The Book Nook discussion

I am an oddity of my generation: I did not grow up on Harry Potter. Oh, I knew about the books, it would be impossible not to, but there just never was any interest to read them. It wasn’t until senior year of university that I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and even then only because it was an assigned book for a Children’s Literature class. I borrowed the book from the library, went home, and emerged from my room a week later in a triumphant daze that not only had I been initiated into the world of Harry Potter and finally knew what everyone was talking about, but that I’d done it before the professor could drop any more major spoilers. Victory!! Although I am still not a hard core fan, perhaps because I didn’t have that experience of growing up with Harry, I love the world that J.K. Rowling immerses us in and will happily curl up with a book from the series again.

I was curious when I heard that there would be an eight Harry Potter book, more so when it was revealed that it would actually be a script, but not enough to race out and buy a copy. To be honest, I was content with where the 7th book had ended; I was not itching to see the characters 18 years later. But for our book club? It’d be crazy not to read it, am I right?

For this one, I’m keeping mum for a bit; bring on the reactions! Did you love it? Go to a special midnight release party, stay up all night reading it, barely talk to anyone until you knew it cover to cover? As clichéd as the question is, was it everything you’d hope for in a Harry Potter book that’s not really a book? Spare us no detail!

I'm also not a Harry Potter fan the way most readers are - it wasn't a huge part of my childhood and it's not the first series that comes to mind when thinking about my favorites. [I'm more of a Percy Jackson fan :)] But I enjoyed the series as much as the next person when I did read it.

I heard mixed things (and some spoilers) online about the book before it was actually released, so I wasn't as excited as I might have been, but I ended up going to the Barnes & Noble release party, though it was kind of a last minute decision. I put off reading the book for a few days because of low expectations, and ended up reading it pretty quickly because of the format.

Because I had low expectations, I wouldn't say I was disappointed, but long story short, it was a two-star read for me. There were parts I enjoyed, but overall I wasn't impressed. I guess what I'm saying is: I didn't like it, but it didn't bother me too much because I wasn't all that excited in the first place. Also - I've read reviews from readers who loved it, and I see their point. I'm happy for you if you did, I just feel differently :)

Onto my thoughts/reasoning (negative review ahead):

*contains spoilers! spoiler-y spoilers!*

A big part of the book I didn't like was the original characters, who didn't seem like themselves, particularly Ron and Ginny (but it was everyone really). They seemed too much like the 'movie version' of themselves. There were also some conversations and decisions that felt wrong. (Harry telling Albus he wished he wasn't his son?!) This could well be because of the script format - I've heard the play is better because the actors can put more into their characters. Also, there were many characters that were barely in the book or excluded altogether who I found myself missing.

The new characters, Albus and Scorpius, I enjoyed more (particularly Scorpius, who seems to be nearly everyone's favorite, including me). One thing I hoped to get out of the Cursed Child was a resolution to the 'all Slytherins are evil' thing (I'm a proud Slytherin myself)...while I'm happy the characters were in Slytherin, I felt like there was a missed opportunity to discuss the house in a positive way.

Finally, what seems to be the biggest complaint about the book (not as much for me personally, because I knew what I was getting into): the plot. (MAJOR MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD) The time travel concept was so confusing. At one point I gave up any semblance of trying to understand what was supposed to be happening. None of the events really seemed necessary because all the conflict had been resolved. And the big thing everyone is talking about - Voldemort had a daughter??! seemed more silly to me than shocking or interesting. Not to mention the plot holes - which I didn't necessarily catch myself the first time around, as the last time I read the series was a while ago, but which I found out about through other readers.

Overall, there were a great many things I wish were different, but I'm not particularly upset or surprised by the fact that I didn't like this book. Looking forward to seeing others' opinions on this!

I have to agree with you; my overall impression was, "That's it?? That's the big reveal??" Now granted, I've heard that since it's a play we lose the performance that the actors give and miss out on the nuances that bring the characters to life and help make them seem more like the characters we've all enjoyed in the books. But hey, they are selling it as a book, and readers are going to read it as a book.

I went out and picked up my copy during the Midnight release. I haven't finished it yet. I am about half way done and I keep finding other things that I want to read instead. It just hasn't grabbed me.

My friend and I (who have been HP obsessed since the release of the first book in 2001) didn't think much of the book but also realize that it was based on a stage production so a lot of the magic that the actors gave to the parts may have been lost in translation. My absolute favorite part of the book was friendship between Albus and Scorpius (<-----Farscape fans anyone?). If I know anything about JK Rowling it's that if you wait a few months or years there definitely is something new for HP coming out of the pipeline (2 ebooks being released this Fall).