Conversations with J.K. Rowling :: Education by Design Store

Customer Reviews

That's it? No, seriously... that's really it?

2004-01-22
If I could spend an afternoon with any famous person in the world, it would be J.K. Rowling. I find her writing to be exquisite and (from what I have learned) her life story to be inspiring.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, Conversations with J.K. Rowling isn't a proper biography. It read more like a short, weak high school report. You'll likely spend about ten minutes reading quick, but interesting answers from J.K. Rowling and another ten minutes of *yawn* time. As are all Harry Potter fans, I am eager for books 6 and 7, but I am also awaiting her autobiography. I want all the details straight from J.K. Rowling.

This was okay, I guess...... 2003-06-01
I was kind of dissapointed with this biography, since I had wanted to read more about her life instead of the books which I have already read. I liked the interviews from O magazine, Newsweek and Larry King but felt that we didn't need to read the things about the books, since if they are looking for info about J.K. they probably already read the books. So it was okay, not the best.

Dissapointing 2003-04-18
This book clearly was not what I expected. Though the book is the only "authorized" biography of Rowling, it's a dissapointing book. For starters, the print is huge and not to mention the book starts on page 11! The biographal part was really the only part where fans wanting to learn about Rowling can find information about her. Plus, is in a question-and-answer format, so it dosn't really tell full-out about Rowling. The rest of the book basically is about the Harry Potter series, and it tells about the four books that have been released so far. (Come on hurry up book 5, I'll be waiting for you on June 21!) Anyway, the book is basically more about Harry Potter than J.K. Rowling. And, like one reviewer said, you could go to the bookstore and read it in less than 20 minutes. Don't waste your money on this one, just wait until a decent biography of Rowling comes out.

Too Short, Should Have Been Longer 2003-01-13
I was very exited when I first heard about this biography about J.K. Rowling. I immedietily went to my local public libray to check it out.

Let me tell you: this book is not worth anything. It is way too short. It only had 96 pages, and the book actually started on page 11.

The print is HUGE. It took me 15 minutes to read it. Also, I was dissapointed because the biography part was very short, the rest was all garbage all Harry Potter fans know about the four books.
And yes, it will spoil them for anyone who hasn't read them.

Don't waste your money. Read it in a bookstore or check it out of the library, but don't bother buying it.

If you want a better, more detailed biography, try J.K. Rowling: the Wizard Behind Harry Potter by Mark Shapiro.

Wasn't very impressed 2002-03-22
As a teen fan of J.K. Rowling I was pretty unimpressed with this book. From first sight I was surprised at how thin this book was and the huge print.( Kinda like a book for a seven-year-old) Then was disappointed me even more was that the initial interview was only about 2/3 of the book. Some of the facts in the interview was interesting but much to me was already known. It seemed to me throughout the entire interview J.K. was controling every little detail she let out. That is her character though. She never really ever revealed any of her plot line in her writing either.

The rest of the book was a complete overview of the Harry Potter series. This to me was a waste of time for I have read the books like 3 times each. And reader bewarned...if you haven't read all the Harry Potter books, this section holds a lot of spoilers which might ruin your experience.

All and all this book disappointed me very much. I hope someday J.K. decides to write a book about herself because billions of people are very interested in her life.

Great Book for Grades 2-5 2006-03-25
I bought this book for my son to use in his book report about J. K. Rowling. It was exactly what he needed! He was able to write a two page report about her life that included interesting facts.

A decent interview book 2005-10-25
Lindsey Fraser's Conversations with J.K. Rowling, written for young adults, bills itself as "the only authorized biography of J.K. Rowling." It is in fact not a biography per se. The book is divided into two sections. The first is the text of the author's interview with Rowling, conducted prior to the appearance of the first Harry Potter film (though after the rights to the movie had been purchased by Warner Brothers). (Fraser's book was published in 2000, the year that the fourth book in the series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, was released.) In the interview Rowling discusses her childhood and early schooling, her career as, among other things, a teacher, and writing. She occasionally refers to the links between her own life and the world of Harry Potter, telling readers, for example, that Stanley and Ernie from the Knight Bus were named after her grandparents, and that the Weasley's turquoise Ford Anglia was modeled after a high school friend's car. These details may not be revelatory to Harry Potter enthusiasts, but I had not heard them previously.

The second part of the book includes Fraser's brief essay on the world of Harry Potter and another on Goblet of Fire, a discussion which is augmented by snippets from interviews Rowling gave at the time of that book's release.

Good for kids, and at 96 pages of largish print, a very quick read.

Reviewed by Debra Hamel, author of Trying Neaira: The True Story of a Courtesan's Scandalous Life in Ancient Greece

Good for kids 2005-07-29
This is a great little interview book about J.K. Rowling as a writer. It's great for kids looking for career inspiration and interested in learning about the process of writing.

it was just like a big interview 2004-08-21
I thought this book was really cool. It was a bunch of questions the J.K. Rowling answered. I thought it was really interesting to learn more about her life before she became famous and how she is now. It was very short and I finished it in like an hour. It's for all people even if they arn't that into Harry Potter. The only problem is I think it is over priced.

it was just like a big interview 2004-08-21
I thought this book was really cool. It was a bunch of questions the J.K. Rowling answered. I thought it was really interesting to learn more about her life before she became famous and how she is now. It was very short and I finished it in like an hour. It's for all people even if they arn't that into Harry Potter. I think it is a very good buy.