Magical charm

New chapter

The lightning bolt scar on the forehead, the striped scarf and a wand — sounds all too familiar for someone who has grown up reading the ‘Harry Potter’ series.

It became such a big part of people’s lives and they never thought there would be a sequel to it. However, author J K Rowling surprised her fans last year by saying that a sequel will be released soon, written in a play format though.

Marking the author’s and Harry Potter’s birthday, the book ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ was finally published. Many took it as a welcoming surprise, while some didn’t. Unlike the other books, this one is written in a play format, giving one a different experience of reading. Bengalureans are also placing orders online or rushing to bookstores to purchase the new book. Metrolife talks to some fans and takes their opinion on the new publication.

Vishakha Kalra, a professional, was very excited when the new book was released. She immediately ordered it online and finished reading it in a couple of hours.  She says, “When I started reading ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’, I had mixed emotions. I was apprehensive about how it might end until I reached Act 3. I think Part 2 of the book was what brought it together for me. It is of course very different from the rest of the books in terms of Rowling’s writing style, but it’s still brilliantly written. I’m very eager to see the play live. It’s one thing to read a play and a completely different experience to watch it with all the light and sound effects.”

She recalls that she didn’t start reading the series in order. “I was around 12 when I started with the fourth book. I was in the waiting room of a hospital where my grandmother was admitted in the ICU. It was a very scary and confusing place for me. That’s when I wrapped myself in the world of ‘Harry Potter’ and got transported into another world; it strengthened me in a way and helped me be less frightened. It was and always has been magical indeed,” she shares.

Similarly, Nitya Sriram, a content writer, also has a close connect with the series. She shares, “The first book was a surprise gift from my parents. Needless to say, it was the best surprise ever! Till the last book came, I used to read it everyday. Even when I borrowed alternate books from the library, I would invariably return to my Harry Potter books because I loved them so much.”

However, she is yet to read the new book. She says, “I was not too excited about the release of the new book to be honest. It just didn’t feel the same. On the other hand, everyone else’s excitement has made me more excited and I’m going to buy it soon.”

And it’s not just the younger generation which started reading these books, but also the other age groups which took to it. Aabharna Amith, a lecturer at Mount Carmel College, initially thought the book was childish and wasn’t too keen on reading it. However, while she was waiting for her friend to finish her doctor’s appointment, she started reading the first book and has been hooked on to it since.

She says excitedly, “The characters were so well-defined. I love the fact that the book is not meant for just kids. I also think that the movie adaptations are accurate. Both my children love the movies and watch them everytime they are aired on television, but I wish they would also get to reading the book.”

Ask her if she’s planning to read the book anytime soon and she says, “I am presently reading the ‘Game of Thrones’ series so I don’t want to confuse myself. I will have to read the last two ‘Harry Potter’ books before I read the new one. But I’ve already decided that during my semester break, spending time reading ‘Harry Potter’ is going to be on my agenda. It’s going to be great and I know I won’t be bored at all.”