Review: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 & 2

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 & 2 by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This review is also found on my Goodreads profile here! :)
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Actual Rating: 3.8 stars
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First of all, I am very aware of the fact that I bought this book four months ago and have read it only now. YES. I am fully conscious of that fact. In my defense, I have so many books on queue; books that have been on my shelf waiting patiently for a long time. It seemed very unfair for my other books to delay them just because a Harry Potter book came out. (No, I'm not weird.)

1. Because the book is in a screenplay format, it became hard for me to appreciate it. It became hard for me to take it seriously. No! I do not mean this in a way to offend or demean the laborious and precise art of screenplay writing! I only meant that I was so used to reading narratives in novels, especially when it comes to Harry Potter. Even the fanfiction I read are narrative in form. So TCC (The Cursed Child) definitely strayed away from that tradition. I was so unused to reading a new story of Harry's life in a format so unfamiliar and...well, trimmed.

I understand that prose are expected to be visual and descriptive (lest you want to bore your readers). This goes for both novels and screenplays. However, I found that novels are far more "descriptive" of events and emotions. For screenplays, the dialogue carries their emotions, yes props to TCC for achieving that. But I prefer descriptions and poetic narrative. I am a sucker for flowery prose. The TCC's pacing is faster; I would have loved to get to know and read the build up of each of the new characters in order to understand them better. I would have loved to know how they think, and how they act as a narrator reveals them.

I know that this was never meant to be a book nor a novel--that this is specifically for a play. I will forever be grateful for Rowling and its producers for still giving us non-Europe or non-US-based fans to enjoy the TCC without breaking the bank to fly there.

On the plus side, it appeals to the non-novel-reading crowd and to the comic-reading crowd. Because screenplay is mostly dialogue, it is far more easy to follow and understand for the easily-bored readers. :)

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NOTE: Tagging succeeding points as spoilers.

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2. Rowling still has it. When it comes to story/plot, Rowling is still a master of her craft. The twists and turns on the book were unpredictable and surprising. Harry Potter and The Cursed Child--upon reading that title, you'd think it is Harry's child that is cursed. It definitely surprises the reader.

Delphi was an important part of the story. She is the cursed child after all. However, the story itself did not focus on her. Her backstory was incomplete. Her introduction was rushed. Her story was a blank (I mean, how did the Voldy-Bella thing happen anyway? I know Bella had that deranged loyalty towards the Dark Lord, but...how??) They kept saying that she is a powerful dark wizard, but it was not clear how. Casting the killing curse on a student does not make one powerful, it only makes her evil. Flying without a magical vehicle may be special, but it is a debatable proof of power.

Notwithstanding, Rowling knows her characters well. Even her old characters re-appearing on this book are on point--from McGonagall to Cedric Diggory and Hermione Granger. She still writes her old characters with flair and affection.

3. Rowling has a knack of writing flawed characters well. And it's to the point where these characters are so flawed, they are borderline unlikable. Such is my feeling towards Albus Severus Potter.

Here's how I saw Albus Potter: an ungrateful, disrespectful, angry kid with father issues. He's not the kind that has father issues and is quiet and reserved. He's the kind that constantly pushes away any attempts by his father to bridge the gap and misunderstanding. He's the kind who is stupid enough to try to re-write the past to redeem and prove himself in the eyes of the father he's both constantly trying to please and displease at the same time. He is a selfish kid full of jealousy and insecurity. I often wondered how Scorpius was able to stay friends with him.

I know, Harry isn't perfect--one reason why we loved him as a kid, but you could see that he tried. He tried so hard then, and he has been trying so hard now to be a father to three kids. He makes mistakes. He snaps. He snapped at Albus and it was a moment so real and so universally relatable. If I had a kid so disrespectful and inconsiderate as Albus, I'd probably lose my temper too. I mean, belittling the only thing your father has of his mother? How can you NOT be angry at that?

Rose Granger-Weasley. How in the world did Rose Weasley became a moderate mean girl? She deliberately ostracized her cousin for being in Slytherin and for befriending a Malfoy. She believed rumors about Scropius without having any basis. She only made a negligible effort to reach out to Albus and it was only because her parents asked her to. How did a child of Hermione Granger turn out like she did?? Sure! She's smart and an over-achiever like her mother, but she sure did not get her mother's compassion and loyalty! *puffs out in anger*

Scorpius Malfoy. This is the first time in eight books that I loved the Malfoy kid better than the Potter kid. Seriously, Scorpius is such an amiable and easy-to-love character. It makes me wonder why he was so devoted and loyal to Albus, and why Rose hates him. If anything, I think Scorpius would fair better in Gryffindor.

4. The everlasting theme that rings true across the Harry Potter books is friendship. Even on this "eighth story," friendship and love are still the keys to resolve any conflict.

The friendship between Harry, Hermione, and Ron are still as fierce and as relentless as ever. It was absolute bliss meeting them--my old friends--again. :) Harry is still the honourable, imperfect, but kind-hearted wizard. Hermione is still the incredibly intelligent (although, it is so out-of-character for her to not realize sooner that Albus stole the time-turner) and unyielding loyal best friend and aide to Harry. And Ron--Ron lightened up more and possibly became funnier. He is still the ray of light Harry and Hermione have constantly relied on.

I know this book focused on the next generation of kids, but I was so moved with the friendship between Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter. It might be because I know their stories very well (from the seven canon books, of course).

In contrast to the Draco-Harry friendship, Scorpius and Albus' friendship was rushed, overwhelming, and kind of overdone nearing the end. Like I said, screenplay style of writing may have trimmed and compressed an important amount of detail. I wanted a better glimpse at what their friendship is like without the drama, hugging, and touchy-feely dialogue. I would have loved more adventures starring these two Slytherins--hopefully, adventures that do not destroy the world.
(hide spoiler)]

2. Rowling still has it. When it comes to story/plot, Rowling is still a master of her craft. The twists and turns on the book were unpredictable and surprising. Harry Potter and The Cursed Child--upon reading that title, you'd think it is Harry's child that is cursed. It definitely surprises the reader. 

Delphi was an important part of the story. She is the cursed child after all. However, the story itself did not focus on her. Her backstory was incomplete. Her introduction was rushed. Her story was a blank (I mean, how did the Voldy-Bella thing happen anyway? I know Bella had that deranged loyalty towards the Dark Lord, but...how??) They kept saying that she is a powerful dark wizard, but it was not clear how. Casting the killing curse on a student does not make one powerful, it only makes her evil. Flying without a magical vehicle may be special, but it is a debatable proof of power.

Notwithstanding, Rowling knows her characters well. Even her old characters re-appearing on this book are on point--from McGonagall to Cedric Diggory and Hermione Granger. She still writes her old characters with flair and affection. 

3. Rowling has a knack of writing flawed characters well. And it's to the point where these characters are so flawed, they are borderline unlikable. Such is my feeling towards Albus Severus Potter. 

Here's how I saw Albus Potter: an ungrateful, disrespectful, angry kid with father issues. He's not the kind that has father issues and is quiet and reserved. He's the kind that constantly pushes away any attempts by his father to bridge the gap and misunderstanding. He's the kind who is stupid enough to try to re-write the past to redeem and prove himself in the eyes of the father he's both constantly trying to please and displease at the same time. He is a selfish kid full of jealousy and insecurity. I often wondered how Scorpius was able to stay friends with him. 

I know, Harry isn't perfect--one reason why we loved him as a kid, but you could see that he tried. He tried so hard then, and he has been trying so hard now to be a father to three kids. He makes mistakes. He snaps. He snapped at Albus and it was a moment so real and so universally relatable. If I had a kid so disrespectful and inconsiderate as Albus, I'd probably lose my temper too. I mean, belittling the only thing your father has of his mother? How can you NOT be angry at that? 

Rose Granger-Weasley. How in the world did Rose Weasley became a moderate mean girl? She deliberately ostracized her cousin for being in Slytherin and for befriending a Malfoy. She believed rumors about Scropius without having any basis. She only made a negligible effort to reach out to Albus and it was only because her parents asked her to. How did a child of Hermione Granger turn out like she did?? Sure! She's smart and an over-achiever like her mother, but she sure did not get her mother's compassion and loyalty! *puffs out in anger* 

Scorpius Malfoy. This is the first time in eight books that I loved the Malfoy kid better than the Potter kid. Seriously, Scorpius is such an amiable and easy-to-love character. It makes me wonder why he was so devoted and loyal to Albus, and why Rose hates him. If anything, I think Scorpius would fair better in Gryffindor. 

4. The everlasting theme that rings true across the Harry Potter books is friendship. Even on this "eighth story," friendship and love are still the keys to resolve any conflict. The friendship between Harry, Hermione, and Ron are still as fierce and as relentless as ever. It was absolute bliss meeting them--my old friends--again. :) Harry is still the honourable, imperfect, but kind-hearted wizard. Hermione is still the incredibly intelligent (although, it is so out-of-character for her to not realize sooner that Albus stole the time-turner) and unyielding loyal best friend and aide to Harry. And Ron--Ron lightened up more and possibly became funnier. He is still the ray of light Harry and Hermione have constantly relied on. 

I know this book focused on the next generation of kids, but I was so moved with the friendship between Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter. It might be because I know their stories very well (from the seven canon books, of course). 

In contrast to the Draco-Harry friendship, Scorpius and Albus' friendship was rushed, overwhelming, and kind of overdone nearing the end. Like I said, screenplay style of writing may have trimmed and compressed an important amount of detail. I wanted a better glimpse at what their friendship is like without the drama, hugging, and touchy-feely dialogue. I would have loved more adventures starring these two Slytherins--hopefully, adventures that do not destroy the world. 

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Overall, I was not crazy about this book. I was already warned before by my Harry Potter-loving friend that TCC isn't what people are expecting. Thus, I had my expectations managed before I started reading it. So maybe that helped. But I was still impressed at how Rowling came up with a relatively unique story. Call me partial, but Rowling has proven time and time again how masterfully she holds this world she created.

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