Harry Potter and the cursed child ....

[Master Seblaise]

Just received the book and already finish it ...

Is there anybody here who read it? What is your opinion?

I have liked it ... I hope there will be a movie

[LivingBrain]

Currently in the process of reading it! I got it yesterday and finished act one of part one and I am really liking it so far. The conflict between Harry and Albus is really well sketched out so far and, aside from Ron, I really like how the Trio and Draco are portrayed.

Will return when I've read more! 

[Master Seblaise]

Currently in the process of reading it! I got it yesterday and finished act one of part one and I am really liking it so far. The conflict between Harry and Albus is really well sketched out so far and, aside from Ron, I really like how the Trio and Draco are portrayed.

Will return when I've read more! 

Yes ... and sorry for the actors portrayed in the "casting pages" but i can not see Hermione, Harry, Ron and Draco with their face!!!! For me, Hermione is Emma Watson*, Harry is Daniel Radcliffe and so the others ....

[LivingBrain]

Yes ... and sorry for the actors portrayed in the "casting pages" but i can not see Hermione, Harry, Ron and Draco with their face!!!! For me, Hermione is Emma Watson*, Harry is Daniel Radcliffe and so the others ....

Lol they did a good job but I think it's fair to give others a chance. And neither of us have seen the new actors actually act on stage so I think withholding judgment is good. What I was referring to is that I like how they're written.

I just finished it and it's not bad. It would definitely be fun to see as a play, but there are some elements I'm not a huge fan of. It's pretty good overall though. I'd say I enjoyed it almost as much as ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, which is my least favorite HP book so that makes CURSED CHILD my least favorite HP story, but it's not bad.

[Master Seblaise]

Lol they did a good job but I think it's fair to give others a chance. And neither of us have seen the new actors actually act on stage so I think withholding judgment is good. What I was referring to is that I like how they're written.

Not a question of competences ... i am sure they are wonderful actors

I just finished it and it's not bad. It would definitely be fun to see as a play, but there are some elements I'm not a huge fan of. It's pretty good overall though. I'd say I enjoyed it almost as much as ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, which is my least favorite HP book so that makes CURSED CHILD my least favorite HP story, but it's not bad.

Act 2 and 3 with the time travels and their consequences are very interesting ... the last act is more classical ...

[LivingBrain]

Not a question of competences ... i am sure they are wonderful actors



Act 2 and 3 with the time travels and their consequences are very interesting ... the last act is more classical ...

SPOOOOOOIIIIIIILLLLLEEEEEERRRRRRSSSSSSS

Those acts were interesting. I've seen complaints about how it changes the universe's rules for time traveling, but we're dealing with magic here, so I don't consider it a fault. I do like how they chose the Triwizard Tournament to return to because Cedric's death is Harry's big coming of age moment, and seeing the changes that resulted from them meddling gave some interesting insight into the characters. Most importantly, how important their relationships were to each other. I was most fascinated by Hermione's changes because it seemed like Ron really had a hand in lightening her up and making her happy. When they weren't together it always felt like something elemental was missing, and the play made note of this in their interactions in those alternate timelines.

I also thought going back to Godric's Hollow was a really nice moment for Harry and Albus' relationship, as seeing the most traumatic moment in his father's life is a huge step towards Albus understanding his father. It falls in line with the "honesty" thing that the Dumbledore portrait keeps telling Harry to do.

So, as far as visiting old moments goes, I think part of it was to try and recreate them on stage for the sake of nostalgia, but I thought the story implemented them well thematically and character wise. It's not my ideal form of a new Harry Potter story, but I also think it's the best possible version of a time travel plot they could have come up with, so I'm pretty okay with it.

The only thing I really don't like is the existence of Delphi. I don't see Voldemort as having any form of sexuality, as that would require him to have a desire for human connection, which we very clearly see throughout the books that he doesn't have. Unless he knew about this prophecy and had the child as a backup for purely practical reasons, I don't see him have any form of relationship with Bellatrix aside from her being his devoted lieutenant being congruent with his character.

I also thought Draco having a super powerful Time Turner was a little cheap. I do think they justified it through character by having Lucius collect it and not want to use it because he secretly wanted a world without Voldemort (makes sense because he had to justify his lack of a search for Voldemort when he returned in the graveyard, and then his running away at the Battle of Hogwarts), and Draco letting Harry use it rather than using it to spend some more time with his wife was a very sweet gesture that showed them finally becoming friends, but while it does have some justification on a character level on a purely plot level its existence came out of the blue, so I'm not the biggest fan.

Those are my two (well, three, if you include me not liking a time travel plot in general) gripes. Other than that, it's really not bad, and I enjoyed a lot of it. I bet it's a spectacular play too, and I would love to see how they pull off the magic on stage.

[Darth Tepes]

While it was certianly not bad..It kind of felt..... "Fan-Fictiony" to me.  Mostly because of Delphi.  Oh.....*SPOILERS*    I had the exact same thought that Voldemort having a sexual relationship is out of character. 

[Master Seblaise]

You are right with Delphi ... I agree with you two ...

.... Even if we do not know a lot about Tom Riddle as a young adult ...

... So, why not Delphi ?

[LivingBrain]

We know quite a bit about him from HALF-BLOOD PRINCE. He's ambitious, only interacts with others to see what he can get out of them, charming, persuasive, and intelligent. He has no desire for friendship or any kind of relationship with others, and is terrified of death, as he sees it as weakness. His concept of sexuality would just be base passion and hormones, since he was conceived due to the effects of a love potion, therefore he would see sexuality as beneath him and, ultimately, useless. I would also think he would want his own legacy through immortality rather than procreation, as a child could take the attention from his glory.

We know that Bellatrix was infatuated with Voldemort, and he was flattered by it, but he never saw her the same way. He saw her as an incredibly useful ally that he could rely on to do anything for him, but nothing more.

So yeah, I really don't buy him having a child lol.

[Duff Man]

I will wait for a re-write or the movie, Not a fan of the whole reading script to a play thing(or to a movie)......they are meant to be seen. Shakespeare is different........it is Shakespeare.

[Master Seblaise]

We know quite a bit about him from HALF-BLOOD PRINCE. He's ambitious, only interacts with others to see what he can get out of them, charming, persuasive, and intelligent. He has no desire for friendship or any kind of relationship with others, and is terrified of death, as he sees it as weakness. His concept of sexuality would just be base passion and hormones, since he was conceived due to the effects of a love potion, therefore he would see sexuality as beneath him and, ultimately, useless. I would also think he would want his own legacy through immortality rather than procreation, as a child could take the attention from his glory.

We know that Bellatrix was infatuated with Voldemort, and he was flattered by it, but he never saw her the same way. He saw her as an incredibly useful ally that he could rely on to do anything for him, but nothing more.

So yeah, I really don't buy him having a child lol.

Having a child is not only a problem of sexuality ... is also a problem of having a heir ...


Lets consider the history of France ... you have some Princes that preferred avoiding women in their bed ... but they did it for having heirs ...

[Darth Tepes]

Having a child is not only a problem of sexuality ... is also a problem of having a heir ...


Lets consider the history of France ... you have some Princes that preferred avoiding women in their bed ... but they did it for having heirs ...

As stated before. Voldemort did not want an heir.  People in real life want Heirs because they know for a fact one day they will be dead and want their legacy to carry on..because that means a piece of them will carry on.  It's our way of achieving a measure of immortality.  But Voldemort wanted and basically achieved true Immortality.  An heir would have been nothing but a hindrance or potential rival in Voldemort's eyes.

[Darth Justicar]

I'm glad I spoiled myself by reading this thread.  I think had I spent money on the hardback to read this, I would have been sorely disappointed.  I MIGHT get it once it's out in paperback and if I get a good sale on it.  But not at hardback prices.

[Darth Tepes]

I'm glad I spoiled myself by reading this thread.  I think had I spent money on the hardback to read this, I would have been sorely disappointed.  I MIGHT get it once it's out in paperback and if I get a good sale on it.  But not at hardback prices.

It really isn't a bad read, just some missteps that make less so than the first 7 stories.   But, yea.  I agree, not really worth a hardcover.

[LivingBrain]

It really isn't a bad read, just some missteps that make less so than the first 7 stories.   But, yea.  I agree, not really worth a hardcover.

I agree with this sentiment. However, I think it's important to remember that, despite those missteps, everything else is really, really good. It's a mixed bag, but the pros definitely outweigh the (admittedly pretty huge) cons.