Harry Potter and the Cursed Child | Joanne K. Rowling/John Tiffany/Jack Thorne | Little, Brown | published in 2016
Hardback: ISBN 978-0-7515-6535-5 | 19,99€

It’s not easy to be Harry Potter, even though 19 years passed since the Battle of Hogwarts. And it’s certainly not easier to be Harry Potters child – at least that’s what Albus, Harrys and Ginnys second son, thinks. He has a legacy, both as part of the Potter-Family and as being named after Albus Dumbledore which does bring along some rather high expectations regarding his actions. But when Harrys scar starts to hurt again and Albus is caught between past, present and future they learn that they have to face the upcoming events together.

The Hype

It took me a bit to get over my aversion towards this book. It would have been really hard to miss the hype about it and the play over the past few months. Virtually everybody was talking about the eight story, the sequel to Harry Potters story. Despite all the talk I was lucking enough to not hear anything about exact events in the play and, more importantly, about how it ends. Until a few days ago I didn’t even really want to read the book because, to be honest, the last two to three parts of the original Harry Potter books couldn’t really win me over. Especially the seventh volume mostly bored me so I wasn’t keen to give Harry Potter another shot.

Good friends recommend good books

But then a friend offered me to borrow her book and told me she really loved it. We have got quite a similar taste when it comes to books so I thought ‚Why not?‘ and gave Harry Potter another chance to persuade me. And what can I say: I basically inhaled it, was finished with reading after a few hours and a bit pissed off about it being so short.
I heard from a lot of people they were disappointed as it’s, strictly speaking, not a book but merely a screenplay. This did not bother me, I flew through the pages, laughed and also shed a few tears. I just loved how the story unfolds. One thing I always very much appreciated about J. K. Rowlings books was that she constantly manages to 1) come up with new things and 2) include not so very important things from the first books in later books and they just fit together really really good. That was the case here, JKR managed to surprise me more than once and I had a lot of fun reading this book.

„I’m going to try with everything I’ve got – to be a good dad for you.“
– Harry Potter, S. 327

Even though it was „only“ a screenplay I think the protagonists‘ feelings were clearly shown. Also, I could easily relate to both Harry and Albus: Harry who is a bit caught up between his job in the Ministry of Magic and his absolute determination to be a good father, and on the other hand Albus who feels like a constant disappointment for his parents. It’s never been hard to associate with the wizards and witches in Rowlings books, mainly because they share a lot of the common „Muggle“ issues and problems when it comes to everyday life.
Plus there some really sweet side stories, some with and some without Harry, which made this book even better.

All in all I have to admit that the eight story with Harry Potter and his friends and family was far better than expected and I honestly love this book – more then some of the first seven books. I guess it was a good thing not to have high expectations, actually not really expecting the book to be good.

„I’ve never fought alone, you see. And I never will.“
– Harry Potter, S. 312

About J.K. Rowling:
Rowling, born 1965 in Yate (United Kingdom), is mostly known for her Harry Potter novels. They were translated in over 70 languages and more than 400 million sold copies. She has written several other novels set in the Harry Potter universe and some crime novels.
She lives in Scotland with her family.
Quelle: Wikipedia

About John Tiffany:
Tiffany was born around 1971 and brought up in northern England, he studied in Glasgow. He directed several highly praised productions like Black Watch and Once, both at the National Theatre of Scotland where he worked from 2004 to 2013. He won a number of Awards, including a Tony Award.
Quelle: Wikipedia

About Jack Thorne:
Born in 1978 in Bristol, Thorne has written plays for Radio, Theatre, TV and Film. Among them are many highly praised, such as The Scouting Book for Boys, Don’t Take My Baby and some sequels to This is England. He won quite a number of BAFTAs as well as many other awards.
He currently lives in London.
Quelle: Wikipedia

What other people think about the book:

• Read at Midnight (3,5/5 stars; has got some spoilers, but she included a warning)
• Storypick (1,5/5 stars; I’d say it’s spoiler-free)
• Bücherquatsch (3/5 books; german)
• Lecture of life (german; she was not entirely satisfied and also: SPOILERS!)