- Audio CD
- Publisher: Cover to Cover Cassettes Ltd; Adult ed edition (Nov 8 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1855496836
- ISBN-13: 978-1855496835
- Product Dimensions: 14.6 x 12.2 x 10 cm
- Shipping Weight: 880 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4,259 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#1,936,546 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #34 in Books > Audiobooks > Audio CDs > Authors, A-Z > ( R ) > Rowling, J.K.
- #39 in Books > Children's Books > Ages 9-12 > Series > Fantasy & Adventure > Harry Potter Books > Audio CD
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire CD Set tells the story of Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 18 CDs. The audio book is also available in two volumes, Part 1 and Part 2, each containing 9 CDs.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the long-awaited, heavily hyped fourth instalment of a phenomenally successful series that has captured the imagination of millions of readers, young and old, across the globe. For J K Rowling the pressure is certainly on to continue to come up with thrilling, pacey storylines that allow her hero to mature into a young man without detracting from the magical secret that has made Harry into a superstar. In this book, the teenage Harry has a certain gawky charm that fits well with his advancing adolescence. As the story moves on, Harry too moves on to a new level of maturity that leaves the reader wondering how he will learn from his experiences, and liking him all the more as a character.
Once returned to Hogwarts after his summer holiday with the dreadful Dursleys and an extraordinary outing to the Quidditch World Cup, the 14-year-old Harry and his fellow pupils are enraptured by the promise of the Triwizard Tournament: an ancient, ritualistic tournament that brings Hogwarts together with two other schools of wizardry--Durmstrang and Beauxbatons--in heated competition. But when Harry's name is pulled from the Goblet of Fire, and he is chosen to champion Hogwarts in the tournament, the trouble really begins. Still reeling from the effects of a terrifying nightmare that has left him shaken, and with the lightning-shaped scar on his head throbbing with pain (a sure sign that the evil Voldemort, Harry's sworn enemy, is close), Harry becomes at once the most popular boy in school. Yet, despite his fame, he is totally unprepared for the furore that follows.
This is a hefty volume: 636 pages, of which probably at least 200 could have been cut without detracting from the story. The weight and complexity of the book is perhaps a hint that Rowling now has her eye sharply focused on her adult audience, and the average child-reader (particularly one who is coming to Harry Potter for the first time) may well find its girth daunting. Rowling's ironic and pointed observations on tabloid journalism and the nature of media hype is just one of the references littered through the book that will tickle the grown-ups but may well fly over the heads of her young fans.
However, after a slow start, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire really starts to sparkle halfway through with Rowling's familiar magic (and yes, there is a death--sudden and tragic--and yes, Harry does start to notice girls). The crux of this story, however, is Harry's gradual coming-of-age and his handling of the increasingly determined threats to his own life.
This book is pivotal, not just for the author for whom the heat is well and truly on, but for Harry and his readers who, by the last chapter, are left in little doubt that there is much more to come. (Ages 10 to adult) --Susan Harrison --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Even without the unprecedented media attention and popularity her magical series has attracted, it would seem too much to hope that Rowling could sustain the brilliance and wit of her first three novels. Astonishingly, Rowling seems to have the spell-casting powers she assigns her characters: this fourth volume might be her most thrilling yet. The novel opens as a confused Muggle overhears Lord Voldemort and his henchman, Wormtail (the escapee from book three, Azkaban) discussing a murder and plotting more deaths (and invoking Harry Potter's name); clues suggest that Voldemort and Wormtail's location will prove highly significant. From here it takes a while (perhaps slightly too long a while) for Harry and his friends to get back to the Hogwarts school, where Rowling is on surest footing. Headmaster Dumbledore appalls everyone by declaring that Quidditch competition has been canceled for the year; then he makes the exciting announcement that the Triwizard Tournament is to be held after a cessation of many hundred years (it was discontinued, he explains, because the death toll mounted so high). One representative from each of the three largest wizardry schools of Europe (sinister Durmstrang, luxurious Beauxbatons and Hogwarts) are to be chosen by the Goblet of Fire; because of the mortal dangers, Dumbledore casts a spell that allows only students who are at least 17 to drop their names into the Goblet. Thus no one foresees that the Goblet will announce a fourth candidate: Harry. Who has put his name into the Goblet, and how is his participation in the tournament linked, as it surely must be, to Voldemort's newest plot? The details are as ingenious and original as ever, and somehow (for catching readers off-guard must certainly get more difficult with each successive volume) Rowling plants the red herrings, the artful clues and tricky surprises that disarm the most attentive audience. A climax even more spectacular than that of Azkaban will leave readers breathless. The muscle-building heft of this volume notwithstanding, the clamor for book five will begin as soon as readers finish installment four. All ages. (July)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
By Far, the Best Book I've ever read!,
By Soccergirl (USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Audio CD)
Harry gets himself into yet more trouble as his name is drawn to compete against other schools of witchcraft and wizardry as a Hogwarts school Champion. He wishes he were just spectating the tournament, but someone put his name in the Goblet of Fire to get him in trouble! Strange things start happening, but Harry gets help from the new Defense Against the Arts Teacher Mad Eye Moody. Harry has taken a liking to Moody until he realizes the awful truth. In the fourth and final task of the tournament, Harry finds himself tied with Cedric Diggory, the only Seeker ever to beat Harry. He encounters Voldemort where Diggory is killed by the UNFORGIVABLE CURSE Avada Kedavra. Harry meets his parents and Voldemort takes away his only protection given to him by his mother that lead to the temporary downfall of the Dark Lord!
5.0 out of 5 stars
This Goblet runneth over. . .,
By
This review is from: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) (Hardcover)
Although usually the word "sequel" prepares you to lower your expectations, this fourth installment in the Harry Potter series packs even more excitement, quirky characters, and tightly plotted events than the previous three books. Much attention has been paid to its length (734 pages and four pounds), but it is a supremely satisfying read. You will want to savor every page. Although most of the major plot elements of this volume are resolved by the end, the author hints at some of the challenges which lie ahead for our hero, paving the way for more excitement in volume five. Film critic Roger Ebert writes that the reason the "Star Wars" series is so successful is that its creator George Lucas pays careful attention to even the minutest detail, populating even the corners of the frame with interesting characters. In much the same way, J. K. Rowling packs the Harry Potter books with so much detail that the world of witches and wizards comes alive. In "Goblet of Fire", this enchanting world is revealed in greater scope, with more of the action taking place in the wider world outside the Hogwarts School. We learn for the first time of the existence of other schools of wizardry, and we meet characters from other cultures. Although so many things about the wizarding world are different, at the same time we can really identify with the thoughts and feelings of these characters: the awkwardness of adolescence, the loneliness of an orphaned boy and the excitement of first love. Rowling has written a book to delight Harry Potter fans everywhere. My question is, how long until she produces volume 5?
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good versus Evil versus Homework,
By
This review is from: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) (Hardcover)
I like the Harry Potter series and I have enjoyed reading all of them, and I think "The Goblet of Fire" is an excellent addition to the series. This is not children's literature on the level of "Alice in Wonderland," but then, what modern child could possibly read and understand this now-classic today? The nice thing about Harry Potter books is that they are full of excellent and amusing details: the quirks of the professors at Hogwarts, the array of sweets that explode or surprise, the range of good and evil in the characters...all of whom are better defined than Harry himself. The fight between good and evil (evil may come close, but we are comforted in knowing that good will eventually prevail) is exciting and helps to move the action along in between discursive bits on classwork in Potions or the History of Magic, but the books, this one especially, lack a hero. Harry Potter is more a collection of facts (scar, parents' deaths, awful family, green eyes, etc) than a real person who, put to the test and tried, triumphs for reasons of character. Harry isn't a hero, he isn't even as interesting as most of the other young wizards he knows, and certainly not as interesting as the grown-ups. "The Goblet of Fire" has a REAL hero, however: Cedric Diggory. He seems to embody all the admirable traits that Harry is credited with. I look forward to the next installment of this series, and I also look forward to the characters' growth as they grow older and as the plot thickens (as it certainly has) and they rise to meet the challenges of good and evil, everyday and extra-ordinary.
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