Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was one of the most anticipated books of this year. I was one of the idiots who thought that now that I am grown up I would not be too excited about the latest from J. K. Rowling. I didn’t pre order it. But on the release day I went crazy seeing all my friends reading and talking about it. So I ordered the book on the release day. And read it on a morning before even having breakfast.
It has been a pretty long time since The Curse Child was released. So I guess it is safe to post a review. Also, since almost everyone knows what the book is about, no synopsis.
Non-Spoilery thoughts
So what did I feel like after I read the book? Happy. Very happy. And relieved to read more news of the Harry Potter world.
To those who hated the book…
To all the fans who hated The Curse child, Rowling made it clear that this is not a novel, but a manuscript for a play. Which means there will be no world building, emotional tugs etc. Things will zoom past. And everything has to happen in front on a live audience on a stage. Also, it is NOT WRITTEN by ROWLING. The book is based on a story by Rowling, that’s all. There! You were warned.
1. About the story
I loved the twists in the story. I mean it was really exciting to be reading about the Harry Potter world after 19 years. I loved seeing the much loved Harry Potter characters as adults with jobs. It made me feel old as well.
2. About the characters
Unlike many of the reviews I found Harry, Hermione and Ron to be believable characters in their adulthood. Harry, yes! With such a burden of fame and witnessing of deaths as a boy, I would imagine him to be an insecure adult. I especially liked the character sketch of Draco, he was exactly as I imagined him to be.
***SPOILERY PROBLEMS WITH THE SCRIPT****
If you have not read the script yet, please do not read further. There are spoilers ahead.
1. The Polyjuice potion
How? How? How? The potion takes 1 month to make it. And suddenly in the book it gets made in a matter of minutes. Did I read it wrong? Am I missing something here? Didn’t the editors catch this error?
2. Scorpius and Rose
I like the pair. But it gnaws me that it might have been intentionally put because there were so many fans who thought Draco and Hermione made a better pair than her and Ron. It kind of felt like “trying to please everyone”. But, no complaints. I like them. BUT Rose is hardly there in the novel. She has a guest appearance now and then.
3. Albus & Scorpius
There were so many reviews that came out shipping Albus and Scorpius. No way! Scorpius has a crush on Rose from the very beginning. However I agree that some of the dialogues did feel like it could be interpreted both ways. I felt as if Rowling purposely left some open ends to add in later depending on where the winds blow.
(I am one of those who disagree when Rowling announced that Dumbledore was gay. There is no indication anywhere in the books about his orientation. It was an additional label Rowling thought of after the books were published, for inclusion of diversity or publicity or whatever the reason may be. If Dumbledore was actually gay, he should have been properly represented from the beginning in the novel.)
4. Why does Harry Potter have to steal the limelight?
I mean, the kids Albus and Scorpius could have solved the problems towards the end somehow. They wrecked their brains and reached so far. They were managing fine. SO why did HP have to butt in and do a final fight and completely side line the kids? Okay! The title was Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. But Albus and Scorpius are terrific fighters as well.
5. The Prophecy
That was pretty lame. I mean we just can’t imagine Voldemort and Bellatrix having a baby.
6. The ending
Another Time turner? Again? Oh no! C’mon I expect more than that climax from an HP book. It seemed like a desperate attempt to end the story.
Final Verdict
I found the plot of the play to be weak. But the script does evoke the nostalgia of the Harry Potter world that defined our childhood. I enjoyed the read. I laughed and chuckled all through the script, and even had heart breaking moments, especially in the parts about Snape.
A word of caution: Please read it as a play. Not with the pre judgemental notion of a full-fledged HP novel.
Care for a re-read?
No. I would not go for a re-read of the book. For me the HP series ends with the last novel by Rowling.
Would I recommend?
Yes, if you love Harry Potter.
Am I still a Harry Potter fan? (after seeing HP as an adult )
Definitely, no doubt about that. But the HP in my mind will be the boy who studies at Hogwarts.
I heard the actual play is fabulous. So watch it if you can and let me know how you liked it.
Title : Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Author : J. K. Rowling. John Tiffany, Jack Thorne
Publisher : Little Brown UK
Published : 2016
Language : English
Pages : 301
Rating : 4/5
I don’t plan to read this anytime soon. I want my memories to be with the original books, but I have lots of favorite fanfiction stories that I’ve read over the years with an adult HP. I’ve read so many reviews, both positive and negative, that explains how this script could’ve been written on fanfiction or WattPad, and received the same responses. Maybe they bound the script for fans who are unable to see the play, but I honestly think it was unnecessary. I have it because it was given to me, so I feel obligated to read it, but I honestly had no intention to read it after I saw all the reviews. At least now I know what to expect. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Thank you. If you are an HP fan I would say read it at some point. Because it is just fun to see how the characters developed, how flawed they are and how their victories have affected them as an adult. And make sure you read it thinking its a play. Because things happen so fast!
My daughter gobbled this one up as soon as she got it. If you want to read her thoughts on it, you can find them here: https://islaylovesbooks.wordpress.com/2016/08/08/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-book-review/
Thats so good to know. I will definitely check it out.
I enjoyed HP and the Cursed Child, however I went into it with the knowledge that is wasn’t going to be “the 8th books”. I enjoyed it for what it was, a companion to the series, not a continuation. Great review!
Thanks! Glad you felt the same. It was nice to read even with a lot of loop holes. But yeah, not an eighth book definitely
I just passed by the theatre in London where the play was on. Didn’t buy the book though. I see you have mixed feelings, right?
Yes I do have mixed feelings. If it wasn’t a continuation of Harry Potter I might have enjoyed it lesser and given a lower rating as well. I liked the read but I felt the plot was weak compared to the earlier novels. I heard the actual play is great though.
I skipped over the spoiler-y thoughts, but really appreciate your take on it, Resh. I am still undecided about reading this. Thanks for your thoughtful review.
Thank you. It is a good read if you are an HP fan. As a stand alone the book doesn’t do that well. I hope you will pick it up.
I read the book, and while I would absolutely ship Scorpius and Albus (in the same way I shipped Harry and Draco) that’s clearly not what happened. My beef with the Rose and Scorpius pairing was that she was barely in it, so it seemed strange to push that relationship. I wonder if you’re right about it being to appease Hermione/Draco fans?
Glad you felt the same. About trying to please fans. As for me I saw the Rose Scorpius relationship in another light. That he reallly has to work hard to win her hand. 🙂
I read this book, enjoyed it, and had the same thoughts as you. Take it as a play and it makes for great entertainment.
I am glad you agree. It sure is entertaining. But we should read it as a play
I consumed this book in less than 3 hours and I enjoyed it thoroughly.I was glad to be back in the world of witchcraft and wizardry.I haven’t watched the play yet but if there is any recording of it,I am definitely watching it.
I actually didn’t see your problems with the script,or let’s just say I happily ignored them.
Yep,still very much an HP fan.
That is good if you did not notice the problems in the script. That makes the read even more enjoyable. I am glad you loved the read as well. I heard the actual play is fabulous.
Thank you for visiting. 🙂
Great review! I just finished reading HP and the Cursed Child over the weekend. I haven’t written my review yet because I’m still thinking about it, but my reaction is mixed overall. I thought the second half was better than the first, but I’m not sure if the story improved or if it just took me that long to get used to reading it as a script and to seeing our favorite characters as adults rather than children.
Thank you. It felt weird right? Reading about the children as adults? Well, hope you will compose your thoughts soon. Can’t wait to read them
These photos are gorgeous! I kind of hated this one, but not because it’s a play (I’ve read plenty of those) – because the plot was absolutely ridiculous. So many plot holes. And yep, totally agree that Dumbledore should have been represented as gay from the start. Representation doesn’t count if it’s invisible.
I agree. The loopholes were ridiculous. But I dot so dopey with all the Harry potter references and enjoyed the read. Phew! Glad you think the same about Dumbledore.
I love the pictures in this post! XD I really enjoyed the play – it was fast and fun, just what I was looking for.
Thank you so much. I am glad you enjoyed it as well
You read the book all in one morning!? Haha, it must have been riveting. :]
I don’t know how to feel about Rowling’s announcement that Dumbledore was gay. I will take her word for it that she imagined him as gay from the very beginning, but I certainly would have preferred her to explicitly mention he was gay in the novels. His sexuality doesn’t have to be a big deal, just a mere mention that he once loved a man or something would have been nice. Her decision to leave that aspect of his identity out because it started out as a children’s story or whatever is a poor excuse for omitting such an important detail. But it’s also never explicitly mentioned that Dumbledore was heterosexual, was it? Anyway, I have a lot of conflicting feelings about this, but will accept him as gay…because when Queer representation in popular SFF series is still uncommon, so I’ll take what I can get.
I don’t plan to read this book any time soon. I loved the original books so much so I want to hold that memory a little while longer. Fortunately, I’ve managed to avoid spoilers! I’m generally pretty good at that.
I agree with you on the fact that she could have mentioned one small line somewhere in the book. Not even explained it. Just written one line. The original books are the best for sure. I love them. The funny part about me is I am a reader whose memory evaporates soon enough after reading. So even when I re read I always find new things or things I have forgotten. I hope you will read the play some day though. 🙂
I’ve been really nervous about reading this one because of all the negativity, but I ended up really liking it. You sort of have to set aside some things (like Bellatrix and —), but if you manage to do this, it’s actually really enjoyable. I’d love to see the play as I’ve heard that has been received better. My review for this one is scheduled to go up in a couple of weeks. Great review!
Yeah, same here. I found it enjoyable which is why I gave a high rating. Sure there are loop holes and a weak plot but I am willing to overlook that for Harry Potter. I can’t wait to see your thoughts. Hope you get a chance to see the play as well
Yes! I was also one of the people who didn’t think I needed to pre-order the book, so I ended up buying it (for way too much, I might add) at the airport on my way home the following weekend and devouring it on the plane. I really hated the “twist” about Bellatrix — just completely unbelievable and unnecessary, in my opinion. However, it was a really fun read and made me nostalgic to revisit the original seven books. I have a feeling that seeing the play would be a completely different experience from reading the script. I don’t think I’ll be able to make it to London to see it, so I have hopes that they’ll broadcast the play on TV one day or release it on DVD… what do you think?
Haha. Glad you feel the same about Bellatrix. I wish the play would be broadcasted. But I dont think that would happen since it will really affect the sale of tickets. I have heard very good responses from those who watched the play. They say showing magic live on stage was tricky yet highly enjoyable
Because of all the mixed opinions this manuscript has been getting, I’ve been hesitant on getting a copy. But being such a Potterhead, I’ll probably cave and read it someday. Also, I really like that you mentioned that readers will enjoy this more if they know what to expect. Great review!
Haha. Please do. Always better to have read it than not. I was skeptical like you. But I gave in on the release day. The hype was too much for me to handle