Review: Beyond the Wand
Available now at Bookshop.org
3.5/5
For fans of: Memoirs, autobiographies, Harry Potter, acting, Tom Felton
The Big Questions:
What genre is this in? Non-fiction
Are there any swoon-worthy characters? No, this is real life
Is it spicy? Nope
Is it violent or gory? Nope
Should I buy, borrow, or pass on this book? Borrow
Synopsis: Tom Felton’s adolescence was anything but ordinary. His early rise to fame in beloved films like The Borrowers catapulted him into the limelight, but nothing could prepare him for what was to come after he landed the iconic role of the Draco Malfoy, the bleached blonde villain of the Harry Potter movies. For the next ten years, he was at the center of a huge pop culture phenomenon and yet, in between filming, he would go back to being a normal teenager trying to fit into a normal school.
Speaking with great candor and his signature humor, Tom shares his experience growing up as part of the wizarding world while also trying to navigate the muggle world. He tells stories from his early days in the business like his first acting gig where he was mistaken for fellow blonde child actor Macaulay Culkin and his Harry Potter audition where, in a very Draco-like move, he fudged how well he knew the books the series was based on (not at all). He reflects on his experiences working with cinematic greats such as Alan Rickman, Sir Michael Gambon, Dame Maggie Smith, and Ralph Fiennes (including that awkward Voldemort hug). And, perhaps most poignantly, he discusses the lasting relationships he made over that decade of filming, including with Emma Watson, who started out as a pesky nine-year-old whom he mocked for not knowing what a boom mic was but who soon grew into one of his dearest friends. Then, of course, there are the highs and lows of fame and navigating life after such a momentous and life-changing experience.
Tom Felton’s BEYOND THE WAND is an entertaining, funny, and poignant must-read for any Harry Potter fan. Prepare to meet a real-life wizard.
Review: As a lifelong HP fan who isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, of course I want to read the insights of a decade of filming magic, but a memoir at such a young age? I wasn’t so sure about that. I admit I went in only caring about his experience on Potter and especially his relationship with Emma Watson. It didn’t help that Hermione Granger herself wrote the forward. But I was pleasantly surprised when so much more about the filming industry in general was what kept me reading. He describes his experiences from big budget franchises to commercials and indies with lots of candor. His writing on his pre-Potter days is delightful for a kid working so young in the industry getting to grow up in a unique and fun way. His Potter days, of course, is the meat of the book, and if it was just about that, I would have rated it higher. But I think he missed a really big opportunity discussing his post-Potter days in more detail. Delving deeper into his experiences as a millennial dealing with the burnout of working nonstop at an early age and also dealing with the consequences of less than stellar actions in his twenties while learning to navigate his thirties in a pandemic as well as the acceptance of mental health issues had some real potential. It felt just tacked on here. The book overall is very entertaining, but definitely some missed opportunities.