Bella Suartini

Snape: The definitive analysis of Hogwarts's mysterious potions master (The Unofficial Harry Potter Character Series)

Book by Lorrie Kim

DETAILS

Publisher : Media Lab Books (October 18, 2022) Language : English Hardcover : 432 pages ISBN-10 : 1956403078 ISBN-13 : 978-1956403077 Reading age : 13+ years, from customers Item Weight : 10.6 ounces Dimensions : 6.3 x 1.35 x 9.25 inches , This fully revised and expanded edition of Lorrie Kim's classic work digs deep into the life and legend of Severus Snape, fan-favorite of the Harry Potter series While the Harry Potter series may follow the journey of the Boy Who Lived, if you want to know the whole story, keep your eyes fixed on Severus Snape. This greasy-haired, grumpy genius, one of J.K. Rowling’s most enduring gifts to English literature, is the archetypal ill-tempered teacher: demanding, acerbic, and impossible to ignore. Over the span of seven novels, Snape’s remarkable role in the series can be hard to parse: Where do his true allegiances lie? Can a former Death Eater change his spots? Why does he seem to loathe the boy he’s pledged to protect? Taking an analytical approach to Hogwarts’s irascible, protective Potions professor, author Lorrie Kim presents a closer look at how Dumbledore’s double agent operates behind the scenes throughout the Harry Potter series. By examining the story from Snape’s point of view, this in-depth exploration pierces the defenses of the wizarding world’s famed Occlumens, revealing the man for who he truly is: one of pop culture’s most memorable heroes. Read more

REVIEW

I have been following Lorrie Kim's acute analyses of the characters of the Harry Potter series for fifteen years. Never has she failed to take my breath away with her ability to cut through the layers of Rowling's text to lay bare the crux of the characters' inner lives. In this book, she begins with Harry Potter novels, Pottermore additions to canon, published interviews and other writings of Rowling, and traces the evolution of Severus Snape from his humble beginnings to his heroic end. I tend to be an uncritical reader, accepting what the author gives me as fact without questioning. My acquaintance with the work of Lorrie Kim has taught me to be a bit more discerning now, when I read, but I will never attain the skill that seems to come to her as naturally as breathing. Kim provided me with many treasures of insight into the massive intellect of Severus Snape in this book. At the same time, she examines the origins of Snape's fractured personality: the childhood of poverty and neglect; the joy of finding a friend in Lily Evans; the constant dissonance of his underprivileged upbringing among the children of wealth and influence in Slytherin House; the unrelenting bullying he endured at the hands of the Marauders throughout his seven years at Hogwarts, and his full knowledge that Dumbledore was aware of much of it and still failed to protect him or punish James Potter, Sirius Black, and company; the trauma of coming face to face with Remus Lupin as a fully transformed werewolf; the devastation of the loss of his friendship with Lily; the decision, which he likely considered to be his only path forward, of taking the Dark Mark; the desolation of the death of Lily at the hands of Voldemort, whose decision to destroy baby Harry Potter was informed by the prophecy related to him by Snape; Snape’s pledge of service to Dumbledore, including protecting Lily's child, as penance for his terrible transgressions. Using these things as her springboard, Kim interweaves the machinations of Snape through the seven book series, showing us how the actions that were so heinous through Harry’s eyes were actually deeply plotted ways to teach Harry the things he needed to know to survive through the years of his childhood. There is much beauty in Kim’s exposition of Hogwarts’s Mysterious Potions Master. More than once sudden clarity in my grasp of Snape’s actions and words brought tears to my eyes. This book is a must-have for true scholars of the Harry Potter series. I would not be at all surprised to find it in the curriculum for a university course on the complexity of anti-heroes. Kim herself certainly did her homework in preparation for writing this book, as evidenced by her “Works Cited” page at the end of this book. Do you love Snape? You will love this book. Do you hate Snape? You will better understand who he was and the reasons for his actions. Are you on the fence? This book will help you make up your mind. Are you a Harry Potter scholar? You must have this master work in your library of reference books. Are you simply a Potter fan who cannot find enough material to feed the ravenous need to know more, to more deeply immerse yourself in the towering achievement that is J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series? Find it here. You need this book in your library.

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