Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

The journey continues.

As many of you know, this year, Kevin and I have been working our way through the Harry Potter series courtesy of Jim Dale's masterful audiobook recordings and a lot of hours in the car.

We have been working on book four since May but finally finished it up in early August while on our way to North Carolina to go house hunting. It's crazy to me that we finished the book on the 8th, I'm writing this post on the 15th, and, by the time it posts, we will have been living in our new town for a week. This process has been so crazy and so hard and so good.

Kind of like Harry Potter's years at Hogwarts (ok, ok, that was a weak transition).

Book four, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, is the first of the series that I really truly love. To me, it's the first of the books that no longer feels like a children's story. By this point, Rowling has settled into her loquacious style (Goblet of Fire is over 700 pages) and the characters are begin to grow and mature and face bigger issues. Though in the book, Harry and co. are technically only 14, they start feeling like the young adults we cherish by the end of their journey.

We learn a lot more about the Ministry of Magic and some of its key figures in this book. And Lord Voldemort returns. All key elements as Rowling sets us up for the end.

When you look at the series as a whole, this book could definitely be seen as a transition point for the series, in a good way. I think Rowling really hits her stride with this book. She also opens the door to a much darker side of the magical world here. It's a door that cannot - and should not - be closed again, but it definitely changes the feel of things. Cedric's death and Voldemort's return mark a major turning point.

Kevin mentioned that the book was much longer than he was expecting. It's probably the longest book we've ever listened to together. I laughed and told him just to wait for book five! He was careful to point out that the length wasn't a complaint, rather, a compliment. He was surprised Rowling had that much more story to share. He enjoyed it all the way until the very end. What more can you want from a book?

I did notice at the end that, when Harry and friends are leaving Hogwarts at the end of the term, Rowling mentions the horseless carriages. These, of course, are the same carriages that Harry is stunned to find pulled by thestrals at the start of book five. He and Luna Lovegood have a whole moment where she tells him he can see them because he has seen death. But - he's already seen Cedric die at the end of book four before the return for the summer. Just something I noticed.

I can't wait for us to charge into the remainder of this series together. I think it's going to end up taking us longer than the year I was aiming for, but it's been such a fun journey to take together. And, I'm making a bona fide Harry Potter fan out of my husband, so no complaints.

Pages: 734

Date Completed: August 8, 2014