As a true Harry Potter fan, I was skeptical of this book especially in the script format. I wanted to dive into the world of wands, butterbeer and the insatiable characters again without reading the setting of each scene.
It’s 308 pages long, 2 Parts, 4 Acts and many scenes between.
The story picks up right where Deathly Hallows ended – even using the “19 years later” epilogue as the start of the script. It was a familiar way to begin such an unfamiliar style. In my experience, I can tell a lot about a book as I’m standing in a bookstore perusing the first pages of the first chapter. If the author has grabbed me by that point, I know I need to find this book at the library and finish it, which is how this Dutch family rolls. I was surprised to find that she’d captured my attention! So I devoured it in a couple afternoons with a sleeping puppy warming my lap.
Themes:
Parent/child relationships, friendships, legacy, doubt, fame’s shadow all come once again into play (pun intended). The previous books are riddled (see what I did there) with similar things as the previous books – along with doing what’s right and outmaneuvering the bad guys. As a parent, I thought J.K. did an outstanding job making Harry’s effort at being a dad while having no experience to draw from completely believable. Even with a decent example, parenting is hard.
Teaser:
Self-doubt… ugly words spoken… a son needing to prove himself… a stolen time turner … and lots of twists. I’ll leave you with that. 🙂 Get the book!
Reservations:
-Language is a factor in this book. It’s not every other word, but I hold to the idea that the English language is full of many thousands of words that could used to better describe than the vulgar ones chosen for this book. If an author feels vulgarity is the only way to connect with her reader, she needs to reevaluate her voice in writing. If I were to read this book out loud to my kids (I’d first have to figure out a way to not awkwardly read a script) I would have to censor the unnecessary words as I’d done some of the previous books.
-As in some of the other books, Ron is rather a patsy, humorous but it bothers me at times that Hermoine belittles him. She’s better about it as his wife in this story, but the superior feminist mindset still seeps through. There is so much of that in our culture where offending women is taboo. As with any attitude, it has be be regularly addressed and pointed out.
Recommendations:
If you found the book series to be too much, this giant epilogue play will feel entirely unnecessary. If you loved the books and don’t mind a different format, dive right in!
Though personally, I think the authors took a page from Back to the Future Part 2. 🙂
Let me know what you think!
***UPDATE*** October 26, 2017
I have recently finished reading this aloud to the kids each night. It was awkward to read the scenes and locations but they eventually grew to expect it and even noticed when I skipped reading them when a location change was unnecessary. Funny!
I definitely edited as I read. I probably should’ve edited more with relationships but in this book, Hermoine and Ron are married and their comments to each other reflect a married couple and were appropriate for that.
My recommendation stands but so do my reservations.
If you’re a Harry Potter fan, Barnes and Noble is having their annual Harry Potter Celebration! For those in West Michigan, it will be held at their Rivertown location at 7pm THIS Friday October 27, 2017!
Enjoy!
