And here is the second Tale, as reviewed at Amazon.com. Waddya think?
Thoughts for the Serious Reader of Harry Potter
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Having read it (the review) I suspect that the Harry Haters will proclaim that it promotes Secular Humanism because once everyone found self-empowerment, they were sufficient to solve their own problems.
Except, of course, they weren’t.
Each needed the assistance of all the other members of their little “community of faith” to break the self-centered vision of their own woes that was isolating them from the greater world around them. Once they got “beyond themselves” and began to care and sacrifice for others, love and compassion provided relief from the burdens they each could not bear alone. Focus on self was not the cure, in the end it was shown to be the malady.
It was only by denying self, taking up the cross (being willing to continue in their own condition if someone else could improve) and following the path of Love, that they found Life and Peace. (c.f. Matt:16:24-26)
It sounds very consistent with JKR’s remarks that it wasn’t magic that really changed Harry’s life when he got to Hogwarts, what made things better was that he met nicer people.
I can certainly see why you might need to teach little wizards and witches that magic can’t solve everything. Beedle seems to be doing everything he can to train them in the stock responses.
The review of the third tale is up now, too.
While reading these three reviews, I couldn’t help but think of a Jo quote from long ago. “”I never forget A. A. Milne: When he wrote for adults every review he ever got referred to Pooh, Tigger and Piglet.” (Jo from the Reader’s Digest interview in December of 2000)
In the first review ever of a Rowling work that is somewhat independent of HP, we see quite a few references back to the Harry Potter series. I imagine Rowling’s future reviews will continue to meet the same fate as Milne’s.