Roof Beam Reader
Adam Burgess
Review: Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Final Verdict: 3.75 out of 4.0
YTD: 42
Plot/Story:
3 – Plot/Story is interesting & believable.
The Goblet of Fire is the fourth book in the famous Harry Potter series. This is the point, in my opinion, where Rowling clearly takes a turn from “young adult” fiction toward a more mature audience. After three books of back-story and buildup, book number four surges forward and suddenly brings the old evils, the suppressed terrors, to full light. While Harry and his friends faced many challenges and learned much about the great antagonist, Voldemort, it is in Goblet of Fire
Characterization:
4 – Characters extraordinarily developed.
Once again, I cannot commend Rowling enough for her incredible skills at characterization and character development. Our old friends – Ron, Harry, Hermione, Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall, The Weasley family and more – are recommitted and established on a deeper, more complex level. Similarly, old foes – Professor Snape, Malfoy, Voldemort and others – are further flushed out and explained, so that their true natures seem to become more present, their powers, goals, and determinations reexamined. We also meet many new characters, from various places including the Ministry of Magic, The Daily Prophet, the visiting schools, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, and relatives, neighbors, and friends of characters we already know. These new characters, whether major or minor, are given enough page-time for the reader to become familiar with them, to feel as if they know these people – could recognize them on the street or see them in a coffee shop and not be the slightest bit surprised. Of particular note are the new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor, Professor Alastor Moody, and Rita Skeeter, writer for the wizarding newspaper, The Daily Prophet.
Prose/Style:
4 – Extraordinary Prose/Style, enhancing the Story.
Rowling’s prose is as magical as the world she has created. Her imaginative descriptions, the vivid imagery and the impeccable use of dialogue make each Harry Potter book in the series impossible to put down. Also extraordinary, and not typical of most fantasy writers, is the obvious growth from each prior novel to the next. It is almost as if Rowling makes a conscious effort (and maybe she does) to increase the reading level and potential for each of her books in direct correlation to the growth of the characters (each novel is a new school year for the characters so, at age eleven, the characters may be thinking and acting one way and now, by age fourteen, they have begun to grow and to be capable of more – of thinking a bit deeper and analyzing a bit more closely). As one who has read the series previously, I know that the growth continues from book to book up through the final book, and it is one of the biggest positives and likely the greatest draw for readers (as newer readers are always allowed to grow and develop with the story – to progress at a steady and comfortable pace, as if we are with Harry and the gang at school, learning alongside them). Rowling also has a sharp mind – she is clearly educated, or has become learned, in philosophy and the nature of human interaction – friendships, rivalries, parent/child, and educator/pupil dynamics. Her prowess at presenting these relationships through dialogue and inner-monologues is astounding. She drops clever quips on life throughout the pages, particularly as the characters are growing older. Finally, Rowling breaks up her prose into different pieces – interspersing, for instance, bits of newspaper articles or letters into the story to add depth and intrigue. She manages flashbacks seamlessly and builds multi-layered, interwoven plot-lines, which connects the various characters to others, and back again, with seemingly little effort but with what must have taken an extraordinary amount of planning, organization, and preparation. Outstanding execution.
Additional Elements:
4 – Additional elements improve and advance the story.
As I mention in the section above on prose/style, Rowling is clearly a master of many aspects of human natures and in The Goblet of Fire, her didactic purposes begin to get much more focused and prominent. Her ideas on equality, for instance, or on one’s ability to be judged on his actions rather than on his ancestry (e.g. Britain’s lingering and antiquated aristocratic system) are quite clear. Another positive aspect of this fourth installment is that there is less re-explanation of previous characters, terms, and situations (books one through three are littered with reminders to the reader about things learned or events which happened in prior novels or the story-line’s earlier history). This is refreshing, as it allows much more growth to the story, and characters and events are allowed to develop in a way previously restricted by the structure of the first three books – it also allows readers who are familiar with the early books, having read them recently or multiple times, to engage with and sink into the story, without too many breaks for redundant explanations (admittedly, something I find to be quite a nuisance in Chamber of Secrets
Suggested Reading for:
Age Level: Young Adult, Adult
Interest: Friendship, Fantasy, Good/Evil, Education, Family
Notable Quotes:
“If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.” (P. 525)
“You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be!” (P. 708)
“Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.” (P. 723)
Roof Beam Reader 
>Ah, a classic! Now I want to reread it. Nice review. 🙂
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>Nice review! This was one of my least favs in the series but it's still Harry! Glad you are enjoying the series. 🙂
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>You're making me want to pick up the series again. I think I last left off somewhere in the 5th book.I like the new background by the way!
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>Mary – Thanks! You should re-read it. In fact, re-read the whole series while you're at it! That's what I'm doing, hopefully in time for Deathly Hallows, Part 1 to come to theaters in November.Smash – What?! I'm shocked that Goblet would be in the "least fave" pile for this series, for anyone. What is it that keeps this one from shining, in your opinion? It is, I admit, at that odd stage between where Rowling is in books 1 & 2 and where she goes in books 6 & 7, which can make it a bit akward – but I love the growth!Red – Thanks! I was in need of a change, though how long this background will stick around, I can't say. You should definitely re-read the series. We should have all started a little HP Reading Group. 😛
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>Great review. It seems like mostly we're on the same page regarding this one. The SPEW subplot still bothers me, but Goblet is definitely my second-favorite in the series, and for a lot of the reasons you mentioned.
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>Talekyn – The S.P.E.W. subplot was a bit irritating, but I also found it did quite a lot for character development. Who hasn't had a friend like Hermione, getting passionate about a cause? I still remember the first time I was badgered incessently about a cause, in high school, by a friend who was vehement that shew as standing up for what was right. I admired her, in a way, but I really just kinda wanted to go play kickball or hang out in Art Club. And who hasn't had a friend like Ron, who couldn't care less about what you're riled up over? I tend to be the "Harry-in-the-middle" – just trying to keep balance. 😉
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>I'd be up for an HP reading group!
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>Love, love, love these books! (I think I say that after every review that I read for these). I agree that this is definitely the turning point away from young adult and it is where the series gets a bit darker. I love the growth in all of the characters and I love these books. Great review!
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>Another thing you and I have in common, we're both sort of Harry-ish! Although today I'm feeling more like Harry Dresden than Harry Potter.
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>Lol. I've actually never read the Jim Butcher novels – are they any good?
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