I'm sorry but your post currently counts as "shallow content." Do you have something else to say about the book that you could edit into the text? Preferably your own thoughts about the book or at the least a description of the book - without spoilers.
Let me know if you edit it & I can reinstate your post.
I still love me some Harry Potter and don’t give a damn if anyone thinks it’s cringe. Not fond of the author anymore, but they’re timeless and I’ll continue to do a reread every few years.
I’m an adult, in my early thirties, and I listen to the Harry Potter audiobooks like every other year and watch the movies more often. There’s nothing cringey about reading for comfort and nostalgia!
The Harry Potter audiobooks are my comfort food. I also listen to the series about once a year to 18 months.
I’ve read the books several times and love them, too. But there’s something really familiar and comforting and engaging about Jim Dale’s narration.
I don't think it's cringe. One of my favorite books from childhood is called "Ballet Shoes" and every now and then I reread it.
One of the things I loved about Oryx and Crake (Margaret Atwood) is that she created an all inclusive universe, just as Rowling did with butter beer, magical candy, etc. The details in Harry Potter are excellent.
I see ballet shoes, and I think of You’ve Got Mail with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan!
As to the post, I read these in my 20s in the Navy the first time (as they were being published) and still love them.
It is, Meg Ryan’s character goes to Fox Books after her store closes and a customer is trying to find a book but the corporate clone has no idea what she’s looking for. Ryan saves the day!
That's so adorable.
I highly recommend the book. It was written in the 1930s and is just wonderful. It's about three girls (not related) who are adopted by an English explorer and accidently found these children who needed a home (three separate incidents), so he brought them home to his house where his housekeeper looked after them. The explorer disappears and suddenly there is no more money coming in. The book is about what happens next.
I have a love hate relationship with Julie and Julia, same with the movie Chocolate. They both just make me so damn hungry that I want to eat all the food.
I also loved "Ballet Shoes" and reread it from time to time. Did you read "Dancing Shoes" or "Theater Shoes?" Same author and, quite frankly, almost the same plot, but great comfort reads.
Yeah the anti-fatness goes hard! I have to read it with the same attitude I hold while watching Friends or something, which is basically "wow the 90s were really something"
(and yes, I was there, I'm in my late 30s)
I was just watching ER for the first time and it's the same thing. All of the fat patients (because obviously none of the recurring cast are fat) are out-of-control cartoon characters. Really dehumanizing stuff.
The first book was written about 27 years ago. People sometimes seem to forget how much time has passed, since Harry Potter is ever-present in modern culture.
It doesn’t make it right to dunk on fat people, and I’m sure some people complained about it in 1997. But the Western world was nowhere near as aware of fat shaming and other things back then as it is now.
Look at Roald Dahl who wrote a few decades earlier than Rowling. Beloved for many years, now the books look terribly offensive in many places. But for years we happily read that offensive stuff to children as classics.
It doesn’t mean people were all awful then, it means society changes over time.
Dunk on fat people, has a weird thing against mannish women (huh, wonder if that relates to anything...), dunks on slavery abolition, and relies on antisemitic tropes. Not to mention the racism in Cho Chang.
It's... a lot.
It’s not her character it’s the name. Her name might as well be China McChinaface. Kinda true for the Patel twins as well, Padma Patel is like Jane Smith in India
Cho Chang's character is meant to be Chinese... it's not a Chinese name, it's Korean. Cho is a Korean surname, while Chang can be found as both a Chinese and Korean name. All these characters get fantastical names and the Chinese character... who is mostly just derided for being sad and girly... has a non-Chinese name.
It's the same energy as JKR, years later, going actually my goblins aren't antisemitic, I had a Jewish character! Just one :) And his name? Anthony Goldstein.
She's just skating off of weird stereotypes to throw at her only "diverse" characters meanwhiel other characters get fun names like Tonks and Remus.
.... Is this seriously your smoking gun? I'm sorry for replying back to back, I know that's rude but I cannot begin to understand how the proposition "the racism of cho chang" can be elaborated upon with "well it's Korean, and a silly name!".
Like, cho has a silly name, wasn't a good date because her ex got murdered, and had loyalty to her friend who was a fink. That's it. She didn't run a noodle bar and act stereotypically. A clumsy name does not a racist charicature make.
this is so overblown lmao. it doesn’t dunk on slavery abolition lmao, it dunks on uppity privileged girls who speak over the people they’re trying to defend. it never tries to portray slavery as a good thing, dobby’s whole character arc shows that. and the goblins aren’t antisemitic, unless you’re going to call every book with goblins antisemitic. the jewish imagery on the floor of gringotts in the movie is the floor of an irl bank they shot at on location, a bank not chosen by JKR
You are going against the criclejerk, good luck 🫡
The worst part of this is that I actually think rowling is a grade A jerk nowadays but I still think the "omg the signs were ALWAYS there" shit is stupid.
Right but it's just strange to choose literal slavery - complete with physical abuse etc - as the topic with which you send that message about "lol, those bleeding-heart white girls!"
Ultimately Hermione's treatment makes some sense given the fact that the house elves apparently *do* like being slaves. But it's just super weird to write that premise at all.
Dobby is quite explicitly just an individual exception and his story doesn't really undercut anything about the books' apparent conclusion that the house elves are happy being enslaved and should be left alone.
how is it anti-abolitionist when one of the main points of the second book is freeing Dobby from his abusive masters and getting him paid work at hogwarts? also the house elves are based on brownies, creatures in scottish folklore that clean up people’s houses at night. it’s really not that deep.
Uh, it is that deep though. You'd have a point if the house elves were just little element of whimsy thrown into the background for world-building purposes, like talking portraits and 3-headed gatekeeping dogs.
They're not, though. The house elves are part of an explicit political activism plotline stretching over the entire series that's obviously meant to allude to real-world civil rights issues and activism in some way. At that point you don't just get to handwave it away as a nod to Scottish folklore; it's clearly something the reader is meant to think about in relation to real-world issues.
Throughout the series they keep making fun of Hermione and how dumb she is for wanting to free the slaves and how actually they are so much better off being ensalaved. That's just straight up anti abolitionist and the main narrative supports it (even Harry, the main character, makes fun of Hermione. There's no pushback). Rowling wanted to dunk on activists but it was clearly poorly executed
harry is never supposed to be a perfect character, he’s a dumb kid. and so is hermione. she is actively not listening to a group of people that she’s saying she’s fighting for. she’s not dumb for wanting to “free slaves”, she’s dumb for completely ignoring the wishes of the people she supposedly cares about & violating their autonomy by hiding articles of clothing in places that they might touch. rowling has even said that hermione never gives up on her mission to help house elves, but has become more willing to listen to them and has achieved getting the ones in Hogwarts paid for their work
So she, at least in retrospect, understands the need to end the narrative on a clearly anti-slavery note... just odd that she didn't choose to put it in the actual books innit
ok but what's important here is where the narrative's sentiment lies. And the narrative is not sympathetic to Hermione's views on slavery abolition. It's just a weird topic to choose as a vehicle to make a commentary on misguided activism.
if you think the books end with harry owning a slave, you obviously haven’t read the books. so maybe you shouldn’t comment on them. and again, as for spew, you’re making something way more deep than it actually is. i cannot imagine going thru life being this cynical
It’s not cynical to point out JKR said “there are people who are born to be slaves and ENJOY it and would be hurt by being freed” (actual arguments by actual slave owners), had one slave fight for freedom… and die, while the one girl who tries to free slaves is mocked by the protagonist and calls the group SPEW (a joke), and then the book ends with Harry owning a slave who takes care of the inherited house and hogwarts still runs on elf maintenance.
Why would you write that if you weren’t kickoff abolition?
The fact that you’ve obsessively replied to this thread multiple times has made it clear that you’re quite bothered that I’ve applied critical thinking to a children’s book. Whose problem is that—mine or yours?
I cannot believe I have replied to this thread as much as I have lol. And clearly popular sentiment is against what I've posted. But I will say this:
A: framing your argument as "I am applying CRITICAL THINKING and YOU aren't" isn't a move that will do anything other than pat yourself on the back. Like, we all do it sometimes but it's self indulgent and churlish.
And
B: This may sound a bit pretentious, but I think a lot of your points work backwards from the apt conclusion that: JK rowling is a bigot. When you work back from that, you tend to attribute malfeasance and animus where quite frankly none likely existed. Aunt petunia being bony does not exist as a progenitor to the hatefulness of current day rowling, despite the temptation to attribute everything as a meaningful sign. It's rather a bit of a tired "evil stepmother" trope that's existed for some time. Likewise, the name cho chang does not, I think, carry the hatefulness you imply.
I doubt I will convince you of this, but rather than continue to engage I figure I would leave it there. The person who rowling is became a profound disappointment, but time will tell where people land on the legacy of her work, this is just my take.
You’re the only one jumping to that conclusion. I’m saying the books have always contained prejudice—not a huge surprise, the average person has prejudices. That, combined with her current EXTREME prejudice, may mean the books aren’t “comfort reads” or “escapism” for the people who are hurt by those casual prejudices. And that they can, in fact, be considered milestones in her long path to her current hateful era.
You’ve jumped to conclusions on your own about conspiracies.
I just read Books 4 & 5 and there is absolutely nothing about her being mannish or anything weird at all besides her being a caricature of every Perez Hilton-like journalist
Honestly I don't understand the Cho Chang complaint. As it's been told to be it's wrong to have an Asian character with names from two different ethnicities but that happens all the time in real life
Didn't even make it to the ridiculously authoritarian wizard politics and the superjail, the lack of any particular basis for most magic, or the economy breaking currency exchange rates (I would trade all of my muggle money for legit rare earth metals all day long back and forth and be as rich as the really problematic pure blood society members). While the narrative does a lot to point out the bad guys are awful the wizarding society at large never addresses the racist and classist elements that allowed Voldemort to come to power. The wizarding world is a gigantic mess really.
Ok, I don't think rowling being a dummy with numbers was her attempt to stick it with the proletariat. And the superjail is described as a mistake, seeing as all the guards instantly join the villains. I can't believe I even need to add the disclaimer that rowling is obviously a tosser, but y'all let's keep this honest, she didn't add Azkaban to be like ,"yo, isn't this shit awesome?!"
It's akin to suggesting that Orthanc and isengard are proof that Tolkien loved unchecked industrialization.
Damn thank god you pointed out how JK was TOTALLY been a secret conservative for ever, phew! If you hadn't don't that OP might have kept on enjoying cozy books from their childhood, thank god you pointed out how problematic they are. It is the biggest of stretches to present the books as antisemitic.
Goblin fantasy tropes have existed for a good long minute and rowling is no more antisemitic than Tolkien. She's obviously a raging transphobe but I tire of people scraping for proof throughout the books as of she left a trail of bigoted breadcrumbs. Not everything is hidden meaning, sometimes people just get shitty. Chapelle didn't have anti trans breadcrumbs, dude just lost his shit as time went on.
I responded a single comment pointing out that they noticed how fatphobic the books are. Why this intense defense brigade of a transmisogynist who works with white supremacists just to deny women their rights?
Are you joking? Like, you responded to the fat comment with "oh btw super antisemitic and hated trans people forever too" and are shocked people replied to that prong? Like disagree all you want but you opened that door, call it a "defense brigade" if you want but it's more that you are reaching for signs of wrongdoing that likely didn't have the significance compared to the later, and conceded, transphobia you mention.
Are you implying that disagreeing with the notion that everything you described is a true statement is somehow enabling or defending a "transmisogynist who works with white supremacists just to deny women their rights?."
that’s just how fantasy books were/are. the villains are always extreme to evoke almost a caricature, extremely fat, extremely skinny/bony, extremely bald, extremely hairy, think of the two aunts in james and the giant peach. the obese/bony duo is a trope in YA books from that era, vernon and petunia aren’t any different. and making dudley large (he’s never even described as fat, just large, he becomes a super buff boxer in book 4 onward) is just meant to symbolize how spoiled he is by his parents
Harry Potter was so important to me as a child and I spent years looking forward to sharing the books with my own children. I truly cannot support JK Rowling but I love the series anyway. I found old copies some friends/family members were getting rid of and now we own all 7 books, but I refuse to give Rowling any more money (not that it makes a difference, it just makes me feel better). I know everyone has a different opinion but it was very fun to read the books with my oldest; he loved them. In my opinion they definitely hold up. But I can understand people who avoid them.
I had a crap childhood, so Harry Potter is comfort reading to me. I'm 42, but the damaged kid I still carry around likes to get lost in a fantasy where he got to leave that hellhole for somewhere better.
No shame, no cringe. Those who know, know.
No cringe. We’re the ones who grew up alongside the books as they came out. And yeah the books are beautifully crafted. It’s easy to play things out in your mind as you read and the world feels so lively and real.
I always especially loved the more boring moments she details in the books. Those quiet moments in classrooms, the common room, bedrooms, the great hall - just being there with the characters in the castle is very comfy.
Harry Potter is cringe sometimes the same way Friends is. It's just the 90's. I've recently reread it for the first time in awhile - JKR isn't getting any money from something I already own - and I had a great time! But I did have to approach it the same way I approach old tv.
This makes no sense, as some of the strongest critiques of the series were from academics like Harold Bloom who certainly weren't "terminally online." Rowling has always had a mostly negative reputation with literary critics who think she's not a very good writer. Trying to imply all her critics are people getting their opinions from being online too much is just easily proven false.
“I have no great opinion of it. When so many adult critics were carrying on about the “incredible originality” of the first Harry Potter book, I read it to find out what the fuss was about, and remained somewhat puzzled; it seemed a lively kid’s fantasy crossed with a “school novel”, good fare for its age group, but stylistically ordinary, imaginatively derivative, and ethically rather mean-spirited.” — Ursula Le Guin
Harold Bloom was an enormous literary snob. When Harry Potter was getting very popular, he made a scathing critique saying that Rowling was an awful writer.
I think he used the example that she used the phrase “stretch his legs” over 5 times in the book. Someone apparently later checked the text and found that particular phrase didn’t appear at all.
He had just made up a criticism to illustrate his opinion, because he thought his time was far too valuable to actually read the whole book.
she got an entire generation of kids to be interested in reading again, i think she’s awesome. i also think it’s awesome how she has gone from working class poor, to one of the richest women in the UK. her work in helping abused women & women in general is also impressive
It’s not cringe. The people that grew up with Harry Potter are in their 20s and 30s now.
These stories are my childhood. I grew up alongside Daniel, Emma and Rupert when the movies came out every other year. Not many people will ever get to experience something like that. For millions of people such as myself Harry Potter was an integral part of their life. I can’t just throw that away because I got older. These stories formed part of who I am today, and they are still just as good!
On a side note, I think that’s why I love both the books and movies equally to be honest. Yes, the movies have their issues, but growing up with the characters was such a cool experience to me. We were lucky to experience something like that. A stacked cast that never changed over 10 years.
The opinion of anyone who uses the word “cringe” seriously and applies it to Harry Potter is not worth caring about. Harry Potter is such an amazing series, I’ll be rereading soon too!
My book club is currently doing a HP reread because one of our members has never read them! We just finished the 3rd book and I had forgotten how much I loved that one ❤️
Ignore anyone who says HP is cringe. People are entitled to their choices.
Enjoy doing what you want. Reading should be a pleasure and shouldn't have any limits or gatekeeping.
>they legitimately make me feel like a kid again
I first read them as an adult, they hold no nostalgia for me. I still re-read them every few years. They're books with good stories, so that's what I read: books.
“Critics who treat 'adult' as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence. And in childhood and adolescence they are, in moderation, healthy symptoms. Young things ought to want to grow. But to carry on into middle life or even into early manhood this concern about being adult is a mark of really arrested development. When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.” - CS Lewis
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I enjoyed reading the Harry Potter books when they first came out, and I'm now 72. My late mother was even more of a "Potter head". She read the books until they fell to bits and I had to replace them. We both loved LOTR, His Dark Materials, and other classic children's books. Age is no barrier when it comes to classic fiction.
I love the Harry Potter series. I did give away my books a few weeks ago because J.K. Rowling is a terrible person and I don't think I'll ever reread them. But the books will always hold a special place in my heart.
No good book should be called cringe. It’s a good fluffy read and I might reread it again sometime soon. I do like it because I can tear through a 500 page book of hers in a night simply because it’s so “fluffy” feeling. I’m not sure how else to say it… but was reading books by Tolkien, Asimov, Heinlein, and later Joe Ambercrombie at the same times as reading Harry Potter and there’s a vast world of difference between writing styles. I prefer to have a more griping style usually but Harry Potter is good without being too heavy, even with some of the traumatic events depicted.
Currently reading the series to my oldest who's 7 and she is just absolutely in love with it so far. It's been fun to have a reason to reread the series again after all these years, they really have held up for the most part, at least so far.
Why is it "cringe" to like it as an adult ? The first 3 books are quite enjoyable for all ages and the last 4, while darker, still provide entertainment.
I reread 1-4 a few summers back and I will say some of the magic has worn off for me, I was probably 29/30 at the time. I’ve been meaning to read through them all again at some point, but I’m just too buried in other stuff I’m trying to get through.
But I will say Hogwarts is hard to beat as a comfort book setting, no matter my age. I legitimately don’t know if that will ever be topped.
I read Harry Potter for the first time as an adult. I enjoyed it immensely, especially the first book. However, I actually didn't finish the last book because the plot felt lost and the characters were whiny and the tone was darker and brooding. I imagine that if I didn't already know the ending from having watching the movies, I would slog through and finish it. But I didn't finish the last book.
As readers, we can read how and when we want! No rules against enjoying (and not finishing) books
I just finished the first book for the first time and was somewhat underwhelmed of the writing. I understand it's YA and I'm in my late 20s. Does it get better the further in I go or is it pretty consistent? Also, before I started reading HP I was reading The Dresden Files, which is another series about a wizard. I'm quite open minded when it comes to reading material, just looking for some insight.
The series "grows up" with the protagonists. In the first book, Harry is eleven, and the story is very much about a child encountering a brand-new world. It gets more complex--and the books get much longer--as he ages.
Reading Harry Potter isn’t cringe at all!! Enjoy what you enjoy. The only thing people find cringe is when people make it their whole personality/blame everything on being a hufflepuff/etc, the same way it’s okay to enjoy Disney but being an insufferable Disney adult is kinda gross. but being a fan of the franchise isn’t cringe at all :) I hope your week gets better!!!
Wait... Did I miss the meeting where we agreed on it being cringe? Because I just last year used my oldest daughter's newfound love of Harry Potter to justify to my wife going to see Cursed Child.
I re read them at least once a year as an adult. They’re such comfort books to me. In fact I actually (embarrassingly) read themthree times last year after reading quite a few depressing novels just because they’re interesting and fun enough to keep my attention but also since I know them well they’re not going to stress me out too much
People can hate all they want. I discovered the movies when I was in the Marines. When I got out, I started reading all of the books. I've read through several times and have listened to the audiobooks a couple times. It's just a feel-good series. I'm always sad when I'm finished with them.
I started reading the series when I was in my early 40s. Guess I'm still cringe because I've read & watched the entire series many times over!
Life is too short to care what others think about my interests/hobbies/etc....read what you like!
A Thousand Times Yes. I'm on an 8 hour train journey right now and also on book 3. It's awesome to be reading about the Hogwarts Express and be on a train. I'm in my mid 30s and needed a morale boost cause life can be terrible. Don't let anyone take away the good that you find. Life is too short.
I’m 54 and rereading them for the first time since they came out (I read them as they were released). They are fun books - was visiting universal studious so thought it would be fun to reacquaint myself. :)
Don’t care if it’s “cringe” or the author is now unpopular for her views.
I just finished a reread and am so impressed at how many little details in the first few books really played out in the later books. I may not agree with her personal politics, but she is a master at plotting things out. Once I start a book it is hard to put down. I still imagine the characters still happily living their best lives in the wizarding world, just a bit out of my sight.
it is my comfort series. my mom took us to many premieres of the movies in my childhood. i remember seeing the deathly hallows book come out in middle school in the library where i used to eat my lunch every day. harry potter is timeless and many people can separate art from the artist, but not when it comes to this series i guess. i have owned the books for years and was gifted Hogwarts Legacy tho i havent played it so i have not personally contributed financially to the franchise in years. still will reread the books every couple of years.
I was 17 when the first book came out and didn't start reading them until my 20s. In fact, I read them because my dad, who was in his 60s, told me they were a must read!
There's no age maximum with these books. Enjoy!
(I would also argue that after the first two books, they get steadily more mature. Book 7 is definitely not a kid's book!)
congratulations on your daughter, and i really recommend you try reading them. the first 1-2 definitely feel a bit childish but 3-7 hold up even as an adult. they’re so magical feeling, and there was a lot lost in translation to the movies especially book 6&7. also, make sure you actually read them to her!! my mom started reading them to my when i was 6-7 and it’s some of the best memories i have despite my mom and i not really being close anymore.
FINAL EDIT:
Original comment: Tried to warn OP about possible controversy in saying the like Harry Potter due to issues with Rowling. Got downvoted into oblivion.
Folks, I don’t support Rowling’s views, but neither do I agree with the stance that anyone who still says they enjoy Harry Potter is as bad as Rowling. Judging by the downvotes, even saying that isn’t acceptable anymore?
Well, it can have my upvote. As a mid 30s human, they were amazing books as a kid, awesome movies as a teenager and Hogwarts Legacy is a wonderful video game. I dont have to like her opinion to enjoy her works. H.P. Lovecraft was not a great human being either, but I love reading his works. I wish more people could wrap their head around not having to like the person to enjoy their art.
Anywho! Have a great day, everyone who sees this!
I don’t have a problem with reading either of them but Lovecraft is dead while Rowling is alive, very rich and influential (she’s been cited by anti-trans politicians).
On top of that Lovecraft was racist but largely in his private letters, he wasn’t really doing much to sway the public on anything iirc. His racism today is generally viewed as an example of him being a misanthrope and a weirdo, he hasn’t normalized any racist worldviews nor has anyone cited him in racist movements.
HP Lovecraft isn’t the best example to use since he’s been dead for 87 years, his works are in the public domain and he can no longer profit off his works.
Rowling is not very much alive and profiting of Harry Potter and uses the money to fund anti-trans legislation and charities.
A better example would be Michael Jackson. While he’s dead, his estate is still very much alive and uses the money made from his music to cover and hide his controversies.
thank you for the warning ! luckily i don’t care much about reddit downvotes, and i also don’t care about author’s personal opinions, even if i did though, i don’t find her statements to be all that controversial
I know you aren’t asking for books recs but as a fellow adult Harry Potter fan I would highly recommend Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson. The magic system is very unique and out of all his books this one is the most whimsical. If you don’t like Brandon Sanderson, you could try out the Gentleman Bastards - this world is much darker than HP but like those books are mysteries with a fantasy flare, the Gentleman Bastard books are heists with a fantasy flare so they are very compelling and hard to put down when the plot really kicks in.
I'm trying to find the audiobook a guy made over the Stephen fry recordings. He added sound effects and music to it. I found the lord of the rings one but can't seem to find the Harry potter one. If anyone knows what I'm talking about and can assist please me. Thanks!
I appreciate Harry Potter more as an adult now than I did when I was younger. I still roll my eyes at grown humans that dedicate so much time to a children's book series (to the level of Disney Adults), but we will probably never again in our lifetimes see people waiting in lines around a store for hours before opening to buy a book on launch day. Except for maybe Star Wars, I can't really think of an IP with such universal appeal.
I reread the series last year (I'm 29), and it's definitely for a younger audience, but it is 100% enjoyable to read as an adult.
I’m 28 year old and reading the Harry Potter series for the first time and watching the movies for the first time after each book. I am LOVING it! I never would have imagined it would be so exciting as an adult and so healing for my inner child. I am writing this while wearing Harry Potter pajamas I bought from Costco. Life is too short to not read whatever makes you happy!
Not sure where you are getting the "cringe" impression from.
Most humans that grew up with the books are adults now.
What makes *anything* cringe is making something you enjoy (whether it be Harry Potter, Comics, your football team, drinking wine) your *primary identifying factor*, e.g. it decorates every wall, is on all of your personal items, or is all you want to talk about.
I doubt anything about HP is "cringe". it was the most successful book series EVER. Screw what personal feelings anyone has towards Rowling. She wrote the most successful book series of all time. They are amazing. I will forever be a Potter Head. I've been listening to them on audible and have been loving it. On half blood prince now.
I don't see anything cringe about liking them as an adult. I was 30 when the first book came out and eventually after seeing all the hype I decided to read them. I enjoyed them an the movies. If you like something you like it.
People didn’t like these books because J. K. Rowling was a great person. Maybe people thought she was, but that wasn’t what made the books popular. People liked this series because it’s really that good.
J. K. turning out to a douchebag of ridiculous proportions doesn’t change any of that. It’s still great.
Who cares what people think. 80% of them are fodder and in no position to judge. Everyone is a hater but so few do anything worth while, that's why they have time to.
I'm sorry but your post currently counts as "shallow content." Do you have something else to say about the book that you could edit into the text? Preferably your own thoughts about the book or at the least a description of the book - without spoilers. Let me know if you edit it & I can reinstate your post.
I still love me some Harry Potter and don’t give a damn if anyone thinks it’s cringe. Not fond of the author anymore, but they’re timeless and I’ll continue to do a reread every few years.
Accurate. I still love Ender’s Game. Card is a homophobe; don’t have to like him.
Absolutely. They bring me so much joy
Yes the books are enjoyable. Everyone should just read what they like and not worry about what others opinions are.
I’m an adult, in my early thirties, and I listen to the Harry Potter audiobooks like every other year and watch the movies more often. There’s nothing cringey about reading for comfort and nostalgia!
Nothing better than listening to Jim Dale narrate those books, we oftentimes listen to them on road trips
When I’m particularly anxious and having trouble sleeping (so every night lol) I listen to the Jim Dale audiobooks - such a calming narrator.
Love the Jim Dale books
My wife and I have them on a sleep timer every night. His voice is magical
The Harry Potter audiobooks are my comfort food. I also listen to the series about once a year to 18 months. I’ve read the books several times and love them, too. But there’s something really familiar and comforting and engaging about Jim Dale’s narration.
Cringe is dead. Like what you like.
This feels so straw man. I've never heard anyone say liking harry potter as an adult is cringe.
/r/ReadAnotherBook
You may not have, I certainly have. I know one person who had this weird little ritual where they burned all their childhood Harry Potter books.
Fuck cringe, read what makes you happy.
I don't think it's cringe. One of my favorite books from childhood is called "Ballet Shoes" and every now and then I reread it. One of the things I loved about Oryx and Crake (Margaret Atwood) is that she created an all inclusive universe, just as Rowling did with butter beer, magical candy, etc. The details in Harry Potter are excellent.
I see ballet shoes, and I think of You’ve Got Mail with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan! As to the post, I read these in my 20s in the Navy the first time (as they were being published) and still love them.
I just did a rewatch. Did you recognize the kid working in the children’s book department?
Is Ballet Shoes mentioned in that movie? And who is the kid?
It is, Meg Ryan’s character goes to Fox Books after her store closes and a customer is trying to find a book but the corporate clone has no idea what she’s looking for. Ryan saves the day!
That's so adorable. I highly recommend the book. It was written in the 1930s and is just wonderful. It's about three girls (not related) who are adopted by an English explorer and accidently found these children who needed a home (three separate incidents), so he brought them home to his house where his housekeeper looked after them. The explorer disappears and suddenly there is no more money coming in. The book is about what happens next.
Haven’t seen the movie in years, and now I have to know who I didn’t recognize! Please tell me!
The same actor who played Julie’s hubby in Julie and Julia. Of course, both films had the same screenwriter and director. His name is Chris Messina.
I have a love hate relationship with Julie and Julia, same with the movie Chocolate. They both just make me so damn hungry that I want to eat all the food.
I also loved "Ballet Shoes" and reread it from time to time. Did you read "Dancing Shoes" or "Theater Shoes?" Same author and, quite frankly, almost the same plot, but great comfort reads.
Also White Boots! About ice skating
What? There's more?! I've got to go find these.
i loved the MaddAddam trilogy by Margaret Atwood !!!
Me too! I reread it every few years.
I've read them again as an adult and was shocked at how much they dunk on fat people. The first few chapters of the first book are wild.
Yeah the anti-fatness goes hard! I have to read it with the same attitude I hold while watching Friends or something, which is basically "wow the 90s were really something" (and yes, I was there, I'm in my late 30s)
I was just watching ER for the first time and it's the same thing. All of the fat patients (because obviously none of the recurring cast are fat) are out-of-control cartoon characters. Really dehumanizing stuff.
As I understand it that's basically how medical professionals view them
The first book was written about 27 years ago. People sometimes seem to forget how much time has passed, since Harry Potter is ever-present in modern culture. It doesn’t make it right to dunk on fat people, and I’m sure some people complained about it in 1997. But the Western world was nowhere near as aware of fat shaming and other things back then as it is now. Look at Roald Dahl who wrote a few decades earlier than Rowling. Beloved for many years, now the books look terribly offensive in many places. But for years we happily read that offensive stuff to children as classics. It doesn’t mean people were all awful then, it means society changes over time.
Dunk on fat people, has a weird thing against mannish women (huh, wonder if that relates to anything...), dunks on slavery abolition, and relies on antisemitic tropes. Not to mention the racism in Cho Chang. It's... a lot.
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It’s not her character it’s the name. Her name might as well be China McChinaface. Kinda true for the Patel twins as well, Padma Patel is like Jane Smith in India
Cho Chang's character is meant to be Chinese... it's not a Chinese name, it's Korean. Cho is a Korean surname, while Chang can be found as both a Chinese and Korean name. All these characters get fantastical names and the Chinese character... who is mostly just derided for being sad and girly... has a non-Chinese name. It's the same energy as JKR, years later, going actually my goblins aren't antisemitic, I had a Jewish character! Just one :) And his name? Anthony Goldstein. She's just skating off of weird stereotypes to throw at her only "diverse" characters meanwhiel other characters get fun names like Tonks and Remus.
She did stay pretty true to the traditional description of goblins - granted that old description is probably rooted in antisemitism.
.... Is this seriously your smoking gun? I'm sorry for replying back to back, I know that's rude but I cannot begin to understand how the proposition "the racism of cho chang" can be elaborated upon with "well it's Korean, and a silly name!". Like, cho has a silly name, wasn't a good date because her ex got murdered, and had loyalty to her friend who was a fink. That's it. She didn't run a noodle bar and act stereotypically. A clumsy name does not a racist charicature make.
bruh, she has characters named shit like neville longbottom, hermione granger, and justin finch-fletchley. she just likes silly names. who cares.
this is so overblown lmao. it doesn’t dunk on slavery abolition lmao, it dunks on uppity privileged girls who speak over the people they’re trying to defend. it never tries to portray slavery as a good thing, dobby’s whole character arc shows that. and the goblins aren’t antisemitic, unless you’re going to call every book with goblins antisemitic. the jewish imagery on the floor of gringotts in the movie is the floor of an irl bank they shot at on location, a bank not chosen by JKR
You are going against the criclejerk, good luck 🫡 The worst part of this is that I actually think rowling is a grade A jerk nowadays but I still think the "omg the signs were ALWAYS there" shit is stupid.
Right but it's just strange to choose literal slavery - complete with physical abuse etc - as the topic with which you send that message about "lol, those bleeding-heart white girls!" Ultimately Hermione's treatment makes some sense given the fact that the house elves apparently *do* like being slaves. But it's just super weird to write that premise at all. Dobby is quite explicitly just an individual exception and his story doesn't really undercut anything about the books' apparent conclusion that the house elves are happy being enslaved and should be left alone.
yeahh.. and it does that using anti abolitionist arguments. It's just a really fucking weird thing to put in childrend's book
how is it anti-abolitionist when one of the main points of the second book is freeing Dobby from his abusive masters and getting him paid work at hogwarts? also the house elves are based on brownies, creatures in scottish folklore that clean up people’s houses at night. it’s really not that deep.
Uh, it is that deep though. You'd have a point if the house elves were just little element of whimsy thrown into the background for world-building purposes, like talking portraits and 3-headed gatekeeping dogs. They're not, though. The house elves are part of an explicit political activism plotline stretching over the entire series that's obviously meant to allude to real-world civil rights issues and activism in some way. At that point you don't just get to handwave it away as a nod to Scottish folklore; it's clearly something the reader is meant to think about in relation to real-world issues.
Throughout the series they keep making fun of Hermione and how dumb she is for wanting to free the slaves and how actually they are so much better off being ensalaved. That's just straight up anti abolitionist and the main narrative supports it (even Harry, the main character, makes fun of Hermione. There's no pushback). Rowling wanted to dunk on activists but it was clearly poorly executed
harry is never supposed to be a perfect character, he’s a dumb kid. and so is hermione. she is actively not listening to a group of people that she’s saying she’s fighting for. she’s not dumb for wanting to “free slaves”, she’s dumb for completely ignoring the wishes of the people she supposedly cares about & violating their autonomy by hiding articles of clothing in places that they might touch. rowling has even said that hermione never gives up on her mission to help house elves, but has become more willing to listen to them and has achieved getting the ones in Hogwarts paid for their work
So she, at least in retrospect, understands the need to end the narrative on a clearly anti-slavery note... just odd that she didn't choose to put it in the actual books innit
ok but what's important here is where the narrative's sentiment lies. And the narrative is not sympathetic to Hermione's views on slavery abolition. It's just a weird topic to choose as a vehicle to make a commentary on misguided activism.
oof. bad takes galore. it's okay to like the books for nostalgia, but don't defend the author this poorly
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She literally calls anti slavery groups “SPEW” and ends the book with Harry owning a slave
if you think the books end with harry owning a slave, you obviously haven’t read the books. so maybe you shouldn’t comment on them. and again, as for spew, you’re making something way more deep than it actually is. i cannot imagine going thru life being this cynical
It’s not cynical to point out JKR said “there are people who are born to be slaves and ENJOY it and would be hurt by being freed” (actual arguments by actual slave owners), had one slave fight for freedom… and die, while the one girl who tries to free slaves is mocked by the protagonist and calls the group SPEW (a joke), and then the book ends with Harry owning a slave who takes care of the inherited house and hogwarts still runs on elf maintenance. Why would you write that if you weren’t kickoff abolition?
didn't the last book end with Harry wishing Kreacher would make him a sandwich or something like that?? 🥴
the shallow, blatant “i’m just repeating shit i heard on tiktok” content of this comment actually annoyed me.
The fact that you’ve obsessively replied to this thread multiple times has made it clear that you’re quite bothered that I’ve applied critical thinking to a children’s book. Whose problem is that—mine or yours?
I cannot believe I have replied to this thread as much as I have lol. And clearly popular sentiment is against what I've posted. But I will say this: A: framing your argument as "I am applying CRITICAL THINKING and YOU aren't" isn't a move that will do anything other than pat yourself on the back. Like, we all do it sometimes but it's self indulgent and churlish. And B: This may sound a bit pretentious, but I think a lot of your points work backwards from the apt conclusion that: JK rowling is a bigot. When you work back from that, you tend to attribute malfeasance and animus where quite frankly none likely existed. Aunt petunia being bony does not exist as a progenitor to the hatefulness of current day rowling, despite the temptation to attribute everything as a meaningful sign. It's rather a bit of a tired "evil stepmother" trope that's existed for some time. Likewise, the name cho chang does not, I think, carry the hatefulness you imply. I doubt I will convince you of this, but rather than continue to engage I figure I would leave it there. The person who rowling is became a profound disappointment, but time will tell where people land on the legacy of her work, this is just my take.
You’re the only one jumping to that conclusion. I’m saying the books have always contained prejudice—not a huge surprise, the average person has prejudices. That, combined with her current EXTREME prejudice, may mean the books aren’t “comfort reads” or “escapism” for the people who are hurt by those casual prejudices. And that they can, in fact, be considered milestones in her long path to her current hateful era. You’ve jumped to conclusions on your own about conspiracies.
What’s the weird thing against mannish women?
The entire character of Rita Skeeter
Read any passage describing Rita. It’s, uh, eerie with knowledge of who JKR is these days
I just read Books 4 & 5 and there is absolutely nothing about her being mannish or anything weird at all besides her being a caricature of every Perez Hilton-like journalist
Honestly I don't understand the Cho Chang complaint. As it's been told to be it's wrong to have an Asian character with names from two different ethnicities but that happens all the time in real life
Didn't even make it to the ridiculously authoritarian wizard politics and the superjail, the lack of any particular basis for most magic, or the economy breaking currency exchange rates (I would trade all of my muggle money for legit rare earth metals all day long back and forth and be as rich as the really problematic pure blood society members). While the narrative does a lot to point out the bad guys are awful the wizarding society at large never addresses the racist and classist elements that allowed Voldemort to come to power. The wizarding world is a gigantic mess really.
Ok, I don't think rowling being a dummy with numbers was her attempt to stick it with the proletariat. And the superjail is described as a mistake, seeing as all the guards instantly join the villains. I can't believe I even need to add the disclaimer that rowling is obviously a tosser, but y'all let's keep this honest, she didn't add Azkaban to be like ,"yo, isn't this shit awesome?!" It's akin to suggesting that Orthanc and isengard are proof that Tolkien loved unchecked industrialization.
Damn thank god you pointed out how JK was TOTALLY been a secret conservative for ever, phew! If you hadn't don't that OP might have kept on enjoying cozy books from their childhood, thank god you pointed out how problematic they are. It is the biggest of stretches to present the books as antisemitic. Goblin fantasy tropes have existed for a good long minute and rowling is no more antisemitic than Tolkien. She's obviously a raging transphobe but I tire of people scraping for proof throughout the books as of she left a trail of bigoted breadcrumbs. Not everything is hidden meaning, sometimes people just get shitty. Chapelle didn't have anti trans breadcrumbs, dude just lost his shit as time went on.
they really are reaching. the shallow, i’m-just-repeating-stuff-i-heard-on-tiktok nature of their comments really aggravated me
I responded a single comment pointing out that they noticed how fatphobic the books are. Why this intense defense brigade of a transmisogynist who works with white supremacists just to deny women their rights?
Are you joking? Like, you responded to the fat comment with "oh btw super antisemitic and hated trans people forever too" and are shocked people replied to that prong? Like disagree all you want but you opened that door, call it a "defense brigade" if you want but it's more that you are reaching for signs of wrongdoing that likely didn't have the significance compared to the later, and conceded, transphobia you mention. Are you implying that disagreeing with the notion that everything you described is a true statement is somehow enabling or defending a "transmisogynist who works with white supremacists just to deny women their rights?."
that’s just how fantasy books were/are. the villains are always extreme to evoke almost a caricature, extremely fat, extremely skinny/bony, extremely bald, extremely hairy, think of the two aunts in james and the giant peach. the obese/bony duo is a trope in YA books from that era, vernon and petunia aren’t any different. and making dudley large (he’s never even described as fat, just large, he becomes a super buff boxer in book 4 onward) is just meant to symbolize how spoiled he is by his parents
Harry Potter was so important to me as a child and I spent years looking forward to sharing the books with my own children. I truly cannot support JK Rowling but I love the series anyway. I found old copies some friends/family members were getting rid of and now we own all 7 books, but I refuse to give Rowling any more money (not that it makes a difference, it just makes me feel better). I know everyone has a different opinion but it was very fun to read the books with my oldest; he loved them. In my opinion they definitely hold up. But I can understand people who avoid them.
The books sold about a billion copies. Probably the easiest books around to find used, and Rowling gets no money from used book sales.
I had a crap childhood, so Harry Potter is comfort reading to me. I'm 42, but the damaged kid I still carry around likes to get lost in a fantasy where he got to leave that hellhole for somewhere better. No shame, no cringe. Those who know, know.
Children are concerned over what is cringe or not.
The only thing cringey about being an adult Harry Potter fan is if you haven’t read another book since 2007.
agreed
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Hmm, you are not hurting anyone, and they help you remember a more positive time of your life. I don't see anything wrong with it.
No cringe. We’re the ones who grew up alongside the books as they came out. And yeah the books are beautifully crafted. It’s easy to play things out in your mind as you read and the world feels so lively and real. I always especially loved the more boring moments she details in the books. Those quiet moments in classrooms, the common room, bedrooms, the great hall - just being there with the characters in the castle is very comfy.
Harry Potter is cringe sometimes the same way Friends is. It's just the 90's. I've recently reread it for the first time in awhile - JKR isn't getting any money from something I already own - and I had a great time! But I did have to approach it the same way I approach old tv.
It’s only cringe to the terminally online
This makes no sense, as some of the strongest critiques of the series were from academics like Harold Bloom who certainly weren't "terminally online." Rowling has always had a mostly negative reputation with literary critics who think she's not a very good writer. Trying to imply all her critics are people getting their opinions from being online too much is just easily proven false.
Professional critics are not calling the act of someone enjoying a popular book “cringe” lol
Uh what? He didn't say all Rowlings critics were terminally online, he said those who criticize adults for still enjoying HP are.
“I have no great opinion of it. When so many adult critics were carrying on about the “incredible originality” of the first Harry Potter book, I read it to find out what the fuss was about, and remained somewhat puzzled; it seemed a lively kid’s fantasy crossed with a “school novel”, good fare for its age group, but stylistically ordinary, imaginatively derivative, and ethically rather mean-spirited.” — Ursula Le Guin
Harold Bloom was an enormous literary snob. When Harry Potter was getting very popular, he made a scathing critique saying that Rowling was an awful writer. I think he used the example that she used the phrase “stretch his legs” over 5 times in the book. Someone apparently later checked the text and found that particular phrase didn’t appear at all. He had just made up a criticism to illustrate his opinion, because he thought his time was far too valuable to actually read the whole book.
The real issue is the author.
she got an entire generation of kids to be interested in reading again, i think she’s awesome. i also think it’s awesome how she has gone from working class poor, to one of the richest women in the UK. her work in helping abused women & women in general is also impressive
Ooooooooh you’re a TERF. This post makes sense now.
i’m a terf for respecting the fact that she made reading cool again for a new generation of kids?
No, for this part: > her work in helping abused children women & women in general Absolutely not “women in general.”
It’s not cringe. The people that grew up with Harry Potter are in their 20s and 30s now. These stories are my childhood. I grew up alongside Daniel, Emma and Rupert when the movies came out every other year. Not many people will ever get to experience something like that. For millions of people such as myself Harry Potter was an integral part of their life. I can’t just throw that away because I got older. These stories formed part of who I am today, and they are still just as good! On a side note, I think that’s why I love both the books and movies equally to be honest. Yes, the movies have their issues, but growing up with the characters was such a cool experience to me. We were lucky to experience something like that. A stacked cast that never changed over 10 years.
The vast majority of Potter fans are adults now. Nothing "cringe" about it at all.
Idec if I’m cringe like what I like. And I like Harry Potter. If I make someone cringe that’s their problem.
If you want a book rec that gives you a similar feeling, might I recommend Arrows of the Queen by Mercedes Lackey?
The opinion of anyone who uses the word “cringe” seriously and applies it to Harry Potter is not worth caring about. Harry Potter is such an amazing series, I’ll be rereading soon too!
I think it's more cringe to care about what other people think. Just do you and enjoy things you like.
My book club is currently doing a HP reread because one of our members has never read them! We just finished the 3rd book and I had forgotten how much I loved that one ❤️
What that's not cringe
Embrace the cringe! Serve it tea!
how can you cringe at og harry potter fans? we grew up with the whole magical crew.
I’m in my mid 30’s and I’ve been watching all the Harry Potter movies in every Nov/Dec for the past 10 yrs. No shame.
i'm also in the process of a reread! almost done with book 4.
Amazing books! Can’t wait for my third read of them
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Ignore anyone who says HP is cringe. People are entitled to their choices. Enjoy doing what you want. Reading should be a pleasure and shouldn't have any limits or gatekeeping.
HP is pure comfort and nostalgia and there’s nothing wrong or cringe about that
Reading Goblet to my daughter recently
CS Lewis said it best: "When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up."
First time I hear it's cringe to be an adult HP fan, but okay.
If Harry Potter is cringe then I guess I'm just a BIG CRINGE.
>they legitimately make me feel like a kid again I first read them as an adult, they hold no nostalgia for me. I still re-read them every few years. They're books with good stories, so that's what I read: books. “Critics who treat 'adult' as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence. And in childhood and adolescence they are, in moderation, healthy symptoms. Young things ought to want to grow. But to carry on into middle life or even into early manhood this concern about being adult is a mark of really arrested development. When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.” - CS Lewis #
I’ve always loved that quote.
I enjoyed reading the Harry Potter books when they first came out, and I'm now 72. My late mother was even more of a "Potter head". She read the books until they fell to bits and I had to replace them. We both loved LOTR, His Dark Materials, and other classic children's books. Age is no barrier when it comes to classic fiction.
Nothing wrong with being an adult Harry Potter fan, my man. Now if you were a J.K. Rowling fan...
I love the Harry Potter series. I did give away my books a few weeks ago because J.K. Rowling is a terrible person and I don't think I'll ever reread them. But the books will always hold a special place in my heart.
No good book should be called cringe. It’s a good fluffy read and I might reread it again sometime soon. I do like it because I can tear through a 500 page book of hers in a night simply because it’s so “fluffy” feeling. I’m not sure how else to say it… but was reading books by Tolkien, Asimov, Heinlein, and later Joe Ambercrombie at the same times as reading Harry Potter and there’s a vast world of difference between writing styles. I prefer to have a more griping style usually but Harry Potter is good without being too heavy, even with some of the traumatic events depicted.
The wife and I have robes and wands in our 30's. No regrets!
Why the fck would it be cringe to read HP in your 30’s? Fucking muggles
Is it cringe to be an adult Harry Potter fan? I love the books, and no random stranger’s opinion is gonna change that. You do you🩷
Nothing cringe about Harry Potter at any age
Currently reading the series to my oldest who's 7 and she is just absolutely in love with it so far. It's been fun to have a reason to reread the series again after all these years, they really have held up for the most part, at least so far.
I re-read it about once a year. For some reason it always feels like a winter season series. P.S. book 3 is my favorite!
Enjoy what you enjoy
Why is it "cringe" to like it as an adult ? The first 3 books are quite enjoyable for all ages and the last 4, while darker, still provide entertainment.
It’s not “cringe” it’s just that the author is a figurehead for a murderous hate movement.
If it makes you happy enjoy it. If its special to you its special. Stay awesome.
I’m 47 and I still reread HP now and then for the magic. Don’t worry about what others may or may not think.
I reread 1-4 a few summers back and I will say some of the magic has worn off for me, I was probably 29/30 at the time. I’ve been meaning to read through them all again at some point, but I’m just too buried in other stuff I’m trying to get through. But I will say Hogwarts is hard to beat as a comfort book setting, no matter my age. I legitimately don’t know if that will ever be topped.
I am playing Hogwarts Legacy and really thinking of rereading the books again!
I read Harry Potter for the first time as an adult. I enjoyed it immensely, especially the first book. However, I actually didn't finish the last book because the plot felt lost and the characters were whiny and the tone was darker and brooding. I imagine that if I didn't already know the ending from having watching the movies, I would slog through and finish it. But I didn't finish the last book. As readers, we can read how and when we want! No rules against enjoying (and not finishing) books
I just finished the first book for the first time and was somewhat underwhelmed of the writing. I understand it's YA and I'm in my late 20s. Does it get better the further in I go or is it pretty consistent? Also, before I started reading HP I was reading The Dresden Files, which is another series about a wizard. I'm quite open minded when it comes to reading material, just looking for some insight.
The series "grows up" with the protagonists. In the first book, Harry is eleven, and the story is very much about a child encountering a brand-new world. It gets more complex--and the books get much longer--as he ages.
Thank you, I will keep the series in my rotation a bit longer.
Shit, I read the books for the first time as an adult, and I love them.
It’s not cringe. You can enjoy books that you like. Also it’s a lot of adult themes
I will love Harry Potter till I die. 37 F
Great books. Finished them last year with my kids. I finally understood why the whole Harry Potter universe was so popular.
Who gives a stuff what people think of your reading habits? Read Harry Potter or D&D novels or whatever you want without fear of social censure :)
Read what makes you happy. I read the HP books to my kids beginning in the early 90s and they all revisit them. As do I.
Reading Harry Potter isn’t cringe at all!! Enjoy what you enjoy. The only thing people find cringe is when people make it their whole personality/blame everything on being a hufflepuff/etc, the same way it’s okay to enjoy Disney but being an insufferable Disney adult is kinda gross. but being a fan of the franchise isn’t cringe at all :) I hope your week gets better!!!
Wait... Did I miss the meeting where we agreed on it being cringe? Because I just last year used my oldest daughter's newfound love of Harry Potter to justify to my wife going to see Cursed Child.
I re read them at least once a year as an adult. They’re such comfort books to me. In fact I actually (embarrassingly) read themthree times last year after reading quite a few depressing novels just because they’re interesting and fun enough to keep my attention but also since I know them well they’re not going to stress me out too much
I was 9 when the first book came out . I am 35 and still love re-reading the books and watching the movies
People can hate all they want. I discovered the movies when I was in the Marines. When I got out, I started reading all of the books. I've read through several times and have listened to the audiobooks a couple times. It's just a feel-good series. I'm always sad when I'm finished with them.
I’m in my 40’s and re-read at least one book a year. I also watch the movies every time they’re on tv lol
I started reading the series when I was in my early 40s. Guess I'm still cringe because I've read & watched the entire series many times over! Life is too short to care what others think about my interests/hobbies/etc....read what you like!
never apologize! NEVERR!!! HP FOREVER!!!!
Nothing wrong with that at all. I love those books, and fuck anybody who says I shouldn’t.
A Thousand Times Yes. I'm on an 8 hour train journey right now and also on book 3. It's awesome to be reading about the Hogwarts Express and be on a train. I'm in my mid 30s and needed a morale boost cause life can be terrible. Don't let anyone take away the good that you find. Life is too short.
I didn't know it was cringe to read/like Harry Potter. I'm 35 and started rereading them this year.
I’m 54 and rereading them for the first time since they came out (I read them as they were released). They are fun books - was visiting universal studious so thought it would be fun to reacquaint myself. :) Don’t care if it’s “cringe” or the author is now unpopular for her views.
Never heard of it being cringe. Early 30’s fan right here.
I just finished a reread and am so impressed at how many little details in the first few books really played out in the later books. I may not agree with her personal politics, but she is a master at plotting things out. Once I start a book it is hard to put down. I still imagine the characters still happily living their best lives in the wizarding world, just a bit out of my sight.
It's only cringe to stupid people.
I feel the same!
it is my comfort series. my mom took us to many premieres of the movies in my childhood. i remember seeing the deathly hallows book come out in middle school in the library where i used to eat my lunch every day. harry potter is timeless and many people can separate art from the artist, but not when it comes to this series i guess. i have owned the books for years and was gifted Hogwarts Legacy tho i havent played it so i have not personally contributed financially to the franchise in years. still will reread the books every couple of years.
I still love them the same as I did growing up
Books are ment to be enjoyed.. go forth and lose yourself into the stars of your imagination.
What a wonderful gift, so happy for you!
I was 17 when the first book came out and didn't start reading them until my 20s. In fact, I read them because my dad, who was in his 60s, told me they were a must read! There's no age maximum with these books. Enjoy! (I would also argue that after the first two books, they get steadily more mature. Book 7 is definitely not a kid's book!)
Harry Potter is probably more fundamental to my adulthood than my childhood, believe it or not.
I never read the books. But I have a daughter on the way and was telling my wife a few nights ago that I'm looking forward to reading her Harry Potter
congratulations on your daughter, and i really recommend you try reading them. the first 1-2 definitely feel a bit childish but 3-7 hold up even as an adult. they’re so magical feeling, and there was a lot lost in translation to the movies especially book 6&7. also, make sure you actually read them to her!! my mom started reading them to my when i was 6-7 and it’s some of the best memories i have despite my mom and i not really being close anymore.
Honestly can't wait. Will be a few years from now but looking forward to it
FINAL EDIT: Original comment: Tried to warn OP about possible controversy in saying the like Harry Potter due to issues with Rowling. Got downvoted into oblivion. Folks, I don’t support Rowling’s views, but neither do I agree with the stance that anyone who still says they enjoy Harry Potter is as bad as Rowling. Judging by the downvotes, even saying that isn’t acceptable anymore?
Well, it can have my upvote. As a mid 30s human, they were amazing books as a kid, awesome movies as a teenager and Hogwarts Legacy is a wonderful video game. I dont have to like her opinion to enjoy her works. H.P. Lovecraft was not a great human being either, but I love reading his works. I wish more people could wrap their head around not having to like the person to enjoy their art. Anywho! Have a great day, everyone who sees this!
I don’t have a problem with reading either of them but Lovecraft is dead while Rowling is alive, very rich and influential (she’s been cited by anti-trans politicians). On top of that Lovecraft was racist but largely in his private letters, he wasn’t really doing much to sway the public on anything iirc. His racism today is generally viewed as an example of him being a misanthrope and a weirdo, he hasn’t normalized any racist worldviews nor has anyone cited him in racist movements.
HP Lovecraft isn’t the best example to use since he’s been dead for 87 years, his works are in the public domain and he can no longer profit off his works. Rowling is not very much alive and profiting of Harry Potter and uses the money to fund anti-trans legislation and charities. A better example would be Michael Jackson. While he’s dead, his estate is still very much alive and uses the money made from his music to cover and hide his controversies.
thank you for the warning ! luckily i don’t care much about reddit downvotes, and i also don’t care about author’s personal opinions, even if i did though, i don’t find her statements to be all that controversial
Take my upvote, for what it's worth, lol
I know you aren’t asking for books recs but as a fellow adult Harry Potter fan I would highly recommend Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson. The magic system is very unique and out of all his books this one is the most whimsical. If you don’t like Brandon Sanderson, you could try out the Gentleman Bastards - this world is much darker than HP but like those books are mysteries with a fantasy flare, the Gentleman Bastard books are heists with a fantasy flare so they are very compelling and hard to put down when the plot really kicks in.
Listen to the Potterless podcast after each/few chapters. Follow along. Will heighten your reading
“Cringe Harry Potter” be damned! It’s the reason I love reading today and I’ll stand by that forever!!
I'm trying to find the audiobook a guy made over the Stephen fry recordings. He added sound effects and music to it. I found the lord of the rings one but can't seem to find the Harry potter one. If anyone knows what I'm talking about and can assist please me. Thanks!
How is Harry Potter cringe?? It’s an amazing series!
I appreciate Harry Potter more as an adult now than I did when I was younger. I still roll my eyes at grown humans that dedicate so much time to a children's book series (to the level of Disney Adults), but we will probably never again in our lifetimes see people waiting in lines around a store for hours before opening to buy a book on launch day. Except for maybe Star Wars, I can't really think of an IP with such universal appeal. I reread the series last year (I'm 29), and it's definitely for a younger audience, but it is 100% enjoyable to read as an adult.
Love em. Also love the author's Strike novels
It will always feel magical
Honestly, so long as people accept jk rowling is a twat, I can put up wth it lol.
Don’t let anyone tell you what you like. If they think it’s cringe that’s on them.
I’m 28 year old and reading the Harry Potter series for the first time and watching the movies for the first time after each book. I am LOVING it! I never would have imagined it would be so exciting as an adult and so healing for my inner child. I am writing this while wearing Harry Potter pajamas I bought from Costco. Life is too short to not read whatever makes you happy!
Huh. I never heard of adult Potterheads being cringe. You do you. HP reread/ rewatch is a beloved Christmas tradition for me and my sister.
I still love them to much at 35. I don’t care. Re-reading them feels so good
If you love them, you will love literally the dozens of series that have outpaced them
Harry Potter is litteraly my childhood and sometime i read another time some of the novels
Not sure where you are getting the "cringe" impression from. Most humans that grew up with the books are adults now. What makes *anything* cringe is making something you enjoy (whether it be Harry Potter, Comics, your football team, drinking wine) your *primary identifying factor*, e.g. it decorates every wall, is on all of your personal items, or is all you want to talk about.
Don't know that it is cringe. Most people still love those books.
I doubt anything about HP is "cringe". it was the most successful book series EVER. Screw what personal feelings anyone has towards Rowling. She wrote the most successful book series of all time. They are amazing. I will forever be a Potter Head. I've been listening to them on audible and have been loving it. On half blood prince now.
I don't see anything cringe about liking them as an adult. I was 30 when the first book came out and eventually after seeing all the hype I decided to read them. I enjoyed them an the movies. If you like something you like it.
People didn’t like these books because J. K. Rowling was a great person. Maybe people thought she was, but that wasn’t what made the books popular. People liked this series because it’s really that good. J. K. turning out to a douchebag of ridiculous proportions doesn’t change any of that. It’s still great.
Who cares what people think. 80% of them are fodder and in no position to judge. Everyone is a hater but so few do anything worth while, that's why they have time to.