Book Review: The Cursed Child
I remember one morning, when I was 11 years old, waiting in the queue outside the local bookshop in my hometown in Italy to get one of the first copies of the last Harry Potter book. I remember my impatience and my excitement, and the general enthusiasm that exploded when the bookshop opened the doors to let the young readers enter. That year was 2007, and now it has been almost 10 years since J.K. Rowling published her last HP book. Anyway, even if I’m not the same little teenage girl of 2007, all those magical feelings haven’t changed. Last year, I queued all day long outside of the same bookshop in order to get a copy of the latest Harry Potter book.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has been greeted by all Harry Potter’s fans all over the world as a relief from the several years of abstinence without a new HP book. The book is slightly different from the others of the saga because it’s written in the form of a play by Jack Thorne, but it’s based on the story of J.K. Rowling and John Tiffany.
The story unfolds 19 years after the events narrated in Harry Potter and the Deadly Hollows, and it’s about the adventures of Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy, namely Harry and Draco’s sons. As always, Voldemort is threatening the wizarding world, but this time the main danger is represented by his daughter Delphi. The two friends will try save the world together with their parents and their friends, who will help them overcome the difficulties and defeat the evil.
The plot is engaging and captivating, the writing style is emotional, and the text is rich in ideas and thoughts that lead the reader to constantly reflect on their life. As in the whole saga, the main theme of this book is friendship, but also family and love.
This is the book that every Harry Potter’s fan was waiting for, because it shows Harry, Hermione and Ron from a completely different perspective. The three friends are no longer three teenagers always looking for trouble, but now they have grown up, and they have children and responsibilities. Ron and Hermione are the cutest couple ever, Harry is an apprehensive father, and Draco is looking for everybody’s forgiveness for all the evil things that he has done. The readers realises that the characters have to deal with difficulties concerning ordinary problems of everyday life, and this is why they are bonded to the magicians.
In all her books, J.K. Rowling has created characters full of humanity and compassion who reflect the readers’ feelings and emotions; she has the ability to make the reader take part in the events and be side by side with Harry and his friends. This is what makes HP books so unique, and J.K. Rowling has made it once again!
With thanks to Ida Broni and Eloise Douglass
