Famester Dish:

I was so excited to find out what happened, I feel like I now need to go back and take my time!

Dobby's death made me saddest, oddly. I was disappointed at how unceremoniously Lupin and Tonks went.

What did y'all think of the epilogue?

And did Snape ever learn to like/love Harry?

For some reason the Weasly twins were my favorite characters. When Fred passed away, I was heartbroken. And poor Hedwig! But I did NOT care for the epilogue. Yes, it gave some final closure and provided a few more answers, but for some reason it felt....(not sure how to describe it properly)....it felt like a quick fix end. I think she had underlining reasoning for it though. Perhaps it was to prevent anyone else from trying to write a future Harry book. Just a thought. I think Snape hated to love Harry. It was one of those situations that the hatred of James carried onto Harry because he and James were so much alike. However, you at least have to like someone in order to lay your life constantly on the line for them.

It seemed to actually fit in with the rest of the story and didn't kill everyone off, which I had heard she was thinking about doing. The names for Ron's kids are kind of random and Harry naming a kid after Severus Snape was a bit weird but overall, it was a good book.

Though most of the things it revealed were things I assumed- the couplings, the kids. I wanted to know what their jobs were, and what Luna was up to, and what Petunia had planned to tell Harry when she last saw him, and oh gosh, the answer to every other loose end I can think of. ;-)

though I don't know if it's keeping me from liking the book. when lupin named harry teddy's godfather i thought: ruh-roh. but then i hoped that the better foil would be harry fulfilling a godfather's intended role- a backup to live, happy parents. the anti-sirius, i suppose.

I had the same feeling after that event. In fact, after Lupin named Harry the godfather, I figured he was going to die, but hoped it was just a well-placed red herring. After that moment, I actually put the book down for a break, as I thought it would be the last truly happy moment.
Overall though, as I said before, because the death was such a frustrating afterthought, that it's really a thorn in my side for liking the ending.

I can agree for the most part. I also saw something on an interview with J.K. and she said that Harry and Ron became Aurors that revamped the Ministry. Hermoine claimed the ranks of wizarding law enforcement. J.K. mentioned that Severus would not have help Harry if he didn't harbor such a love for Lily. I thought that was interesting. I also hated that she killed off both Tonks and Lupin. Give Teddy a freakin' break! It is like Harry all over again. It felt somewhat redundant.

The post-publishing interviews came across as almost apologetic for some things. I find it strange as she's never really felt the need to explain herself before.

Being the biggest loser ever, I wrote Lupin a eulogy in my blog. I didn't invest the last ten years (all right, nearly eight for Lupin) in these characters without having something to say.

She was almost nervous about her answers to some of the questions. With the last book you expected characters to die. I mean you have to go out with a bang in the final battle with Voldemort....BUT I felt that some of it was pointless. I had actually banked on Arthur Weasly being killed. I was prepared to see him, Snape, Mad Eye, and Lupin die. I even felt that Dobby was not going to make it. But Tonks and my favorite Weasly twin were a surprise I didn't understand. I would have been super pissed if she would have killed off Hagrid though! There would be an uprising! ;)