Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Review
J. K. Rowling’s Second Outing to Hogwarts, this Time by Flying Car
Aug 14, 2009
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is more disturbing than its predecessor Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, showing the history of Hogwarts in a much darker light. Establishing the evil ingenuity of the book’s antagonist, Voldemort, whose only thoughts and desires are to destroy the lives of others and establish himself as a ruler.
J K Rowling Unveils Normal Life in the Wizarding World
Each new novel divulges more information about the enthralling world of Hogwarts. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Rowling gives deeper insight on the lives of the ghosts who roam the school grounds, the house elves and various new spells like the Polyjuice Potion.
The coolest feature of the second book, however, has to be Harry’s introduction to the Burrow, the home of the Weasleys. The first chance both Harry and the reader’s get the opportunity to see the home of a wizarding family.
Bookshelves filled with spellbooks instead of cookbooks, children degnoming gardens instead of weeding, Quidditch team posters hanging on the wall instead of football teams and, amazingly enough, no televisions...
The Plot of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
J. K. Rowling is extremely clever at introducing Voldemort in different forms throughout her novels. In the Chamber of Secrets he takes the form of a memory, one that tries to establish his hold over the wizarding world by exploiting the weaknesses in Hogwarts history.
The Chamber of Secrets, just as its predecessor, is also written with a clever twist that will have readers guessing the identity of Voldemort’s confidant within the walls of Hogwarts. Rowling is brilliant at showing the world just how unclear the obvious can be.
New and Old Characters Return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Ginny Weasley was first introduced in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone as Ron’s little sister, but she finally makes a name for herself at her first year in Hogwarts. She admires Harry from afar and her usual loud mouthed nature is squashed by a newfound shyness, she is too scared to even talk to Harry and finds it hard to make friends in Hogwarts.
Someone who does not find it hard to make friends, or at least fans, is Gilderoy Lockhart. The opposite of Ginny in every way, loud and obnoxious, he is apparently the only character that Rowling based on a real person. Famous for so many exploits, he has secrets of his own that he attempts to conceal…
Conclusion
Probably not the best book in the series, but definitely a strong novel by itself, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is another fine endeavor into the magical world of Hogwarts. Those who have only seen the movie are essentially getting the plot, but miss out on the world itself – which is what really make the books special.
Publication Information
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: June 1999
ISBN: 978-0439064866
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