Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard

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Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard by Tom Felton

211 reviews

brookealleger's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative lighthearted medium-paced

4.5

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saara_ilona_muu's review against another edition

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informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

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isabezza's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted

3.75

This memoir filled me with nostalgia for my childhood surrounded by Potter magic. Tom Felton describes, with such respect and joy, the relationships between cast-members and families, and showcases the inner workings of a film set invisible to many viewers imaginations. This book gave me a deeper understanding of what it may mean to work as an actor, and a greater understanding of the Potter films. It was particularly interesting to learn about Tom Felton's family and his mental health struggles, which were explored in a reassuring and hopeful manner. I listened to this as an audiobook (since it was read by the author) so his personality shined through, and the comedy of the book communicated well in a verbal form. Obviously writing is not Tom Felton's trade, and I cannot say this was the best structured book or particularly effective writing, but I thoroughly enjoyed this as a light-hearted read, and it was easy to listen to for hours without getting bored.

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bookedfortheweekend25's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective medium-paced

5.0

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inkyinsanity's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective slow-paced

3.5

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hilaryreads89's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.75

🪴 Hilarious, Contemplative, Tell-All 🪴

FORMAT: Audio - Read by the Author

“It's easy to bask in the sun, not so easy to enjoy the rain. But one can't exist without the other. The weather always changes. Feelings of sadness and happiness deserve equal mental screen time.”

🪴 Tom Felton shares his journey with the world from his Harry Potter audition and his rise to fame to how he exists in a world post Harry Potter.

This story was so reflective on Tom’s world. He shared his outlook on the world and all the lessons he learned along the way. He had some dark moments throughout his life and he did not hold back. He placed so much joy and hilarious moments that had me laughing out loud!

❤️ So much to love about this book. I fell in love with Tom Felton after reading this book and have a new appreciation for his journey. He also had so much kindness to say about his fellow actors that warmed his heart.

📖 This was a balance of Tom’s journey through life and some well-written thoughts on the world with some juicy and laughable Harry Potter insider stories. Very well done Tom!

If you are a lover of the Harry Potter movies, this one is really for you. If you didn’t enjoy them…maybe don’t pick this one up!

“We live in a world where we seem increasingly in need of ways to unify ourselves, ways to build bridges and feel as one. It strikes me that very few things have achieved these aims as successfully as the brilliant world of Harry Potter.”

There are some trigger warnings surrounding this book, so be kind to yourself.

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bakergirlsbooks1999's review

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emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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rhiannon814r's review

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

5.0

The Half-Blood Prince's dressing room door, Warwick Davis's Segway, hot takes from two entire Dumbledores, quacking with Emma Watson, and Alan Rickman's Fucking Cloak have healed my inner child.

Felton weaves together a story of hilarity, humility, and community - and of finding personal identity outside of (and despite) it all. While it's not the finest literature I've ever read, Beyond the Wand was so much better than I anticipated. I used to wish I could reread Harry Potter again for the first time. This was better. Beyond the Wand was filled with nostalgia, and just like Felton in his memoir, I was simultaneously able to relive the excitement and escapism I felt as a child, while still acknowledging, experiencing, and respecting the pain of the present. Thank you for sharing your story, Tom. Keep quacking.

"For months, you've been a travelling circus act. You've been a tight-knit community. You've travelled to a dozen different cities. You've broken bread together. You've acted together. You've messed up together and got it right together. You've left your home and your families, you've bundled up together in a hotel miles away, and while it's not always jokes and laughter, you develop a certain bond and intimacy. And then, suddenly, it's over, and this community that has been your surrogate family disappears to the four corners of the earth. It doesn't exist anymore. We almost always say the same thing: that we'll be in touch, that we'll hook up next week, that we'll relive the old times, and no doubt we mean it sincerely. Occasionally it does even happen. We all know, though, deep down, that we've reached the checkpoint. Whatever your experience on the film, good or bad, a moment in time that was special and unique has passed and we can never get it back."

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jessspeake's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

5.0

I highly recommend listening to the audiobook version of this memoir. Tom reads it himself, and it really feels like sitting down with him over a cup of tea and listening while he tells his story.

It was everything I wanted in terms of Harry Potter content, plus so much more in terms of Tom’s life and experiences outside of Potter.

He speaks about everyone in his with a reverence that is really special and kindhearted. It was a joy to listen to!

I really respect how openly he speaks about addiction and mental illness in the book.

This book far surpassed any expectations I had of it, and left me hoping to read more from Tom in the future!

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mollyb13's review against another edition

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funny informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Tom Felton does a really great job bringing readers into his acting career as well as the struggles he had in his late 20s/early 30s. The audio was AMAZING and I wouldn't recommend reading this in any other format, as no one can tell his own story like Tom can.

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