In this new discussion type post, I'll be talked about whether or not I really want to read the next book in a series and what my reasons are.
As all of you probably know, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child came out today (the play debuted in London yesterday). It takes place years after the original series ended with Harry now married to Ginny with three children enrolled in Hogwarts and a job at the Ministry of Magic.
Harry Potter #8
Goodreads Blurb:
"Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a new play by Jack Thorne, is the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. It will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on 30th July 2016
It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband, and father of three school-age children.
While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes darkness comes from unexpected places."
When the book (or rather, screenplay) was first announced, I was so excited to get a peek into Harry's life after the whole Voldemort storyline. We got a little bit at the end of The Deathly Hallows which was so, so cool and I wanted more! So I found all the news I could on the subject and learned as much as I could of what the plot would be like and when it would be released and all of that. And I settled down for the wait.
After a while though, I got lost in other series' and in other character's lives. After finishing a few series', I thought about how wonderful the endings were because they left just enough to the imagination and allowed your mind to wander. Everyone could choose how they wanted the characters to end up and it really emphasizes that the future is a mystery and you don't know what will happen.
So the release date drew ever closer and I was resucked into the excitement via other bloggers and fellow bookworms. But this time, I just felt... meh. I actually didn't really want to know what happens to Harry as he grew older. I didn't want to see how his marriage with Ginny was holding up and how his kids were doing and what job he had and just what his life was like. As terrible as it sounds, I really liked the happily ever after in Deathly Hallows and I'm content with that.
So will I be reading Harry Potter and the Cursed Child? The answer is probably not. I honestly just don't want to know what happens. It's like how I felt after watching Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I really shouldn't have seen it because I was content with how things ended in the original series. I don't want another generation (but, of course, now that I've seen it, I have to see the next one coming out in December).
However, I AM really excited to see Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them! It's set in a new setting with different characters (I still have to take the new test of what house I'm in for the US wizarding school!) which I'm really excited for. The wizarding world is very fascinating to me and I would like to read more stories that take place in it, however I think I'll leave Harry Potter right where I left him at the end of Deathly Hallows.
Are you planning on reading Harry Potter and the Cursed Child? Or, if you're lucky enough to live in England, are you planning to watch it? How do you feel about books that pick up a character 20-30 years later?
Honestly, I really don't know much about this book. Is it a book or a screenplay? Cause I wouldn't be interested if it's like a script. If it's a book/novel...I might try it.
ReplyDeleteIt's a screeplay that's published with a book-type binding. The actual play is only being preformed in Europe so far (to my knowledge) so everyone who lives anywhere else is stuck with just reading the screenplay (think Shakespeare format). That's also why I'm not enthused about it anymore; I feel like if I just read the script it would only be half as good and be a total let-down.
DeleteI was interested in it until I realized that it's just a screenplay and JK Rowling didn't right it. I want to see the play because I think that would be awesome. But, reading a screenplay doesn't sound exciting to me. I still put it on hold at the library so that when my time finally comes around, I can decide if I want to read it or not. We'll see.
ReplyDeleteSame! I think JKR had a hand in it but yeah, she didn't write the whole thing which is really disappointing. Let me know if you decide to read it! I'd love to hear what you think (so I don't have to go through the trauma if it's terrible reading the script - I'm totally selfish, I know).
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ReplyDeleteUgh.
:)
DeleteI'm currently reading it and I think it's worth it! There are new characters and old characters (enter the Golden Trio). It does say parts one and two on the cover, which makes me think that there will be a part three, and I don't know how I feel about that yet.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're liking it! I think I'll pass unless I'm somehow able to see the play!
DeleteYou've put my thoughts into words so well, Laura- this is exactly how I feel about it! I was really excited at the beginning, but then I guess I started realizing "how wonderful the endings were because they left just enough to the imagination and allowed your mind to wander", to quote you. I have to admit that I was feeling pretty excited to see all the tweets that were popping up constantly after the release of the book- Potterhead that I am, it's hard not to- but I'm very, very wary, and..and I just wish this book/play never happened. FB though, now that's another story. Great post! :))
ReplyDeleteRuzaika @ The Regal Critiques
:) I'm glad! I was so excited too! Everything seemed so amazing like a dream come true. But then I started thinking about what I would feel if it turned out to be meh. Better for me to just leave sleeping dogs lie :) Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI think I feel the same way as you do, Laura. I love Harry Potter, but the Deathly Hallows was just the sort of ending I needed for that series. However, if I find it cheap, I'll definitely read it. I also think I wouldn't want to read it in screenplay form to begin with- I'd rather see the play, but as I am not into the bigger cities, I doubt I'd ever see it.
ReplyDelete~Litha Nelle
It's the same with me! I think the only way I'd see it/read it is by watching the play but I'm hours away from cities where it would come.
DeleteI have actually only read the first book in the series! It's not that I don't want to read the series, it's just that I don't want myself to be disappointed. Harry Potter is one of the, if not THE, most loved series, and I'm just so hesitant. I've seen the movies, but I know that there is so much that the movies don't touch on. I completely understand where you are coming from. There is a possibility that The Cursed Child might not have the same magic as the original 7 as well. Great discussion, Laura! By the way, I tagged you for the Happiness Tag on my blog!
ReplyDeleteReally?? I feel you there, though. I just want to preserve the warm and fuzzy feeling I got after finishing both the book and movie series. There is such a difference between movie adaptations and their book counterparts! I think, overall though, HP was adapted rather well! Thanks for the tag and for stopping by, Genni!
DeleteI wish I was that strong. I often feel that way with books. But I had to and in the end it was good but it wasn't what I was hoping for or expecting. But it's probably better as a play (so seeing it rather than reading).
ReplyDeleteHaha actually, I was just waiting in Walmart the other day and I saw it on the shelf and I couldn't help myself! I picked it up and read a page. That kind of cemented my desire not to read it (although I'm fine with knowing what happens because somehow that makes it less painful if it's not the best and I didn't read it myself). For sure! That was my thinking. It was designed to be a play so it'd be terrible if I just read the screenplay (it reminds me too much of how I hate Shakespeare now).
DeleteI am right there with you, I am totally excited for Fantastic Beasts, but super "meh" about everything else happening with the franchise, especially Cursed Child! I couldn't really get into the hype leading up to its release because it didn't have the same feel for me as when the original books were released, and after reading some spoilers I DEFINITELY won't be reading it (I wish I could unknow what I know...)
ReplyDelete-Cristina @ Girl in the Pages
Yeah it is really different this time around. I was actually seeking out spoilers on the internet because I wanted to know what happened without being invested in the characters. For some reason, if I don't read the book and I just hear about what happens, it doesn't affect me the same way and I can somehow tell myself that it didn't happen. Thanks for stopping by, Cristina!
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