Rowling, J.K.- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter #4); Informal Buddy Read ; Start Date 25 November 2014--REVISIT-- May 2018

[Claire]

Devann wrote: "CHAPTERS 9-13

for all the security they have guarding the actual vaults at gringotts it seems like just anyone can show up and take money out of other people's accounts sometimes. like at the end ..."

You're so right about Gringotts! But remember Hagrid said : "Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe – ’cept maybe Hogwarts". Seeing how "safe" Hogwarts ended up to be, I guess it's not really surprising. LOL

[Tammie]

Diane ~Firefly~ wrote: "The teacher comment is interesting. As I've been re-reading these, I've wondered as certain teachers don't seem to be very good. You would think as school as prestigious as Hogwart's is supposed to..."

I haven’t gotten to the chapter when students are back to school yet...but I’ll completely agree about the quality of teachers...this has bothered me since the second book...this is my first read. There should be discipline for teachers that don’t do their job well...very annoying considering the primary audience for these books...although given the primary audience, perhaps that’s why JKR goes in that direction.

[Tammie]

✿ Claire ✿ ~ The Clever Berry wrote: "Devann wrote: "CHAPTERS 9-13

for all the security they have guarding the actual vaults at gringotts it seems like just anyone can show up and take money out of other people's accounts sometimes. l..."

...I’ll add that Hagrid doesn’t seem to have things straight a lot of the time...good sole but a bit daft...

[Dev]

@Dianne you would think as like the ONLY magic school in Britain / apparently only one of three 'larger' ones in all of Europe [and if 300 students is large idk how big the 'small' ones are lol] that they would have their pick of teachers but they do always seem to have trouble don't they

[Tammie]

Chapter 12
I just read the list of items no longer (view spoiler)[allowed at school...Dumbledore seemed amused by the list. I'm thinking perhaps he must be responsible for some of the more than 400 items now on the list. No doubt the Weasley twins are also responsible... (hide spoiler)]. Reminds me of a few rules put down regarding cell phones and the like when my kids were in school...I'm thinking those things have relaxed since.

[Judy]

Chapter 6

(view spoiler)[Amos Diggory is just such an idiot... of course he's proud of his son, but does he have to be so rude about it? I'm sure Cedric told him that he didn't think the match was fair - so Amos must know how his son feels about the whole thing... I just don't get why he seems to go out of his way to embarrass his son and be rude to his friends at the same time... (hide spoiler)]

[SandyL]

Devann wrote: "well i didn't feel like reading any of the other 5 books i'm reading right now so obviously i just had to start something new lol

CHAPTERS 1-8

i might have laughed too much in the first chapter w..."

It's so fun reading about all the different wizards at the Quidditch finals - and yes, I loved the one in the nightgown as well and his refusing to wear pants! It was also interesting how Harry was wondering how he never thought of wizards being in other countries.

The Quidditch match was hilarious (view spoiler)[ I loved how it turned into almost a free-for-all with the veelas and the leprechauns fighting. And I would love to have a pair of omnioculars! (hide spoiler)]

[Tammie]

Judy wrote: "Chapter 6

[spoilers removed]"

I’ve two grown children and I’m sorry to say that there’s quite a few real in life parents are similarly behaved...

@Chapter 22
It’s so real reading the angst the boys are going through (view spoiler)[trying to find a girl to go to the ball with. It’s quite amusing... (hide spoiler)] I so wish I would have read this before I saw the movie.

[Daniela]

I just started it yesterday evening. I love reading about Quidditch World Cup! Especially as the real-life one is taking place in just a month! (I play Quidditch irl)

[Megan]

Chapter 1 -8

I must admit I may have tried to not read the part with the caretaker. It just upsets me. I have no idea why.

I completely forgot the description of the Quidditch match, its amazing. I felt like I was really there.

Chapter 9- 14
I have to say I think the reason this book annoys me so much is Hermione with the (view spoiler)[ house elf rights (hide spoiler)] not that I mind the whole trying to get rights but its just annoying in this.

Oh and Mad eye turning (view spoiler)[ Malfoy into the ferrett, will always give me a giggle (hide spoiler)]

[Judy]

Chapter 8

The Bulgarian Prime Minister messing with Fudge is just too much 😂😂😂

[Megan]

Chapter 14 - 19

(view spoiler)[ DRAGONS!!!!! Am I the only one that thinks these are sort of abused? I can't imagine stunning a cat or an owl so why a dragon. Poor things. (hide spoiler)]

[Dev]

@Megan, about hermione and the (view spoiler)[house elf rights. it kind of bothers me too ...mostly because i feel like it just ...doesn't actually resolve anything? or go anywhere? i mean it's been awhile since i read the series and i'm barely a third of the way through this book right now but i don't remember her like actually gaining any rights for the house elves [or any of them actually wanting any ever?]. i guess i'm just unsure why JKR even put it in because it seems like the ultimate conclusion was 'they're happy being enslaved' and that's just ...not good lmao. like why bring up this huge problem if it's just going to be a random side plot and nothing changes the status quo? (hide spoiler)]

[Judy]

Chapter 11

(view spoiler)[Once again, the adults not telling Harry & Co. things... I mean I get that they're not supposed to tell them, but why does Bill get to know then? Why does every single adult wizard seem to know about the Triwizard Tournament, but the students aren't allowed to know yet? (hide spoiler)]

[Tammie]

Megan wrote: "Chapter 14 - 19

[spoilers removed]"

I think there's alot of (view spoiler)[ abuse in this book...dragons the Owls for goodness sake. I can't believe Snape was 'poisoning' his students for goodness sake. I'm trying to let all of these go given 'this is the wizarding world...all make believe. It's mainly concerning because our younger generation is reading these... (hide spoiler)]

[Tammie]

Chapter 26
It's so amusing...the names of (view spoiler)[ the books of spells Harry is looking through to try to find something to help him survive under water.
This chapter is soooo different than the movie. It was a great surprise who ended up helping him. (hide spoiler)]

[Megan]

Tammie wrote: "Megan wrote: "Chapter 14 - 19

[spoilers removed]"

I think there's alot of [spoilers removed]"

Oh yes, with the description of the owlery I was sat thinking well that sounds pants but really what did i expect?!


Devann wrote: "@Megan, about hermione and the [spoilers removed]"

Yes! She could have really run with this but its the whole eh they're good. Its really just a minor sub plot and that bothers me.

I've finished this book now. Still dislike this majorly. Its just so long. (view spoiler)[ I don't enjoy reading this book, I think its because with this book its doom. Literally doom. Nothing positive happens. Its the start of everything bad. (hide spoiler)]

[Dev]

i agree, this book is probably my least favorite next to the first one, and that's just bc the first one is the most simplistic. but this one i'm just never in a huge hurry to get through, i feel like the whole thing is just treading water up until the end. it's like she knew she had to do the thing at the end in order to move onto the other books but then she was like 'mmm what should i do for the other 4/5ths of this book??' like you can really tell this is the middle book in the series imo. but then i know a lot of people say this is their favorite so i guess it's different for everyone

[SandyL]

I'm on Ch 13 and they are in Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures class with the (view spoiler)[Blast-Ended Skrewts, right after collecting bubotuber pus for Professor Sprout. Lavender Brown asks "Eurgh, Hagrid, what's that pointing thing on it?"
"Ah, some of 'em have got stings," said Hagrid enthusiastically. "I reckon they're the males....The females've got sorta sucker things on their bellies.....I think they might be ter suck blood." So much for the birds and bees, huh? 😎 (hide spoiler)]

[Tammie]

Chapters 35 and 36
I'm sorry HP Lovers...the last of this book is absolutely dragging...all the explanations are putting me to sleep! Will finish tomorrow...

[Dev]

CHAPTERS 14-18

there was a tumblr post about this but i can't find it right now, but anyway about the fake divination predictions: SPOILERS FOR THE REST OF THE BOOK (view spoiler)[in danger of burns - first task, dragons. lose a treasured 'possession' - 2nd task when ron is taken under the lake. stabbed in the back by someone he thought was a friend - fake moody betraying him to voldemort at the end. i never caught that until someone pointed it out but i thought it was cool (hide spoiler)]

i'm kind of surprised harry isn't more interested in house elf rights really. i mean ...ron is obviously not interested because he's been raised to think it's okay but harry was raised in the muggle world like hermione and he freed dobby and everything so i always found it weird that he thought her crusade was so embarrassing.

i really hate how they changed it for the movie so that durmstrang was all boys and beauxbatons was all girls. there was literally no reason for it.

i wonder why more people didn't just ask other students to put their names in if that was apparently something that would have worked? or like gotten a really long grabber claw and stood outside the circle and dropped their name in. or tried to shoot it in like a basketball lol. all i'm saying is that these kids rely too much on magical solutions when there are usually easier ones available.

what do all the durmstrang / beauxbatons students DO all year? i mean are they ever in classes with the hogwarts kids? are they just getting taught by their headmasters the whole time? do they have a year off school? it really makes no sense.

every time they're like 'well harry HAS to compete it's a binding magical contract' i just think of this post because really, how ridiculous.

i hate snape so much. (view spoiler)[ he's just such an ass. saying he 'sees no difference' in hermione's appearance when she gets hexed. YOU'RE AN ADULT. THEY ARE CHILDREN UNDER YOUR CARE. GROW THE %&@# UP! (hide spoiler)]

[Tammie]

Chapter 37--Finished it...
Well I went ahead and finished it. I liked what (view spoiler)[ Dumbledore had to say about Diggory at the end and was glad that Slytherin did also seem to support what was said even though they didn't support the 'return of the dark lord' comments. It seems perhaps the series is going from darker to darker to I assume in this next book political. (hide spoiler)]
In reflection this book had quite a few political themes in it...the movies didn't carry that flavor at all.
As several others have said...this is my least favorite and I'll rate it as such. The next book is even longer...I hope it's better than this one was with all of the constant explanations.

[Judy]

Devann wrote: "i really hate how they changed it for the movie so that durmstrang was all boys and beauxbatons was all girls. there was literally no reason for it."

Saaaaaaaaame... that's so unnecessary!

[Judy]

Devann wrote: "i wonder why more people didn't just ask other students to put their names in if that was apparently something that would have worked?"

Yeahhhhhhh!!!! Like that is literally what (view spoiler)[Moody/Barty does with Harry (hide spoiler)]... nobody ever thinks of the obvious solution?! But that's a major problem within the wizarding world overall, and I think that's the main reason why they're always so fascinated with the way Muggles do things - because they've never tried to think of a way to fix things without magic.

[Daniela]

Samantha wrote: "After finishing the book, I think J.K. Rowling slipped up!

Warning - spoiler for end of this book and somewhat beginning of the 5th book!
[spoilers removed]
Did anyone else catch that?"

I never realised this! And I've read the books like 10000 times. I'll definitely have a lookout for this one.
My only theory is (view spoiler)[that you can only see them after all, if you have come to terms with having seen someone die. Or maybe it has to be a loved one? Idk it seems weird for J.K. to have a slip up, but everything is possible. I vote for everyone asking her on twitter until she replies :p (hide spoiler)]

[Tammie]

Daniela wrote: "Samantha wrote: "After finishing the book, I think J.K. Rowling slipped up!

Warning - spoiler for end of this book and somewhat beginning of the 5th book!
[spoilers removed]
Did anyone else catch ..."

I noticed that too and wondered...but yes, most of those predictions did come true...I wonder if this will be acknowledged in the next book...in the movie Prof T is expelled if I remember correctly.

Starting the next book in another week or so...

[Judy]

Chapter 16

I just love Hermione being so OH WHATEVER about Krum (view spoiler)[and then she ends up going to the yule ball with him (hide spoiler)]

I would think it’s highly unlikely that a muggle family has two wizard children, right? So the Creeveys would be kind of an anomaly… and I would think that’s another one of these things that should have been elaborated on… but then again, Harry just doesn’t think about anything that isn’t directly related to him…

I, too, would have loved Angelina to be champion... I love all the quidditch girls and every scene with them. And I think it’s so unfair how they all hate on Cedric... he's a nice boy who hasn't done anything wrong!

Chapter 17

Love how Dumbledore tells Snape to shut up when he’s dragging Harry… that abuse is just completely unnecessary and so over the top. Good thing someone at least every once in a while tells Snape it’s not okay.

I think it’s so funny how (view spoiler)[Moody/Barty Jr. literally tells everyone there what exactly he has done and that SOMEONE is hoping he will die, it’s so perfidious! (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 18

This chapter makes me want to know sooooo much more about wands!

[Tammie]

Judy wrote: "Chapter 16

I just love Hermione being so OH WHATEVER about Krum [spoilers removed]

I would think it’s highly unlikely that a muggle family has two wizard children, right? So the Creeveys would be..."

Now that I'm reading your comments here Judy...I think your curiosity about details and the millions and millions and millions of other readers is what caused JKR to start explaining things more in this book...it could have been by design...but I really did notice this as a huge change in this book from the other three.

[Judy]

Tammie wrote: "Now that I'm reading your comments here Judy...I think your curiosity about details and the millions and millions and millions of other readers is what caused JKR to start explaining things more in this book...it could have been by design...but I really did notice this as a huge change in this book from the other three."

These books are gaining layers with every single one, there's so much to observe - there's something new I think about with every reread (like the Creeveys here, for example)!

I think the big cut is here because they're moving from being children's books to YA books... The third one was kind of in-between, but the first two were very much geared toward children. It also makes sense because the characters (and target group!) got older as they were published, and the story matures with everything else.

[Tammie]

Judy wrote: "Tammie wrote: "Now that I'm reading your comments here Judy...I think your curiosity about details and the millions and millions and millions of other readers is what caused JKR to start explaining..."

This book was a pretty big investment in time...and I didn't enjoy it very much. The next is even longer...I'm hoping it's better...anyway...thanks for the info...maybe see you in books 5 BR...

[Dev]

i personally think the next book is way better than this one but i know not everyone agrees with me lol. also yes it is rather jarring for her to almost double the length from one book to the next.

[Sassafrass]

Devann wrote: "i personally think the next book is way better than this one but i know not everyone agrees with me lol. also yes it is rather jarring for her to almost double the length from one book to the next."

Good to know,Devann! I'm starting this one for Team Newt!

[Dev]

CHAPTERS 19-22

surprisingly not a lot to say for this section, i just feel like this book drags a lot around the middle. i guess it shouldn't ...but to me the tasks just aren't really that exciting, or maybe they were at first but don't hold up on the Nth reread lol

i like when they go to the kitchens and (view spoiler)[dobby says dumbledore told him he could call him a 'barmy old codger' lol i know i don't usually have good things to say about dumbledore but he does do right by dobby. (hide spoiler)]

one thing that annoys me about the build up to the yule ball (view spoiler)[is that it's the start of the ron/hermione ship and i feel like it just comes out of nowhere i guess. i mean they've all just been really good friends for years and suddenly hermione is mad ron doesn't want to ask her to go to a dance. i don't necessarily have anything against ron/hermione but it never really clicked with me and i always thought it was just kind of lazy throwing them together like that [i don't ship harry/hermione either. or harry/ron for that matter. i just want them all to be friends lol why does she need to pair everyone off] (hide spoiler)]

[Diane ~Firefly~]

Devann wrote: "CHAPTERS 19-22

surprisingly not a lot to say for this section, i just feel like this book drags a lot around the middle. i guess it shouldn't ...but to me the tasks just aren't really that excitin..."

spoiler for series
(view spoiler)[Yeah, I never got the Ron/Hermione thing or even the Harry/Ginny thing to tell the truth. I kind of liked Luna with Harry. (hide spoiler)]

[Dev]

@Diane oh my god yes! (view spoiler)[i always shipped harry with luna way more than ginny. and again i don't have anything against ginny, i just thought it was really obviously that it was like ...a way for harry to 'officially' become part of the weasley family i guess. it felt more like just using ginny [from an author standpoint] instead of an organic relationship. and don't even get me started on the epilogue lol (hide spoiler)]

[Sassafrass]

@Devann- I’m not as far as you. I’m just finishing chapter 11 but I started to get bored with Quidditch World Cup. That scene was longer than I’m used to. I’m glad they finally got to Hogwarts.

[Dev]

yeah i've been noticing a lot of the scenes and chapters seem a lot longer than in previous books. i was going to read the next chapter tonight but then i looked and it was 30 pages and i was like eh i'll just continue tomorrow lol

[Diane ~Firefly~]

Devann wrote: "@Diane oh my god yes! [spoilers removed]"

Well I believe I read she wrote the epilogue a long time before the series finished, so she had to make the series fit it. (view spoiler)[which I think was a detriment to the series and kept her from exploring other options that seemed more organic. (hide spoiler)]

[Dev]

@Diane i actually didn't know that [or if i did then i guess i forgot]. that doesn't really seem like a good plan to me because (view spoiler)[like you said it ended up feeling really inorganic. i mean i get if she had a direction she wanted the story to go but i feel like the best authors are the ones who aren't afraid to completely change their plan if they need to. plus i just feel like it shows how entirely out of touch with her target audience she is, like most of us are not immediately getting married and popping out 2.5 kids [named after dead relatives] anymore lol (hide spoiler)]

[Sassafrass]

Devann wrote: "CHAPTERS 14-18

i really hate how they changed it for the movie so that durmstrang was all boys and beauxbatons was all girls. there was literally no reason for it.."

I'm just in chapter 16 now and I was so surprised to hear Jim Dale talk about Beauxbaton having male students and Durmstrang having female.

Maybe because the movie made the Beauxbatons so feminine and dainty, they didn't think it would play well for males and vice versa for the Durstrangs? I have no idea. This was my first encounter with the book being so much different than the movie. And since this is my first go round with this book, it really took me by surprise.

[Dev]

yeah i mean it's definitely because they wanted to assign unnecessary gender roles probably based on the fact that people associate the french with being 'girly' and then durmstrang is up north so that's ~manly~ or whatever. like i understand WHY they did but i still hate it because it's just so unnecessary and since it wasn't written that way to start with that was a conscious change they made and put thought into and were like 'yeah thats a good idea' lol #no

[Sassafrass]

Too true. But I could just see the people who are against the series in the first place because it's promoting the devil and stuff and trying to get the books banned, I could just see them also stating that it's promoting being gay and things like that because there were feminine boys and manly girls.

While I don't agree, I can just hear the uproar in 2005 about that when the movie was made. I'm sure the movie execs were huddling and doing all kinds of focus groups on that and decided not to go there.

It's a shame though because it was no big deal in the book. It was just stated that there were male and female students of both schools and left it at that. I don't think it would need to be such a big deal in the movie either.

It's certainly going to have me looking at the movie differently, that's for sure. And I agree with you that it was an unnecessary change, but I guess they felt they couldn't chance it.

What I'd like to know is how JK Rowling reacted to that. Did she get a chance to have her say about the change?

[Dev]

yeah although my thought with that is that they're going to hate the books anyway so why try to cater to them at all? like ...this is soooo off topic for this particular book but with the whole 'dumbledore is gay but i didn't actually want to mention it at in the books' like ...why not? christians already hate your books, why let them continue to have that kind of influence over it if they're going to complain anyway [although honestly i could rant for years about JKR trying to get like 'ally brownie points' after the fact but i'll just stop here lol]

but yeah movie execs make WEIRD decisions so i can totally see them thinking that having a boys and girls school would somehow make conservative people more happy. it makes noooo sense, but i can see them thinking that.

and i'm not sure how much control JKR had over the movies. i'm sure she was consulted at times but i don't know if she got to make any actual decisions.

[Sassafrass]

Chapter 18:

Boy do I loathe Snape: (view spoiler)[ when he looked at Hermione's elongating teeth after Malfoy's spell hit her and said "I see no difference", I wanted to throw my phone at the wall! Why is such a hateful man even able to teach at the school.

And why on earth did we get the impression that deep down Snape was decent in the first book (when he was trying to do the counter spell on Harry's broom in that first Quidditch match) when he is just really a horrible, horrible person! (hide spoiler)]

Ok, end of rant

[Dev]

@Sassafrass (view spoiler)[there are definitely a lot of layers to snape that are yet to be revealed but i absolutely loathe him still, there is just no excuse for him consistently treating children the way he does for what i consider no good reason (hide spoiler)]

[Judy]

Sassafrass wrote: "Chapter 18:

Boy do I loathe Snape: when he looked at Hermione's elongating teeth after Malfoy's spell hit her and said "I see no difference", I wanted to throw my phone at the wall! Why is such a..."

That was so awful... I do not understand why such behavior is apparently allowed at Hogwarts... everyone knows Snape consistently treats students in that way, and nobody does anything about it. Like Devann said, (view spoiler)[he's so awful, none of the things revealed about him later on make him a redeemable character... there's no excuse. (hide spoiler)]

[Diane ~Firefly~]

Devann wrote: "yeah although my thought with that is that they're going to hate the books anyway so why try to cater to them at all? like ...this is soooo off topic for this particular book but with the whole 'du..."

My guess is JKR didn't try and fight it much because although it is a annoying, the other students from the schools don't have any impact in the book, as it is focused strictly on the contestants.

[Sassafrass]

@ Devann: I'll try to reserve my thoughts on Snape until all is revealed but seriously, the man is odious! (ok, I guess I suck at reserving my thoughts, LOL)

@ Judy: I totally agree

@ Diane: you're probably right about her not fighting it.

[Dev]

CHAPTERS 23-26

once again we have an example of people messing things up with magic when the muggle solution would have been easier. ron tries to use a severing charm on his dress robes but depending on how the lace was sewn on i'm assuming he could use a seam ripper or even a pair of scissors to get them cleanly off and have relatively normal looking robes

so glad JKR finally told us how to say hermione's name as i had been saying it wrong for years before this back in the day lol

still wondering how (view spoiler)[hagird's mom and dad had sex. come on JKR, inquiring minds want to know ;) (hide spoiler)]

"you weren't being thick after all - you were showing moral fiber!" as a slytherin i would often say they are one and the same ;)

[Sassafrass]

Ha, ha! at your spoiler there. LOL
I was thinking the same thing when Hagrid showed Harry the picture of him and his dad.