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Summary: The magic is in town again...
Review: "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" has been a phenomenon well before its release in July 8. Writing this personal review after finishing the book on July 10, I believe that the people that spoke about "commercial hype" must be realizing their mistake when confronted with the reality of Ms. Rowling work. Harry Potter books sell not by virtue of advertising or marketing, but because they are simply excellent and the author does her job without concessions to fame or to expectations. The result is a powerful work that can be read at multiple levels. In "The Goblet of Fire", we not only see Harry Potter, involved in old activities and new teenage interests, described with plenty of imagination and humor. We are also made aware that his call and destiny only started the day that he and his mother defeated Voldemort. There is still a long way to go for Harry, more dangerous and complex as time goes by, a way in which he will likely grow in wisdom and comprehension. And he will not be alone in that path; in this book, the figures of Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore, Hagrid and so many others become more fundamental and close. Harry is not a solitary hero, he is in fact the center of a community full of ethical values, frienship and heart-warming solidarity. A world confronted with evils that are somehow the mirror image of some troubles on our day to day world. The reader of all ages will find material for fun and though on this book, a classic on its own, beyond any literary critic.
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Summary: Pivotal indeed...
Review: Although I would not want to give away any plot details, I will say this: the book jacket's synopsis is accurate in the extreme. I expect the rest of the novels to be a direct continuation of the plot twists introduced in Goblet of Fire. All in all, an excellent effort on the part of Rowling.
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Summary: The best Harry Potter yet!
Review: Even as an adult reader, I found all of the Harry Potter books to be the most satisfying reads in many years. After my second reading of the previous three installments, I was more than excited for the release of "Goblet of Fire". Once again, J.K. Rowling has exceeded my expectations! More than twice as long as any of the previous books, #4 goes into much greater detail about the background of Harry and Lord Voldemort. It is easy to tell that Harry is getting older in this book. The story line deals with more adolescent issues like noticing girls and the first crush. As a teacher, I am excited to see a book (series) bringing so many children back to reading!
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Summary: Its Great!
Review: This is probably The most exiting book in the series. You will reread it millions of times. j.k. rowling did a great job
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Summary: Lived up to the hype!
Review: I was really concerned that this book was going to disappoint, the hype was incredible! Also, 700+ pages is a lot of paper to keep a reader's interest. I'm glad to say that Rowling managed to pull it off. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who's enjoyed the series so far. If you're just getting involved, read the prior three books first, otherwise the linkages and neat bits won't have as much impact. Go find a free weekend and read it.
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Summary: Continues to please - cover to cover!
Review: The Fourth Book does not fail to meet up to the Wonderful quality of the first 3. With an extremely engaging storyline ( which I will not give away here!) as well as some quite unexpected twists, I was engrossed from Saturday to Monday night , when I finished. It was even a Little scarier than I expected towards the end, but all in all a very good book. I look forward to the 5th!
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Summary: As a revised old saying goes; Potter 4... so far so the best
Review: Harry Potter and the Globlet of Fire written of course by the one and only J.K. Rowling, was the most bewitching, enchanting, and suspensful of all her Harry Potter creations so far. Your heart will never stop pounding throughout the tasks, which Harry must perform throughout the Triwizard Tourtament and throughout the very eerie final chapters of Harry Potter 4. J.K.'s newest edition of her famed Harry Potter series seems to take the reader into the book and have them live the horrors, excitement, and tradgedies, which Harry Potter faces. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire also opens the doors (with no effort at all, it seems) to a much welcomed and possibly even better sequel.
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Summary: A VERY Worthy Sequel to the First Three!
Review: As sequels come and go--this one was one of the best. So good, I finished most of it the night it came in the mail. The most striking thing about it is its darkness. There is, of course, the humor and clever bits, that are synonimous with the name J.K. Rowling, and yet, there is a side which sobered me and made me think--as only Heller, Tolstoy, Hardy, and writers of that ilk can. So, I guess, in a way, J.K. Rowling has joined their ranks. Kudos to her! Not only does she pack in a rollicking story, she manages to tell a story of morals without sounding like a minister. It did, however, make me very misty-eyed at times, but read it everybody should--both the young and old. As old Dumbledore himself explained, "...they think I should not tell you so, young as you are. It is my belief, however, that the truth is generally perferable to lies..."
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Summary: 11 more months?
Review: I've just started rereading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and sure enough am amazed at all the rich detail and characterization that I missed on my first reading. The plot and adventures were just as imaginative and exciting as ever, but the characters, with their greater depth and maturity were what for me made this book so magical. Now, my family and I are reading it aloud to savor every morsel of this wonderful adventure. And yes, I plan on going back and rereading all 4 books soon to look for clues about what to expect in Book 5.
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Summary: Great fiction, but frightening for young children.
Review: Having enjoyed fantasy and horror fiction all my life, this novel ranks with the best of them, in children's or adult's fiction. However, the climatic scene is as harrowing as anything I have ever read. It is much scarier than anything in the other Harry Potter books. Lord Voldemort is revealed in all his sadistic nature and I genuinely believe that this scene could give nightmares to some kids. Parents should make sure they read the book with their kids, at least at this point, and preferably not just before bedtime. I did, and was sleepless for an hour -- and I'm 44 years old! That said, it was very well written, with the rich characters and emotional development we've come to expect from the Harry Potter books. Harry again displays all the virtues we'd like to see our own kids emulate -- courage, unselfishness, generosity, loyalty, and persistence -- while still being a normal human being with real problems. It helps kids to know that even a hero has to deal with envy, gossip, unfair authority figures, friends who squabble, and unrequited crushes. J.K. Rowling has miraculously avoided making this series into a boring formula, like so many book series for children. She insists the characters grow and develop, and in this novel she experiments with different points of view and a much darker turn of events. She explains many previously puzzling aspects of the stories, then dangles a lot more to keep us interested. Although I'm a little worried about reading this to my 7-year old, I know I will. We'll both look forward to the rest of the books in the series.
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