Review of 'Harry Potter and the Cursed child playscript' by John Tiffany and Jack Thorne

I spent the longest time deliberating over whether I actually wanted to read this if I'm honest. There was the moral dilemma of reading something that undoubtedly gives money to J K Rowling (it's not written by her, no matter how large the publishers write her name on the cover to dupe people into thinking it is), as well as all the warnings I'd had about the fact that it ruins your childhood memories of the books. 

Thankfully I find a charity shop copy (ticking off point one), and I re-read the books about a year ago and realised how actually not-so-great Ron and Dumbledore are (ticking off point two).

'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' takes place where the epilogue for HP and the Deathly Hallows leaves off, i.e. with Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, their pals and Draco all saying goodbye to their children as they board the Hogwarts Express. 

Albus, Harry's son, is sorted into Slytherin when he arrives, becoming the first Potter to do so, and soon becomes unlikely friends with Scorpius (Malfoy's son). Harry's scar starts to hurt and, fearing that Voldemort is back, insists that the boys are kept apart. Albus and his relationship is on the rocks, and when Albus hears Amos Diggory (Cedrig's dad) asking Harry to use the Ministry's Time Turner to save his child, Albus decides fixing this is the way into everyone's good books.

Albus and Scorpius decide to go back to the Triwizard tournament challenges to ensure that Cedric does not touch the portkey trophy, but everything goes horrifyingly wrong. Scorpius in launched back into a world where Voldemort never died, meaning that Albus wasn't born. The pair end up back further in time under threat by 'Delphi Diggory' who turns out to be someone they never thought existed. It's down to them to make sure that the events at Godric Hollow follow the same route as they did way back when Harry was a baby.

I genuinely really enjoyed this, despite all of the warnings I was given. It was a chance to explore the magical world of Harry Potter further, and I'd love to have the opportunity to see the stage show one day. Having said that, I didn't like all of the characters' trajectories from when they left Hogwarts (although there's always going to be some of us that don't like whatever gets put out). I would have LOVED to see a relationship between Albus and Scorpius, and I can see why so many people have shipped them as being a sort of couple in the book. I'm waiting for the day when J K Rowling comes out and says that they are definitely 100% gay because at least it'll be more believable than Dumbledore *sips tea*.

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Review of 'Mrs Dalloway' by Virginia Woolf

I've been meaning to read some Virginia Woolf for the longest time, and whilst a number of her books line my shelves I've always been way too intimidated (and kinda scared of disappointment) to pick one up until now. 

Much like Ian McEwan's Saturday, (though a LOT better in my opinion), Mrs Dalloway takes place over the course of a singular day. Clarissa Dalloway, our main character, is planning a house party and wanders around preparing things for it, reminiscing over her youth. She considers her choice to wed the 'safe option' rather than pursue a relationship with the slightly wild (and more sexy) Peter Walsh. The novel culminates in the party, at which a friend's suicide is announced, and Clarissa wonders if he made a better decision than the one she took to stay alive.

Laying out the plot like that, it all seems a little dull, but for a novel of its time (published in 1925, the same year as The Great Gatsby), it really is something. One of the most shocking bits for me was the hint at Clarissa's bisexuality. As well as mentioning that Peter Walsh was an option to her, she looks back fondly on a kiss with Sally Seton, who she declared as being obviously not an option. The kiss was the happiest moment in her life. I've tried to rack my brains and I can't think of another book that I've come across older than this where a more-than-friends relationship between women is mentioned without it being used in a 'God will smite you' manner. 

The other issue discussed is shell shock and the PTSD surrounding that. Not only is this explored in some depth, but it's done in a caring way. It actually shed a whole lot of light for me on the impact of 'shell shock' and what those words actually mean. The book discusses how hard it is to integrate with society post-war.

I really can see why a lot of people love Woolf and I feel like reading this might just be the start of a full on love affair with her work. If you've got a favourite novel of hers please pass on recommendations!

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Review of 'Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl' by Tracy Quan

Today is a day for endless cups of tea because wow the need for caffeine is real. But, I'm here and still catching up on 2018 reads, edging closer and closer to finally being able to review things straight after I finish them (the idea at this point seems absolutely unattainable, but it'll happen). 

The life of a call girl in literature is, in my opinion, explored in a way that's both not very thorough and also, probably not very accurate. Call girls tend to be used as a foil to highlight certain aspects of someone else's character (e.g. making us realise a guy is a cheat on his wife), or they turn up as a murder victim. But there aren't many occasions where the main character in a book is a call girl, or at least, I haven't come across it very often.

Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl is written by Tracy Quan, an ex-call girl turned novelist, who uses her experiences to really tackle stereotypes around sex work. The main character of the book, Nancy Chan, is a prostitute who largely has sex with older gentlemen. She's reached a stage in her career where things are a little easier money-wise, but as she's getting older she's starting to face the idea of a future away from sex work. There's one other driving force for this: her fiancee Matt who has no idea what her real job is.

I found it pretty hard to engage with this book, and from the reviews I've read of it, it seems as though a lot of other people feel the same. The language is quite cold and distant, where it would work so well as a book filled with emotion. The stories she tells offer an interesting insight into life as a call girl, but don't delve into her feelings about it. 

A good portion of the book is based around her lying to her fiancee about what she does, and it's not told in a way that's justified: the protagonist knows that what she's doing is wrong, but she's stringing this poor guy along leading a double life. The ending is also very abrupt: we never find out what happens with her deciding whether or not to tell him, and it all just tails off randomly.

I'm giving this three stars because it did offer an interesting insight into life as a call girl, told by someone who knows what she's talking about, but the whole idea of a plot or any kind of narrative flow seems to have been a bit lost along the way.

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