Beyond the Wand

3.5 stars if you are a fan of the Harry Potter movies you will love this book. If you are like me and haven't watched them all but still kinda enjoyed them, this is probably also enjoyable.

Honestly, my favourite parts of this book were the parts before and after Draco Malfoy fame. This was an ok memoir. Again, probably would have enjoyed more if I cared about the Harry Potter franchise.

This memoir is strange in that it is pretty brief on all things about Felton's life, but it will be unexpectedly poignant out of nowhere. His chapter about his friendship with Emma Watson is genuinely moving. The stories about Alan Rickman, Richard Harris, and Robbie Coltrane are amusing and bittersweet. The chapter about him being seduced by the dark side of the force (read: Hollywood) and getting an intervention was very good. I just wish the book was a bit longer; it always gives me a bit of whiplash when people zoom from one big event to another. Not every memoir needs to be 500 pages but this one feels extra brief.

7/10

About 70% of the book, I felt like he was speeding through the information about this life on the set, just spilling facts, lacking the emotional input and any deeper meaning
BUT THEN
when he starting talking about his struggles with fame and drugs, I really felt I was reading a meaningful memoir, connected with the author's emotion. The shift was essencial in increasing the quality of the book.

dnf at 16%

The foreword by emma watson was great, and i am sure the rest of the book is too but it did not intrigue me as much. I dont want to criticize the writing because he is an actor himself and not a writer, and this is a memoir but the writing style is crucial for me to enjoy the book.

Every time i lose interest reading half way or dont like the book, i tell myself that no one is holding a gun to my head to read this, i can put it down and move on to something else that i might love.

“The only true currency we have in life is the effect we have on those around us”

A lot of nostalgia, rawness, and somewhat of an insight into the world and characters that have been a part of a big chunk of my life.

I'd always felt the actors in the Harry Potter franchise to be very much like the characters they played and it was really interesting to see them now from a somewhat closer perspective. Apart from that, Tom's life, him - the person and not the character we've known, his relationship with his brothers, etc. I enjoyed reading it all.

This was such a delightful read! Tom seems to be a really fun and nice guy.

I obviously loved to read about the actors and the life on Harry Potter movie's set but also about the other bits in his life, his family and, especially, his struggle with mental health.

Thank you for showing us the beautiful and ugly parts of your life.