A review by maxsebastian
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
When I was little, I always said Prisoner of Azkaban was my second favorite Harry Potter novel, just short of The Order of the Phoenix. Re-entering this world, I can say there's still something really special about this story in particular. With the Harry Potter movies doing an excellent job of capturing the big plot points of this story, I think Rowling's skill at writing slice of life is a little underrated. From the focus on the Quidditch tournament to the infighting between Ron and Hermione to the perfect sequences with Harry and Lupin, there are some really spell binding moments in this story that are mostly about developing the world and characters, not pushing the plot forward. While Rowling's complexities as a writer are well on display in this novel (instances of racist stereotyping, Harry being a bit of a bland protagonist, and blatant stealing from other fantasy series being prime examples), there is still a lot to love here.
While this choice to spend much of the story focused on Hogwarts and its inhabitants daily lives instead of the rising conflict is true for many of the Harry Potter books, and is perhaps part of why some of the later entries get so long, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is probably the most unique of the books in the series for its intense focus on Harry's family and future. Harry is changed dramatically by the events of his third year, a fact that shows up throughout the later books.
In this read through, I listened to the story, swapping from Stephen Fry's narration to Jim Dale's partway through. While I feel both of these voice actors are excellent, there's something about Jim Dale's bombastic (and sometimes a little over dramatic) portrayals of each of the characters in this story that really just makes it come alive. Having grown up listening to the Jim Dale narration of this particular book in the series whenever I got bored, it's definitely partially nostalgia, but who cares? That's why I'm rereading these books anyways.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a triumphant entry in the Harry Potter series, beginning the books' transition from middle grade to young adult. If you weren't sold on the first two in the series, this just might be the one that convinces you to stay the course.
While this choice to spend much of the story focused on Hogwarts and its inhabitants daily lives instead of the rising conflict is true for many of the Harry Potter books, and is perhaps part of why some of the later entries get so long, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is probably the most unique of the books in the series for its intense focus on Harry's family and future.
Spoiler
This story is the only one without Voldemort in the whole series, and honestly, it's better for it. Without evil You Know Who, Harry is forced to wrestle with morally complex issues for one of the first times in the books.In this read through, I listened to the story, swapping from Stephen Fry's narration to Jim Dale's partway through. While I feel both of these voice actors are excellent, there's something about Jim Dale's bombastic (and sometimes a little over dramatic) portrayals of each of the characters in this story that really just makes it come alive. Having grown up listening to the Jim Dale narration of this particular book in the series whenever I got bored, it's definitely partially nostalgia, but who cares? That's why I'm rereading these books anyways.