Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Book 5

2nd favorite Harry Potter book. The final half of the book was incredible and sucks you in fully. I can’t wait to finish the series.

Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix is the fifth book in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series of children's books. Several weeks ago I eagerly anticipated the arrival of Harry Potter #5 and had preordered it. When I woke up this morning, I found the book right at my doorstep. Elated, I quickly opened the package and started reading. I just finished the book, and I am not one bit disappointed. J.K. Rowling's writing style is still ever-present in this book, vivid and wondrous as it had been in the previous four books. There are many surprises in the book (like Ron getting to be prefect while Harry doesn't), but I also think that a lot of the details in the book were extraneous. The book was also a bit on the dark/moody side. When I read it, I was constantly disturbed and worried, and the book no longer had the flippant and jovial tone that the first book had, the original reason why I enjoyed it so much. However, that doesn't stop this book from being so great. Again, the magic of Hogwarts accompanies Harry, Hermione, and Ron throughout the book, but some developments in the book are disturbing, such as Percy's separation from the family, Dumbledore's aloofness in the beginning of the book, and the somber tone on which the book ends. The only characters I felt were unmarred by the morose theme stretched throughout the book were Fred and George Weasley (they operate a joke shop throughout the book). One of my complaints about the book was the length. This installment of the Harry Potter series is the longest at 870 pages. There are only two reasons I can think why J.K. Rowling would do this: 1) She gets paid by the word so the more she writes, the more money she makes. 2) She is afraid that once she writes all seven books, then she will have nothing more to write about, so therefore, she has to write as much as she can before the momentum of her series is over. Both of those are bad reasons why the book should be long. While the writing isn't Joyce (concise and perfect in all ways, but slightly unhumanistic), I think that a lot of it is overly verbose. However, I don't feel that the length of the book is something to complain about. Other people disagree though: in fact, upon hearing that HP5 was 870 pages, he responded, "HOLY...." That doesn't mean the book is bad though. I would still highly recommend this book and would agree that it is _on par_ with the previous writing of JK Rowling. Even though it is slightly depressing at times, it's still an excellent read. Now, for a brief summary - don't read ahead if you don't want the book spoiled. Harry is first caught fighting two dementors near Privet Drive. As a result of his breaching of the Underage Misuse of Magic, he has to go to a trial, where he defends himself so he won't get expelled from Hogwarts or get his wand snapped in half. Wizards from the Order of the Phoenix, an underground anti-Voldemort society, come to rescue Harry and take him to a hideout. Once Harry is acquitted of all charges, he finds out that Albus Dumbledore is extremely aloof and that Cornelius Fudge and Percy Weasley do not believe that Voldemort has come back to power. Percy is cold and disattached to the Weasleys because he "betrayed" the family when he went to work for Fudge. Harry also finds out that Ron and Hermione are prefects for Gryffindor, and he is not. Once Harry makes it back to Hogwarts, there are plenty of things to worry about. Aside from the new Defense from the Dark Arts Professor, Umbridge, who is working as a "spy" for the Ministry of Magic, Harry has to contend with O.W.L.'s and people who don't believe him when he tells them that Voldemort is back. Ron is made Keeper for the Quidditch Team in addition to being a prefect. Fred and George are selling pranks and pills for their joke shop. Tons of homework plague Harry and Ron, causing them many sleepless nights. Also, Umbridge inspects all the teachers as Head Inquisitor and she also disbands all clubs and teams (including the Gryffindor Quidditch Team), so they must reapply for reforming. This happens just as Hermione, Ron, and Harry decide that they are going to create a Defense Against the Dark Arts "study group" themselves. Later on, Harry and the Weasley twins are banned from Quidditch for life by Umbridge. In the middle of the book, Mr. Weasley is attacked. Harry has an out-of-body experience where he is actually a snake and attacks Mr. Weasley. It is even suggested that Harry is being possessed by Lord Voldemort. Harry eventually takes Occlumency (anti-mind reading) lessons from Snape. Right after the first Occlumency lesson with Snape, Harry realizes that the door at the end of the long, dark corridor in his dreams is the entrance to the Department of Mysteries. The next day, Hermione, Ron, and Harry find out from the Daily Prophet that ten Death Eaters escaped from Azkaban. Dumbledore eventually leaves the post as headmaster of Hogwarts and Umbridge takes over. It seems worse and worse everyday and that Voldemort is getting closer and closer to victory. Eventually the book climaxes and as you might suspect, Harry and the rest of the D.A. (Dumbledore's army) find themselves on a rescue mission to the Department of Mysteries. There is a showoff with Voldemort. There is a main character who dies. I won't tell you who it is, but it is a main character (not someone minor like Cedric). The book ends on a somewhat sad note, with the Ministry admitting their wrongdoing and that Voldemort is back, aka the start of the "second war." Let's hope that Harry can withstand two more years at Hogwarts with Voldemort around...

This was an amazing book! I can’t wait to go on and read the next one in the series. I am so very sad that Sirius died but someone always has to in the end. I think this is the book in which you kind of realize that it is getting dangerous. But, over all this book was amazing. One of my favorite quotes connects to this book very well. “It is hard to turn the page when you know someone won’t be in the next chapter, but the story must go on.”

This was a great series as books, a pretty good series of movies, but the whole thing comes alive in a most agreeable way in this Full Cast series. This story has a simple flaw - i hardly remember if the book was the same, but Harry whines and brags too much, too often. Was the book like that? I can't remember. After I finish listening to this audiobook a second time, I might go look.

HP is a classic series for people of all ages. My grandson LOVES this full-cast edition! I removed a star, because at this price point & with Amazon’s advanced technology, there should be a way to gift a book to a minors so they can keep them after turning 18. I have spoken with several Amazon and Audible representatives and to date, this is not possible. So, my grandchildren will lose any digital books purchased for them when they turn 18 and will no longer have access to my account through Amazon Family. So being, the HP series will likely be the only set I will purchase on Audible for them, until this changes.

It's hard to write a review for a book in a series that you've read more times than you can remember, and seen the movie more times than you could count. From that statement alone it should be obvious that I'm a big fan of the Harry Potter series. Do I write my review based upon my first time reading it, or the everlasting impression this book has left me with? I think that fact that this book has made me think and ponder certain ideas over the years, I think the everlasting impression should be the topic of my review. After encountering Dolores Umbridge, I was left pondering the question "What is evil?" Voldemort is obviously the Villian of the series, however I feel Umbridge is a much more sinister and evil Villian than even Voldemort. Voldemort's actions and evil deeds are really very simple to understand. What motivates him is power and greed and he is willing to go to any lengths to achieve those goals. While evil in itself, his motives and actions are very straight forward and easy to understand. It is easy to see Voldemort for the evil that he is, which therefore keeps him in hiding only surrounded by his Death Eaters. Dolores Umbridge is a very different type of evil. Dolores Umbridge is the type of evil that we, the muggles that we are, encounter on a daily basis. They are the people who enjoy the hurt, pain, chaos and distrust they cause through their manipulations and lies. The enjoy the devastation they cause in their wake. The fact that she can create the heartache she relishes so much with a false smile, sweet sanguine falsetto, and splashes of whimsy to give the impression of naïveté and an innocent childlike behavior which puts one off initially of comprehending the true evil she inflicts to hide the monster she is, and the fact that through these false tactics she has risen to a position of power to inflict heartache unto others, shows she is a master at hiding her true psychopathic personality. This sick personality trait is shown most clearly when she makes Harry write lines in detention. She knows Harry is telling the truth, yet she lies and manipulates him until she is in a position of power directly over him in detention at which point she not only continues her lies causing mental anguish to Harry, she continues her evil machinations by causing him physical pain by forcing him to use her quill which scratches and ultimately scars Harry for the rest of his life. Umbridge enjoys Harry's suffering. She even inspects his hand at the end of each detention to make sure he is being cut and that his hand is bleeding and then in a well satisfied way compliments Harry on completing his detention. Her only praise is when Harry does something to cause hurt and pain and twists what he knows is the truth into something false. This is standard textbook psychopathic behavior in domestic abusers. The fact that Doloros Umbridge can navigate society in such a way as to gain a position if importance in the Minisrptry of Magic and flourish in normal wizarding society while hiding her insidious psychopathic tendencies leaves her in an excellent position of power to inflict hurt to others. Her brand if evil is subtle and is not so obvious at a first glance which gives her the ability to "blend in" with others and yet she victimizes many in her wake, as she navigates through life. In Voldemort's case, his brand of evil is so obvious to everyone that he is an outcast of the wizarding community, which ultimately lessens the number of his potential victims to those simply standing in his way of power, while in Umbridge's case her victim pool is limitless die to her access to the community and all those she comes across. So here is the moral question I have pondered for many years since reading this book for the first time. "Which Behavior Is More Evil?" Personally, I feel Dolores Umbridge is the much more evil of the two characters based upon the reasons given in the prior paragraph. Whether you agree or disagree with me is not the point. The point is to make you think and ponder for yourself. The fact that this book makes you think long after you've turned the last page, is a mark of literacy success. Whiter you've read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix once, or a hundred times, it is always a great novel to read again and again, and question what constitutes as evil.

J.K. Rowling has produced a great adolescent novel. While coming of age stories are staples of both quality and popular literature, modern "quality" ones tend to be painfully self-indulgent. A century or so ago, Mark Twain's Huck Finn had the sense to decide that freeing his friend Jim was more important than going to heaven and Dickens' Pip (_Great Expectations_) learned just how foolish had been his self-indulgent adolescence. The writers understood that purpose resides beyond the self. Then, around fifty years ago, critics became enamored with the likes of Holden Caulfield, and the self-indulgent study of adolescent ennui came into fashion. Granted, the readers receive a far deeper exploration of Holden Caulfield's psychological makeup than Twain or Dickens ever offered a reader, but we have paid a terrible price for this exploration. Authors and critics stepped forward to claim that solipsistic self-exploration was "what it's about," and few seemed ready to say, "Yes, this is what adolescence is like, but you've got to step out and take on the world even though the entirety of William James's 'blooming buzzing confusion' seems to be doing its blooming and its buzzing within the confines of your emotions." Can one experience the confusion of Holden Caulfield and yet set forth boldly as Huck Finn? Harry Potter tries, as the many of us who have not grown up to be self-indulgent agoraphobics have done exactly that. We've sorted through the world, discovered the faults and flaws of the outside world, come to terms with our own weaknesses, and occasionally saved the world (or some tiny little piece of it) in the process. Harry Potter is a real adolescent, writ large. He is a wizard; he has a Destiny; he is the hero of childhood fantasy. He is confused, impulsive, traumatized, and full of both anger at the world and self-doubt. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry suffers all the deep pangs that are the fodder of modern literature yet manages to stand true to himself at the end. Harry has heart, and, as Dumbledore notes, that is what matters. In the Harry Potter books, Harry tends to create or force the final confrontations. Harry unintentionally cooperates with Voldemort again in this piece, propelled, as always by selflessness rather than malice. Harry may need Voldemort in order to discover what is within himself; Harry also feeds Voldemort as he presses ever greater challenges onto himself, leaving us to ask: is Harry responsible for Voldemort's increasing power and the consequences of these ever more violent confrontations? It is dangerous to act in a world where we posses only incomplete knowledge, but part of Harry�s appeal is that he does act, rather than retreating Hamlet-like into indecision. Harry also must discover that his finest role models are not perfect; this is another element of the adolescent rite of passage. Harry, always the underdog in the Muggle world and always the defender of the underdog in the world of wizardry, discovers something unsettling in the form of one of Snape's memories. The revelation explains much of Snape's animosity toward the Potters and Black, and offers Rowling's readers an uncomfortable window into the adolescent world. The more rambunctious behavior of Harry and his friends, throughout the books, has consistently appeared as either benign or justified. In our real world, the behavior of "good kids" is all too often neither. Rowling reminds us of the adolescent play that is scarring to all involved: victims, victimizers, and even those who would object but were powerless to do so. And she leaves Harry with the choices of justifying (improperly) his heroes' actions, rejecting his heroes, or accepting that even the best wizards have flaws. The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher epitomizes the Dark Art of the Twentieth Century. Those of us who have lived through 1984 may see her as a figure of ultimate evil, one far more depraved than the merely malicious Voldemort. She is the bureaucrat, the agent of societal convenience and unquestioning obedience to authority. All who would argue with her are not merely wrong, they are misguided or deceitful obstacles to the Truth. Order is all, and Order derives only from unquestioned obedience to the rules as delineated by the State. Her methods of punishment are Kafkaesque; her aims include the destruction of independent thought. Question Nothing! It is basic nature for an adolescent to rebel against such a figure; what is difficult is efficacious rebellion, rather than pointless or self-destructive opposition. Can an adolescent learn when to fight and when to pretend acquiescence? Yes, this book is dark in tone, raw with the emotions of adolescence and with its external actions a perfect mirror to Harry's confused, angry young mind. In the world of childhood, tomorrow always dawns fresh and new; for an adult, tomorrow's dawn carries the consequences, for good or bad, of the night before. For an adolescent, the dawn is always painful as consequences are a fresh addition to the world, and last night's experiments in living were sure to have produced at least some undesired results. The lessons are intense, the learning rapid, but understanding may be long years away. The brightest thought, and Rowling lets us end with this thought, is that there are others who have felt the pain of adolescence, who have confronted the great human questions, and who have not only survived but have grown into strong, effective adults. Harry Potter may be letting a generation of kids know that one's life matters, even in its harshest, most confused periods. It should be letting a generation of critics know that there is more to adolescent self-discovery than simpering self-indulgence. This book suggests that Huck Finn can feel like Holden Caulfield on the inside, yet still behave as Huck Finn. It also suggests that there is no excuse for behaving like Holden Caulfield -- and I like that suggestion.

Having just reread the entire Harry Potter series in preparation for Book Six, it seems like the time is now right for me to finally review Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. To call the book fantastic is a gross understatement. Without doubt, it is the most absorbing novel I've ever read - even on multiple readings. It may be well over 800 pages, but it's still a quick read. I'm betting most fans read this book in two days or less - you just can't put it down. There were times when I wanted to throw it at something, though, just because so many awful things happen to these beloved characters over the course of Harry's fifth and - by far - most trying year at Hogwarts. You sit there enraged, struggling to believe such awful events can possibly be happening, and you're quite powerless to do anything about it - except plow on, hoping for a proverbial break in the clouds. At other times, I wanted to put down the book and cheer - especially for Fred and George and Professor McGonagall. Heck, even Peeves had me cheering in this one. They're not lying when they call this a coming-of-age story. Fifteen is a tough age for anyone, a sort of purgatory between childhood and adulthood, but for Harry it's uniquely unbearable. He's just seen Cedric Diggory killed and barely escaped from a fully restored Lord Voldemort, and what happens? He goes right into a wizarding deprivation tank on Privet Drive, with absolutely no word for weeks on end about what is going on. Then Dementors attack him, and he's suddenly facing expulsion and a hearing before a council of grand wizards. Once he is reunited with his friends and godfather, the adults still keep him in the dark - and he blows up, as well he should. Knowing almost nothing about what the newly restored Order of the Phoenix is actually doing, he's then packed off to Hogwarts - where he is almost completely ignored by Professor Dumbledore. The most unbelievable (and enraging) thing about all of this is the fact that Cornelius Fudge, the git running the Ministry of Magic, refuses to believe Voldemort has returned, and the Daily Prophet devotes the whole year to stories about the unbalanced, unstable Harry Potter and his attention-seeking claims. Then, as if things couldn't get any worse, you have the arrival of Dolores Umbrage - easily the most hateful, infuriating character of the series - as Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts and - in short order - High Inquisitor of Hogwarts. Well, I won't go through the whole list, but Harry is really on his own more than ever this year - facing the largest obstacles imaginable. When I first read this novel, I felt that Harry was really just a little bit on the mean side during this fifth year at Hogwarts. A second read shows me that I was wrong, however. Harry is a teenager, in many ways a normal teenager despite his unique situation. The whole relationship thing with Cho Chang, for example, is perfectly envisioned. And the young man has a right to be mad - the fact that he even survived Hogwarts this year, let alone another encounter with Lord Voldemort, is darned impressive. We really learned a lot about all of the characters in this book - Snape, in particular. Good old Ron finally gets a few moments in the sun of his own, Neville emerges as a crucial character to the whole saga, and Hermione (my favorite character) is still her delightful self - except even more so. And I love Luna Lovegood. I didn't think any book could be as good as The Goblet of Fire. Now, I don't see how any book could be as good as Order of the Phoenix. Knowing J.K. Rowling, though, I expect the best is yet to come.

Original publishing copy. Great print quality. The cover graphics were also good. The book itself is a classic so, definitely recommended

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Todo perfecto. Buena encuadernación. Perfecto para llevar.

Book received fine and in good condition

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