Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Second readings are a rare treat these days. Typically, it means I'm reading for pure pleasure, there aren't many other pressing reasons to revisit a book apart (perhaps) for reading with one of the kids (school assignment, or merely to join the conversation). This re-read was aloud, over a few months, and always just before bed. We'd seen the film adaptations, and were familiar with the overall story, so we could marvel at the good bits and not worry too much about the larger narrative arc.

For instance, I'd forgotten that Filch is a Squib: a non-magical child of a magical family. Interesting how Rowling introduces the reader to the various intersections between magical and non-magical people, in her world, and hints at the various show more dynamics in personal relations as well as those between groups. These aren't framed as such, rather they arrive in the form of one or another character. So for Filch, the shame of being non-magical, the distrust of Muggles, the excommunication of such imposing personalities as Hagrid.

Similarly, the idea of a ghost teaching History, particularly History of Magic. Takes old joke of not knowing if the lecturer is alive or dead, making it literal.

For all that, it seems to me this second book is a major climax to the series, in many ways more resonant than the final book. There's no real way to know that except after having read them all, though. We learn of the origin and background of Voldemort / Riddle; Lily's "potent countercurse" (by a Muggle!) in sacrificing her life to save Harry against major Dark Arts wizardry; Ginny is possessed by Voldemort whose efforts are foiled nevertheless; Lucius is behind the plot to scandalize the Weasleys but the actions of Harry - Ron - Ginny defeat him; and the Weasley brand of "pure blood" wizarding family triumphs over the Malfoy brand. Not to mention the key lesson for Harry: he knows Parseltongue because Voldemort put a piece of himself in Harry when giving him the scar; despite the parallels with Riddle, he is different in his choices not his blood.

It's a pleasure to read without any concern or aim except for the fun on the page, right there in front of me. show less

While I would have loved a bit more Hermione since at this point in reading the series I already adore her, the amount of time spent with the Weasleys mostly made up for that as they are rapidly becoming one of my favorite book families, I love that even though they’re witches and wizards, they’re relatable and endearing in their money problems, mom attempting to rule a rather unruly roost, and siblings teasing one another, yet having each other’s backs at the same time.

There were definitely moments here that felt reminiscent of the first book and initially I took issue with that, fearing I was reading some sort of re-tread, but ultimately, whether it involved the forest, Hagrid’s penchant for pets, or the confrontation with show more the villain, etc., the more I thought about each instance, the more it seemed like it was building upon what happened previously as opposed to being truly repetitive. Plus with Dobby, Lockhart, Myrtle, and Ginny’s crush, there was plenty of fresh material mixed in with the more familiar scenarios to keep me thoroughly entertained. show less

“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

It's not as easy to review such a well-loved and received series. The base story is already familiar to me since I've seen the movies. While the first followed the movie plot line closely, I noticed little scenes and extras in this book that didn't make their transfer to film. As before, Harry starts in the house of horrors, aka the Dursley residence, where they treat the kid so poorly I'm surprised he doesn't lose it and become an evil wizard himself. I can totally understand his desire to go to Hogwarts and escape that household, as morbidly amusing as it is (and it DOES make a good opening to these novels).

Hogwarts was already fleshed out fully show more in 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone', but the charm and magic of the series came further alive in this second installment. It seems that Rowland has become more comfortable with writing itself, something that's hard for me to put a finger on exactly, but it's felt all the same. This book just read better, the previous mild cheese coating dusted away, leaving a fun joy behind. It's not all happiness and games, however; what good story would be? There's a darkness lurking around the corner and a mystery to solve.

First, the professor Gilderoy Lockheart. The new Dark Arts teacher is introduced to this series, bringing numerous hilarious scenes that worked perfectly. What fun it is to follow the three kids through their classes - the clueless and boastful professor is a contrast to the experiences in the classroom of the slithering Snape who seems to have it against the kids. Hogwarts itself has such a strong presence in the novels - from the teachers, the classes, the studied subjects, Dumbledore, Hagrid and his cottage of tea and bizarre animals, that creepy Forbidden Forest with giant critters that nightmares are made of....and now let's throw in secrets passages and riddles and secret diaries. If that doesn't make a workable magical concoction, then I don't know what does.

Since I'd experienced the story celluloid style, it held little surprise. I'm sure if I were naive going in, I'd have been surprised at the twist with the riddle for Tom Riddle, the discovery of the creature waiting in the bowels of the school, and the small twists that came about, but it was still a joy to experience in written form even if I knew the waiting answers. Pacing is kept up strong - you'd think it may be dull to spend so much time in a classroom, but not at all, for it unfolds naturally, applying in various ways to not only the main story of the Chamber, but to small details of the characters lives that will continue enriching the series.

Harry is a wonderful protagonist - he's reasonable and decent but still a typical type of wizard kid willing to break small rules all for a spot of fun or dire circumstances. Ron is humorous without meaning to be, that unfortunate type who has bad luck and circumstance but shines with their general personality, and of course Hermione is a great confidante and friend you like to have around, especially when you aren't sure of the right curse to muster or potion to mix.

Definitely recommended, hard to put down, I enjoyed this one more than the first. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone wasn't bad, but something felt awkward to me, kind of like the beginning of one those odd school moments where teachers are trying to get kids to learn lame square dancing and then sectioning the kids into gender to dance together. I'm happy to say that awkwardness isn't present in Chamber of Secrets, and the heart of the series has started beating harder - it's not possible for me not to continue this series now. Let the magic continue! show less

The second entry in the Harry Potter franchise is, in my opinion, the most underrated one. This is considered by most Harry Potter fans to be the weakest story in the entire saga. However, I respectfully disagree. While I acknowledge a lot of the flaws people have with it, I also have a lot of things I absolutely love that make it stand a hair over the first book, in my opinion. [return][return]My favorite aspect about this whole book is the mystery. Yes, it's not perfect (there are lots of plot holes), but I still consider it very well-written as a whole. Rowling did an ungodly job setting it up and revealing all the major information in the final couple chapters. I tell you, when I first read this book about five years ago, I just show more could not put it down. The mystery had me absolutely enthralled, and the major reveals in the end absolutely blew my mind. I could not stop thinking about them for hours after I had finished the book and put it down. Well done, Rowling.[return][return]Not only do I like the way the mystery is built up and resolved, but I also love the dark tone it sets all over Hogwarts. A lot of people complain about the major shift in tone between this book and the books coming before and after it, but I honestly don't see a problem with it. I love the brooding and ominous air all over Hogwarts in the last 200 pages of this story. The fact that a giant monster is creeping around this massive school and trying to kill students is a very simple, yet effective story beat. It really hooked me in and never let go. I just couldn't help but continue reading to see what happens next. [return][return]Harry Potter continues to show why he's become one of the most iconic fictional characters of all time. Not only does he go on incredible adventures and solve mind-bending mysteries, but he truly has a heart of gold. You just can't hate the guy. He is the perfect protagonist. Not only are his morals completely straight, but he's been through a lot at school and throughout his early life. Making him be bullied by the Dursleys for the first ten years of his life is a great decision as it makes the reader more empathetic towards him. He's poor and humble, and that's partly what makes him so likeable. [return][return]This book is obviously not perfect, though. While Rowling created an engaging mystery, she made it a little too big and complex. Consequently, lots of plot holes propped up. Why did the Basilisk just slither through the pipes and not into school grounds? Why did it stop at paralyzing one victim before retreating temporarily and coming back a few weeks later to hunt more students? Why did Tom Riddle explain the entire mystery to Harry down in the Chamber of Secrets instead of just killing him when he had the chance? How did Harry get the extremely convenient instinct to stab Riddle's diary with a Basilisk fang? Why did Ginny dispose of Riddle's Diary in Myrtle's bathroom where Harry and Ron would conveniently end up in not too long afterwards? I could go on. The point is that there are too many things that happen simply to push the plot forward. The entire final scene between Harry and Riddle in the Chamber of Secrets is chock full of conveniences that ensure that Harry survives and Riddle's diary gets destroyed. [return][return]Also, the first 100 or so pages are a bit slow, in my opinion. Not much happens, and it does get a little boring at times. Thankfully, as soon as Harry hears the Basilisk for the first time, the story instantly gets more exciting, and I just can't stop reading it from that point onwards. show less

Like the first book, this was very readable and fairly entertaining (I say fairly because while never boring it also never touched any peaks of emotion).

There were a few things that I didn't enjoy and they are similar flaws as the first book, so bit concerned if these will run throughout the entire series. The main and major problem is that the plot is too slow, or maybe there isn't enough plot. Really, it didn't get going until almost exactly a third of the way through and even then events were protracted and stretched over the course of an entire year for seemingly no reason other than that Rowling has arbitrarily decided that each novel has to cover an entire year even if she's only got two weeks' worth of story. Because of this, show more there was a lot of padding that didn't really go anywhere. The red herrings float about without ever really getting addressed and Dobby... why is Dobby in this? I actually forgot he existed at one point and considering I read this book over about two days, that's a pretty bad sign. Meanwhile, also to keep the plot stretched out over months and months for no logical reason, characters behave in illogical ways. They constantly don't do what a person would really do in a situation or what they just said they were going to do in order for the plot to keep going but not because it makes any internal logical for their character (literally no one ever tells anyone any pertinent information even though lives are at stake), and I can never work out what it is they are all doing for a month before the next bit of plot starts up again.

Also I hate Ron. Harry is a much better character when he doesn't have his bad-conscience getting in the way. Ron is cowardly, selfish, thoughtless, stupid, inconsiderate, thuggish and useless. Why do we have to suffer him?

So, like I said, entertaining and an easy read but could have been a lot better plotted. I even laughed aloud AT IT a few times and so far it hasn't made me laugh with it, so... oops. show less

Nehéz kijönni belőle. Nehéz letenni, és megint ott lenni ebben a gyártási hibás valóságban, ahol Dumbledore valahogy sosem ér rá, de még a Voldemortunk is csak egy pocakos gazduram.

Rowling úgy építi tovább az atmoszférát, ahogy az a nagykönyvben meg van írva. Új szereplők, új lények, Roxfort színei mélyülnek és finomodnak, az egész varázsvilág a szereplők jellemével, no és persze Harry és Tudjukki szembenállásával egyre diverzifikáltabbá válik. Két újdonságot emelnék ki a második részből:
1.) Először mondtam magamban, hogy “Harry, te hülye vagy.”
2.) És immár Harrynek, az üdvöskének is szembe kell néznie azzal, milyen kitaszítottnak lenni, milyen a közösség gyanakvásának show more kereszttüzében állni. (Így jár, aki kígyókkal beszélget.) Úgyhogy még inkább rá van utalva arra a mágiánál is fontosabb dologra, amit mindközönségesen “barátságnak” nevezünk.

Nekem ennél a kötetnél vált egészen nyilvánvalóvá, hogy a HP-sorozat kultikussá válásának egyik központi oka nem is a mágia meg a rejtélyek, mert ezeket a köröket már sokan lefutották előtte. (Persze hogy jobban vagy rosszabbul, azon lehet vitatkozni.) Hanem hogy ez egy barátságregény. Hogy ott vannak a spanjaid, akik különben, egyenként nem nagy számok. Van köztük csóró, van köztük idegesítően tudálékos, no meg olyan is, aki a saját lábában felbotlik. De a barátaid. És ott vannak melletted, pedig rohadtul nagy szarban vagy.

És basszus, ez egyben egy kőkemény társadalomkritika. Ezt is észre kell venni. Mert kik állnak veled szemben? Akik számára a hatalom nem csak eszköz, hanem maga a cél. A folyton “sárvérű!”-t kiáltó rasszisták. A rohadt gazdagok, akik elnyomják és kizsigerelik a házimanóikat. De te nem hátrálsz, pedig esélytelen vagy. Pedig csak egy kölyök vagy. De olyan kölyök, akinek vannak barátai, akikből erőt meríthet. Tudod, hogy igazad van, és ez az igazság is erő. Lehet, hogy félsz, de mész tovább. Úgyhogy Voldemort kösse fel a gatyát, mert előbb-utóbb fenékbe lesz billentve. Minden Voldemort fenékbe lesz billentve.

Mondom, nehezen jöttem ki belőle. Folytatnám tovább a harmadikkal, és így tovább. Majd folytatni is fogom. Most azért tartok egy kis taktikai pihenőt, mert a jó dolgokból érdemes hagyni későbbre is. show less

With the coronavirus pandemic affecting every part of my life right now, it was impossible to not read this as a COVID-19 allegory. The fear and uncertainty Hogwarts experienced as a monster they didn't understand kept attacking students has never felt so relatable. I've never sympathized with Oliver Wood more than when Quidditch was canceled after he'd spent a year working hard to train his talented team. Ernie Macmillan's "We're all in the same boat" line has never stuck out to me before. And Lockhart has never been more obnoxious.

At least this story gets a happy ending.