Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by JK Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne
Published: July 31, 2016Publisher: Little BrownPages: 343Received: my husband bought me a copy
Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on July 30, 2016.
It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.
While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.
Okay, let's start with the fact that I read this the first weekend after it's release and I am just now writing my review. I needed time to absorb and think about my feelings, but now I'm regretting not writing it right away while I was still feeling all the feels and such.
I've read a lot of reviews of this script (I'm going to call a it a book from here on out since it was bound and published since that is still kind of how I see it). The one that was closest to my thinking process was a review over at Bookmark Lit. Pretty much, it's not a perfect JKR style Harry Potter book, but it still brought back all of the fun and emotions for me. Even though it is a play to be watched instead of read, I really enjoyed it. Somehow I was still able to recall details of Hogwarts and other places from my memory of the previous books, so it wasn't an issue of needing more descriptive writing for the non-spoken sections of the play. Honestly, it really didn't deter from my enjoyment at all. If anything, I was able to concentrate on what they were saying and feeling the emotions.
Now on to the story and characters - be warned there may be spoilers below.
My favourite new character is by far Scorpius - he is the complete opposite of his father Draco and I adore him for it. I had a hard time with Albus, he was whiny and I guess that could be explained by his feeling stuck under his fathers shadow. I just didn't connect with Albus that well, but it did not take away from the story for me. I didn't care for Delphi from the beginning and maybe that was a good thing.
Old characters - honestly I wish Luna had made an appearance. And I wish we could have seen more of Neville. I loved that Hermione is Minister of Magic and that Harry works for the Ministry, but really I don't feel like Harry, Ron or Hermione were really elaborated on as much. I think that is because it was more about Albus and his story. There were some new experiences with Harry as a father figure, so there is that. Oh and I did love that Snape made an appearance.
The time traveling aspect of the story wasn't too bad in my opinion. I know others compared the time turner from when Hermione used one to this story and they kind of picked it apart. I just read the story for what it was and allowed myself to fall into the world and not think. I loved experiencing some of the scenes from the Triwizard Tournament again, so that was fun!
Lastly, there are still all kinds of feels happening in this story - you have new emotional connections to characters and it brings up old feelings for the people and places from the previous books.
I think that is the key to enjoying a story - let yourself be absorbed by it, don't overthink or over analyze anything. Enjoy it for what it is. Let your mind wander into the world.
I wish I could keep track of my thoughts and such while reading, like this person with his 96 Thoughts I Had While Reading Harry Potter and the Cursed Child post, but I can't. It would make for an amazing post one day, but I find it distracting to try and make notes while reading. I generally just want to get absorbed into the world and characters and not think. One day I will try this style of keeping notes to publish as a post.
I hope people don't over analyze the story to death and just enjoy it for the adventure back into the wizarding world we all love so much. Enjoy the story and characters!
Let me know what you thought of the new Harry Potter story - leave comments or links to your posts and I'll come check it out.
I'm just now reading this "book". I had to wait until some of the frenzy died down for my own sanity. NO LUNA??? I didn't know that!! That's a bummer. I'm really really liking Scorpius AND the whole Slytherin thing, but I am a Slytherin so I guess I would :)
ReplyDeleteYa, no Luna. :( And I really liked Scorpius too!
DeleteHahaha, I hadn't seen that 96 Thoughts I had While Reading HP - it's hilarious! I enjoyed the story as well, but of course there were things that I thought just weren't true to the characters (especially some of Harry's stuff), and that didn't sit right with me. But at the end of the day, I got to re-visit Hogwarts and my favorite magical world, so I couldn't hate it :D
ReplyDeleteRevisiting the world of Harry Potter was the most amazing part for me, so at least you were able to enjoy that part. :)
DeleteI really enjoyed this one too! I went into it not expecting a "new Harry Potter book" and I think that saved it for me. I enjoyed the world and the possibilities and didn't try to dissect it or make comparisons.
ReplyDeleteI too don't like to make notes while i read. Nothing draws me out of a book faster than having to face reality multiple times. Glad to hear that you enjoyed this one as well!
Going in with no expectations and not dissecting it was the best way to enjoy the story.
DeleteI used to take notes, but now if I really need to, I grab a sticky note and just tab the page.