Redemption at Hogwarts

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, by J. K. Rowling (Scholastic, 652 pp., $29.99)

REVIEWING a Harry Potter book is the ultimate superfluous act. No critic can hope to lay a glove on J. K. Rowling’s series, which long ago passed into the realm of universal approbation reserved for mothers, flags, and balanced budgets. The only remaining Harry-skeptics—Christian fundamentalists on one hand and literary scholars like Harold Bloom and A. S. Byatt on the other-have been banished beyond the pale of civilized discourse, and everyone else has given in: We all love Harry, and Voldemort take anyone who doesn’t.

About the Author

Ross Douthat

Ross Douthat is a former National Review contributing editor.

Featured Tags

Manage following

J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, by J. K. Rowling (Scholastic, 652 pp., $29.99)

REVIEWING a Harry Potter book is the ultimate superfluous act. No critic can hope to lay a glove on J. K. Rowling’s series, which long ago passed into the realm of universal approbation reserved for mothers, flags, and balanced budgets. The only remaining Harry-skeptics—Christian fundamentalists on one hand and literary scholars like Harold Bloom and A. S. Byatt on the other-have been banished beyond the pale of civilized discourse, and everyone else has given in: We all love Harry, and Voldemort take anyone who doesn’t.