I had never read any of these books until the movies came out. However, I have ended up really disliking Gandalf. My husband was shocked the first time I told him that I hated Gandalf.
He is bored, so he gets some innocent people and puts them in grave danger all for his own entertainment. Yeah, yeah, he is helping them "grow" and become more than they ever thought they could be. And then, when things are the most dire, he disappears. Bah!
That’s an interpretation of Gandalf I can’t say I’ve ever heard before.