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A review by kittycat2302
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
5.0
Another 4 stars, though that's heavily influenced by knowing the series and how good it does get- while this book is a definite improvement over Sorcerer's Stone, it's also my second-least-favorite of the series.
SO! Harry, Ron & Hermione are back at school and back to solving terrible mysteries! The main plot, however, pales in comparison to the care Rowling takes to build her world and her characters. Not only are the characters we already know given more depth, but we are introduced to new characters with love and attention to detail- it's easy to quickly like Hannah Abbot, for instance, and find Justin Finch-Fletchley likeable and charming- while finding Lucius Malfoy detestable happens immediately.
A flaw I've noticed in this re-read is thatthe characters we are meant to most dislike are all described as large bodies. This is particularly the case for those who are described as cruel AND stupid (Dudley and Vernon Dursley, Crabbe, Goyle, Millicent). The Malfoys have a different set of physical characteristics, but are also described as cruel/evil but also more on the "rich, snobby, cunning" side of things. It's a shame Rowling plays into the stereotype of fat people being also stupid, and uses this physical characteristic to also define many of her unlikable characters. It's something I'll be watching for through this re-read, and seeing if it changes (for the better or worse).
SO! Harry, Ron & Hermione are back at school and back to solving terrible mysteries! The main plot, however, pales in comparison to the care Rowling takes to build her world and her characters. Not only are the characters we already know given more depth, but we are introduced to new characters with love and attention to detail- it's easy to quickly like Hannah Abbot, for instance, and find Justin Finch-Fletchley likeable and charming- while finding Lucius Malfoy detestable happens immediately.
A flaw I've noticed in this re-read is thatthe characters we are meant to most dislike are all described as large bodies. This is particularly the case for those who are described as cruel AND stupid (Dudley and Vernon Dursley, Crabbe, Goyle, Millicent). The Malfoys have a different set of physical characteristics, but are also described as cruel/evil but also more on the "rich, snobby, cunning" side of things. It's a shame Rowling plays into the stereotype of fat people being also stupid, and uses this physical characteristic to also define many of her unlikable characters. It's something I'll be watching for through this re-read, and seeing if it changes (for the better or worse).