Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone – A young man in a brave world | Review

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the first book in the famous series written by British author JK Rowling. Originally published in 1997, the book marks the beginning of the adventures of the young wizard Harry Potter.

The story of the book tells about Harry, an orphan boy who lives mistreated by his uncles and discovers, upon turning 11, that he is actually a wizard famous for having survived an attack by the terrible dark wizard, Voldemort, when he was just a baby. . Harry receives a letter of admission to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and, from then on, his life changes completely.

Upon arriving at Hogwarts, Harry makes friends with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and together they begin to discover the world of magic, learning spells, potions and participating in various adventures. Meanwhile, there are indications that the philosopher's stone, an artifact that grants immortality and turns any metal into gold, is in danger and Voldemort may be trying to retrieve it in order to be resurrected.

Image: Matheus Araújo, 2023

My reading was done in the edition of the Box Harry Potter – Complete Series by Rocco with translation by Lia Wyler. A perfect box for everyone who grew up following the young wizard's saga and for new generations of fans who are eager to get to know it. The cover of the book is merely velvety with an illustration on both the front and back covers made by Jonny Duddle, an artist who works with characters in his art in a more caricatural way. The content of the book is rich in detail and with a different narrative from the film at several points. I understand shortening the script of a film, nothing unusual in book adaptations for cinema, when reading the book we have access to content never before explored in cinemas with the Philosopher's Stone film. When reading, the differences are obvious at the beginning of the story, many things are revealed in this book.

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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a fluid and very simple read. We can see that many of the physical appearances of some characters are different from the Warner films, the author managed to describe very well the drama that is little Harry's life as he lives with his aunt and uncle, they treat the boy with a lot of disdain and the reader is able to feel feel it on the boy's skin. The dialogues and descriptions of environmental sounds are very well written, the words and the ways in which they are used by the author provide simple and realistic language and increase compassion for the characters.

Also compared to the Warner films, some characters in the book perform different movements than in the film, and end up looking more comical than what is seen in the films. We observed when reading that JK Rowling had already decided on events in the series' ending in the first book where we can perceive, through the characters' behaviors, the signs of what could happen. If you've seen the films, you'll quickly know what I'm saying.

Image: Matheus Araújo, 2023

In the chapter that portrays the Quidditch match we can find excellent writing, we can feel like we are in the stands and follow all the events narrated and share the nervousness that arises during the match at Hogwarts. At the end of the story we have events that lead the reader to understand past events through the answers we managed to obtain. The generality of the character Dumbledore is indisputable, surrounded by children he will be the fatherly and philosophical figure in the book and he closes the book with wonderful dialogues.

The negative sides that I managed to extract from my reading were few, namely the non-inclusion of illustrations in any part of the book, forcing the reader's immersion further. In the edition I read, we even have an illustration on the back of the book, but it's not nearly as good as having illustrations as you read. Furthermore, I found the typography chosen to be very small.

With an engaging mix of magical elements, suspense, friendship and discovery, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone captivates readers of all ages. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a work that enchants with its imagination, originality and ability to transport readers to a magical world full of surprises.

“It’s not good to live dreaming and forget to live.”– Albus Dumbledore

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