Sunday Synopsis

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was warned. "Don't read it. It will ruin your memory of the Harry Potter books you love so much," they said. I ignored the warning. They were right.

It is difficult to reconcile that J. K. Rowling wrote the phenomenal Harry Potter series then co-wrote this mediocre "play" with John Tiffany and Jack Thorne. Technically, Rowling created the story and Thorne wrote it in script form; Tiffany directed the play. It lacks the descriptive narration we find in the Harry Potter novels, the exciting details and creative use of language Rowling is famous for writing. Rowling casts a spell on the reader, but Thorne lacks spellbinding talent.

The main characters are the offspring of the two couples we expect after book 7: Ron and Hermione and Harry and Ginny, particularly, their youngest, Albus. But there is one more offspring... the child of Draco Malfoy, Scorpious. Even thought it is 19 years later, there is no way that the Potters and Weasley's would welcome Malfoy or his son into the fold the way they do in this 8th book. The characters do not even closely resemble the characters I know and love.

The settings are near and dear to HP lovers: Hogwarts, the Ministry of Magic, The Tri-Wizard Tournament, and especially, Godrick's Hollow. The plot also includes the Time Turner. The story itself if both complex and creative, but it could have been told with more honesty and depth, especially in the characterization. I also found it to be slow and confusing at the beginning.

I am not saying the book  script is terrible. I liked the story that was told, but it is not magical or mesmerizing like the REAL HP series and will leave true Harry Potter fans wishing for more.

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