Buddy Read Review - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Tiina's Rating - 3.5 Stars
Coll's rating - 3.5 Stars

OK, so we decided to let the hype around Harry Potter and the Cursed Child die down a bit before we jumped onto the bandwagon. And by hype, I really do mean controversy. There have been a lot of issues surrounding the published script book, and it is universally acknowledged that it’s not the tightest of plays, plot-wise. Then again neither of us has actually seen the stage production so the review will focus only on the written version. Here’re our thoughts.

T: Right, so I’ll start with an odd disclaimer. Unusually for anything related to Harry Potter, I went into this with very low expectations. And I think I was right to do so. What about you? What were your thoughts before starting?

C: Oh, yeah. Same for me. I actually didn't mind waiting to read it until a month or so until after it was out. I didn't want to be swayed by the hype and I also wanted to disassociate it as much as I could from the original HP books. I just wanted to go into it viewing it as its own entity and not being influenced by anything else. I felt that was the best way to form an honest opinion of it, ya know?

T: Yep, I completely agree. I think if one was to listen to JK Rowling and read this as belonging to the canon, then the reader would be very … disappointed even. I mean after finishing I’ve read up more and more about it, and I think it did feel rushed, and most of the things I love about HP weren’t there. There was some humour, though, which I enjoyed. I think Scorpius was a hoot and a half. Is this a spoiler? I mean we find out quite early on that he’s a good egg.

C: Oh Scorpius was the high point of the book for me! I adored everything about him and the juxtaposition between him and his relatives. Is this a spoiler? I agree it felt rushed, but I attribute that to the format. I think the main thing this book suffered from was lack of detail. Any true HP fan will, either consciously or subconsciously, go into this book hoping for an in-depth and detailed story, and that is not what you get from Cursed Child. This mainly has to do with it being written in play format. I believe that as an actual fiction book this could have been quite amazing. I just felt I was not being totally immersed in the story or the characters and that is what I was really wanting.

T: I’m not sure it counts as a spoiler since we find out in the first act that Scorpius is not like his parent. And as to the rest you said? Exactly!! The facts and details are what were clearly missing from this play. I’m not even fully sure it’s about the format, for some reason it comes off as not a lot of thought went into this. I am not sure I’m making sense. I think it’s just a little cheesy, they always went for the most obvious joke, the most obvious “calming phrase” or a lecture on morality. It’s like all the characters were caricatures of themselves, not the real thing. Ron, for instance, was made out to be a boy in a man’s body, when everyone else had grown up. This may be controversial, ha!

C: Oh yeah, I had some issues with several character portrayals. Not only Ron but also Harry and Albus, as my main two to point out. However I can't help but wonder if this was done in order to make it stand out on the stage. Like if they went for dramatic character actions as opposed to subtle to make them stand out. Am I making sense? Now I don't want it coming off like I have only negatives to say about the book because there was quite a lot that I liked. Like the main premise of the story, for example, which I won't go into detail about so I avoid spoilers. I just thought it was quite creative and drew on a lot from the original books, which I quite liked. Not to mention there were several twists I did not expect, which made it more interesting. Also I found myself gaining a slight soft spot for characters that I would normally hate, which I think was Rowling's way of showing that people can change.

T: Yep, although there was a lot about the main plot that was very convenient, but I did enjoy a whole play on something that was only slightly dealt with in one previous book. And I think it in a way answered a lot of questions people would have about this aspect. It’s a used trope, sure, but it worked well in this world, and showed how we really shouldn’t meddle with… you-know-what. You’ll know if you read this script book.

There is one aspect about the play that I didn’t think was very nice.  I was warned about this before, and I didn’t think it’d be this obvious, but it was. Unfortunately, and so unnecessarily in this day and age. I’m talking about queerbaiting here. I didn’t know the term for this before The Cursed Child, and now I do, which is sad. I got a very strong feeling throughout the whole play that Scorpius and Albus are meant to be a couple. There were strong indications from the start, as if they are skirting around the subject of them falling in love, until it’s yanked away towards the end with very obvious and awkward manifestations of straightness. Did you get that feeling at all?

C: Yeah I was also a bit confused by that. There were certain connotations in the beginning that just got pushed aside towards the end and forgotten about. Maybe I was just reading too much into character interactions, but I feel like it was quite obvious and something most people would have noticed. I also noticed a few plot holes, and some things that had me stop and think "Well if this were the case,wouldn't we have noticed something in the previous books?". I feel like we are bashing the book though and it did have it's high points. After all we both ended up giving it 3.5 stars, so we did like it quite a bit.

T: I don’t think we’re exactly bashing the book, but a play that is so high-profile as this one – I mean Harry Potter is a world-wide phenomenon and there probably isn’t a person alive who hasn’t heard of it – it just seems like slightly shoddy work, to be honest. Too much controversy for a work like this. But I stand by my 3,5-star rating: for the nostalgia factor, for a good time, for some really great humour. I’d recommend it to other readers, but with a caveat of not expecting an eight Harry Potter novel. I know it’s obvious, but I’m sure many read it as such. I’m glad I read it, and I would watch it performed on stage if I ever got the chance. Unlikely, but hey, there ya go. Any final thoughts?

C: I think if it had not been sold as part of such an iconic series like HP this book would have not faced as much criticism, obviously. Looking at it for what it is, it was quite enjoyable, humorous, nostalgic, and well worth the read. Yes, there was plenty that I wish had been added or elaborated, but we don't always get our wishes. ;-) I did enjoy my time reading it and it gave me many great feelings and made me want to go back and reread the series (for the fourth time). I definitely think it should be read, but only if you go into it without expectations and minimal comparisons. In the end it did not make me think less of any characters, and it made me think more highly of a few, so in the end that is always a good thing.

Our rating: 3,5 stars, rounded up to 4 for Goodreads.