Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Book 5

Deeper, Darker, Longer . . . Brilliant!

Did J.K. Rowling overdo it with "The Order of the Phoenix"? You might be forgiven for thinking so. After all this longest book of the series had the shortest amount of film time dedicated to it. So who got it right? Author or Director? It does have to be said that it is a slower moving story and some will conclude that a tougher approach to the editing would have improved it.

I have to disagree though, this is a more grown-up Harry Potter! Full of teenage angst and hormones as he struggles with not just wizardry, evil and fame but also the normal challenges that all young people face. Raging against family, the agonies of a possible first love, the panic created by crucial examinations and discovering that just maybe your parents weren’t quite the perfect role models that you once thought.

Again the narrative to the story takes on an increasingly darker tone and the sense of childish wonder is replaced with a more worldly outlook as befits a growing boy. There are still, of course, lots of moments of humour and warmth as we get to spend an extended amount of time with Harry, Hermione, Ron and the others. The Weasley twins are a particular highlight of this book.

The man faced with this marathon narration is once again the hugely impressive Mr Fry who is extremely easy on the ear. Listen carefully and you can detect a couple of very slightly ragged edges in the character voicings of this one but he still brings great atmosphere and at times a real gravitas to proceedings.

If you have only ever seen the film before this book should be a massive treat! I think the author got it right and it’s the one Potter film where I genuinely feel they didn’t do the book justice at all. Even though it was a fine film in of itself it just doesn’t quite manage to capture the essence of the book as well as the others.

It’s long but don’t be put off, after all who wouldn’t want to spend a few extra hours with this set of characters?

39 of 42 people found this review helpful

Hurray! Harry Potter is on audible!

What made the experience of listening to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Book 5 the most enjoyable?

I read all the Harry Potter books. It is such a treat to listen to Harry Potter's adventures again. Stephen Fry does an amazing job and brings all the characters in the book alive. I used every opportunity to listen to this Harry Potter Book. Even I know the storyline I didn't get bored listen to the book again.

What other book might you compare Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Book 5 to, and why?

I don't know any books which you can compare with The Harry Potter series. For me Harry Potter is just the best.

Which character – as performed by Stephen Fry – was your favourite?

Stephen Fry brings every character in the book alive. I particularly like his performance of Dolores Umbridge as his voice is brings her bittersweet evil character alive.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It is too long to listen in one sitting but I finished the audio book in a week. I could not wait listening to Harry Potter so I listened to it on my way to work, going for a walk with my dog and doing household chores.

Any additional comments?

I will download every Harry Potter Book. It is such a treat to be able to have the whole series on my IPod. Thanks Audible!

12 of 13 people found this review helpful

Better than the HP movies

Would you listen to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Book 5 again? Why?

Stephen Fry is SO amazing at reading Harry Potter.
He has so many different voices for each character its easy to forget its one person reading it.
He makes each character stand out of the book as if they are real.
I can't stand the HP movies. Many of the characters in the movies are nothing like the book, including Harry, Dumbledor, Hermione, Ron, Fred and George. (look at the kid actors in A Game Of Thrones, thats proper child acting).
Stephen Fry reading Harry Potter = heaven.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Love Harry Potter

Iv been waiting ages for these books on audible and thankyou. Steven fry reads perfectly xx

11 of 13 people found this review helpful

Magical!

A wonderful story, and Stephen Fry is magnificent.
I absolutely loved it.
Brilliant - highly recommended!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Addictive, compelling!!

What made the experience of listening to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Book 5 the most enjoyable?

Stephen Fry's narration!

What did you like best about this story?

Although getting darker in nature, it's central focus remains the same: love, friendship and goodness over evil :)

Have you listened to any of Stephen Fry’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Yes ALL the Potter books thus far. Although all great, the ever growing amount of characters make it more varied and interesting!

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Dark. Dangerous but friendship saves the day!!

Any additional comments?

SO glad the Umbridge woman gets her comeuppance, she's simply vile!!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Amazing Book and beautifully read

I cant get enough of the Harry Potter books. This book in particular is awesome. J K Rowling is a genius.

I already had the Jim Dale audio version. I think both he and Stephen Fry tell the story but Stephens version is more complete.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

The story continues

Stephen Fry does another fantastic job in bringing to life the characters in the book.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

fantastic

Fabulous book, Stephen Fry had bought out the magic JK Rowling had put into her book. Can't wait to listen to the next one. Strongly recommended for car journeys, during lunchtimes at work or school or just for times on your own

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

...and another one

The Harry Potter franchise gets quite samey at this point. There was a slight change of pace but it seems they all follow a similar structure. Despite this, they're still a lot of fun and Stephen Fry does a great job reading them, even if he does only have a handful of voices for characters.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful