is beyond beautiful and is now my favourite way to experience this first book/story. It also, unsurprisingly, pairs perfectly with the audiobook, read by Jim Dale.
- Some fun stats (just because I love numbers ;P): 101 total illustrations over 248 pages [approx. 1 illustration for every 2.5 pages]. 34 of those are full single or double-sided pages, and 11 of those are what I consider to be "character portraits". (Those portraits are gorgeous full-page illustrations of Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco, Hagrid, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Voldemort, Nearly Headless Nick and Fluffy.)
- Favourite illustrations: Character portraits of Albus & Minerva (I really love how official they look, with them even including their names), Harry & Ron on the Hogwarts Express, Newt Scamander's Guide to Trolls, Harry in front of the Mirror of Erised (It is both equally beautiful AND heart-wrenching </3), and adorable Fang (with his bandaged tail).
- I listened to the American version of the audiobook this time too (as that's the one my library has), and though I prefer Jim's narration to Stephen Fry's (the narrator of the UK editions of the books), I find the very obviously inserted Americanisms/words take away a bit from the overall reading experience for me. It just dulls the charm and magic of the story ever so slightly.
- Favourite scenes: Meeting Hagrid (Chapter 4), First Quidditch Match (pg. 153-158), Christmas (pg. 163-167), Harry Finding the Mirror of Erised (pg. 169-174), Detention (pg. 201-211), and "The End" (Chapter 17).
- My overall favourites:
- Characters: Harry, Hagrid & Dumbledore
- Chapters: "Quidditch", "The Mirror of Erised" & "The Man with Two Faces"
- Quote: Basically anything Dumbledore says, but specifically "After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure."
Moderate: Bullying, Classism, Confinement, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
ellipalmer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.0
Moderate: Antisemitism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Fatphobia, Religious bigotry, and Toxic friendship
rini's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Antisemitism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Murder and Xenophobia
Minor: Car accident, Death, and Death of parent
vividvulpes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
With that stated once I got into the backend of it - I started to enjoy it a bit more. Things were definitely really fast paced and I feel like more time could've been spent on certain areas -- fleshing out the auxiliary members of the cast to make them less one note. Or spent a bit longer on some of the scenes within Hogwarts to build them up just a touch more since this book flies through the events of the year at breakneck speed. However I also understand that this was a children's novel so it might be a side effect of that. In the end it served as a good foundation for the world that spans the other six books in the series. It stands alone well as a first book should. Just wish a little more of the nostalgic shine remained for me.
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Bullying, Body shaming, Death of parent, and Fatphobia
saradallapalma's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
2nd reread: 2016
3rd reread: 2017
4th reread: 2018
5th reread: 2019
6th reread: 2019
7th reread: 2021
Graphic: Bullying, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Antisemitism, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse