Famous First Lines

• "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . ." (A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens)
• "Call me Ishmael." (Moby Dick by Herman Melville)
• "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." (Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy)
• "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of Number Four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much." (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling)

Thus begins the epic series of Harry Potter, which over the last ten years has earned its place among the great works of literature . . . Okay, maybe that's stretching it a bit, but it has been a thrilling ride! Last night, a group of us Potterheads (Lara, Christina, Cherie, Dan, Kaylynn, Jeremy and myself) met together and discussed, questioned, analyzed, complained about, and rejoiced in the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. (Incidentally, we also ate junk food.) We even critiqued the artwork of the cover--was it accurate, and what the heck are the curtains all about? We decided some kind of a flow chart would be best to fully comprehend the passing of the Elder wand from wizard to wizard, but didn't actually make one. For me the best part of the book--I think here a spoiler warning is unnecessary because I believe I can safely divide readers of this into those who have already read it, and those who never will--was when Snape told Harry just before he died, "Look . . . at . . . me." He wanted to see Harry's eyes, which were just like Lily's. He had sacrificed so much because of this love for her. Drama at its best! All in all, the series is so compelling because of the powerful themes throughout: that it is our choices that determine who we are, that the master of death is not the one who has power over it, but the one who accepts it, and that love conquers all. And of course there are suspense, laughter, and tears all along the way. As they would commonly put it in England, it's just "brilliant!"