Author- JK Rowling
Series- Harry Potter
Published- 2000
Page Count- 636 (Original UK Hardcover)
Publishing House- Bloomsbury
Rating- 5/5 stars
About the Author
There is a lot of information about JK Rowling on her website, so I've picked the key bits for this section.
Jo conceived the idea of Harry Potter in 1990 while sitting on a delayed train from Manchester to London King’s Cross. Over the next five years, she began to map out all seven books of the series. She wrote mostly in longhand and gradually built up a mass of notes, many of which were scribbled on odd scraps of paper.
It is the summer holidays and soon Harry Potter will be starting his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry is counting the days: there are new spells to be learnt, more Quidditch to be played, and Hogwarts castle to continue exploring. But Harry needs to be careful - there are unexpected dangers lurking ...
Taken from Goodreads
Opinions
I'll be honest, GoF (Goblet of Fire) is the book I dread reading the most when I reread this series. It's so big (I know some of the other books are bigger), but this is the one I dread reading. It takes about 200 pages to get to Hogwarts and I just wish we spent more time at Hogwarts. I love the Quidditch World Cup, but it meant we spent more time waiting to go to Hogwarts.
I love how this is one of the few books in the Harry Potter series that doesn't start from Harry's perspective. It was really refreshing and began to give us the insight into Lord Voldemort's backstory. Poor Frank didn't deserve to die or to be blamed for the Riddle's death.
While I wish we had gotten to Hogwarts quicker, I do love the Quidditch world cup. It shows us how big the magical community. I wonder how much research JK Rowling did for all the magical communities. The World Cup is so quick paced and magical. I would have loved to have seen more of it in the movie because it is a key feature of the book.
Although I've read this book many times, it still comes as no surprise that Harry got entered into the Triwizard Tournament. On the original UK hardcover, he is on the front being chased by a dragon. I've seen people criticising the way Ron behaves in this book, but I believe that it's accurate and fair the way he behaved. He's constantly being overlooked by his brothers and he's the son they had because they wanted a daughter. He lives in Harry's shadow and never complains about it, so it's no wonder he snaps under the pressure. If anything, Harry's behaviour is out of order because he is cruel to Ron and expects a lot from Hermione.
I love the relationship the builds between Hagrid and Madame Maxime. It's so lovely for Hagrid to have someone in a similar situation to him. I keep on banging on about it, but I love Hagrid and think he deserves better.
Mad-Eye Moody is such a fabulous character, if slightly scary. I have no idea what Dumbledore was thinking when he decided to hire Mad-Eye Moody, but then again, I never have any idea when Dumbledore hires any teacher (apart from Lupin) as they all seem incompetent.
I'm undecided on my feelings about the Yule Ball, as part of me loves and part of me doesn't. It's nice seeing all the students mingle, but it does lead to some animosity between the students. I do wish Hermione and Ron had gone together, but that would have rushed their relationship.
Rita Skeeter is a foul character and needs to be squashed when she's a beetle. I hate all the horrid things she writes about Hagrid and Harry. I can't believe that Dumbledore or someone with power wouldn't notice that she keeps on listening in on private conversations.
The Maze Challenge is probably the scariest as I would be terrified of getting lost. It is also where Harry and Cedric unite, which leads to Cedric's death. I think when I first read it, I didn't imagine that Voldemort would come back so quickly. The fight scene between Voldemort and Harry is truly spectacular, but there is something wrong with it. When the dead people are coming out of Voldemort's wand, Lily arrives before James, but James was killed first so he should have landed before Lily.
This book really does set the scene for the next few books and is definitely where it begins to get darker. Each time I reread it, I'm unsure of whether I love it or hate it.
Because these reviews would be ridiculously long if I included every little detail, here are some honourable mentions:
- The Tonne-Tounge Toffee.
- The arrival of the Beaubatons and Durmstrang students.
- Harry and Myrtle's chat in the bath.
- Dobby giving Harry his clue about Ron.
- S.P.E.W.
- Harry's dream scenes.
- The Pensive.
- Harry talking to Sirius.
- Sirius, Snape and Molly meeting.
- Barty-Crouch's reveal.
Carenza x
