Welcome Back!

Beyond the Wand

Author: Tom Felton
Publisher: Ebury Publishing
Publication date: October 2022
ISBN: 9781529149418
Purchase: Hive, Amazon, Waterstones, Bookshop*

Affiliate link

Blurb

From Borrower to wizard, Tom Felton’s childhood was anything but ordinary.

His early rise to fame saw him catapulted into the limelight aged just twelve when he landed the iconic role of Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films. Speaking with candour and his own trademark humour, Tom shares his experience of growing up on screen and as part of the wizarding world for the very first time.

He tells all about his big break, what filming was really like and the lasting friendships he made during ten years with the franchise, as well as the highs and lows of fame and the reality of navigating adult life after filming finished. Prepare to meet a real-life wizard.

Review

I’d had Beyond the Wand on my TBR since before its release but I honestly didn’t have a good excuse for another book right then, even though I really wanted to read it. And then I got Covid. And I was ill. Like proper ill. So what’s the cure-all for any illness? That’s right – books!

And that’s how I came to own Beyond the Wand.

I really didn’t have any particular expectations but this memoir is wonderfully candid, hilarious, and sad in equal measures. I loved reading about Felton’s adventures on the sets of the Harry Potter films (being a self-confessed Potterhead) with a myriad of wonderful actors such as Rik Mayall and Robbie Coltrane. This encounter with the enigmatic Alan Rickman had me laughing:

“He spoke like Snape, each word distinct, heavy with meaning and punctuated by a long, agonising pause.
‘Don’t…’
Silence. We glanced sidelong at each other. We wondered, Don’t what?
‘Step…’
We looked down at our feet. Then we looked up at Alan again.
‘On… my… fucking…’
We blinked. We blinked again.
‘Cloak.‘”
Beyond the wand, page 195

But Felton’s years post-Harry Potter weren’t always fun and joyful; he speaks very openly about a very difficult period in his life. I think many will appreciate his honesty and also his wisdom. There’s a story, which I will not spoil here, of when Felton was at his lowest and three complete or nearly complete strangers showed him wonderful kindness. It’s very emotional and certainly made me reflect on whether I would’ve offered someone the same kindess in that situation.

I really appreciate the lengths he goes to talk about mental health and therapy in a bid to normalise the discussion of both these matters.

Beyond the Wand is genuinely brilliant. Highly recommended.

I purchased Beyond the Wand myself and was not asked to provide a review.