Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two: The Official Playscript of the Original West End Production

As a big Harry Potter fan I was overexcited about this book to come out, or should I rather say script?! ;) I was very sad when I finished book seven and started writing my own Harry Potter fanfictions, because I love the story and the characters so much. Now, here we are years later and the script of the play is made into a book. Both times tickets for the play went up for sale, I had no chance, so I’m very happy I at least get to enjoy the book (for now). A lot of people have been put off by the fact that this is a script, but I had no problem with it at all, I loved it! I mean it’s a play and it’s great to read about stage directions and then seeing the dialogues. Yes, I might be a bit biased, because I love the theatre world, but anyway. I saw this whole play in my head, while reading. The actions, the scenes, the characters, everything and that’s what reading is about for me. I loved catching up with all the characters, especially Harry, Ron and Hermione of course. What has become of them, what are they doing now?! Some things are a bit surprising, but that’s great actually. I was also very excited to read about their children and as it is, the story actually follows Albus Severus. He becomes best friends with Scorpius Malfoy and we get to follow their adventure, which is full of excitement and magic of course. A lot of things happen, but it’s all very entertaining and thrilling. I couldn’t put the book down. It’s awesome to finally get a glimpse of the “next” generation, but still getting enough of the “old” squad. Both Harry and Albus go through a lot in this story and it was interesting to see them change. Relationships between father and son, but also husband and wife, friends etc. play a very important role in this story and I adored reading about them all. Scorpius Malfoy is a great character, I really liked him. I would have loved reading about some other characters as well, sadly that wasn’t the case, but it’s understandable, I guess the play would have been to full otherwise. I have to get back to the script fact now. We all know that I think it’s amazing! First of all it’s different and second of all I think that the emotions came across even better, it also kind of leaves more space for your own imagination. This script is full of twists and turns and even some surprises. I read this in one go and was actually sad when it all stopped again. The Harry Potter world is so fascinating and I don’t ever want it to stop. AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME!!!

Reviews on here are very mixed and I for one try not to be biased with my opinion but it is my opinion. I am a huge fan of the original Harry Potter book series and was sceptical reading the cursed child knowing is dialogue reading without much background description JKR is famously known for. So when I started the journey of our beloved best friends in their 40’s meeting at Kings Cross pushing their trolleys through the wall 9 3/4 with their children for another train departure to Hogwarts I was delighted and immediately transported back to my first ever experience reading the philosophers stone. The dialogue and banter between Ron and Hermione was always my highlight and I still love them now. Harry and Ginny are parents to the new edition of children who will steal your heart and I was excited for Draco appearing pretty soon and his son Scorpios was becoming my favourite new kid pretty much instantly. It’s witty, funny, adventurous and full of magic spells. Yes, Hogwarts classes aren’t mentioned enough nor don’t we witness one quidditch game (weird I know) but we get to see Albus (Harry‘s and Ginny‘s son) making friends with an unlikely Malfoy boy and becoming rather unpopular, trying to make wrongs right and getting in so much mess we only known from our fab 3 over 20 years ago. Certain characters we missed are back for some time while others we wished long gone, come back. All in all I enjoyed it a lot. ‚Draco looks up at Harry, and for the first time - at the bottom of this dreadful pit - they look at each other as friends‘ Give yourself a nudge and give the book a chance. All I need now is for Radcliffe and Co wanting to make this play into a movie adaption!!! ;-) Get on it already :-D

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is something I have done my waiting for (9 years of it! IN AZKABAN!) and I can say, when the new edition to the series (Sirius?) was announced I was overjoyed but worried. History has shown that when you take something that is perfect (or as close too perfect as can be) and add to it you negate what was there originally (look at the Star Wars prequels). I have heard a lot of people complain that the Cursed Child does this to the Harry Potter series. I decided to write this review to explain why I think this is not the case, before I do, I will give a brief, spoiler free synopsis of the story: Set two decades after the Deathly Hallows, The Cursed Child follows Harry and his son Albus (many other characters such as Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Draco and Professor McGonagle – amongst others – make an appearance). When we begin Albus has just started at Hogwarts and soon becomes friends with Draco Malfoys son Scorpius (who in my opinion was one of the best characters in the play but more on that later). Albus has a difficult relationship with Harry and the pair can’t seem to get along the way he does with his other children – Lily and James – and so Albus feels isolated from his family because of this. Soon into the story it is revealed that, contrary to the belief set in the original books that all time turners were destroyed in the battle of the department of Mysteries in the Order of the Phoenix, that there is a time turner still in existence. After some time Albus and Scorpius manage to steal the time turner and they travel back to 1994 to try and save Cedric Diggory (their logic is that if he loses the first tri-wizard task he will not be able to tie for the cup in the third task) however, this blows up in their faces and the story is set when they have to try and repair the damage they have done by meddling with time. I understand the fact that it angers people that a time turner exists because we were told they were destroyed and even more so I understand why they are annoyed that it can travel back over twenty years when it was made clear they can only travel back around five hours (this is explained when Hermione comments that it is an entirely different kind of time turner than the one she had). However, while I don’t love this, I still think it makes for fun reading. Another complaint is that, because Rowling wrote this in the form of a play and with outside help – she usually writes solo, that it reads at times like a fanfiction. I get this, at some points during dialogue I see myself thinking that a character would never say that, however, we must remember they are over twenty years older in this story. No one is the same when they are around forty as they were when they were a teenager. This is most evident with Ron who now seems to be there purely because the plot dictates that he returns as he is part of the golden trio. I found myself thinking he was acting like a bit of a comedic idiot throughout, however, this is not a bad thing through and through as it is understandable. What I’m trying to articulate is that I can see how he got to this point in his life (I mean he has been running a joke shop with George – his brother – for years so you can see why he likes to crack a joke here and there). I can’t lie and say this is my favourite entry in the series – that honour goes to the Prisoner of Azkaban – but I can say that I’m glad it exists and I’m not really sure why it is receiving so much heavy criticism. As an avid Harry Potter fan who has read and re-read the series more times than I care to remember I find happiness in a new edition in which I will be able to do this with. While I respect that some people simply don’t enjoy the story I think it is childish for them to deny it as canon, Rowling has said this is canon and so it is. My one major quarrel which really infuriates me is a part of the story I thought to be outright crazy was ***SPOILER – SPOILER – SPOILER!!!*** Voldemort having a child. Without revealing who he or she is I have to say that this made me madder than a hatter, it was established that Voldemort couldn’t feel love and was inhuman and while love isn’t needed to conceive a child I just cannot believe that he would bump uglies with ***SPOILER – SPOILER – SPOILER!!!*** Bellatrix Lestrange. Other than this I enjoyed the Cursed Child. I did and as I mentioned earlier I really liked Scorpius. When I heard he would be a major character I felt quite, I don’t know, cautious. Even his name kind of annoyed me (I knew it beforehand because of the epilogue of Deathly Hallows, pottemore and whatnot but it still didn’t sit right with me) however I thought he was, in a word, fantastic. It is established early on that he is Albus’ best (and only) friend and that they are outcasts at Hogwarts but he was still, despite this, a funny and kind character unlike his father at that age. He says many things throughout which gave me a giggle and even the way he spoke when he fumbled over his words and said exactly what he was thinking as he was thinking it (not in an entitled way more of a silly way) made me think he was a great character but he was by no means dumb and he had his own set of family problems to rival Albus’. More on the Malfoys, I have never been a fan of Dramione (don’t worry Draco and Hermione have no romantic interests in the story) fanfics and was never able to understand why people obsessed over Draco – I guess it was the “bad boy” aspect – as I thought he was an ass when he was at Hogwarts and while in the end he never followed Voldemort I think he was a pretty s***ty person and as he raised Scorpius he was able to instil him with better values and it’s apparent as he is a far friendlier person – though this may be down to his mother, Astoria, however, I think this story shows that Draco is not a bad person when it comes down to it. He is by no means an amazing guy though he shows in the Cursed Child that he cares deeply for his son and eventually even comes to see Harry, Ron and Hermione as pretty great people. The scene that made me come around to Draco was when he said that he always envied Harry because he had real friends while he had Crabbe and Goyle who were never really his friends, they were to him, even in school, just like lackeys who only followed him because of who he was. I realise I have rambled in writing this and I hope, if you’ve read this far, that you have enjoyed what I’ve had to say. Yes, the Cursed Child has flaws (bringing up and changing past rules with time, returning characters who may not have been necessary – I never touched on this but read and make up your own mind on the subject – amongst other things that people don’t like) but it also a nice addition to the Harry Potter franchise. I would have, honestly, preferred it in book form because most of the story is set during Albus’ third year and so it kind of jumps to that and I think it might have been good to have a sort of next generation series, something I have never been a fan of until now, however, I can see why this wouldn’t have worked as it seems the first two might be a bit of a bore. I’m giving it four stars because I think there were a few flaws but overall I really did enjoy the story and I will be adding it to my next re-read of the series. I think the characters were great, if a bit off at time, I think the story, while a bit flawed, made for a fun read (and likely many re-reads) and I think that it was overall a nice new addition, and hey, if you don’t like it we always have Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in November. I would recommend it to any Harry Potter fan but I’d do so with caution because it is clear that some people don’t like it, however, if you’re on the fence just go for it. I enjoyed it and I think, if you like the originals you might too, sure it might make you shout at the page a couple of times like I did but in the end it was worth it and I would like to see more of these characters (both old and new). As for the live stage play, well I’m yet to see it, however, I hear it is just wonderful.

My daughter was very happy

Boa qualidade, capa dura com outra capa de papel em cima, folhas boas

Qu'il est plaisant de revenir à Poudlard (ou enfin presque). Bien que le format pièce de théâtre soit un peu plus compliqué à lire que les romans, on replonge avec plaisir dans l'univers créé par J.K.Rowling, 20 après nos première péripéties. Sans dévoiler quoi que ce soit, nous repartons exactement là où la lecture des précédents volets nous avait arrêté, puisque le début reprend presque au mot près l'épilogue du tome 7 des aventures du sorcier à lunette. Nous suivons ici les pérégrinations d'un de ses fils, en compagnie d'un autre élève de Poudlard. La lecture est agréable, l'anglais n'a rien de compliqué et même sans être parfaitement bilingue on peut se permettre de lire cette version originale. L'histoire est simple, mais nous remet immédiatement dans le bain, et nous montre à quel point on était en manque de cet univers simple et fantastique. Ce qui suit peut contenir d'éventuel spoilers, mais rien de méchant. Ce qui m'a peut-être un peu gêné, bien qu'on soit sur l'aventure du fils d'Harry Potter, et qu'on puisse légitimement se dire qu'on n'a pas besoin de la présence des anciens personnages, c'est l'absence marquée de Ron. Autant les autres sont bien dosés, autant j'ai trouvé son personnage assez éloigné de ce que j'avais en souvenir. Après, il faut bien percevoir qu'il s'agit d'une pièce, tout ce qu'on lit a pour vocation d'être joué, d'être interprété, c'est donc un choix volontaire que de faire de Ron une sorte d'amuseur public, mais c'est un peu dommage. Le fil conducteur autour du voyage temporel, bien que simpliste là aussi nous permet d'en apprendre cependant plus sur l'univers de la saga originale. Je ne m'avancerai par contre pas sur le twist final, car je ne veux rien dévoiler d'une part, et d'autre part j'ai trouvé ça un peu gros. Au final, bien que cette pièce verse plus du côté "œuvre enfantine" que ne l'était réellement la saga originale, ça reste un vrai plaisir de lecture. A conseiller à tout ceux qui aiment cet univers, même si l'approche sous format pièce de théâtre pourra en rebuter certains.

My son (aged 11) is a huge Harry Potter fan; he demolished the series within weeks. Until he mentioned it, we didn't realise this book existed, but as soon as we discovered it, we knew it would be a great birthday gift for him. He absolutely loved this book; it was a great way for him to understand what happened to the characters he loves after the ending of the previous books. Highly recommend this book for any fan of Harry Potter.

*some spoilers to follow* If I’m being honest, I never originally intended on reading this story. I adore Harry Potter, I just felt that the story was better left as is after the epilogue of the Deathly Hallows. But then my book bestie morphed into the pushiest book pusher that ever pushed and suddenly I found myself having already finished and wondering how I ever thought I could not read this. Setting aside all the vast amounts of criticism this has received (i.e. this isn’t written by Rowling, it reads like fan-fic, it’s not even a book but a screenplay) it ended up being more than I could have ever hoped for. “Hogwarts will be the making of you, Albus. I promise you, there is nothing to be frightened of there.” Taking us right back to the epilogue of the Deathly Hallows, we get to see Albus getting on his first train to Hogwarts. And his discussion with Harry regarding the possibility of him being placed in Slytherin. We’re not given the detailed account of his time spent at Hogwarts, but rather the generalized impression that Hogwarts isn’t quite the sanctuary for him that it was for his father. The comprehensive details of the world are also missing from the screenplay but for those of us who have already read the first seven books, that world is emblazoned upon our minds and no rehashing of details are necessary for us to fully comprehend each and every scene. Cursed Child manages to smoothly connect many major plot points from the original novels: the infiltration of the Ministry of Magic by Harry, Ron, and Hermione (Deathly Hallows, book 7), the Tri-Wizard tournament and Cedric’s death (Goblet of Fire, book 4), time turners (Prisoner of Azkaban, book 3), the perpetual battle between good and evil, and the important father-son relationships that have been a focal point of this series from the beginning. It also makes a less than obvious point of showing how seemingly inconsequential deaths end up having a much larger impact in the grand scheme of things. With the help of a time turner, we’re shown snippets of how the world could have been with the simplest of changes. The variation of possibilities was both shocking and horrifying. What I most enjoyed was how this wasn’t simply a new set of adventures with a new set of characters but rather recognition of the fact that the actions of the past was not a given end to that story, but that they inevitably had an effect on the future of their own children. Harry: “How do I protect my son, Dumbledore?” Dumbledore: “You ask me, of all people, how to protect a boy in terrible danger? We cannot protect the young from harm. Pain must and will come.” While we do see the original characters and what they have become 19 years later, the focal point is on their children, primarily Albus and Scorpius who become immediate friends on the Hogwarts Express. Albus has a severely strained relationship with his father, Harry, and has difficulty living up to not just the enormous importance of his father, of the great men he was named after, and because of the fact that he was in fact placed in Slytherin rather than his father’s house, Gryffindor. It’s easy to see from the original stories how understandable it would be for Harry to not be the perfect father, considering his own lack of a permanent father figure. He does what he feels is best even when it is quite clearly not best, and the scenes between the two are often painful and heartbreaking. Scorpius, son of Draco Malfoy, also suffers from a poor relationship with his father due the actions of his past as well as Draco’s own relationship with his father, Lucius. In October of this year I decided to do an impromptu re-read of the Harry Potter series on audio. I have re-read books 1-3 numerous times but I tend to run out of steam and have never been able to re-read books 4-7. Well, I finally overcame my hangups and completed my first re-read of Goblet of Fire. Due to the majority of this story centering around the storyline from The Goblet of Fire I chose to do my second re-read of the year (ha) of Cursed Child since the storyline was still so fresh in my mind. It works extremely well if you treat it as a #4.5 book as well, granted, it’s vital to know the outcome of the series as a whole in order to fully appreciate how it ties everything together and illustrates the growth of these characters. “Perfection is beyond the reach of humankind, beyond the reach of magic. In every shining moment of happiness is that drop of poison: the knowledge that pain will come again. Be honest to those you love, show your pain. To suffer is as human as to breathe.” Yes, perfection is an impossibility, and while there were many things I would have personally changed, this still managed to hit all my Harry Potter feels as perfectly as possible. Cursed Child reinforced my love of both the original stories and characters by growing them in legitimate ways, it gave me new characters to love (primarily Scorpius <3), and it removed the stereotype associated with Slytherin house by showing that not all associated are necessarily evil. #slytherinpride