Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2)

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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter #2)

4.25 of 5 stars 4.25 · rating details · 926,849 ratings · 13,660 reviews

Harry Potter is a wizard. He is in his second year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Little does he know that this year will be just as eventful as the last…

Paperback, 251 pages

Published 1998 by Bloomsbury Publishing

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Aug 13, 2011 Lora rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of the first

Recommended to Lora by: my enjoyment of the first

Shelves: middle-grade-lit, lib-read

"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." - Albus Dumbledore

Such a wise wizard.

You know how sometimes when you read the first in a series and it turns out so much better than you originally anticipated, it makes you a little apprehensive when starting the sequel? Well, I felt that way before starting this, but I can definitely say that Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is another fabulous installment in the rightfully beloved Harry Potter series!...more

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Sep 22, 2012 Namratha Kumar rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Shibani

Shelves: childrens-fantasy, adventure, ya-lit, books-i-love-gollum-style

In a bid to revive the Harry Potter-related nostalgia, I am re-reading the series. This is my third trip into Potter’s world, so the cynicism hasn’t crept in yet.
I decided to start off with “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”.

I always find that the second offering in a long-running series is always the most fulfilling. After the first, we have the character profiles down to a tee, we have decided on our favourites and our pet-peeves and we can easily summon up the landscapes and surroundi...more

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Feb 09, 2011 the review man rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: kids-and-ya, sci-fi-and-fantasy

A typical year at Hogwarts:

First x months of school: nothing noteworthy at all. Harry and friends go to classes, break a few rules and meet a couple of quirky new people.
Last 4 weeks of school: there's something evil in Hogwarts! Good thing Harry knows exactly how to fight it!
Last day of school: climactic showdown between Harry and said evil thing.

(And they all lived happily ever after.)

Why do the villains choose to reveal themselves only when the school year is nearly over? Is Voldemort followi...more

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Apr 25, 2013 Nina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, haz, ya-pnr, 5-star, read-04-2013, hp

This is not a review. (Sorry, Vivian!)
Allright, now that we've got this out of the way, I would like to point out three seemingly uninportant things that guaranteed this book five shining, sparkling stars, two of which (the things, not the stars) only appeared in the very last pages of the book.

1. page 352/366

For nearly a quarter of an hour [Harry] spoke into the rapt silence [...].

A quarter of an hour. Not hours, a seemingly endless amount of time, half a day, the whole night. A quarter of an...more

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Feb 09, 2008 Chris rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, harry-potter

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 "c...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...(less)

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Aug 16, 2007 Silvercharmer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: harry-potter, scifi-fantasy

While the story fits neatly together and again, her imagination is fantastic, the flat characters that play to extreme stereotypes take a lot of the enjoymeny out of this story.

There is no excuse for Gilderoy Lockhart. Granted, his fame obsession and ludicrous self-absorption make for some amusing Rowling-esque moments that make the series good (such as a dozen Lockharts running for cover in the photo frames with rollers in their hair), but at the expense of the reader's patience. This degree o...more While the story fits neatly together and again, her imagination is fantastic, the flat characters that play to extreme stereotypes take a lot of the enjoymeny out of this story.

There is no excuse for Gilderoy Lockhart. Granted, his fame obsession and ludicrous self-absorption make for some amusing Rowling-esque moments that make the series good (such as a dozen Lockharts running for cover in the photo frames with rollers in their hair), but at the expense of the reader's patience. This degree of narcissism, even if plausible in the real world, stretches my suspension of disbelief too far. Like every page with Malfoy on it, I'd rather flip past them than read them.

The greatest problem I have with this series is the two dimensional villains (or irritating Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers). Good villains should draw out some sort of sympathy in the reader, or reveal at some point their humanity. At the very least, you should be able to understand why they are the way they are, and that back story allows you to look at them from a different perspective. This moment never happens for Lockhart, and incidentally it never happens for Malfoy.

Rowling allowed the perfect opportunity to make Malfoy a good, three dimensional villain when Harry and Ron used the Polyjuice potion. For the first time, we had Malfoy out of the public eye and in private, where we could see the real him, and not the front everyone else sees. Here was the chance to see his humanity – that he’s such a prick because he’s afraid of disappointing his father, that he worries about his grades, that there’s a girl he likes and he’s secretly worried she doesn’t like him back, anything that humanizes him and draws out some sympathy, because thus far he’s gotten nothing more than eye rolls out of me. But we didn’t get that moment. Rowling wrote him no differently than she does when he is on parade in front of everyone, which was really a shame.

So, overall, the characters get tiring, but the writing style and imagination are extremely enjoyable.
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Mar 21, 2013 Jason Koivu rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the number two of the entire Potter series in more ways than one. It's the turd of the lot.

It's not terrible, but compared to the rest of the series Chamber has all the originality of a carbon copy of its predecessor, written to mirror and capitalize on the success of the first book.

Yes Harry and schoolmates have moved on to their second year and there are occurrences that will later come into play in the bigger picture of the story, but in hindsight t...more

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Dec 30, 2010 Elisa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kids-fiction, fantasy-paranormal, seven-greatest-books-ever, 2013-rereads, own-it

A lot of people cite this book as their least favorite in the Potter saga; many of my friends included. When I asked one of my friends why he felt it was the worst of the bunch, he gave me a very reasonable reply. He'd come in late on the Potter game, having only read them last year in fact, when a Professor of his was walking them through what it takes to be a good mystery-- using Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone as an example of a perfectly fashioned mystery.

Moving on to the second book,...more A lot of people cite this book as their least favorite in the Potter saga; many of my friends included. When I asked one of my friends why he felt it was the worst of the bunch, he gave me a very reasonable reply. He'd come in late on the Potter game, having only read them last year in fact, when a Professor of his was walking them through what it takes to be a good mystery-- using Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone as an example of a perfectly fashioned mystery.

Moving on to the second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, my friend (let's call him Rex) found that this book wasn't up to standard mystery-wise in the way the first book had been, which is what he'd been expecting. Maybe it's because I first read it as a child, or it's maybe because I was more interested in the fantasy aspect, but I never really cared, nor do I care now that it doesn't follow the same standard mystery guidelines.

Rex was the only person who gave me an answer other than "I don't know, I just don't like it as much," so therefore his is the only one that I'm able to analyze. But enough negativity, allow me to explain what I do like about it.

Um, Ron's broken wand? Hysterical. Well, if I'm being honest, any single scene including Mr. Ron Weasley is bound to make me smile and any interaction between him and Hermione (yes, even this early on) is bound to make me squee!!!!!!!!!! Notice how quick he is to jump to Hermione's defense; notice how distraught he is over Hermione's being petrified. Oh, how I love them.

To add a few more- Harry's first trip to the Burrow! The flying car! Fred and George marching ahead of Harry, announcing him mockingly as the Heir of Slytherin! The singing Valentine's Day Dwarves! And our introduction to the Whomping Willow! Come on people, this is classic stuff!

I also love the part Ginny Weasley plays in this book; not so much the whole "helping the Heir of Slytherin thing," but her mad crush on Harry. Maybe because I was granted the fortune/misfortune of having a brother a grade above me, I also had the wonderful fortune/misfortune of crushing on all his super hott (yes with two t's) friends. Ah, how I remember the days of pining for them, of whining over their lack of return interest, of cursing my blasted gapped teeth and frizzy hair. Of course, unlike Ginny I was never able to woo any of them in the end, (even after my braces!) but I still think I did alright as far as men go;)

Okay, back to the text. I even enjoy ol' Lockhart, for what he's worth. Yeah, he's obnoxious, but that's the point, right? And yeah, the degree to whch he is obnoxious is a little cartoony and unrealistic, but let's not forget- this is a children's book, after all.

Chamber of Secrets also sees Harry destroying his first Horcrux, and offers us our first insight into one Tom Riddle. I would never discount this book, or cast it so carelessly aside as least favorite of the bunch (I don't believe in ranking these books, by the way). Anyway, it receives a full five stars from me with zero hesitation. I appreciate it's contribution to the Potter world and will look forward to reading it again when the time comes...which it will.

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Oct 22, 2007 Carmen Maloy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

What stands out in book 2:

* The de-gnoming of the Weasleys' garden. Harry discovers that even wizards have chores--gnomes must be grabbed (ignoring angry protests "Gerroff me! Gerroff me!"), swung about (to make them too dizzy to come back), and tossed out of the garden--this delightful scene highlights Rowling's clever and witty genius.
* Harry's first experience with a Howler, sent to Ron by his mother.
* The Dueling Club battle between Harry and Malfoy. Gilderoy Lockhart starts the Dueling Cl...more What stands out in book 2:

* The de-gnoming of the Weasleys' garden. Harry discovers that even wizards have chores--gnomes must be grabbed (ignoring angry protests "Gerroff me! Gerroff me!"), swung about (to make them too dizzy to come back), and tossed out of the garden--this delightful scene highlights Rowling's clever and witty genius.
* Harry's first experience with a Howler, sent to Ron by his mother.
* The Dueling Club battle between Harry and Malfoy. Gilderoy Lockhart starts the Dueling Club to help students practice spells on each other, but he is not prepared for the intensity of the animosity between Harry and Draco. Since they are still young, their minibattle is innocent enough, including tickling and dancing charms.
* We learn more about Tom Riddle, aka Voldemort

Amazon Review
It's hard to fall in love with an earnest, appealing young hero like Harry Potter and then to watch helplessly as he steps into terrible danger! And in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the much anticipated sequel to the award-winning Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, he is in terrible danger indeed. As if it's not bad enough that after a long summer with the horrid Dursleys he is thwarted in his attempts to hop the train to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to begin his second year. But when his only transportation option is a magical flying car, it is just his luck to crash into a valuable (but clearly vexed) Whomping Willow. Still, all this seems like a day in the park compared to what happens that fall within the haunted halls of Hogwarts.
Chilling, malevolent voices whisper from the walls only to Harry, and it seems certain that his classmate Draco Malfoy is out to get him. Soon it's not just Harry who is worried about survival, as dreadful things begin to happen at Hogwarts. The mysteriously gleaming, foot-high words on the wall proclaim, "The Chamber of Secrets Has Been Opened. Enemies of the Heir, Beware." But what exactly does it mean? Harry, Hermione, and Ron do everything that is wizardly possible--including risking their own lives--to solve this 50-year-old, seemingly deadly mystery. This deliciously suspenseful novel is every bit as gripping, imaginative, and creepy as the first; familiar student concerns--fierce rivalry, blush-inducing crushes, pedantic professors--seamlessly intertwine with the bizarre, horrific, fantastical, or just plain funny. Once again, Rowling writes with a combination of wit, whimsy, and a touch of the macabre that will leave readers young and old desperate for the next installment.
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Apr 26, 2012 Jeffrey Michael rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

OK, so I suffer from prereadaphobia. That's the fear of reading a book before seeing the movie for fear that the movie won't measure up to the book. Well I LOVE the Harry Potter movies so I waited until after I had seen the last movie before starting on the first book. Well my fears weren't well founded in this case. I love the book as much as the movie. Well written and well paced, the movie accurately represented the novel which isn't all that common, take The Hunger Games for instance. I unde...more

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Aug 15, 2007 Keely rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, contemporary-fiction, novel, reviewed, contemporary-fantasy, uk-and-ireland

In her second outing, Rowling builds up her confidence (and relationship with her publisher) enough to begin her signature page number crawl. Unfortunately, for this book, her chaotic plotting means that the further length just becomes more scattered moments.

Despite some interesting twists and concepts, this is the weakest entry in the series. It betrays a utilitarian sense of plot and worldbuilding, in that it expands the story little. Of course, Rowling never really gets the process of stream...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Tina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A lot of people in reviewing the first book, I noticed, complained about the lack of complexity/explanation regarding the magic in this series, but I say: it's good the way it is. I don't NEED a more in-depth explanation. It's self-explanatory because it's magic. If I wanted to read an explanation of how magic worked, I would rather read an essay on the hypothetical use of the power than have to slog through pages of tedious technical crap (that would likely have errors) in a novel. Hell, I'd ra...more

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Jul 06, 2008 Ann rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone!

Shelves: jkrowling, fantasy, re-read, mysteries, absolute-favorites, katie-and-annie-bookclub, actionadventure, character-stories, young-adult, favorites

I'm not sure what more I can say about Harry Potter. It's obvious to anyone who knows me how much I love these books, and for anyone who doesn't I'm not sure that I can add any more praise than these books have already received (and, rightfully so, in my opinion). The books are full of heart, wit, mystery and fantasy, humor and sadness, each page bringing more plot or more characterization, and often times both.
And the books are just as delightful upon the second read!

**SPOILERS BELOW**

DON'T RE...more

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Jul 06, 2008 Kathryn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: very-favorites, re-reading, mystery, fantasy-sci-fi

Simply splendid on the second read, too. I first read this in December of 2002. Charming, funny, mysterious, thoughtful, sweet, frightening--and Professor Lockheart, the cherry on top! One of my favorite of the HP books, despite the fact I found a few places where I thought perhaps JK was stretching a little bit (very rare for me to find anything like that in the HP books). Still, five stars all round.

It wouldn't be summer for me without an HP book to read. This is (I think) the only one I haven...more

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Dec 06, 2010 Jackie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, 2009-75-book-challenge, 2010-read, 2013-read

This is another re-read for me. I actually listened to the audio book this time with Jim Dale as narrator. Jim Dale’s voice just adds an extra oomph to the story. It made me fall in love with the story again even though Chamber is not my favorite in the series. It’s nice taking a look back though to see how everything in the previous books fits in the series. I’m discovering little things that I previously didn’t pay attention too.

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Apr 08, 2013 sj rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: faeries-dragons-and-or-magic, re-read, yorwtfiw

Originally posted here.

(lots of swearing ahead - I've also rated this edition lower than another because these are my feelings upon re-reading)

Dude. I know. My post about PS/SS was...shit, January third?...um, okay. So, my post about PS/SS was almost three months ago, and I feel like a total slacker. BUT, this IS Year of Reading Whatever the Fuck I Want, so if I want to wait THREE MONTHS between reading these books I damn well can.

I re-read Chamber of Secrets this week. And...I'm not gonna lie....more

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May 22, 2011 29alabs rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Harry Potter y la Cámara Secreta es el retorno de Harry Potter a su segundo año en Hogwarts, un colegio de magos.

El segundo libro en definitiva es mejor que el primero, los personajes se sienten un poco más vivos, excepto aquellos que Rowling desea mantener en misterio, sigo pensando que Harry Potter es un inútil pero al menos es un inútil decidido a algo, otra sorpresa que me llevé es que no cae en el trope de que personaje introducido en este libro resulta ser pilar de la historia, sin embargo...more Harry Potter y la Cámara Secreta es el retorno de Harry Potter a su segundo año en Hogwarts, un colegio de magos.

El segundo libro en definitiva es mejor que el primero, los personajes se sienten un poco más vivos, excepto aquellos que Rowling desea mantener en misterio, sigo pensando que Harry Potter es un inútil pero al menos es un inútil decidido a algo, otra sorpresa que me llevé es que no cae en el trope de que personaje introducido en este libro resulta ser pilar de la historia, sin embargo,(view spoiler) es un lindo red herring, estuve complacido a pesar de que sí cayó en el trope de personaje del que no has oído hablar personaje que al final morirá o desaparecerá (algo tipo Lost).

Me gustó ver también pequeños tidbits que se enlazan de bonita manera con el primer libro, la expulsión de Hagrid y una de las habilidades de Potter, en especial la expulsión de Hagrid que tiene una relevancia interesante; te da la idea que que la historia está pensada hacia adelante y hacia atrás, de que hay un diseño, por supuesto es imposible saber bien sin haber leído los demás libros pero uno como buen conocedor de comics sabe que estas cosas usualmente resultan en retcons, no es el caso de Harry Potter hasta ahora.

Los deus ex machinas en este libro están mejor pensados, al menos el principal, (view spoiler) se siente bien pensando e integrado de manera interesante a la historia, a pesar de que se nota que Rowling decidió reducir la importancia de un personaje (view spoiler) para que no fuera tan obvio, al final se siente un poco irreal que nadie haya notado sus acciones dentro del colegio siendo que estas tienen una gran repercusión, también me sorprende que nadie, nadie en Hogwarts conozca bien la escuela, pero no está mal ni se siente irreal seguro a nosotros nos ha pasado miles de veces que pasamos por un lugar y nunca hemos notado esa puerta de allí, la que uso para espiarte por las noch...digo, ¿en que estabamos? Eso, Harry Potter y la Cámara secreta, se siente como un muy buen pilar de la saga.(less)

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Aug 20, 2012 Ash rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, own, _jk-rowling, movie, 200bbc, young-adult, favorites, 2011-read

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. ***Spoilers***
21-May-2012: Listened to the audio book narrated by Stephen Fry and it was very nice. I enjoyed listening to it while going to and coming back from work daily. There is no better way to spend the traveling time than listening to Harry Potter for sure.

Most favourite quote:
"Let's match the powers of Lord Voldemort, heir of Salazar Slytherin against famous Harry Potter and the best weapon Dumbledore can give him."

26-June-2011 to 02-July-2011: Wish I could give this book 100/5. This on...more

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Jul 03, 2011 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, favorites, ya-fantasy

The Harry Potter books are all well worth reading. I read this "back" when it came out (my kids grew up "as the books came out" and were adults by the time the series finished). The books do develop as they go along and slowly become somewhat darker volume by volume. There is more foreshadowing here more clues and a good solid story. Adults and children alike will like it. Just be sure with each volume that the child/youth in question is mature enough. Here the story is only 2 volumes along and...more

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Jul 31, 2008 Amber rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: readers of all ages who want a fantasy story with a twist of modern life

Recommended to Amber by: a friend

Shelves: children-fantasy, series

I was happy to begin the second Harry Potter book, which turned out to be filled with plenty of laughs, but still gives the sense of 'what will happen next?' to the reader. We begin with Harry Potter, who returned to the Dursleys, his uncle Vernon, aunt Petunia, and cousin Dudley, after the end of the school term. But the Dursleys despise Harry, especially now that he has become a wizard, and Harry feels like he's left his own home behind him at school.

This book was a little more serious than th...more I was happy to begin the second Harry Potter book, which turned out to be filled with plenty of laughs, but still gives the sense of 'what will happen next?' to the reader. We begin with Harry Potter, who returned to the Dursleys, his uncle Vernon, aunt Petunia, and cousin Dudley, after the end of the school term. But the Dursleys despise Harry, especially now that he has become a wizard, and Harry feels like he's left his own home behind him at school.

This book was a little more serious than the first one. Because, although you get plenty of laughs from the slightly ridiculous characters of Dobby the house elf and Gilderoy Lockhart, the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, there is danger in the school. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone , Harry and his two friends, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, were the only two students who knew that something strange was afoot at Hogwarts. But in this book, all the students are exposed to the dangers that begin to reveal themselves in the school.

I liked the fact that Ron's wand is broken in the beginning of the book and how, though it caused Ron quite a bit of grief through most of the story, it ended up saving both Ron and Harry from a very sad fate.

In my opinion, Hermione was more of an open character in this book than she was in the first one. I was glad for this because Hermione is one of my favorite characters so far. Her quick thinking resourcefulness is a compete necessity, how on earth would Ron and Harry get through school without her?

And, of course, there was no less of the thoroughly hilarious twins, Fred and George Weasley. Nothing seems to dampen their spirits and simply reading about their mischievous nature makes you want to smile.

The main point to the story was loyalty. How, although Ron and Harry had a good chance of getting killed or, worse in Hermione's mind, expelled, they continued to search for any clues that might help them stop the attacks on the Hogwarts students. How Ron and Hermione stood by Harry when few others would. And even in the face of serious danger, Harry, Ron, and Hermione remained loyal to each other and to the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore.

I definitely thought it was well worth reading and very enjoyable, I am glad that this book was recommended for me to read.(less)

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Oct 07, 2009 Nikki rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children, fantasy, fun-read, will-read-again

One of the things that has disappointed me most about the Harry Potter books (and I'm writing this having read only 4 of them at this point) is the smallness of the characters. (I ask that you forgive my nearly redundant use of some words in this review, but I can think of no better way to describe my feelings about these books.) When one reads books, one might expect "evil" characters to be petty, for their meanness to be somehow small and vindictive in nature. Malfoy's meanness is small and pe...more

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Apr 21, 2008 Ryan T rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: ne1

Recommended to Ryan T by: no1

This is the second book in the 7 book series by J.K Rowling and since the book is so much different from the movie and She is such a good author, i chose to re-read the book.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a thrilling science fiction book about the adventures of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger as they try to unravel the mysteries surrounding the rumored Chamber of Secrets.
The beginning of the book starts off with Harry at the Dursley house and how Ron comes to save h...more This is the second book in the 7 book series by J.K Rowling and since the book is so much different from the movie and She is such a good author, i chose to re-read the book.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a thrilling science fiction book about the adventures of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger as they try to unravel the mysteries surrounding the rumored Chamber of Secrets.
The beginning of the book starts off with Harry at the Dursley house and how Ron comes to save him from their cruel ways and bring him to the burrows.(Ron's house)While there Harry travels to Diagon Alley by floo powder and accidently turns up in Knockturn alley only to find Draco Malfoy and his father there doing buisness with some very dark magic. Hagrid finds him and brings him back to meet with the Weasleys again and they finish their shopping. When the boys try to run through the wall to get on platform nine and three quarters they are flabberghasted when the barrier has seemed to closed itself. Being the smart kids Ron and Harry are, they decide to get to school by driving a car thet Arthur Weasley has charmed to make it fly. The kids make it to Hogwarts safely than almost get expelled.
Time passes in the book and as the time passes Harry hears mysterious voices every once in a while in the hallways saying "kill". Later the kids are in the wrong place at the wrong time and they find writing on the wall saying "the chamber of secrets has been opened, enemies of the heir beware". The kids find out what the Chamber of Secrets is and they proceed to make the Polyjuice Potion inorder to find out if their assumptions about Malfoy being the heir were right.At a dueling practice Harry finds out he can speak parseltongue (snake language) which is a sign of dark magic.
Near the end of the book Harry finds a diary which turns out to be a Horcrux (later in the series) amd he gets to see part of His life which tries to blame Hagrid for what happened last time the chamber of secrets was opened. Hagrid is being expelled and he tells Ron and Harry to follow the trail of spiders, which they do and they are lead to Hagrids old friend Aragog, who basically tells them that a Basilisk is what has been paralyzing everyone and what Harry has been hearing in the halls. Hermione is than paralyzed by the beast, but she uses a piece of paper to tell them how it moves around. Harry and Ron than learn that Ron's sister Ginny has been taken into the chamber by the beast.
This is all i can really say without giving away the whole ending of the book.( not that almost everyone hasn't already seen it...)

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Nov 14, 2007 Sue atie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It’s been another long summer at the Dursley’s for Harry Potter. He can’t wait to get back to Hogwarts and is counting down the days until he can return. He’s surprised when, on his birthday, a strange elfish creature named Dobby shows up with dire warnings for Harry: He must not return to Hogwarts!

When Harry refuses to stay home from school, Dobby lands him in heaps of trouble with the Dursley’s, who lock Harry up in his room and refuse to let him out. Before Harry can sink too far into despai...more It’s been another long summer at the Dursley’s for Harry Potter. He can’t wait to get back to Hogwarts and is counting down the days until he can return. He’s surprised when, on his birthday, a strange elfish creature named Dobby shows up with dire warnings for Harry: He must not return to Hogwarts!

When Harry refuses to stay home from school, Dobby lands him in heaps of trouble with the Dursley’s, who lock Harry up in his room and refuse to let him out. Before Harry can sink too far into despair, however, Ron Weasley and his two brothers, twins Fred and George, come to his rescue in a flying car and spirit him back to their house, where Harry is thrilled to spend the remainder of the summer.

Thus starts an eventful second year for Harry Potter. Between having to cope with more homework than ever, a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor who is vain and convinced Harry is too, and a mysterious voice he keeps hearing in the walls, Harry’s days are nothing if not interesting.

As the school year progresses, however, the mysterious voice Harry keeps hearing is getting more and more menacing, and soon vicious attacks start happening to the students of Hogwarts. When Harry discovers, quite by accident, that he is a Parslemouth and can speak to snakes, he’s quickly singled out as Slytherin’s heir, the person who, according to legend, will open the mysterious “Chamber of Secrets” and release the monster within.

Of course Harry has no idea who is attacking the students, but he quickly resolves to find out who is responsible. He, Ron, and Hermione come up with an elaborate plan to disguise themselves as Slytherin students so they can question Draco Malfoy, whom they believe is the one setting the monster loose in the school. The plan goes perfectly, but they’re disappointed when they find out from Draco that he is not the one they’re looking for.

The quest gets personal when Hermione is attacked and petrified by the monster. Ron and Harry are devastated, and are left on their own to uncover the true identity of the person responsible. Events come to a head when Ron’s sister, Ginny, is kidnapped and taken down into the Chamber of Secrets, and Ron and Harry discover an important clue that Hermione left for them. They quickly head down into the Chamber of Secrets to rescue Ginny.

Harry and Ron get separated once they’re down there and Harry is left to pursue the monster on his own. He quickly finds Ginny, and thanks to some mysterious help from Dumbledore and his pet phoenix, Fawkes, Harry is able to destroy Slytherin’s heir, who turns out to be a younger version of Lord Voldemort. Voldemort had possessed Ginny through an enchanted diary and was using her to set the monster loose on the students.

Harry and Ron are both hailed as heroes when they make it back out with Ginny, and Harry can’t imagine a finer end to such an eventful year when Hermione and the rest of the victims are healed and they win Gryffindor loads of House points.
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Aug 08, 2007 Maddy Pertiwi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: harrypotter

"Seperti biasa, liburan musim panas Harry Potter dilalui dengan penderitaan. Selain dikurung tidak boleh keluar kamarnya, teman2 sekolahnya tidak ada yang mengirimkan kabar atau mengucapkan selamat ulang tahun untuk Harry. Ternyata, ini semua perbuatan peri-rumah bernama Dobby. Dobby berupaya menghalangi Harry kembali ke Hogwarts karena dianggap Hogwarts tidak aman baginya. Dobby bahkan sampai mengusili keluarga Dursley sehingga Harry yang dipersalahkan. Setelah diselamatkan sahabatnya Ron Weasl...more

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Aug 04, 2010 Ashley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everybody who isn't evil

Shelves: favorites, fantasy, addictive, kid-lit, anglophilia, bildungsroman

Okay, here's the deal: I, like most Harry Potter fans, will readily admit that Chamber of Secrets is my least favorite Potter. But what does that even mean? I'm not sure, but I will defend my five star rating of this book, and ALL the other Potter books, until the day I die.

If you're reading Harry Potter and thinking, oh, gee, all of this list making sure is distracting, or, hey, this character seems pointless, or, why does Rowling use so many adverbs -- I am so superior to her! Then guess what...more

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Jun 15, 2013 Inge *Studying for Exams* rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: want-to-marry-this-book, magic, main-character-is-cool, villain-rocks-my-socks, laugh-out-loud-funny, put-a-sock-in-it, smiles-a-plenty, whole-new-level-of-awesome, friendship-never-eeeends, children, fantasy

The Harry Potter series is like one giant puzzle, and during every book, tiny puzzle pieces start fitting together and forming a whole. There are hints everywhere about what's going to happen, sort of like inside jokes for people who've already read the books, but the mystery remains. J.K. Rowling keeps you guessing up until the final pages.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is an exciting, thrilling read. It makes you think along with the Golden Trio and laugh out loud. It makes you cheer...more

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Sep 12, 2012 L. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, fantasy, own, young-adult, british, read-in-2010, kindle, read-in-2012

This is my least favourite of the Harry Potter books. I'm not sure exactly why. I love the first book, hurry through the second and third, and really enjoy the fourth and above.

I think part of the reason this one is my least favourite is because it's largely about this whole mysterious secret chamber that no one knows where the entrance to is and how it is being opened. Once you've read the book and know the secret it's a bit boring to read the whole thing again. Though, strangely it doesn't bo...more

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Jul 26, 2011 Brad rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, to-read-with-my-kids, fantasy

So this book was going to get just 2 or 3 stars until the last third or so. Things pick up in a great way once spiders are met and more is discovered about the Chamber of Secrets. I really like the aspect of the diary.

This will never be a favorite of mine in the HP series, but it was a good read with some great parts. And a couple crummy ones. Dobby, for instance, is the Jar Jar Binks of the HP world. So annoying. He might be a big part of why the book was just ok at the beginning. One small thi...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Cuong Truong rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Wider reading focus (book 10): fantasy

In this 2nd installment of the Harry Potter series we follow Harry on his adventures at Hogwarts. The story unravels some of the mystery behind Lord Voldermort, the murderer of Harry's parents. Something strange is happening in the halls of Hogwarts with students getting mysteriously attacked. Ginny, Harry's best friend's sister has come into the possession of a strange diary which is making her act out of character. Meanwhile Harry appears to be going crazy...more

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Feb 22, 2013 Katja rated it 4 of 5 stars

In this sequel to the first best selling book in the Harry potter series by J.K. Rowling, you venture out for a second time on an unexpected journey to the magical school of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry Potter is looking forward to a fun and uneventful year as a second year Hogwarts student with his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. However, that is not what he gets when a mysterious monster starts petrifying muggle born residents of the castle. With eerie messa...more

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About J.K. Rowling

Although she writes under the pen name J. K. Rowling, pronounced like rolling,her name when her first Harry Potter book was published was simply Joanne Rowling. Anticipating that the target audience of young boys might not want to read a book written by a woman, her publishers demanded that she use two initials, rather than her full name. As she had no middle name, she chose K as the second initia...more Although she writes under the pen name J. K. Rowling, pronounced like rolling,her name when her first Harry Potter book was published was simply Joanne Rowling. Anticipating that the target audience of young boys might not want to read a book written by a woman, her publishers demanded that she use two initials, rather than her full name. As she had no middle name, she chose K as the second initial of her pen name, from her paternal grandmother Kathleen Ada Bulgen Rowling. She calls herself Jo and has said, "No one ever called me 'Joanne' when I was young, unless they were angry." Following her marriage, she has sometimes used the name Joanne Murray when conducting personal business. During the Leveson Inquiry she gave evidence under the name of Joanne Kathleen Rowling. In a 2012 interview, Rowling noted that she no longer cared that people pronounced her name incorrectly.

Rowling was born to Peter James Rowling, a Rolls-Royce aircraft engineer, and Anne Rowling (née Volant), on 31 July 1965 in Yate, Gloucestershire, England, 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Bristol. Her mother Anne was half-French and half-Scottish. Her parents first met on a train departing from King's Cross Station bound for Arbroath in 1964. They married on 14 March 1965. Her mother's maternal grandfather, Dugald Campbell, was born in Lamlash on the Isle of Arran. Her mother's paternal grandfather, Louis Volant, was awarded the Croix de Guerre for exceptional bravery in defending the village of Courcelles-le-Comte during the First World War.

Rowling's sister Dianne was born at their home when Rowling was 23 months old. The family moved to the nearby village Winterbourne when Rowling was four. She attended St Michael's Primary School, a school founded by abolitionist William Wilberforce and education reformer Hannah More. Her headmaster at St Michael's, Alfred Dunn, has been suggested as the inspiration for the Harry Potter headmaster Albus Dumbledore.

As a child, Rowling often wrote fantasy stories, which she would usually then read to her sister. She recalls that: "I can still remember me telling her a story in which she fell down a rabbit hole and was fed strawberries by the rabbit family inside it. Certainly the first story I ever wrote down (when I was five or six) was about a rabbit called Rabbit. He got the measles and was visited by his friends, including a giant bee called Miss Bee." At the age of nine, Rowling moved to Church Cottage in the Gloucestershire village of Tutshill, close to Chepstow, Wales. When she was a young teenager, her great aunt, who Rowling said "taught classics and approved of a thirst for knowledge, even of a questionable kind," gave her a very old copy of Jessica Mitford's autobiography, Hons and Rebels. Mitford became Rowling's heroine, and Rowling subsequently read all of her books.

Rowling has said of her teenage years, in an interview with The New Yorker, "I wasn’t particularly happy. I think it’s a dreadful time of life." She had a difficult homelife; her mother was ill and she had a difficult relationship with her father (she is no longer on speaking terms with him). She attended secondary school at Wyedean School and College, where her mother had worked as a technician in the science department. Rowling said of her adolescence, "Hermione [a bookish, know-it-all Harry Potter character] is loosely based on me. She's a caricature of me when I was eleven, which I'm not particularly proud of." Steve Eddy, who taught Rowling English when she first arrived, remembers her as "not exceptional" but "one of a group of girls who were bright, and quite good at English." Sean Harris, her best friend in the Upper Sixth owned a turquoise Ford Anglia, which she says inspired the one in her books.(less)

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Books by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter, #4)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter, #6)

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“Oh well... I'd just been thinking, if you had died, you'd have been welcome to share my toilet.” — 3,157 people liked it

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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter #2)

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