Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J K Rowling (Audiobook Review)

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Title: Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets

Series: Harry Potter, book 2

Author: J K Rowling

Publisher: Listening Library

Narrator: Jim Dale

Duration: 9 hours, 1 minute

Copyright: 1999

Genres: fantasy, adventure, mystery

Filed in: Audiobook reviews

Review copy provided by Carrollton Public Library.



THE GIST: The Dursley’s are at it again. They’ve locked Harry in his room, with barely enough food to keep him and his owl, Hedwig, alive, and only letting him out twice a day to use the bathroom. And all for something that wasn’t even his fault! Dobby the house-elf has shown up at #4 Privet Drive, and for some reason he doesn’t want Harry returning to Hogwarts this year. How will Dobby accomplish this? Why, by smashing Aunt Petunia’s prized pudding all over the kitchen during a dinner party, of course. Naturally, the Dursley’s blame Harry for the catastrophe, hence the jam he’s currently in.



Never fear, Harry has friends now, and they’re not about to leave him at the mercy of the Dursley’s for the entire summer. In the middle of the night, Fred, George, and Ron Weasley show up in their father’s flying car to bust Harry out, and then he's off to their home, the Burrow, for the rest of the summer.



Harry’s troubles are not over yet, though. At King’s Cross Station, Harry and Ron find the barrier to platform 9 and ¾ blocked. What to do, what to do. Should they wait for Mister and Missus Weezly to come back through? No, too easy. Send an owl to Hogwarts for help? Too obvious! The only rational thing to do is to steal the flying car again and fly to Hogwarts in style! It’s a long trip to Hogwarts, but they finally arrive safely. That is, until they crash into the womping willow, and this is one tree that hits back!



Soon enough, Harry and Ron are reunited with their friend Hermione Granger and the trio are up to their old tricks again. Sure enough, there is another mystery to be solved. Legend has it that Salazar Slytherin, one of the original four founders of Hogwarts, built a secret chamber somewhere inside Hogwarts castle. Within this chamber of secrets, is a monster of unknown terror, waiting to be unleashed on muggle-born students. According to the legend, only the true heir of Slytherin can open the chamber and release the monster. Some believe that Harry Potter is that heir; he is a parcel-tongue after all, but there are others who think monster-loving Hagrid is to blame. The answer to the mystery lies within the strange diary Harry found, and the truth will shock everyone.



MY THOUGHTS: J K Rowling has created another exciting adventure for everyone’s favorite wizards, Harry, Ron, and Hermione. The world she created in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" becomes even more interesting with the addition of new characters such as Gilderoy Lokhart, Moaning Myrtle, and Dobby the house-elf, as well as new places like the Burrow, and Flourish & Blott’s. It seems that with Rowling, the possibilities are limitless.



FAVORITE ROWLING CREATION: The floo network! Any wizard establishment can have its fireplace connected to the floo network. All a witch or wizard has to do is toss a pinch of floo powder into the fireplace, then step into the flames and announce their destination loudly and clearly. They will then be whisked off to the location of their choice. Much better than traveling by broomstick, the floo network is much faster, and you don’t have to worry about muggles spotting you as you fly overhead. A clever variation on Roddenberry’s transporter pads.



NARRATOR: Jim Dale has done it again. He managed to keep all the right voices with all the right characters, not to mention adding a few new ones, and it’s really beyond me how he keeps them all straight. From Hagrid, to Lockhard, to McGonogal, to Dobby the house-elf, his voices are unique and fun to listen to.



FAVORITE JIM DALE VOICE: Gilderoy Lockhart is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He is eminently qualified for the post, based on all the monsters and dark creatures he has battled and defeated, as documented in his many published books. The only problem is, he’s a big fat phony and a blustering idiot. Jim Dale's voice for Lockhart is right on the money as usual, with just the right amount of pomposity and cheek.



FAVORITE SCENE: I love the scene at Nearly-headless Nick’s 500th death-day party. Harry, Ron, and Hermione agree to attend as a favor to Nick, not really knowing what to expect. The first thing they notice, is the ghostly orchestra who’s music sounds like fingernails on a blackboard. Then they stroll over to the buffet table for a bite to eat. They are aghast to find such treats as rotted fish, maggoty trays of meat, moldy cheeses, and a giant cake shaped like Nick’s tombstone. Just then, the headless hunt barges into the party. Made up of all headless ghosts, the headless hunt amuses the party-goers with games like head hockey, and head juggling. Nearly-headless Nick is not amused; he applied for membership in the headless hunt, but was denied since his own beheading was botched, leaving his head slightly attached. And finally, what would a ghost party be without Peeves the poltergeist. He makes a nuisance of himself, as usual, by chasing Moaning Myrtle through the party, throwing moldy peanuts at her and calling her pimply. All in all, a very funny scene.



MOST SHOCKING REVELATION: Harry Potter is a parcel-tongue! It has long been believed that only dark wizards possess the strange and unusual ability to converse with snakes, so where did Harry acquire the skill? Perhaps he really is the heir of Slytherin, as many of his school-mates believe.



FAVORITE CHARACTER: Moaning Myrtle was a student at Hogwarts fifty years ago when she was killed. She vowed to haunt the bathroom where the other girls used to gather and gossip about her. Poor Myrtle is a little unbalanced, though, and even now that she's dead, she’s still depressed and suicidal. But Moaning Myrtle’s moment in the spotlight has finally arrived, as she holds the final decisive clue that breaks the mystery of the chamber of secrets wide open.



FAVORITE QUOTE: Arthur Weasley, berating Ginny for talking to her diary; “Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain.”



FINAL WORD: Hey, “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” isn’t just for kids. If you've been avoiding these books because they’re "for kids", you're really missing out on some good audio books. Find yourself a copy of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" and dig in!



FILM ADAPTATION: Yes, of course "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" was made into a movie! “Chamber of Secrets” had a budget of 100 million dollars and grossed almost 900 million. I think I’m in the wrong line of work.



CHECK OUT THESE OTHER AUDIOBOOK REVIEWS::

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J K Rowling (Audiobook Review)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J K Rowling (Audiobook Review)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J K Rowling (Audiobook Review)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J K Rowling (Audiobook Review)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J K Rowling (Audiobook Review)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J K Rowling (Audiobook Review)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J K Rowling (Audiobook review)





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This audiobook review is based on the unabridged audiobook.

Audiobook review by Steven Brandt

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