Although this is similar in concept to , this is a very different book. As a fan of The Harry Potter books and movies, I found Felton's reflections touching and nostalgic. Felton's personality comes through in ways that are both alike and dislike his on-screen character Draco Malfoy. It's a pleasure to read but lacks some of the depth of the other memoirs that I've read.
Tom Felton had the rare opportunity to work alongside some of the greatest actors like Alan Rickman, Jason Issacs, Maggie Smith and so many more. He reflects on all the things that he learned. One of my favorite things about Felton's writing in this book is how well he juxtaposes his opinion at the time (not understanding how big a deal it is to work with these people) with his understanding as an adult writing this memoir.
These stories are such a huge touchstone for so many people - a fact not lost on Felton. His reflections on his time on the set of the movies transported me back to the moments of my life watching the films. More so, they remind me of how happy I am to be able to share these moments with the children in my life.
After the death of Robbie Coltrane earlier this year, Felton's anecdotes about how playful he was with the young actors both in front of and behind the camera brought tears to my eyes. The touches of Alan Rickman from "don't you dare step on my cape" to changing the name on his dressing room door to "The Half-Blood Prince" during the fifth movie emphasize how much like their characters many of these actors were. Reading this just for the memberberries is completely worth it. In fact, reflecting back on the book now encourages me to up my rating just because I loved the memberberries so much.
There is more substance to the book outside of the Harry Potter filming. As the name suggests, Felton takes it beyond his time as Draco Malfoy. Towards the end of the book, he digs deeper into the way his career has changed after the Potter films. He shares his own struggles with substance abuse. Although this memoir differs from I'm Glad My Mom Died in his reflection on life on set, I left with a similar feeling of wishing there was more depth to the trauma and recovery that the actor went through. That part of the book felt so light that I wished there was more of that part of Felton's story included.
As always, I love an audiobook read by the author. Felton is a great actor and that comes through in his audio rendition of his memoir. If you're going to pick this one up I definitely recommend ensuring that you're listening to Felton in his own words.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. Even being primed by a friend's recommendation, I was still taken aback by how much I really enjoyed Felton's reflections on his career. However, I wish there was more depth in the latter third of the book. Perhaps, one day Felton will follow it up with more stories of his recovery. If he does, I'll be waiting in line to pick that book up. Felton has shown that his talent on screen translates to talent on the page, too.
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