Five Thoughts on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child



1. I disliked reading a Harry Potter story as a play. I don't mind reading plays, but after the previous books my mind is trained to digest Potter stories through the novel form.

2. There was a lack of depth in terms of the characters both new and old. I didn't feel connected to anyone and the things I loved about the characters before was absent. 

3. Part one was better than part two; the second installment was incredibly rushed, contrived, and mediocre. I thought the idea of time travel and simply dipping back in to scenes from the other books was a little cheap. 

4. The normal charm and whimsy was absent. My heart was not warmed and my mind was not intrigued. 

5. I had low and realistic expectations, though, so I don't feel angry. I knew going into the story that it was a play and that it was the result of a collaborative writing process, so I was hesitant to have high hopes. It wasn't horrible or a mess, it just simply was not good. Rowling set the bar high with her other books, and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child simply did not rise to the occasion. I do have a sneaking suspicion that the play would be a lot of fun to see, though, since the actors and set will probably add a great deal to what is lacking here. 

5 comments:

  1. "Rushed, contrived, and mediocre" are definitely not words I thought I'd ever hear in regards to HP. I will wait until it (hopefully) makes it unto the stage.

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  2. I got my copy of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child book today.
    I brought it from Amazon and I got it in just 2 days!
    Check them out:
    Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 & 2

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  3. I am not a Harry Potter fan but I did wonder at the idea of delivering this story as a play script. It's a huge risk to change so much about such a well-loved story line - the time between the last book and now, the new setting, all the new characters as well as the writing style. But it did hit the bestseller list on day one so there's that too, right? :-)

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  4. I also had pretty low expectations I think, which is probably why I enjoyed it as much as I did. My husband, on the other hand, well and truly hated it. I was happy to get a glimpse back into the HP universe, but considering that Rowling has said this couldn't be a novel, but rather *had* to be a play -- the ideal way to experience it is probably not on the page. I'm really hoping it will come to Broadway someday.

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  5. I've been a HP fan for as long as I've been alive, practically, and I just have been so weirded out by all the Cursed Child hype that I've yet to pick it up. After hearing everyone's opinions of it, I'm pretty glad I waited...

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