Another public Harry Potter related poll - Beedle the Bard

[author_by_night]

[Poll #1309309]Comments are also welcome. I'm contemplating getting the book, but I don't know if it's really worth spending money on? I love Harry Potter as much as I did a year and five months ago, but I've actually never been as quick to get the companion books. It took me two years to get around to buying Fantastic Beasts and Quidditch Through the Ages.[Poll #1309309]

Comments

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

I'd say it's worth buying, but the standard version, not the special edition which is a bit too expensive. Especially if your store discounts it.

[eimajunknown.livejournal.com]

i can't believe the collectors edition is 100 bucks. that's crazy.

[vegablack62.livejournal.com]

I'm not that interested in the fairy tales. I'm glad they are out, if it keeps people interested in HP and writing great fanfiction unrelated to Beedle.

[proudofthefish.livejournal.com]

I already know I'm getting it for Christmas so I'm sort of interested but not flailing. If that makes sense?

[sea_thoughts]

I definitely don't think it's 'just' for kids. There's a story in there about someone getting their heart cut out.

[anelma-unelma.livejournal.com]

I think there should also be a "no" answer fot the second question...

[talimeeka.livejournal.com]

I'm not taking the poll because I haven't gotten it yet, but I'll let you know when I get and read it tomorrow. If it's anything like FBaWtFT or QTtA I'm sure it'll be worth buying. I wish I were rich and could get the pretty collector's edition though.

[chthonya]

I also think there should be a 'no' answer for the second question. (And maybe a 'what the heck, it's for charity' ;)

The fairy tales themselves are, by their nature, aimed at a young audience. The notes are aimed more at detail-obsessed fans, and imo are less aimed at children than the schoolbooks, because JKR can go into more detail about people and spells we know from canon, now that she no longer has to be spoiler-conscious. So to me it felt less jokey overall than the schoolbooks, though that could just have been the frame of mind in which I was reading.

More detailed comments on my LJ, if that may help you decide.

[linda-lupos.livejournal.com]

I actually felt that it was even more geared at the hard-core fans than FB and QttA. The Tales are cute but sometimes rather horrific (especially The Warlock's Hairy Heart), although even then much better than the sugary sweet 19th century alternative! *grin*
It's especially worth buying for the Dumbledore Documents (lol), but that also immediately makes clear that it's only for fans: casual readers won't care enough about the Tales to buy the book, and hardcore fans will gobble the extras up. Similarly, I don't really think little kids will care much about wandlore or historic backgrounds, let alone pick up little details that are only hinted at (hairy heart indeed), or little injokes (Grubby Goat!). Besides, I found Dumbledore's way of writing similar to his way of speaking in HBP and TDH; that is, verbose and somewhat academical. Easy for adults to read, but perhaps somewhat off-putting for younger readers, I'd think (but such a delightful way for Jo to display her sense of humour!).

I must say, though, that I really really loved that JK Rowling did the foreword and some of the footnotes, while still pretending that this was all real! "Professor McGonagall told me..." etc. I dunno, somehow it seemed as if she'd written herself into this world, or something. But it seemed really fitting, as a closure to the series, that the creator and the creation now interacted. :)

(I do think it's a shame that while the book has the subtitle 'Translated by Hermione Granger', there's no foreword by her or anything. The subtitle might as well not be there.)

[scarlett71177.livejournal.com]

I haven't decided either. Meh.

The other companion books seemed to relate to the characters more and Harry and Ron's jokes/comments/tomfoolery made the book.

[mcgonagalls-cat.livejournal.com]

I think JKR is in touch with her readers, even if WB and the merchandisers aren't. So, it can't be too kiddish. I have to get it fairly soon because our Potter Christmas party is going to use quotes out of it to do a sort of scavenger hunt. [Last year we hunted for Hallows and Horcruxes and it was a hoot!]


Besides... You're a Potter fan. We gotta rush out to buy whatever crumbs that get thrown our way now.... or put up with crap from Warner Brothers... or... or...



.

[miss-sophia.livejournal.com]

I say get it. Because JKR always manages to write stuff that makes one smile. I think I'm going to get the deluxe edition. Total collectors item.

Total sucker. *points to self*