[To see an updated review of when I re-read this in August 2018 click here.]
This is the book where everything changes. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban really shows the wider wizarding world, but Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire really sets the stage for the rest of the series. It’s funny though that I didn’t really get this until Fiona, over at The Book Coop, shared her views about Book 3. I definitely agree with her that Book 3 shows that these are going to be a much broader series than just about a boy wizard at school, but what I think this book does is it shows just how dark this series has the potential to become.
Let’s face it Harry Potter is a dark series. It’s about good versus evil and surviving the lowest lows to get to the highest highs. Book 4 starts with a murder and it’s a plain fact. Every book prior to this mentions deaths and murders, but there are none that happen on the pages of the book and with this book it happens within the first 30 pages setting the tone for the rest of the series.
As the books were released this was my favorite novel, but each time I’ve gone back to re-read it, it’s awesomeness has worn a little thin. I’m not sure if it’s because the book itself feels rushed, so much happens in such quick spurts and then there is a lot of extra to-do, or that some of the other novels have outshone it. What I missed most in the film version was S.P.E.W. and learning more about the foreign wizards. The film took the four action points (Quidditch World Cup, Task 1, Task 2 and Task 3) and built the movie around them without going into some of the other great things the novel offers.
I’m going to close with an apology for the half-hearted response. I finished the book over the weekend and didn’t immediately sit down and write my response because I dove right into Book 5. It doesn’t help work is crazy busy and I currently have a headache, but I want to get this response up for July so I feel less guilty about reading three Harry Potter novels in August too. So, apologies! And hopefully my next response will be up to scratch.
However to make it up to you, check out this AWESOMENESS. It’s a graphic of all of the chapter graphics in the American Harry Potter books (one of the reasons I DO love this version).
Recommendation: READ IT! (Again and again and again.)
Opening Line: “The villages of Little Hangleton still called it ‘the Riddle House,’ even though it had been many years since the Riddle family lived there.”
Closing Line: “As Hagrid had said, what would come, would come…and he would have to meet it when it did.” (Whited out.)
This was actually always my least favourite book because it did feel rushed and I felt that the whole tri-wizard thing felt like a distraction. However, as years went on I think I started to like this more and forgave JKR for its rushed feeling. It was important to bring into view the international side of the world and that it wasn’t limited to only Hogwarts.
I also liked S.P.E.W. and Hermoine’s spirit in this book – along with all the hormones flying around which were at times, a little much.
I love the American book covers and chapter art. I’m not a fan of most UK book covers to tell the honest truth – they’re ugly or they feel like the artist has only read a brief description of the book. US book covers, of HP and other – feels like it is an artistic representation of the book. SO whilst I’d love to have the American book covers… I can’t stand the fact they changed the British words to American. I get that maybe young kids would find it a bit confusing – but so what. Provide a glossary, credit people with some brains. People will never learn about culture if we censor it all out for them. Gr! British English might have its variances, but it is hardly a different language in need of translation…
I agree about the ‘translations’ and that’s why I’ve got both. I live the cover and chapter art and the quirky British expressions. I guess next year when I re-read I’ll have to read the British ones.
I really missed S.P.E.W in the film too! I also think the film didn’t give enough background to Cedric Diggory so the ending had less emotion for me, I wailed like a baby reading, when watching I’m not so bad 😛
Definitely – you didn’t get to know him or even the enmity between the rest of the school and Harry. It was so lackluster.
On the whole I really enjoy the films but the film version of this book is my least favourite due to the over editing and/or changing of details I feel they did.