Is it really necessary for me to read the Harry Potter books if I hated the movies?

Question

I know it's not necessary, but should I?

I've suffered through the movies and literally fallen asleep in the theater during the second film. My fiancee tells me that she doesn't like the movies either but she LOVES the books, so I shouldn't let the movies persuade me from reading the books.

When I ask people they all say that the books advance and get better as they go on. They get darker and more adult. So, essentially, the newest book was the best. My argument is that I don't know if I should read three or four childish and uninteresting books just to get to those later "awesome" books.

Sidenote ~ I like fantasy, so it's not the genre and some books intended for children are some of my favorite, to include the Narnia collection.

Thanks for all of your answers, and I know that ultimately it's my decision to read them. But what would you say to try to convince me to read them. Did anybody else reluctantly pick up the books after avoiding them and find themselves enjoying it? What made you finally cave in? Were the books as good as everyone told you they would be or were they hyped a bit?

Answer 1

I had never even heard of Harry Potter or JK Rowling until the forth book came out. I was amazed at the hoopla and decided to pick up book one in paperback to see what in the world was going on. I am an avid reader of all types of genre and have three kids that read alot as well. I was surprised when this one escaped my radar for so long.

I finished the first book in a day. I couldn't put it down!! The level of character building, the story line, & the under-lying continuing story line was amazing. I was hooked. I bought all books on tape to listen to on long road trips....we all became hooked (even my non-reading hubby) and we spent many a "halmark" evening with a fire, hot choc & popcorn listening to each book....with no TV!! We have numerous copies of each book, (I have the hardback "keepers") and I had to buy not one but three copies of book 7!!

Although the movies are good, (I think the first two movies are the truest to the books) the books are soooo much better all I can tell you is to try them. The books do change as the characters age....but I feel that all the books are great and you should read them in order so that you don't miss any important facts as the series builds to the final book.

FYI, another great "kid" series that is worth a read is D. J. MacHale's Pendragon series.

Answer 2

1. Alright, but that isn't really how I imagined Lupin. No offense intended, but he looks a bit like Hitler. 2. YUCK! Richard Harris was SO much better. Michael Gambon makes Dumbledore look like a short-tempered old creep - especially with the random shouting. Sorry, but I hate Movie Dumbledore. 3. Prisoner of Azkaban. Although it didn't follow the book as closely as the first two movies, I generally loved it. 4. Order of the Phoenix! That was a complete and utter mess! Worst movie adaptation of a book ever, in my honest opinion. I apologize if you liked it, but that movie was dreadful and irrelevant. 5. The Marauders' Map. NOTHING was explained about that. As much as I liked that movie, I think the only reason I wasn't mislead was because I'd read the book. Also, WHO THE HELL IS NIGEL? 6. He's OK. In some of the movies, especially, the earlier ones, he's better at being Harry. Some things do tend to annoy me, like the eye and hair color, and the ever-changing hairstyles. Overall, he's fine. 7. LOL. Yeah, I noticed that. It's funny. Especially when she's mad or panicking. 8. I love the ones who I think portray the characters the best. Therefore, my favorites are Rupert Grint, Alan Rickman and Evanna Lynch, who make the perfect Ron, Snape and Luna! 9. Hmm...Michael Gambon. 10. Nope. :D

Answer 3

Yeah, the movies lack a lot of the charm of the books, not to mention stuff gets edited for time (those are some loooong books, for children's books). I think they also pulled a lot of punches with the storyline. Stuff seems gentler in the book, but probably because they're worried kids will be "frightened". Personally, even though the series gets pretty dark at the end, it's also pretty dark to start with. Okay, the first two are maybe more childish than the others, but there is still a lot of suffering in them.

However, I think you should read through the series, starting from the first book. They build on the previous book quite strongly, and you will miss a lot of the plot if you skip a book. JK Rowling doesn't bother to explain previous books. She ploughs on, assuming you know what she means when she makes a small reference to something that was huge in another book. You will also need them to understand how far the characters have come. Harry pretty much stays as Harry, but there are some other characters that bloom beautifully, and you'll miss it if you skip books.

You should also check out the Dark is Rising series, by Susan Cooper, and anything by Garth Nix. I love his Keys to the Kingdom Series. Another "children's" author who understands that not everything is Disney.

Answer 4

I started reading when the 3rd book came out. I had seen some press about the books, thought the adults were a little kooky. Plus, several books that are extremely popular are dull to me.
I picked up Azkaban at a friend's house, because I was trapped in a small town for a few days with nothing to read.
I immediately became a full-fledged Potterdork. Overnight.

Just read Book 1. That is the shortest and simplest one, should be easy to get through even if you hate it. If you do hate it, you can be one of the very few I've ever heard say, "Yeah, I tried it, but it didn't do anything for me."

Answer 5

Unless it is a school assignment it is never necessary to read any book. The books are usually much better than the movies, but if the topic doesn't interest you dont bother. Why waste precious spare time reading a long book that you don't even like.
Personally, I have read all of the Potter books. I read the first one to see what the excitement was all about, and actually liked it. I read all the others liking each one a little less. In my opinion the books are way too long to keep your interest.

Answer 6

If I hate the movie I usually go to the book to see what they left out. As with the movies they take out a lot of the details. I would say that the writing style matures as the books go on. But to understand the whole picture you would need to start with the 1st book and work your way up to the 7th. I personally love the books not so crazy about the movies though. I would suggest you try to work your way through the books... they are actually very interesting.

Answer 7

Books will always be better than the movies. I happen to like both from Harry Potter....but again the books are better. I'm a little anal when it comes to reading a collection. I ALWAYS need to start from the first book.....you might be different, but I suggest to at least try to read the collection from the beginning.

Answer 8

I actually fought reading them for a while, but once I started I couldn't stop. The books are much more detailed and the writing definitely gets better as the books progress.

The plot becomes a lot more intricate starting about book 3.

I would highly recommend reading them.

The Warlock

Answer 9

Yes you should read the books as they are much better then the films and in the films they miss important things out.

Answer 10

Personally, I find that knowing the outcome of a story affects my enjoyment of a book.

Maybe you should try a different series. Another interesting author is Neil Gaiman.