A review by bantwalkers
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

3.0

This is a frustrating book because there is a lot to like. Rowling is a talented writer. Her characters are rich and she's witty as hell. The problem, she's not much of a storyteller. I found the same to be true when I read the first book in high school. I want to root for the characters, but in the end it becomes obvious that their richness is only quirkiness. And as Rowling layers quirk upon quirk she forgets to add depth. I am only giving them a shot now because of the assertation that they become more complex and mature as the series goes along. Also, on the story telling front, I think the magic angle gives Rowling too much freeness to exploit her own weakness. She seems to get to a point where she has written herself into a corner so she just magics herself out of it, coincidentally. It makes for rarely suspensful and always annoying endings. A phoenix with a sorting hat that produces a sword, really? I'm sorry, that's just plain stupid.
But like I said, she is a gifted writer and very funny. It makes this one, as with the first one, very readable, if not always palatable.