Loved rereading it
5 stars
Read it 25 years ago and have to say that it hasn't lost it's magic.
English language
Published June 26, 1997 by Bloomsbury Publishing.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
J. K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997, Bloomsbury Publishing)
4 stars
(77 reviews)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. The first novel in the Harry Potter series and Rowling's debut novel, it follows Harry Potter, a young wizard who discovers his magical heritage on his eleventh birthday, when he receives a letter of acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry makes close friends and a few enemies during his first year at the school, and with the help of his friends, he faces an attempted comeback by the dark wizard Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents, but failed to kill Harry when he was just 15 months old. The book was first published in the United Kingdom on 26 June 1997 by Bloomsbury. It was published in the United States the following year by Scholastic Corporation under the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. It won most of the …
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. The first novel in the Harry Potter series and Rowling's debut novel, it follows Harry Potter, a young wizard who discovers his magical heritage on his eleventh birthday, when he receives a letter of acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry makes close friends and a few enemies during his first year at the school, and with the help of his friends, he faces an attempted comeback by the dark wizard Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents, but failed to kill Harry when he was just 15 months old. The book was first published in the United Kingdom on 26 June 1997 by Bloomsbury. It was published in the United States the following year by Scholastic Corporation under the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. It won most of the British book awards that were judged by children and other awards in the US. The book reached the top of the New York Times list of best-selling fiction in August 1999 and stayed near the top of that list for much of 1999 and 2000. It has been translated into at least 73 other languages, and has been made into a feature-length film of the same name, as have all six of its sequels. The novel has sold in excess of 120 million copies.Most reviews were very favourable, commenting on Rowling's imagination, humour, simple, direct style and clever plot construction, although a few complained that the final chapters seemed rushed. The writing has been compared to that of Jane Austen, one of Rowling's favourite authors; Roald Dahl, whose works dominated children's stories before the appearance of Harry Potter; and the Ancient Greek story-teller Homer. While some commentators thought the book looked backwards to Victorian and Edwardian boarding school stories, others thought it placed the genre firmly in the modern world by featuring contemporary ethical and social issues, as well as overcoming obstacles like bullies. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, along with the rest of the Harry Potter series, has been attacked by some religious groups and banned in some countries because of accusations that the novels promote witchcraft under the guise of a heroic, moral story. Other religious commentators have written that the book exemplifies important viewpoints, including the power of self-sacrifice and the ways in which people's decisions shape their personalities. The series has been used as a source of object lessons in educational techniques, sociological analysis and marketing.
Endless reviewed Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling (Harry Potter, #1)
Classic
4 stars
A great start to what became a great experience reading the series with my wife and oldest daughter over the next three years.
Review of "Harry Potter à l'école des sorciers (Harry Potter, #1)" on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
2015 review:
When I first read this book I hated it. I couldn't even finish. But now... I love the Harry Potter series more than anything else (except maybe my family). Thank you J.K. Rowling for writing this masterpiece.
All was well.
Review of French translation in 2021:
While reading this in French for the first time, I found it fascinating to see what could and couldn't be effectively translated. Much of the humour, names etc. are steeped in Britishness which didn't necessarily come through in the translation. That's not to say the translator didn't do a fantastic job, just that there is a lot that isn't able to be translated without losing a bit of the cultural meaning behind it (eg. 'ickle' as in 'ickle Duddykins' or 'ickle firsties is translated to 'petit', which doesn't have the same 'baby talk'/mocking connotations, it just means small.)
Review of "Harry Potter y la Piedra Filosofal / Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Me gusta escuchar español. Yo estudio la idioma.
JohnnyCache reviewed Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling (Harry Potter, #1)
Review of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
This was a great book. I bet it would make a million dollars if they made a movie about it!
CountStex reviewed Harry Potter og De Vises Sten by J. K. Rowling
Review of 'Harry Potter og De Vises Sten' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
4 years, and 4 days later and I've finished reading! No Danish isn't quite that hard to read, but it's certainly slower going still, even with a story I know pretty well. Glad I'm reading more again now I have some reading glasses though!
Chelle reviewed Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling (Harry Potter, #1)
Review of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
So much magic in these books, and I'm not referring to wand flicks and incantations. The world that JKR has created is just magic in and of itself. Call me silly, but I get teary-eyed when I think of it. Dumbledore especially. I haven't reread the books in a long time, and when I read about him and how ALIVE he was, all sparkly-knowing eyes giving Harry, Hermione and Ron the tools they'd need to do the things that others would say they shouldn't...
I'm not making a lot of sense I know. But I just love these books.
jkb reviewed Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling (Harry Potter, #1)
Review of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I always wanted to read the books after I saw the movies. I was surprised how much the first book and the movie are the same. There was nothing added to the movie. The book though did have it's differences that made the story enjoyable.
lovmelovmycats reviewed Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling (Harry Potter, #1)
Review of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I just re-read this book (February 2013), this time reading it to my seven year old. It's just better with kiddos! She loves it. The movie is also better through a kid's eyes.
I didn't give her any spoilers, and she fully expected Snape to be an agent of Voldemort. As she would think, since the main characters think so too!
Also she thinks that Harry and Hermione might develop a romantic relationship. That's the kind of thing you think when you read 'em for the first time! :)
Subjects
- fictional magician
- magic in Harry Potter
- Harry Potter universe
Places
- London in fiction
- Privet Drive
- Hogwarts grounds
- Diagon Alley
- Scotland