Synopsis: When a letter arrives for unhappy but ordinary Harry Potter, a decade-old secret is revealed to him. His parents were wizards, killed by a Dark Lord's curse when Harry was just a baby, and which he somehow survived. Escaping from his unbearable Muggle guardians to Hogwarts, a wizarding school brimming with ghosts and enchantments, Harry stumbles into a sinister adventure when he finds a three-headed dog guarding a room on the third floor. Then he hears of a missing stone with astonishing powers which can be valuable, dangerous, or both."
Although coming across a book you've never read can be a wonderful experience, I think there's nothing more important than rereading some of your favourite books, particularly if they are ones that you have grown up with, such as the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.
Despite having read The Philosopher's Stone many times already I was still captivated and amazed by the magical world of Hogwarts. Rowling's writing style is so alluring as she uses classic narrative devices with flair and originality. She also displays a great level of descriptiion of everything and everyone, but in a way that doesn't become tiresome to read. The character development in this novel is fantastic and even the smaller characters have a description and a back story to them. This brought a great sense of realism to the story as it allowed me to grow a connection with them as well as the protagonists.
I was particularly fond of how Harry grew as a character throughout this novel. He had a very lonely and unhappy decade with the Dursley's which caused him to be a very secluded character and although it gave me a great sense of sympathy for him, I was happy that that was the upbringing he had as opposed to the one he would have had if he stayed in the wizarding world - being famous before he could walk and talk would have resulted in him growing a lot like Malfoy. Despite his upbringing however he was humble but quickly became used to being hated and alone, but once he arrived at Hogwarts he had a greater sense of home. This allowed him to grow into a stronger character who would do anything to protect the people he loved and stand up for what he believed in, even if some of the choices he made were rather foolish.
One of the best things about this story is the pacing. Although the novel has a somewhat slow start, it was really intriguing to read. Not much in terms of excitement happens until Hagrid turns up in the novel but up until that point it was still an enjoyable read, despite being rather slow paced. I loved how Rowling threw in a bit of adventure and action here and there throughout the novel to add excitement and to build up to the conclusion of Harry, Ron and Hermoine going after the Philosopher's Stone. Everything from the moment they came across Fluffy for the second time is fast paced and keeps you on the edge of your seat and I believe the way in which Voldermort's character was brought into the story at the conclusion was impressive on Rowling's behalf.
Overall this novel takes you on a magical and wonderful journey of self discovery, friendship, courage, the supernatural and binary opposition.
I give J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone ★★★★★
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