A review by jacquilynn
J. K. Rowling: The Wizard Behind Harry Potter by Marc Shapiro

1.0

There is far too much reintroduction of the characters of Harry Potter in the first section of the book. I get that by the time the fourth book was published, maybe not everyone is as familiar with the story since the movies had yet to come out, but this is still the series that had a whirlwind following from the begging and sold for one of if not the highest publishing contract for a children’s book, so this repetition is annoying filler. This author commits the one sin Rowling never did, talking down at the young reader. This book is obviously written for a younger audience than me, but I often will read children or YA books for my own enjoyment or to someone younger. I appreciate a good story no matter what the intended demographic. Something about the writing style in the early chapters put me off. Perhaps it was the many descriptions of Rowling’s life were simply imagined. Unauthorized is a good description for this book, biography not so much. It’s so dreamy and all is rainbows and butterflies. Then there was the gem of a line when Rowling was seriously depressed after her divorce and daughter’s birth, the author says “The worst part of all was that she rarely worked on the book.” NO the worst part is that she was depressed and miserable. I normally hoard any and all books I find dealing with HP or Rowling, this one is going straight in the donate pile.