Liz (Bent Bookworm)
Written on May 12, 2015
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Re-reading on audiobook!
The summer holidays are dragging on and Harry Potter can't wait for the start of the school year. It is his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and there are spells to be learnt and (unluckily) Potions and Divination lessons to be attended. But Harry can't know that the atmosphere is darkening around him, and his worst enemy is preparing a fate that it seems will be inescapable ...With characteristic wit, fast-paced humour and marvellous emotional depth, J.K. Rowling has proved herself yet again to be a master story-teller.
- ISBN10 0747550999
- ISBN13 9780747550990
- Publish Date 6 July 2001 (first published 1 January 2000)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 1 October 2010
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
- Edition New edition
- Format Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
- Pages 640
- Language English
- URL http://bloomsbury.com/Trade/
Reviews
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Re-reading on audiobook!
alisoninbookland
Written on Mar 4, 2015
So many good things in this book! Let’s see if I can address them all… I loved that this book was a bit different in terms of the story. I would absolutely go back to school if I could go to Hogwarts but it can make for a pretty repetitive story. This book shakes up the format a bit by adding the World Cup as well as the Tri-Wizard Tournament. [Sidenote: I’m not a sports person at all but I would totally be into Quidditch.]
This book marks the shifting point in the series. We’ve definitely matured. The biggest maturing fact is the deaths in the book. I think these are the first deaths to be witnessed in the series. Other deaths happen but they’ve been “off screen”. In the first chapter of the book readers witness the death of a muggle. Cedric’s death is definitely a bit shocking. You’ve spent the book growing fond of him. He is one of Harry’s opponents but he really is a great guy. So to have him murdered right in front of the readers is pretty gutsy. Many kid’s books have death in them but they aren’t witnessed by the reader. I know Goblet of Fire was one of the first books I read to have a character murdered in front of me. Then there’s the obvious darkness of the book, Voldemort is back. He’s not longer just a threat from the past. He is back in the physical form and he’s angrier and meaner than ever. You know bad stuff is going to go down.
Hermione stands out in this book! I like that she got to have a love interest outside their group. It’s a great change to see a guy falling for a girl’s intellect rather than her looks. I loved that she was able to be pretty levelheaded about the situation (aside from her arguments with Ron). She didn’t let the attention Krum was giving her go to her head nor did she drop her friends simply because a guy showed an interest in her. I had a love/hate relationship with Hermione and S.P.E.W.. I loved that she was so excited about it and really put everything into it. I didn’t like how annoying she came off though. I was a bit annoyed that she was shoving her own cultural ideas on the the house elves. She’s a smart girl, I would think she would have been a bit more cautious about that.
This book brings the focus back on racism. Chamber of Secrets focuses on blood purity and Goblet of Fire continues that idea with species purity and species racism. It is an interesting idea that different “species” (Veela and Giants) can mix with wizards. I can definitely see how it’s problematic though. Equality is a good thing but I think we sometimes forget that the different “species” can be very dangerous. We all know Hagrid is a great guy. There’s no doubting that. Unfortunately giants are incredibly dangerous (which we discover in later books). I can see how people who don’t know him would be scared of him. It’s such a tricky subject. I do love that it adds so much depth to the series. Rowling created a history and political system to this world. It’s never fully laid out in front of the reader but is spread out through the books (and in interviews with her). It’s really fascinating.
Normally I’m not a fan of infodumping but Rowling is fantastic about it. The last 4 books in the series have HUGE infodumping sessions in them. I always looked forward to them. The endings of the books always tie up the story. You see how EVERYTHING comes together. All the little details have their place. Rereading the books is so much fun. I know how things end so I’m able to pick up on little things that I missed the first time because I didn’t know how it fit in. Brilliantly done.
The bottom line? Fantastic.
adastra
Written on Feb 16, 2015
(I only wished I wouldn't keep noticing silly plot-holes)...
bumblingbookworm
Written on Feb 7, 2015
WHEN I First Read
I begged my parents to buy this for me, after I devoured the first three books. I first read it in 2001, but I've read it countless times since - my copy is looking particularly battered...
Check out the rest of my review here!
KitsuneBae
Written on Jan 1, 2015
For a complete review,please visit: Thoughts and Pens
Plot
HP is like an endless flame, burning better and better with each succeeding book. The Goblet of Fire (GoF) is darker than the previous books but still contains the ingredients that endeared us to Harry and his world.
GoF is a stunning book of sinister plot, a trigger of adrenaline rush and a storage of gruesome truths and betrayals. It was jaw dropping till the end with a lot of twists and turns. Furthermore, GoF is immersing us deeper into the world of HP as we get to know the other wizarding schools in Europe and their cultures.
And who would ever forget this book after it just treated us to the gory Rebirth of Lord Voldemort?
Characters
If there’s one thing I found so amazing with HP is that it has well-developed characters. And unlike from the other books which suffer from introducing a lot of characters that everyone and everything gets mixed up, Harry Potter becomes more enjoyable as Rowling introduces new characters. And by golly, I always look forward to the new faces in the book because they become more and more interesting.
Of course, after years and years of waiting, we finally meet the Darkest Wizard of all time, Lord Voldemort. And boy, he was scary as hell, a perfect villain worthy to be called as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
Dialogues and Interactions
Being the darkest book out of the first four, GoF evolved into having a more serious tone compared to the others. Although it still has the funny side of things, it was generally dark. Perhaps, this is to emphasize that the world of HP is in transition due to Lord Voldemort’s rebirth.
Overall, JK had been consistent with the dialogues and interactions making us fall in love once more with the characters.
Berls
Written on Apr 10, 2013
clementine
Written on Sep 9, 2012
Reading the books so rapidly like I'm doing right now (which I've never done before - last time I reread them it spanned a year!) makes the growth in Jo's writing all the more obvious. It's hard to believe that this is the same woman who wrote the books I read only a week or so ago. Not that they weren't excellent books (as I think I've been over a million times), but the complexity of GoF really makes them pale in comparison. This is where her ability to plant clues that you would never, ever notice if you weren't specifically looking for them really begins to shine.
For example, right at the beginning, Voldemort says to Wormtail: "I will allow you to perform an essential task for me, one that many of my followers would give their right hands to perform..." Of course, this is a common expression, but masked in it lies the absolute truth: on page 15 of this 636-page text, we are told explicitly what is to happen somewhere around page 500. (I also love some of the other common figurative expressions that contain truths - Bagman saying that Crouch speaks about 150 languages and Percy hotly saying that it's actually at least two hundred; someone (Bagman again, maybe?) remarking on how the goblins speak Gobbledegook, which is literally their language.)
There are so many little hints like this that I didn't make note of, but another example comes when Harry is trying to solve the riddle, specifically the lines "First think of the person who lives in disguise / Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies." The answer to this is "spy" - but the first word Harry thinks of is "impostor". Of course, this is foreshadowing Barty Crouch, Jr.'s appearance, and the lines of the riddle do, in fact, completely apply to him.
Masterfully plotted, as always, with little hints as to conflicted, fully realized characters. As is common in these books, many of the hints we get about characters don't become important enough to even register until we have information contained in later books, but it is a testament to Rowling's genius and meticulous plotting that they are, in fact present. She never, ever waits to introduce something until it becomes important, and I'm not just talking about characters or character traits here. An excellent example of this within GoF is the Veritaserum, which becomes crucial to the ending as it's the vehicle which allows pages of expository dialogue from Crouch. This is introduced much, much earlier on, when Snape threatens to feed Harry three drops of it (and, indeed, Crouch is given three drops when it comes time for him to confess to his crimes). This is introduced as merely another way of showing the hostile dynamic between Harry and Snape, and not as an important plot point, showing once again how well Jo masks important clues and details.
I'm rambling here. I'm not talking about this book on general terms, but giving specific examples. However, these examples highlight exactly the sorts of things I love about the series, and that blow me away, and that leave me truly in awe of all that JK Rowling is capable of. GoF is without a doubt one of the best books of the series, and essentially perfect.
mbtc
Written on Sep 3, 2012
Jyc
Written on Mar 9, 2012
celinenyx
Written on Dec 31, 2011