Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1) in Write, Wrote, Written

Sep 04, 2020 Esther rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Just read this book for the euhm... third time? It always feels like coming home. Whenever I want a comfort read, I go for Harry Potter... Especially the first book, what a magical, wonderful ride this is.

This time I decided to read it in German.
Now, obviously, it was still a wonderful experience, but it was somehow strange to read this English "classic" in German.

Some of the names and terminology were translated, when others weren't. (There were some strange decisions made in regards to this, ...more

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Jan 06, 2010 Kayla rated it it was amazing

No, this isn't the first time I read this! But as I needed to reread the series for a class I'm taking based entirely on Harry Potter, I realized I never reviewed one of my all-time favorite book series. Here we go!

I love this book! It's the one that really got me into reading especially because I could never predict how it was going to go in the end. The characters were awesome and I love to hate the Dursleys. They've always been able to make me laugh, despite how horrible they really are. And ...more

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Jun 03, 2014 Esther rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Well, so I just came back from a wonderful trip down Nostalgia lane. It was lovely.
Personally, I think illustrated books are tricky: either you like the illustrator's style or you don't. If you were attracted to a book's illustrations, you can still be disappointed by its content. And on the other hand, you might not like the illustrations, but like the work itself. In the former situation, I tend to reluctantly finish reading the book, all the while paying more attention to the illustrations th Well, so I just came back from a wonderful trip down Nostalgia lane. It was lovely.
Personally, I think illustrated books are tricky: either you like the illustrator's style or you don't. If you were attracted to a book's illustrations, you can still be disappointed by its content. And on the other hand, you might not like the illustrations, but like the work itself. In the former situation, I tend to reluctantly finish reading the book, all the while paying more attention to the illustrations than I am to the words next to them. In the latter situation, I always feel as though the illustrations block me from losing myself in the story.
I will admit that at times illustrations - just like stories - can grow on you, but I've never grown to adore something I previously hated. I learned to accept it and appreciate it for it's own sake, but some hint of the intuitive dislike will somehow always linger a little.
It was for this reason that I was hesitant to read this illustrated version of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone". I love this book in its original form, so would I risk "ruining" my image of certain characters and locations if the illustrator had a completely different take on things? Unlike movie adaptations of books, where I can seperate one medium from the other - film and books are two different media with their own aesthetics, "language" and charms -, illustrated books are too connected to their original form.
Were my hesitations just? Nope, they weren't. I love this book to pieces.
In my opinion, Jim Kay's style fits the story like a glove. As I already mentioned, this is a highly personal thing. Someone else might hate it, but for me, it was a perfect match.
The illustrated version is magical, beautiful and for me, it was a perfect excuse to start rereading the series.

As for the book's exterior qualities: splendid. The paper is thick, glossy and has a very luxurious feel to it. The hardcover version has a bound bookmark (and I am a complete sucker for these things) and the colours of the actual cover and the dust jacket are "OCDish-people-approvedly" coordinated. ...more

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