Customer Reviews

The Great Snape Debate : The Case for Snape's Guilt / The Case of the Snape's Innocence

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Great Book! a must read for Severus Snape fans and detractors. Presents both sides of Snape's actions. I truly deep look into teh complex character of Severus Snape.

Although I purchased this book after book 7 had been released, I still enjoyed it immensely. Very well written, based on the the evidence the series provided by that time, it absorbs the reader into the fascinating procedure of interpreting it. It also offers a fine example (the last chapter of the 'innocence' part) on how writers are by far the best critics and can safely predict the closure of a literary work based on literary criteria. A must have for Potter-, Snape- and (even) Rickmanfans. For the happy few who have not yet read book 7 (I envy the delights awaiting them) it is worth reading before they attack the final installment of the Potter saga.

I purchased this book on a whim at a Barnes and Noble a few years back for some curious reading. I'd heard a lot of good things about it, so I figured "why not?". I already knew Snape was a good guy (I read Deathly Hallows the night it came out five years ago), but I was curious to see what people speculated before the book was released. Before picking up this book, you should know that this book is not for casual readers. It is full of what seem like endless paragraphs and essays (I'm not complaining) and it would make for difficult reading for some. What I did was take a highlighter and I highlighted the interesting bits, so if I should ever open it again, I can sift through a lot of the things that I already knew. I also made a lot of my own notes in the margins, which gives the hint that this book intrigued me and got me thinking.

Snape was always a favorite character of mine; even before he redeemed himself in Deathly Hallows. I always knew there was more to him. So naturally, I only read half of the book. I only read the bits in his defense, because I figured it would be silly to read pages upon pages convicting him of being a bad guy when I know he's not. Maybe sometime in the future I will pick up the other half, but for the time being, I'm happy having read only half.

I read that first half non-stop. I couldn't even put it down. I think it took me a good few hours of straight reading just to get through that bit, so I can only imagine that the second half would take just as long. (And I'm usually a fast reader).

If you love (or for whatever reason hate) Snape, even years after the final book has been released, I would suggest picking up this book and giving it a read. It is a challenging read, but a rewarding one. (I gave it four stars instead of five because I really liked it, but I wouldn't say I loved it. I have nothing really negative to say about it.)

I liked this book for it's differing opinions regarding the Snape issue. It provided a literary look at the different characters in the book and to the classic stereotypes. I wouldn't recommend it for easy-reading but it's definitely nice if you're interested in delving deeper into Harry Potter. I have yet to read Book 7, so I'm anxious to see if any of the conjecture in this book matches up with what really happens.