The Eighth Story. Nineteen Years Later. Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne, a new play by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on July 30, 2016. It was always …
It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.
While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.
This Special Rehearsal Edition will be available to purchase until early 2017, after which a Definitive Edition of the script will go on sale.
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Enjoy this *clearly* missing scene from Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, spoilers ahead:
::Ginny and Harry enter stage left:::
Harry: Hermione, Ron — there you are! Albus and Scorpius have disappeared again! We’ve got to save—
Hermione: What the EFF is wrong with your children?
Malfoy: Huh?
Hermione: I mean, how is it possible that they disappeared AGAIN? How is it that the children who are biologically half RON are more capable than your kids?
Ron: Seriously. Look at me. I literally add nothing to this plot.
Hermione: NOTHING! Ron just exists in this play to convince readers that JK Rowling did the right thing by having us end up together.
Ron: You could take out all of my lines and almost nothing would change.
Ginny: Well how about me? All I do is talk to Harry about his dreams.
Hermione: Yeah, but everyone’s used to that.
Ginny: Excuse me?
Ron: “It’s too bad we’re not seeing more of Ginny’s rich interior psyche,” said no one, ever.
Harry: Oh yeah?! Well if you’re so great, why did you protect a Time Turner with a riddle?
Hermione: Okay, I think everyone’s already talked enough about how stupid that was, elsewhere in the play.
Harry: What is this, The Hobbit?
Hermione: Okay…
Harry: Why do we keep using riddles to protect things? A riddle is less secure than a security question! A combination lock would be better!
etc, etc
I have to immediately relive this revival of my childhood by sharing quotes so probs do not extend this if you haven’t read.
“Ethel! Cancel the goblins.”
#Hermionegetsshitdone
“I am the new past.
I am the new future.
I am the answer this world has been looking for.”
This line was clearly written to be epic but it WAS epic and filled me with anxiety
Also can we talk about how someone actually slept with Voldemort
ALSO can we talk about how there is a rumor about SENDING PEOPLE BACK IN TIME TO SEDUCE V and this is dropped way too casually, as though it is fine and normal
“If this is your way of saying you want a marital break, Ron, then, to be clear, I will skewer you with this quill.”
Hermione’s killing it, like usual
These two are sweet and this made me really buy into them as a couple
Snape on being killed by Voldemort
“How very irritating”
Snape we love you come back
“Sometimes costs are made to be borne” —Snape
Staaaahp
Draco on life goals
“Quidditch. But I wasn’t good enough. Mainly I wanted to be happy”
UGH DRACO DON’T MAKE US CRY
“Is that a farmer’s market?” —Draco
Could not stop laughing
“I’m being bossed around by Hermione Granger. And I’m mildly enjoying it” Draco
You though the D/H ship had sunk? It has risen from its watery grave, grown wings, and turned into an airship.
“I won’t do it if you don’t want me to” –Harry to Ginny
Probs most sincere/romantic thing Harry has ever said
“I’ve never fought alone, you see. And I never will.” – Harry
#DA4eva
(A Spoiler Free Review!) After waiting for so long for more from the Potter universe, it is surreal that this thing even exists. It was, at times, beautiful – there are a few moments meant for fans that are heartbreaking and lovely, and those helped redeem the play. I did cry, and I did find myself delighted by certain choices that called back to the series in really moving ways.
Despite these things, though, the book didn’t feel real. It felt more like fan fiction that was badly and perhaps hastily conceived. It’s possible the script is more fully realized on the stage, but the play felt ignorant of the world it was born from, choosing sometimes to ignore or rewrite canon. It certainly didn’t live up to the incredible standards of the stories before it, and honestly, I think I was relieved, in finishing it, to know that I could still love the epilogue of book 7 best – that “All was well.” were still the only last words I needed.
I’ve never read a single Harry Potter book. Don’t throw me off the island. At this point, it seems too daunting to try to catch up. And I have no burning desire.
I went to Target yesterday to buy the book and literally started crying, right there in the middle of Target. Go ahead. Judge me.
I’m not going to say much more here because SPOILERS, but overall, it was fun to see the Harry Potter universe again, yet it felt more like I was reading fan fiction than actual canon by J.K. Rowling.
I was a little nervous to read this for 2 reasons.. 1. I’ve never read a play and didn’t know if it would be something I would like and 2. I’ve heard mixed reviews. But I just finished and I LOVED it!! I love the world of Harry Potter and I loved a glimpse into the lives of everyone 19 years later. Albus is just how I’d think Harry’s son would be and the only thing I don’t like is that I will never be able to see the play
I’m just over half way through. I really like it. Is anyone else reading it now?
I borrowed this from my sister the other night and finished it in one sitting. Honestly, I am in the camp that pretends the Epilogue in HP7 never happened, so my hopes for this were spectacularly low. Still, I haven’t missed a Potter release yet, and I’m not really the quitting type. I’m happy to report (no spoilers, I promise) that this “book” redeemed the Epilogue for me, and the play format was actually super enjoyable — it lends itself to the imagination maybe even better than the books did!
WARNING THIS REVIEW HAS MAJOR SPOILERS AND MAYBE THE COMMENTS TOO
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So, I really enjoyed getting a new Harry Potter story and learning more about these characters.
I liked:
-Albus/Scorpius is my new OTP
-Redemption for Slytherin house yay!, like HEY WE AREN’T ALL EVIL
-Adult Harry/Ginny and Ron/Hermione was adorbs
But my main issues:
-Time travel to save Cedric is the least original plot ever, it was very obvious the trajectory the story was going to take as soon as that was revealed. Anyone who’s ever read a scifi novel knows it’s not going to end well.
-The shock value of tampering with the past was too much… Ron with Padma? ew. Snape is alive? :sobs:
-VOLDEMORT SHOULD NOT HAVE A LOVE CHILD. NO THATS WRONG.
I am still interested in seeing the play, but yes this is total fanfic and I can’t even.
I just read the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I recommend it. I loved it. I am rereading Keith Laumer’s Bolo series.
It’s perfectly possible that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child works well on the stage (critics seem to think so, at any rate), but the script reads like uninspired fan fiction. And is not consistent with the rest of the books? I can forgive plot holes in this series, but the ones in Cursed Child are particularly aggressive. In summation: my childhood is dead, the world is cruel and unforgiving, J.K. Rowling should never team up with anyone to write anything ever again. If you need me, I’ll be in mourning.
This was an interesting look into what happened to Harry Potter after the epilogue of Book. It was good to see Harry as an ordinary father, with doubts and concerns and learning to live with his notoriety as vanquisher of Voldemort. The main focus was on one of his sons and the hard time children of famous people have with the public. Many people were upset the book was written in a play format and felt it didn’t follow the world J.K. Rowling created but I enjoyed it. It had her input but it was a totally different story using characters we were familiar with. It wasn’t a repeat of one of the previous books.
I wasn’t in love with this book. It felt more like a fan fic. It was a quick and easy read because it was broken into a script. Some parts of the book where great and other parts of it were lacking. I was just waiting the whole book for it to wow me and it never really got there.
Hey all I am currently reading the new Potter book ” The Cursed Child”, have any of you read it and what is your thoughts on it either way? Let me know!
My book schedule is super packed, and I somehow forgot to include HP and The Cursed Child when making my calendar. So what do I do, set aside the books I’ve committed to review, or wait until I’ve finished them to read HP? Oh, the internal conflict!
The story of Harry Potter continues nineteen years later with his son Albus. Being Harry Potter is difficult enough, but being the son of the legendary wizard proves to be harder. Through this story, both Harry and his son learn that no one is perfect and that darkness never completely goes away. It can live in each of us.
This is the latest installment and sadly sounds like the last. I ordered it without hesitation and immediately started in on it, never setting it down. Finishing it within just a few hours, I was disappointed when it ended. Not because of the way it ended, but because the story was over. Harry Potter was the series that got my daughter into reading. It’s a series that I have read myself more than once….something I never do with a book no matter how good it is. I know there were a lot of people that were unhappy with this book, but I wasn’t one of them. Too many people I think were expecting another Harry Potter novel. It’s not. You need to go in with an open mind and keep your expectations to a minimum. Was it perfect? No. Did it sometimes leave more questions than answers? Yes. But I enjoyed it anyway.
You can read my full review on my blog at https://charleeraeblog.wordpress.com/2016/08/03/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-harry-potter-8-by-j-k-rowling/
Firstly, I’m not a potterhead, secondly, I have read all the other Harry Potter books. All that said, I really enjoyed this. It had the feel of some classic sci-fi (essentially dealing with the grandfather paradox) but in a Potter/magic style. It was nice to see the gang as adults and seeing the alternative versions of themselves was very entertaining!
What I’m trying to say is this was a nice quick read, I’d really like to see it performed! Also, how long do we think it will take before it’ll be turned into a movie??
I broke down and finally got the latest Harry Potter. Here’s my review on Soundcloud:
Listen to Review: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – J.K. Rowling, et al. by Joy Arceneaux #np on #SoundCloud
https://soundcloud.com/joy-arceneaux/review-harry-potter-and-the
This is was a bittersweet addition to the Harrry Potter series. It shines a light on how human and vunerable Harry can be. He is not always a hero who killed He Who Must Not be Named. He is a father, husband and friend. Albeit not a good one at times either. But this book is about Harry and his children, one in particular and how they navigate this the magical world feeling like their not good enough as who they are.
I have multiple critiques of this book, but knowing that this was not written entirely by J.K. and that it was meant for the stage makes a huge difference to how I feel towards this novelization. I am just thankful that they published it for all to read! This story is very clearly meant for the stage, not for a book. Furthermore, I believe that the wording and characters reveal the fact that J.K. did not write this solo. I found certain characters to be inauthentic to the originals and parts of the story too simplistic, but I found myself dying to see it on stage! The scene changes alone must have been amazing to watch! Overall, a great read for Harry Potter fans, although I agree with other readers that it read more like fan fiction.