Stephen King is not only a master of horror but also a recognized literary critic. He admires the talent of J.K. Rowling, considering her imagination so outstanding that it "should be insured for a couple of billion dollars." However, even he has a remark about the writer's style.
Adverbs, adverbs, adverbs
King's main complaint concerns the excessive use of adverbs in Rowling's texts, especially in dialogues. He notes that her characters rarely just speak — they do so "irritably," "sharply," "calmly," or "seriously." And Harry Potter himself most often speaks "angrily" in the fifth book.
King emphasizes that adverbs are used "when there is nothing more to say." In 'The Order of the Phoenix,' there are so many that, according to him, they almost turn the book into a "novel of adverbs."
Why is this important?
According to King, dialogues overloaded with emotional descriptions can be irritating. Readers can already understand the character and mood of the heroes from their actions and words. Excessive explanation feels like the author’s insecurity in their ability to convey emotions.
Despite the criticism, King speaks of the flaw rather condescendingly than harshly. In his opinion, such a stylistic feature is a "logical side effect of Rowling's vivid imagination." However, he notes that the writer could make her texts more concise.
Perhaps it is because of such details that Rowling's style seems "almost charming" to King, and her books are engaging despite the excessive emotionality of the dialogues.
