“And it left me wanting more”
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
-J.K.Rowling, John Tiffany, Jack Thorne
My Shelves: Fantasy
Period: Contemporary
SoulSpeak rating: ♥♥♥ (3.5/5)
Goodreads rating: 4.21/5
Overview
19 years ahead of where we left off, this book depicts the next generation in the Harry Potter saga (if I may call it that). As most of us already know, Harry and Ginny’s son Albus is the “cursed child” – he gets sorted into Slytherin (the only spoiler! Oops, sorry!), becomes friends with Draco Malfoy’s son, and starts a mission to redo some of the mistakes his famous father made. All this at a time when the dark forces are gathering power and Harry’s scar has just started hurting (after 22 years, no less).
Things I liked
The thing I liked best is the plot – it’s typical HP stuff – it has the usual drama, adventure, and of course, magic. The characters, of course, are as lovable as always. The next generation is similar to the previous one and as endearing. The authors have added some new dimensions to the story by throwing in a strained father-son relationship between Harry and Albus – another thing that I liked.
But you know what’s best? The familiar comfort of all things magic we’ve been missing for years – polyjuice potion, time-turners, mysterious birds, and blood-curdling prophecies.
Also enjoyed – how the plot touches upon all the other books in the series, in some way or the other. Brings back the memories 🙂
Things I didn’t
For me, the play form just doesn’t cut it. Of course, it was written as a West End stage play, but I still expected more. Sans Rowling’s imagery and elaborate description of Hogwarts and the rest of the Wizarding world, this is but a stream of incidents involving some of our favorite characters in the history of literature. The scenes are short, and interspersed with dreams/nightmares from Harry’s life, leaving us with just a taste of the original flavor.
While the more proficient among us can easily conjure (like the pun, eh?) the images in our minds, integral scenes such as the kids’ arrival at Hogwarts, the sorting hat ceremony, and the classes – are too short. It seems like too much happens in the sparsely filled 350 odd pages, leaving the reader breathless, at best. Maybe, I just had expectations a tad too high from Rowling, but hey, don’t blame me! She spoiled us by giving us the last 7 books!
“Too much, in too little a time span leaves the reader breathless”
The Verdict
While I didn’t love this, I definitely didn’t dislike it either. All I want to say is, it could be better.
I’d compare it to watching a black and white version of a movie you had previously been watching on HD. Yes, you still love the story and the characters (partly ‘coz you literally grew up with them), but only because you had been deprived of them for years.
Advice (to you)
Don’t expect this to be a continuation of the series/sequel. Read it as fan-fiction. And you won’t be disappointed. This is not exactly the Eighth book. Not to me, it wasn’t.
Advice (to Rowling)
Don’t touch this series. You created perfection. Now let it be. Just convert this script into a full-fledged novel (I’m pretty sure they would – it would rake in a million bucks) and then let this be.
“Dear Rowling, please don’t tamper with the past”
(those of who’ve read this will get the joke 😉
Have you read this yet? Let me know your views!
SoulSpeak with Sonam 
I mean I deleted it an hour or two ago
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Y?? I read some of your review on “After You” at work and then got busy, and now I see its deleted
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I won’t be able to post much after this month..I’ve got 12th boards and then next year college..so I don’t know..:/
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Ooh okay! You are so young!
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You are what, 18? You must absolutely read this – https://soulspeakwithsonam.wordpress.com/2016/07/17/a-letter-to-my-16-yr-old-self/
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It was very nice! 🙂
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Thanks! 🙂
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Yeah.. I deleted it some time ago.
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Exactly. I want to see how this story comes into life on stage though. The whole time turner sequence will be fun to watch.
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I sort of have a bitter sweet relationship with this book.It definitely could’ve done better. But it wasn’t a total disappointment. Scorpius’ character was a lovely addition. The worst thing about the book or should I say script, was that all the characters seemed a bit “off”. I mean, none of them were acting the way I’d expect them too. Maybe its because they’re 19 years older. I don’t know. Did you feel the same way too?
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Bitter sweet is about right. I was kinda disappointed – maybe ‘coz I read it as soon as i came out and hadn’t read any reviews until then, hence had high expectations?
I agree that i did like Scorpius.
And about the characters- that’s an interesting point. I did find Harry and the rest acting a bit off. I attributed that to the aging too! The next generation was okay.
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Yeah I think everyone is okay with the next gen coz we’ve never seen them before so we have nothing to compare them with..I was so excited about this that I went and pre-ordered it 😛 it’s alright I guess coz Rowling hasn’t written it.. She was just probably overseeing everything. And what in the name of hell is “Thank Dumbledore”. Humor was forced throughout this book… It wasn’t like that in the previous books.. Humor sort of came naturally then.
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Completely agree! The humor was forced and stilted!
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About the characters being a bit “off”- I, for instance, found it a bit difficult to grasp that the Harry I knew since he was a child would threaten Minerva with repercussions to Hogwarts if she didn’t do as he bid her to (keep Scorpius and Albus separate) – did you feel that too? Ron’s humor was not entertaining either.
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Ron didn’t even have any vital role in the book. He just kept coming in to give unwanted humor. And yeah, that Harry Minerva scene was surprising. I didn’t like Albus’ character much either. It was hard to empathize with him. I mean, I get that living with the Potter name can be hard but Harry is not to blame for that. He was WAY too cold with his father.
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My thoughts exactly. He was too cold for it to seem normal.
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I did a review on my blog too a few days ago. Check it out if you want to..
https://bibliophilejourney.wordpress.com/
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Hey, I can’t access your site…
says no longer available?!
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