Perhaps the one instance in which 'never judge a book by its cover' doesn't actually ring true...
The contents of this book were just as magical as its cover. Once again, J. K. Rowling has not disappointed. To my knowledge, this is the first time I have ever read a screenplay, and so it was comforting to jump into such a text with the familiarity factor of the wizarding world which Rowling has spent so many years creating. Just as with Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, it was interesting to read a work of Rowling's which exists within her magical milieu, but isn't focused on the chronological progression of Harry's life at Hogwarts or his defeating Voldemort.
As far as the text being a screenplay goes, it was very different to what is experienced when reading a novel, which I really engaged with. It was easy to gain a much deeper understanding of the action, dialogue, thoughts, and feelings, due to the description provided. What I enjoyed most was the fact that despite this not being a novel, there were still major unexpected plot twists... And they were able to really surprise me! I would very much like to see the film also, and see how it actually translates onto the screen, having seen the film title be the focus of many a Facebook status, Tweet, and newspaper article. (Plus, anything starring Eddie Redmayne has to be good, right?)
I truly adore J. K. Rowling and her work, and am very interested to look into reading her other novels and seeing what they have to offer. I am also very open to the idea of reading more screenplays in the future, because one of the many things that my English degree taught me is that literature is not just a canonical novel authored by a straight, white, middle-class man which focuses solely on the very real aspects of life.
