Review: Harry Potter en de steen der wijzen, J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter en de steen der wijzen J.K. Rowling cover

Harry Potter has never played a sport while flying on a broomstick. He's never worn a Cloak of Invisibility, befriended a giant, or helped hatch a dragon. All Harry knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley. Harry's room is a tiny cupboard under the stairs, and he hasn't had a birthday party in ten years.
But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to a wonderful place he never dreamed existed. There he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic around every corner, but a great destiny that's been waiting for him... if Harry can survive the encounter.

Joanne Rowling was born in July 1965 at Yate General Hospital in England and grew up in Chepstow, Gwent where she went to Wyedean Comprehensive. She studied at Exeter University, where she earned a French and Classics degree, her course including one year in Paris. As a postgraduate she moved to London and worked as a researcher at Amnesty International among other jobs.
She started writing the Harry Potter series during a delayed Manchester to London King’s Cross train journey, and during the next five years, outlined the plots for each book and began writing the first novel.
She married in October 1992 and gave birth to a daughter in 1993. When the marriage ended, she and Jessica returned to the UK to live in Edinburgh after living in Portugal for a few years.
As well as an OBE for services to children’s literature, J.K. Rowling is the recipient of numerous awards and honorary degrees including the Prince of Asturias Award for Concord, France’s Légion d’Honneur, and the Hans Christian Andersen Award, and she has been a Commencement Speaker at Harvard University USA. She supports a wide number of charitable causes through her charitable trust Volant, and is the founder of Lumos, a charity working to transform the lives of disadvantaged children.
J.K. Rowling lives in Edinburgh with her husband and three children.

I have seen the movie several times between reading the books the last time and now. In the first pages there where already things I felt different about while reading it than how it looked in the movie. I was glad that my own imagination did kick in still because I had been afraid that I would only see movie parts in my head. The book also contains some details that are not in the movie and whom I had forgotten about.
Other than I experienced in the movie the book is not really focused on the ending where all the exciting things happen. All the firsts of Harry in the world of wizardry are handled as a new adventure and though there is a red line running in the book building up there is enough attention for all the fun things Harry, Ron and Hermione are experiencing trough the day.
I would not have mind another 100 pages extra with more details and fun facts on their classes and things happening.
Knowing how the series is developing this is a very good book to get a young kid introduced to Harry Potter. The excitement level in this book is still decent though some scary things drop by. Most things can still be explained.
I very much enjoyed getting back into reading Harry Potter.

Harry Potter en de steen der wijzen
Author: J.K. Rowling
Publisher: De Harmonie
ISBN-10: 9022320820
ISBN-13: 9789022320822
Pages: 228
Format: Paperback
Original title: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Series: Yes, Harry Potter #1
de Harmonie: Hardcover| Paperback
4 star review

Previous
Next Post »

2 reacties

Write reacties
nrlymrtl
AUTHOR
12 February, 2013 delete

I saw the first movie before I ever picked up the books, but after seeing that movie I read all those published at the time (I think through Book 3). I have read the entire series, and seen all the movies, and now I too want to go back and reread this series. I wonder if my imagination will kick in, or if I will see all the characters are they appeared in the movies.

Reply
avatar
Ciska
AUTHOR
12 February, 2013 delete

My imagination does a lot, sometimes when parts are a one on one copy with the movie I sometimes get visions with movie parts. Overall it is not to bad :)

Reply
avatar