Adults reading/buying Harry Potter books
 

First of all I have to say I've only read the first book. I'd also like to qualify that by stating I've read it in French and Dutch translations not English and did so as part of learning those languages.

I was talking to a friend of mine over the weekend who mentioned he'd been and bought the latest Rowling cash cow. I assumed it was for his 9 year old girl but in fact he said it's for him to read on the train. Being a tactful individual I asked if perhaps he bought it because it features a nice big font and not so many of those confusing words on each page- oddly he didn't find my casting aspersions on his literary choice very amusing.

It set me thinking about all the other people who read these children's books and other tosh from the best seller lists. Is it because they've got no imagination? Or is it simply because they find adult literature too taxing?

do you have enough spare change to go and buy a life?

live and let live i say

Chef
recent purchaser of HP book :D

have you watched Star Wars, ET, Spiderman....going to see Transformers?

all kids films......and i'd watch any of them before boring myself silly with Schindler's List!

I don't think there is anything wrong with buying Harry Potter per se, It's the equivalent of watching Eastenders on the TV. It doesn't necessarily mean you don't sit and listen to Radio 4, as well.

There is no age limit for a good book, I love Harry Potter :o

Not my cup of tea - but then neither is Lord of the Rings. But live and let live. Being grown up all the time really isn't that much fun.....

My point is that they aren't good books. They're derivative and simplistic. At least the first one was. I can't comment on the others.

I wasn't talking about the films either.

Buy and read a child's book by all means I just wondered why so many adults are doing it.

Well, I bought the book and indeed have all of them, you are correct in your assumption that I read them because of the large print but not becuase I'm a simpleton, I have a rare condition where my eyeballs shoot from side to side which makes concentrating on small type very difficult. This combined with the fact that I only have one ear means that I often lose my sense of balance half way through reading and drop the book, it is much easier to find where I was if the book has large print.

I read them because I enjoy them, I suppose that is the reason others do too :)

Are you aware there are adult books available in large print? Perhaps a visit to your local library could pay dividends?

It's great you enjoy them. Do you still read Enid Blyton books as well? Would you feel happy about being seen on the train to work reading 'The secret seven'?

I couldn't give a monkeys chuff what people think. I read what I enjoy, end of :)

Surely one of the reasons Harry Potter is so successful is that it appeals to both children and adults alike. Enid Blytons work patently does not.

In a similar vien, the Lord of the Rings Trilogy could equally be classed as a "childrens" book - Certainly I read it when I was 11, yet it seems to be "acceptable" to be an adult and read that particualr series.

What I'm wondering is why it appeals to adults thus starting this post. I'm aware that having read only the first book in foreign language versions I may not be getting the full picture.

However I'm at a loss to understand why a simplistic tale that seems to have been ripped off wholesale from various other trashy fantasy novels is popular with adults. It's not as if the prose is particularly clever............I also find it mawkish in the extreme.

Genuinely interested or just wishing to bait others?

That's good, you shouldn't let the fact you may be perceived as somewhat backwards in your tastes bother you. For the most part I imagine you'll be in company with a lot of other adults reading this children's book.

Why do you enjoy it?

Genuinely interested and wouldn't have posted this if I hadn't seen all the hype this weekend and talked to my friend who said the highlight of his weekend was queueing to buy this book.

To be honest, I took the same view as yourself right up until this year. My only connection with Harry Potter was through the films, which I had taken my children to see. I though that whilst being mildly entertaining, there was no way that the books would keep me interested for any length of time.

However my youngest son started reasding them, and insisted I read them as well, as he finished each one.

And I have to say, whilst they aren't going to with the Booker prize, they do get better as they go along. The first book is almost certainly the poorest of the 6 I have read so far, but as the characters and story develop there are some quite good ideas.

I mean lets face it, it's not exactly taxing, but it is the equivalent of watching something like "Spiderman" - Not the most mentally challenging tale, but entertaining nontheless.

Has anyone read Shrek? :Suspiciou

I'll take a Terry Pratchett book over J. K. everytime.

Early TP books are excellent.

Oh dear, your bait isn't very tempting. I am rather busy at the moment. I have explained my reasons and am not prepared to repeat myself :)

J.K. Rowling... You would though! :norty: ;)

I have a number of TP books, but still havent got round to reading them :(

Too right you would, did you see the filthy dirty shoes that she was wearing on Woss :norty:

If you want an "adult" series of fantasy fiction, try the "Song of fire and ice" series by George R R Martin. Thouroughly excellent read.

You have a friend ?? :lol1:

I would think adults read the HP books to try and get away from the scum ridden world we live in.

The news is full of terrorism and crime, carbon footprint bollocks, and the banning of this, that and the other. The net and web forums are full of people wanting to bait others into arguments (;)) and the world in general is a difficult place to be these days where you are sneered at for the very thought of having fun or doing something becuse you want to :(

I like the books myself, not as a replacement for any adult books but as a source of relief from the day to day grind of being an adult.

It's nice to get back to your roots for a bit and act as a child - same rules apply to playing on a Scalextric, going to a theme park or generally arsing about in a quick car (although the car bit doesn't hark back to childhood roots for everyone). :D

I've read a couple of "adult" targetted books that were held in hig regard on Scoobynet and they were tosh. If you were into the whole fantasy thing when you were young then the HP series is enjoyable.

Perhaps that's it then. The first book is dross but the others have some merit.

As to those who think I'm 'baiting' them, guess again. I just wondered why it seems to be socially acceptable for adults to read children's books, as it really wasn't not so long ago. I guess it's just part of dumbing down. The sad thing is in a lot of ways it's a good thing, they're likely to have been the only books they've read for a long time.

The escapism angle is interesting. I guess it's similar to grown men who read children's comics.

Aye, and did you notice the seems running up the backs of her legs as well when she got up from the green room? :norty:

The thing that doesn't help with the dumbing down angle is the huge fuss made over the number of pages in the new book - 650 odd or whatever it is. People seem to auomatically equate the length of a book to how difficult it is to read.