Book Note: J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

This note contains spoilers for the book.

I'm not a heavy enough fan to buy the hardcover, in our current financial situation, but I was able to borrow a copy from Judy Rosenberg, for which thanks.

In a lot of ways the plot continues unchanged. Harry and friends don't pay enough attention to the adults, and the adults don't pay enough attention to Harry and friends. Dumbledore has figured out that that's his classic big mistake by the end of the book, but he seemed to have figured that out earlier, too, for all the good it did. Harry doesn't show any signs of having figured out that he's been acting too independently.

The adolescent angst is held down to a dull roar. Reasonable and realistic examples, but not at extended length. And Harry and Hermione have a good enough friendship that it's believable that he'd ask her what was going on and somewhat understand her explanations. There seems to be a bit of an attempt to perpetuate the myth that "girls" are somehow especially confusing, but the evidence in the book (let alone the real world) doesn't seem to much support it.

Anyway, it was a fun near-thousand pages of light reading.