Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter)

J.K.Rowlings (Mary Grandpre, J. K. Rowling)

Since pretty much everyone I know has read these books, I figure reviewing them is pretty...more

Since pretty much everyone I know has read these books, I figure reviewing them is pretty pointless. But with the new book coming out in a couple of weeks, I have to go through them beginning to end. To make the reviews more entertaining, I will be doing them in a variety of unexpected formats. For this review, I will be writing as someone who's just getting into Freudian theory. From the very beginning, the true nature of this story is quite obvious - The Chamber of Secrets. There is only one "chamber of secrets" that is of any human concern, and it is no coincidence that the book of such a title was written by a woman. By sending her young, immature male character, Harry (whose name, along with Tom and Dick, just happens to be one of the "universal" male names) into the mysterious Chamber, Rowling is exploring her memories of early childhood sexuality. The Chamber is filled not only with mystery, but danger and legend - its very existence is debated, which no doubt refers to the elusive female orgasm. Ms. Rowling, whose sexual impulses have no doubt been unfulfilled over the years, is attempting to fulfill them by way of her own fiction. She has created a perfect sexual explorer in Harry Potter - a young, innocent and noble young man whose powers have not yet matured. Obviously a male that Rowling would feel comfortable with. This is especially interesting given the actual resident of the Chamber of Secrets - a huge, deadly serpent. And there's only one thing that a huge, terrible serpent can represent. Rowling's sexual past is the fertile ground in which this book was grown. It is her cathartic attempt to win over the guilty feelings that she's repressed from her former sexual life, the one she regrets more than anything else, by manufacturing a hero. That hero, in Harry Potter, represents the type of man for whom she would "open" her "chamber - pure of heart and noble of intention and, most importantly, under her control. The vanquishing of the serpent-symbol is her victory, leaving her free to explore other aspects of her life, including the eventual resolution of the Electra complex that appears to have been built up around Professor Dumbledore....   hide

Often overlooked, this one is actually my favorite in the Harry Potter series. Harry's still young,...more

Often overlooked, this one is actually my favorite in the Harry Potter series. Harry's still young, the action isn't that great, the backstory is still being developed ... but there are so many clues and bits of foreshadowing that tie naturally together at the end, it's really quite a feat. Unlike some of the favorites in the series (Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix in particular), this one is a lot more about the past than about Harry's troubles, and can be compared most closely to Half-Blood Prince in terms of pacing. An excellent follow-up to SS/PS.   hide

Since the first book introduced the major characters, the mechanics of Harry's life and life at...more

Since the first book introduced the major characters, the mechanics of Harry's life and life at Hogwarts, and the general direction of the series (Harry vs. Voldemort), this second installment in the series can start to add more to the characters and advance the general storyline. This book fulfills that purpose wonderfully. A great new character is Gilderoy Lockhart, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, who is used well. The plot, involving the opening of an old chamber that houses a terrible monster, is exciting and suspenseful. All in all, this book contains a little more than the first, and develops the relationship between Harry-Ron-Hermoine a little more. It also introduces Lucius Malfoy and Cornelius Fudge, two people who will become key players as the series progresses. A good read, one that leaves you in anticaption for the next one.   hide

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a gripping story from the very first page. It’s...more

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a gripping story from the very first page. It’s got all the essentials of good story-telling: humor, thrills, brains and mystery. Filled with interesting characters and incidents, it successfully holds the reader’s attention by raising numerous questions and satisfyingly answering them at the end. I recommend not reading it alone at night because the part where the villain is revealed can get quite chilling under such circumstances; I say this from personal experience.    hide

This book isn't bad, but you can tell Rowling was still growing into her characters. I love the...more

This book isn't bad, but you can tell Rowling was still growing into her characters. I love the concept of the chamber beneath the castle. It's not terribly original, but it's fun nonetheless. That, actually, is how the Potter series started out - fun. Okay, there is this bad guy who wants to take over the world, but there were all sorts of tricks and games to stopping him. As the characters matured, so did the books. The concept of the diary - explained later in book six - is very good. This book is the only one thusfar that I think the movies did a justice to.   hide