Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Book Review



Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by
Reviewed by on

But I don’t need a Ron and Hermione. I’ve — I’ve got a friend, Scorpius, and I know you don’t like him but he’s all I need.

I enjoy the Harry Potter franchise very much. I've read most (admittedly, not all) of the books; I've watched the films several times, and cannot wait to see the cinematic release of Fantastic Beasts. But I'm not a die-hard devotee. Much as I may have enjoyed the midnight release of the eighth Harry Potter book, I would have been tucked up in bed when that happened...

I was curious, though, to see what all the fuss was about, and moderately surprised when I spied several copies on the shelves at Morrissons (especially as Waterstones had completely sold out). So I bought a copy, took it home...

And lost myself in it's pages for the remainder of the day.

The first thing I should tell you is that The Cursed Child was absolutely written for performance. I would truly love to see the play live on stage. Undoubtedly the characters would become even more human, complex and believable were it possible to see them in the flesh, and the effects would be spectacular!

The second thing is that you really should not be put off by the myriad of negative reviews. I know there are a lot of plot holes and themes which dedicated Potter fans are not afraid to show their disapproval of. In my opinion, there are far too many positive aspects of the play for these to be problematic.

The Cursed Child begins thirteen years after the conclusion of The Deathly Hallows, delivering Harry as a married father of three. Strange things are happening in the wizarding world, and when his scar begins to throb again he fears the return or influence of "He who may not be named".

Harry's youngest child, Albus, is about to begin his education at Hogwarts. and is fraught with concern over the sorting ceremony. Like his father, his elder brother and sister were sorted into Gryffendor, but he's not convinced that he'll be bestowed with the same house.

Then there's the matter of making new friends...

I really, really enjoyed reading The Cursed Child: it is, without a doubt, a wonderful story all on it's own and encompasses themes of friendship, loyalty and the danger of trying to please others at the expense of your own identity. Perhaps one of these days I'll get around to reading more of J.K. Rowling' continuation of the wizarding world on Pottermore!

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Complete List of Penguin Clothbound Classics (Updated for 2017)

Image
Since 2008, Penguin have published classic literature in a beautifully packaged format: the Clothbound Classics serie s. Each edition is bound in cloth, with covers individually designed by the talented Coralie Bickford-Smith . Several new titles have been published since I first created a complete list of this collection, including all three volumes of Proust's Rememberance of Things Past  and Jule's Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea . So I decided to update the list to include these new titles, along with a free printable download with full details of each title to assist in completing your own collection. In order of publication, here is the complete list of Penguin Clothbound Classics to date (August 2017): Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert Great Expectations by Charles Dickens Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell Tess of the d'Urbervilles
Read more

The Books which Inspired Studio Ghibli Films

Image
It may surprise you to know that many of Studio Ghibli's catalogue of films originate from literary sources. Howl's Moving Castle and Arietty are among the adaptations most people are aware of, yet we've discovered that 13 of the studio's 22 feature films find their origins in books. Here is a list of those films which have been adapted from the printed page for anime by the Japanese giant of animation. Grave of the Fireflies This semi-autobiographical short story was written by the by Japanese author Akiyuki Nosaka in 1967 (later published as a novel including other short stories) and was adapted for the big screen by Studio Ghibli in 1988. This is a heartbreaking story, both on the screen and the page, as it is based on the author's experiences before, during, and after the firebombing of Kobe in 1945. Kiki's Delivery Service Kiki's Delivery Service is based on the popular Japanese children's novel, Witches Express Home Delivery (魔女の宅急便 or Majo no Takk
Read more

The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale - Book Review

Image
The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale Reviewed by Amanda Kennedy on February 28th, 2018 The Toymakers is a rare and magical piece of literature, one which I feel blessed for having discovered and read. Though I had been approved to review the title on Netgalley, I decided I ought to purchase the beautiful hardcover edition as no doubt this will be a novel read several times, particularly in the run up to Christmas, during which time much of the story is set. The Emporium opens with the first frost of winter. It is the same every year. Across the city, when children wake to see ferns of white stretched across their windows, or walk to school to hear ice crackling underfoot, the whispers begin: the Emporium is open! The novel begins with Kathy's story: she is a 16 year old girl, who - having fallen pregnant - is faced with the decision to give up her child or run away to start a new life in London. She discovers a newspaper ad asking "Are you lost? Are you afraid...?" It p
Read more