Series: Harry Potter #4
Author: J.K. Rowling
Narrator: Jim Dale
Publisher: Pottermore from J.K. Rowling
Publication Date: November 20, 2015 (first published July 8, 2000
Source: Audible Credit
"'There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways...their magical prowess - their daring - their powers of deduction - and, of course, their ability to cope with danger.'"
The Triwizard Tournament is to be held at Hogwarts. Only wizards who are over seventeen are allowed to enter - but that doesn't stop Harry dreaming that he will win the competition. Then at Hallowe'en, when the Goblet of Fire makes its selection, Harry is amazed to find his name is one of those that the magical cup picks out. He will face death-defying tasks, dragons and Dark wizards, but with the help of his best friends, Ron and Hermione, he might just make it through - alive!
Listening Length: 21 hours and 12 minutes
This was my first experience listening to an audiobook and I'm really surprised by how much I enjoyed it! I was worried going in that I wouldn't enjoy having someone else tell the story or that I would have trouble staying focused enough to listen to it. Luckily, I had no reason to worry -- this audiobook kept my attention. Having experienced this world in so many different ways (the original books, the illustrated editions, the movies, plays, etc), it was neat to have one more way to experience it.
The story was, of course, still the same as it has been in all the other editions of the book. And, like always, it pulled me quickly into the world and the lives of these characters. I really love this book in the series -- this is the one that truly starts delving into the history of Voldemort and we see Harry face him for the first time since he was baby alone -- away from Hogwarts and without Ron and Hermione by his side. It's a pretty pivotal point in the series and as terrible as the events of the book are (lots and lots of murder), I love reading it and watching Harry grow and fight against Voldemort.
Jim Dale did a great job with the narration -- I appreciate the effort he put into creating unique voices for all the characters. These different voices made it much easier to follow the story without the physical book in front of me. I also thought the overall pace he set was a good one. I was tempted to speed it up at first but ultimately decided to just stick with the normal speed.
My only complaint as far as the narration goes were the sometimes strange pronunciation and emphasis of certain words. For one, he pronounced Voldemort without the "t" sound at the end. Maybe this is how you're supposed to say it but I've always pronounced the "t" and I'm fairly certain the movies did, too. So that was a little hard to get used to. He also occasionally pronounced "okay" strangely -- he was say it like "OOoo . . . kay". Like, it was just too long and strangely said for the situation it was being said in. It created a weird emphasis.
Overall, this was a great first experience with audiobooks! I enjoyed listening to it while I was walking my dog or working out. I'm looking forward to listening to the other audiobooks in this series and trying others!
“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”
Four* out of Five Teapots
*The actual story will always be a solid five stars from me -- the four stars is specifically for this edition and the narration.
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