★★★★☆ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Full-Cast Edition), by JK Rowling
** spoiler alert ** Angry Harry, Clever Hermione
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Full-Cast Edition)
JK Rowling
** spoiler alert **
Angry Harry, Clever Hermione
Here is a link to a video about the making of this series of full-cast audiobooks that I received yesterday from Audible. It’s a good explanation of these editions, if you are interested enough to invest half an hour.
The cover of this one shows a picture of Harry looking very angry, and that’s a fair representation of the novel. Harry is very angry throughout this book. He’s also a fifteen-year-old boy and is as unpleasant and reckless as a fifteen-year-old boy can be. Let us also stipulate that Harry has reason to be angry. Further, Harry is under the influence of his godfather Sirius Black, who is likewise unpleasant and reckless, without the excuse of an immature cerebral cortex.
Order of the Phoenix is perhaps the Harry Potter novel I like least. I have always disliked stories whose plot is set in motion by our (ostensibly intelligent and brave) hero doing something stupid. That, alas, is a fair description of Order of the Phoenix. Early in the book Harry gets himself into serious trouble by reacting angrily and violently to the juvenile taunts of Draco Malfoy and more serious harassments of Dolores Umbridge. Later he is completely taken in by a ruse perpetrated by Voldemort, despite ample warning that Voldemort might be attempting exactly what he does successfully attempt.
Harry’s stupidity is mitigated by Hermione’s intelligence. Hermione has at least three very good ideas with beneficial long-term consequences. First, she suggests that Harry privately teach students defense against the dark arts. Thus does Dumbledore’s Army come into existence. DA will form the core of the Hogwarts student resistance to Voldemort in novels 6 and 7. Second, she has the bright idea of making Harry available to Rita Skeeter for an exclusive interview about the fight with Voldemort with which Goblet of Fire ended. Third, when Umbridge captures Harry and his friends, Hermione devises the strategy that deceives Umbridge and frees the students.
I don’t know why the importance of Hermione’s practical cleverness never leapt to my notice before. I give credit to this audio production for somehow making it clearer to me, although I don’t know how they did it. It helps, of course, that I now know the long-term results of Hermione’s ideas, which I didn’t the first time I read Order of the Phoenix.
As in most of the novels, the best new character is the defense against the dark arts teacher. This one is Dolores Umbridge, the delightfully odious pink-cardigan-wearing ministry witch with the kitten pictures, high girlish voice, deep talent for hatred, and impressive skill at oppression. She is voiced by Keira Knightley. You will hate her, especially the little high-pitched cough she uses to attract attention. Knightley obviously relishes this opportunity to play a character much nastier than her usual roles.
Although Order of the Phoenix is not my favorite Harry Potter novel, this full-cast edition makes the best of it.
I really like how you highlighted just how important Hermione’s cleverness was in this book, especially since it wasn’t something that I had really noticed before.
This was always my favorite Harry Potter book, but that was because there was an unusually high amount of awesomeness from Fred and George and Peeves in it.
Peeves is my favorite Harry Potter character, and I always felt that it was very unfortunate that he was never included in the movies.
Thank you for sharing this review with us! 🙏💯