By Dumbledore! Harry Potter and the Cursed Child! I’m still trying to process what I’ve read but I’ve decided to write down my initial (spoiler-free) impressions before rereading and analyzing the newest story later on. My first thought was how amazing – stunning – spectacular – breathtaking – etc – it must look on stage. It was closely followed by the question: how on earth did they manage to pull it off without magic? I mean, all those set decorations, special effects, choreography… and all that.
It was definitely not what I would have expected. I mean, I tried not to expect anything, so I don’t know what I expected, but I was surprised by the plot and twists and turns that it took. I was also surprised by the way some of the characters turned out to be and how they interacted with each other. I don’t know. I kept thinking that I would write it differently and so would Jo. I could just tell that she didn’t write the thing. I found something alien in the style, the words, the expressions, the humour… I think I once said that it is a legitimized fanfiction and it definitely is. In fact, at times I found that it was a mixture of all possible headcanons and fanfic scenarios that I’ve ever heard of put together.
It was definitely not what I would have expected. I mean, I tried not to expect anything, so I don’t know what I expected, but I was surprised by the plot and twists and turns that it took. I was also surprised by the way some of the characters turned out to be and how they interacted with each other. I don’t know. I kept thinking that I would write it differently and so would Jo. I could just tell that she didn’t write the thing. I found something alien in the style, the words, the expressions, the humour… I think I once said that it is a legitimized fanfiction and it definitely is. In fact, at times I found that it was a mixture of all possible headcanons and fanfic scenarios that I’ve ever heard of put together.
It is not a novel so everything is condensed and, therefore, extremely intense – the pace is wicked. I’m not yet sure whether I like it or not. I’m discombobulated (*snickers* you’ll know what I mean when you read the play). I think I do. I do like the story. I just need to read it again... and again... and again! It is exciting and hilarious and sad and heart-breaking and intriguing and wild and shocking and unexpected and batshit crazy and it definitely should be watched on stage. But – and this is entirely my issue – Harry is my favourite character and when he is treated unfairly, hurt, criticized, has aspersions cast against him, etc, I get very-very angry – especially, if it’s someone very close to him.
But this story did something very important (maybe without even realizing it) – it addressed an issue that a lot of fans regarded as possible for resolution of certain plot things within the seven-book story arc, criticizing Jo for not using it when it would obviously (in their opinion) solve so many problems, and it showed them exactly why it would be a very-very bad idea. So... has anyone read it yet?
But this story did something very important (maybe without even realizing it) – it addressed an issue that a lot of fans regarded as possible for resolution of certain plot things within the seven-book story arc, criticizing Jo for not using it when it would obviously (in their opinion) solve so many problems, and it showed them exactly why it would be a very-very bad idea. So... has anyone read it yet?
On an entirely unrelated note, did you see Jo yesterday? She looked magical, didn’t she?
Okay, I'm incredibly impressed that you've already read this. That's amazing - I probably won't finish it before I go to Europe and unfortunately, it can't go with me. :/ But I don't have any idea what to expect, I've stayed away from any possible spoiler or tidbit or anything. So I'm pretty jazzed! I'll let you know when I'm finished and we can discuss!
ReplyDeleteI'm really looking forward to discussing it! But it's really quite short in comparison with a book and it took a surprisingly short time to finish it. It does pulls you in)
DeleteI completely agree with you. While I do like the play, I knew that it was something that Jo never would have written. And the fact that they used an extremely popular fanfiction plot made it even more obvious. That being said, I did like it and I think I'd like it even more when I reread it. There's a couple of issues that I had with the play (or, more specifically, some of the characters), but since it's not Jo writing it I've decided to take what I like and ignore what I don't. It may be legitimized fanfic, but it was actually pretty good. I wouldn't mind getting more HP stories like this. Maybe from the Maurauder's Era :D
ReplyDeleteI've also enjoyed it a great deal and I'm sure that I'll enjoy it even more upon rereading it and I loved new friendships that evolved. But like I've mentioned in my post and like you've said, I also have some issues with the characters - to use a fanfic term, sometimes they were a bit too OOC for my liking. The playwright did say that he is a big HP fan, so it's like an ultimate fan dream fulfilment - to have your fanfic approved by JKR herself. I'm not trying to question its validity or anything but we know that Jo had an original idea but didn't write it and I just keep wondering how much of the actual story was suggested by her and how much did the playwright come up with. I mean, sometimes, while reading, I had to stop and ask myself: would Jo actually come up with something like this? But it was great to be back in this world and it made me long so much more for another JKR-written HP novel. But I can't wait to discuss the play in detail once everyone has read it!
DeleteThat is so awesome that you already finished Cursed Child! Unfortunately I'm not expecting my copy to arrive until Wednesday, but then I plan to read, read, read! Your thoughts on it have me very, very intrigued!
ReplyDeleteOh, you will be intrigued even more once you start reading it and shocked too, I expect. I hope you will enjoy it and then we'll all get to discuss it in proper detail)))
DeleteAs much as I loved it, I still think I would have prefered it to have been first written as a book by Jo, and then turned into a play. I'm excited to see how it's done on the stage too, so magical! :)
ReplyDeleteAnother book by Jo would be PERFECT. But if she were to write it, I'd love her to explore Harry and Ron's first year at the Ministry of Magic, training to become Aurors, before Ron left to help George in the joke shop.
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