Philosophy Blog

Review: Florence Adler Swims Forever

2026-08-23T22:25:50.849-05:00

Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The premise of the novel is a bit preposterous but then like many a preposterous premise; it actually happened! After Florence drowns (revealed in the description so not a spoiler), the mother determines that they must keep this from Fannie, Florence's older sister, who is bedridden in the hospital during her third trimester of an at-risk pregnancy. Fearing the news would endanger the baby and the mom, the family, lead by the mother, determine to keep tragedy secret until the baby is born. It is a bit hard to believe that any one would think to do this or go along with this, but, it is in fact based on Beanland's own family history. While the story is, according to Beanland, fictionalized, the core premise: the drowning, the at-risk sister, and the hiding of the truth are true.

I wavered back and forth with most of the characters: in the end, I came to like them, or at least, better understand where they were coming from. The tragedy and the subsequent lying warped and affected all the characters. Some of what I didn't like about this or that character was really the subtle reflection of that warping.

I thought the author did a great job of depicting 1930s Atlantic City. The added tension from trying to get Anna's parents out of Europe captured aspects of the American Jewish experience of this time.

There were small notes here and there that were off. The best example of this was a scene were shellfish was served at a meal. That in itself is hardly worth mentioning, but the author made note of the dish, but didn't have any of the characters respond in any way to this fact. This was odd to me. Not that they ate it, but that there was nothing about the violation of kashrut. Given the role in other parts of the book for halacha (Jewish Law), this was out of place. Unlike a book a like The Chosen, the Jewishness of the story is really more of a backdrop rather than anything that is really all that essential to the characters or the plot.

Gussie and Stuart were definitely my favorite characters. Stuart, as the only main character that was not Jewish, plays an interesting role in the story. I keep coming back to the idea that teaching your child to swim is one of things the Talmud explicitly says parents are responsible for doing. The father does teach Florence to swim initially, but it is Stuart who becomes her coach and trainer. And then Stuart teaches Anna. I am not sure there is anything to this or not, but I thought it was curious.

Isaac, well, Isaac was just a shit.

I think there were some missed opportunities for some deeper exploration of the way Jews deal with grief and birth and family, but it is still a good and engaging story.

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Review: Heart of a Stranger: An Unlikely Rabbi's Story of Faith, Identity, and Belonging

2026-08-16T19:53:51.344-05:00

Heart of a Stranger: An Unlikely Rabbi's Story of Faith, Identity, and Belonging by Angela Buchdahl
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rabbi Buchdahl's memoir weaves together personal experiences and family background with broader lessons and insights. Each chapter ends with a Dvar Torah, a commentary drawn from Jewish liturgy, texts, and wisdom, that gives a way of seeing Rabbi Buchdahl's experiences in our own lives and experiences. The memoir covers the backstories of her parents and how they met, how they ended up in Washington state, and how Rabbi Buchdahl came to the rabbinate. The second half of the book then covers Rabbi Buchdahl's adult professional life and experiences, ranging from how she came to be at Central Synagogue to the pandemic and October 7.

A theme of the book, captured in the title, is that we all, to some extent, have the heart of a stranger. Or to borrow from Billy Joel: "we all have a face// that we hide away." We can be strangers to each other and to ourselves. Buchdahl connects this to Judaism: Jews for so much of our history have been strangers in the land's of others. Much of Jewish thought is about how to live as strangers in strange lands, but also to apply those lesson to our lands: to treat the strangers in our amidst better than we have better treated. This is the lesson, I think, that Buchdahl wants to teach us. Since we we are all at different times and different way strangers, to others and ourselves, we have to make sure to treat the stranger, in others and ourselves, better.

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Review: Camera Obscura

2026-08-12T16:54:03.755-05:00

Camera Obscura by Lavie Tidhar
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a fascinating, creative, genre bending story. It's steampunk, horror, scifi, alt-history, thriller, and a detective story. Tidhar weaves a pastiche from literature, history, and mythology into something entirely new. It's a bit gruesome at times but overall a lot of fun. I am sure there were many references I missed. Some where obvious, others I knew must be a reference but didn't recognize, and I am sure others that just flew right by.

I picked this up at a used bookstore because I recognized the author's name, but I didn't realize it was book 2 of series until I already started it. My "orderist" predications where tested! Don't worry book 1 has already been ordered.

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Review: Ransom: A Novel

2026-07-24T13:32:20.532-05:00

Ransom: A Novel by Daniel Silva
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Considered on its own terms, Ransom is an excellent spy thriller. Exotic locations, financial and political intrigue, last minute heroics, and daring escapes. Some of the plot elements are a bit over the top, but that’s all part of the genre. Silva’s story-telling chops are impeccable. I would love to give it 5 star review but I cannot.

It is shameful and cowardly that Silva completely ignores October 7, the rise worldwide of antisemitism, and the reality that faces an Israeli in Europe. There is not a single mention or hint of anything remotely connected to any of this. Early in the book Allon is feted at a swanky art event in England – and yet there is not a single protester outside or near the event. Gal Gadot can’t film a movie in London without protests and attacks, but a well-known former Israeli spy can be featured and celebrated in art circles? That detail is far more unbelievable than the book’s preposterous climax.

The word ‘Israeli’ is used maybe twice in the novel, and I don’t think ‘Jewish’ is used once. None of the recurring Israeli characters from the first dozen or more of the Allon books remain. Silva has totally jettisoned any connection in these books to Israel or the Jewish people more broadly. This move away started a few books before October 7 but its absence is just too obvious now. It is not necessary that the plot revolve around October 7 or the war that follows; but it is beyond believability that none of this would ever be mentioned or cross the mind of Allon. He was the avenging angel of Israel and now couldn't care less?

Silva should just stop writing Gabriel Allon and instead just spin off a character like Christopher Keller and write about his exploits. That he continues to write books with an Israeli as the central character and not at all engage with that fact of the character is moral blindness or worse.

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Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

2026-07-20T23:55:09.052-05:00

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I remember reading the The Deathly Hallows on a trip to Italy, finishing it in the hall of the hotel in Venice so I wouldn't spoil it for my wife. I was riveted by it: how was Rowling going to end it? I was satisfied at the time, and now relistening, I am even more impressed and satisfied. Though seeming to just be McGuffins at first, the hallows end up playing such important roles: without them Harry would not have been able to defeat Voldemort. I've always liked how the horcruxes help tie together the books in the series. The courage of the main characters from Harry, Ron, and Hermione to Neville and Ginny is impressive and heroic. The revelations from Dumbledore and Snape are heartbreaking; and there are death scenes that left in me tears. (however, I never cared for the epilogue. It's sweet and it's fun, but also felt unnecessary)

I have thoroughly and completely loved the Full-Cast Editions of Harry Potter. It was wonderful to revisit the books after so many years; and the voice acting and audio scene setting helped to bring the books to life. I'm sad to be done! I might just have to start over!

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Review: The Psychology of Sports Fans

2026-07-13T18:48:03.857-05:00

The Psychology of Sports Fans by Aaron C.T. Smith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A very short introduction to key ideas in the psychology of sports fans. I found it a bit too thin and repetitive. It provides a good overview and summary of the ideas relevant for sports fan psychology, but there is not much in the way of argument for these claims. The author doesn't go into any great depth of explanation-- after all the book is only about hundred pages long. There are some good references and recommended readings. However, I didn't care for the way the citations were used in the text. The author makes a claim and provides a footnote to a citation. But these are too loose/generic: the citation could be to a book but there is no page number. It is often not clear how the cited work connects to the claim in the text insofar as the title of the article or book doesn't necessarily connect in an obvious way. I would have liked some more context and specific page numbers to see if the work is worth checking out myself.

I think this book is a nice quick overview of ideas relevant for a discussion of the psychology of sports fans, but I think for any one looking for something more substantial, there are other books better suited to that task.

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Review: Last Argument of Kings

2026-07-12T19:38:02.325-05:00

Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Abercrombie doesn't pull any punches in this last book of the trilogy. It's gritty and violent -- a bit too violent for my taste. It is surprising but in that great way that is obvious once it happens but that you don't really see coming. The characterization and story telling are top-notch. The last third of the book or so is mostly mopping up, tying up ends and that can get a bit tedious at times. The specific ending, the circularity of it, was near perfect. It wouldn't not have made sense to have a fairy tale ending of any kind, and this is not. And it would have been too much for it be a complete wipe out. There is an edge to nihilism here, though, that bothers me: nothing really changes, no one matters, so just get as much power as you can and survive. There are some glimmers of hope and a few of the main characters try to better and do seem to genuinely care; but in the end this hope and caring mostly don't play enough of a role.

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Review: The Philosophy of Football

2026-06-25T18:39:34.707-05:00

The Philosophy of Football by Steffen Borge
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The book engages with interesting and important philosophical questions about sport. Borge uses football (soccer) as the stand-in and best exemplar of sport, but much of what he discusses is relevant more broadly. Borge chews deeply into the arguments and brings to bear philosophical discussion beyond sport: from epistemology, theories of social kinds, aesthetics and much more. He brings in real-life examples and illustrations from football that both enliven the text and provide important context. Conceptually, it is a challenging and rigorous book: some amount of serious acquaintance with philosophy is expected and necessary.

There are four main chapters, each focusing on a different thematic issue. The first deals with the question of sport fictionalism. The second with sport as social kind and what that means for analyzing sport. The third is Borge’s critique of Bernard Suits’ classic argument about the nature of games (and sport). The last is a discussion of sport and aesthetics.

For the rest of my review: https://sportsethicist.com/2026/06/25...

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Review: Nine Essential Things I've Learned About Life

2026-06-18T16:21:57.673-05:00

Nine Essential Things I've Learned About Life by Harold S. Kushner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A short book that touches on many of the themes of Rabbi Kushner’s work. It’s a balance of stories, theology, and religion. Mixing life advice with biblical and Talmudic commentary, Rabbi Kushner covers topics from his conception of God, the problem of evil, morality, forgiveness, and meaning in life.

It is interesting and touching with generally good (if not a bit anodyne) advice about living a more meaningful and satisfying life. But it is also too familiar—that is, having read Rabbi Kushner’s work, there were few surprises or innovations. It was still good to reiterate and refamiliarize myself with these ideas and Kushner’s approach, but I think I was hoping for something a bit different or new.

What I found most engaging was when Kushner would explain his interpretations of different biblical stories. From the Garden of Eden to the binding of Isaac, Kushner’s approach is enlightening and compelling; providing a context to understand these stories in ways that are more interesting (and less concerning) than many traditional interpretations. As a linguistic nerd, I also enjoyed how he rooted his approach in the original meanings of the Hebrew texts.

Though this book is very much rooted in a theistic framework, I think nontheists and agnostics will find value in many (though not all) of Kushner’s discussions.

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Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

2026-06-16T14:59:40.025-05:00

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Of all the Full Cast Editions I've listened to, I remembered the least from my original reading of HBP. I guess much of this book just didn't stick with me the way earlier books did. In some ways, it is one of the weaker books. It doesn't stand that well on its own; it is more of a bridge from OoP to DH, setting up the final act. There is also a bit too much snogging! But the last third of the book is also some of the best. If you don't shed a few tears by the end, I am not sure you're human.

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Review: The Gift of Fire / On the Head of a Pin: Two Short Novels from Crosstown to Oblivion

2026-06-01T11:53:13.919-05:00

The Gift of Fire / On the Head of a Pin: Two Short Novels from Crosstown to Oblivion by Walter Mosley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Walter Mosley is best known as a mystery writer, but these two short speculative fiction novellas demonstrate his incredible range as a writer. The Gift of Fire is a continuation/update of the Prometheus myth, and it is written in the style of a classical myth/epic poem. On the Head of the Pin is more squarely in the science-fiction genre. Both stories wrestle with what it is to be human, the connection to the divine (broadly construed), and with nature of good and evil/love and hatred. These are very different stories with very different styles, but pair well together. They explore these themes in their own parallel ways and though there is tragedy in each, they end on notes of hope and optimism about humanity.

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Review: Moscow X: A Novel

2026-05-25T20:37:57.872-05:00

Moscow X: A Novel by David McCloskey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Three stars feels a bit harsh to me, but four stars also seemed too generous. Like in his first novel, Damascus Station, McCloskey does a great job describing the spycraft as well as creating the ever-present sense of dread and doom to life in Russia. However, I never really connected to the characters. Hard to put my finger on why, but they felt a bit flat to me. The characters in Damascus Station felt that way as well; so maybe that's McCloskey's style. It's far more about the spycraft and the action; in that way it feels more like any interchangeable, indistinguishable spy thriller out there: you watch/read it, enjoy it, but move on and forget about it.

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Review: Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned

2026-05-25T18:17:13.532-05:00

Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned by Walter Mosley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In this collection of stories, Mosley introduces the readers to Socrates Fortlow. He’s an ex-con now living in LA. The stories fit together and are told in sequence, more like chapters in a novel than stand-alone stories – but also not quite a novel.

Socrates is not out there seeking redemption for his past so much; he is trying to live by a code and be a better person than he had been. This is not to say that he does not feel guilty: he acknowledges his crimes, knows he was wrong, but he’s not trying to undo the past or make up for this crime. In the stories, he helps out people in the neighborhood: not from a place of seeking redemption for his past wrongs, but to do right by the present. The stories depict his struggles with the difficulties of being poor, black, and an ex-con in LA. The stories are compelling; some are smaller, day in the life kind of stories; others hit hard: both emotionally and intellectually. The themes range from basic human respect and dignity to racial injustice to religion and dying.

As a collection of short stories and not Mosley’s more typical mystery-detective fair, there is something smaller and more intimate about the book. But at the same time, it dives deep into tough questions. If you enjoy Mosley’s writing, you should read this.

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Review: Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade

2026-05-16T14:39:00.556-05:00

Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade by Delilah S. Dawson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Inquisitor: The Rise of the Red Blade sets for itself a difficult task: portraying the fall to the dark side of the protagonist: the author must keep us connected to the main character, Iskat, as she turns from a Jedi into an Inquisitor. On the whole, Delilah Dawson accomplishes this: though the Iskat’s rationalizations for her evil become more twisted and disconnected from reality as she descends into the dark side, there is a sympathy that remains(and possibly a spark of light). She does not start out as an evil monster, she is misguided, confused, and insecure. She is tempted by the power and façade of agency/freedom that dark side offers her. The reader knows she is wrong and has become evil; but Iskat rationalizes it all to herself: the Jedi are the ones, she tells herself, who lied and betrayed her and the Republic. But that’s all a cover for her own revenge and her growing sadistic pleasure she takes in torturing and killing Jedi.

The exploration of the psychology of the Jedi who fall to the dark side is fascinating: the complex ways we make small choices that lead us down paths of wrongdoing and evil. Iskat is not fully honest with herself; and the Jedi, in well-meaning ways, are not completely honest with her either. She doesn’t take responsibility for her own situation and shortcomings; and the Jedi, again in well-meaning ways, facilitate this. All together these small evasions of reality lead her down her path. It is not inevitable not her destiny; it is her choices. She has many opportunities to avoid this fate; but she chooses to stay on the course she is on. She grows to accept and own this path; she comes to relish it.

That said, the epilogue undoes a lot of this. The book would have been better and far more interesting if it had just stopped before the epilogue. It was largely unnecessary and gives the character some small bit of a redemption that she has not really earned. The mutual love and connection between Iskat and Tualon provides some basis for this, but it is just not developed enough to make it earned.

On the whole, it’s an interesting and engaging read. The narrator is good and the sound effects and music add context and color without being overbearing.

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Review: A Book Forged in Hell: Spinoza's Scandalous Treatise and the Birth of the Secular Age

2026-05-14T16:33:26.102-05:00

A Book Forged in Hell: Spinoza's Scandalous Treatise and the Birth of the Secular Age by Steven Nadler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Steven Nadler is one of the foremost Spinoza scholars – certainly in terms of presenting Spinoza to an audience beyond academia. I’ve gained much by reading Nadler’s expositions, interpretations, and analyses of Spinoza’s work. In A Book Forged in Hell, Nadler takes us into the Theological-Political Treatise. One of things Nadler does so well is situate Spinoza in his own time and the history of philosophy: and here we see how Spinoza’s radical treatise on religion, the state, and freedom of thought fits within the social, religious, political, and philosophical milieu of his own time. While in many ways the most radical, Nadler shows us that Spinoza is not an isolated thinker in terms of the kind of critique and philosophy he is putting out there. What makes Spinoza unique was his bringing together the threads that others were pulling on into a single, integrated work that would resound through the ages.

Nadler is more focused on the intellectual and cultural history of the moment (and how that moment responded to Spinoza), but he does discuss the ideas of the work and how Spinoza’s discussion in the TPT fit within his broader philosophical project. That said, do not expect a chapter-by-chapter breakdown or a fully worked out extraction of the arguments.

A worthwhile read for those interested in Spinoza or the Enlightenment roots of political and intellectual liberty.

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Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

2026-05-03T19:27:27.369-05:00

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The full cast performances of the Harry Potter series just gets better and better. OoP takes the series to the next level; and hearing it play out with the full cast gives it a deeper emotional resonance than I even remember from when I first read it.

The voice actors are all great. No one can replace the Alan Rickman, but even the actor for Snape has grown on me.

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Review: Suspect

2026-04-30T17:06:44.589-05:00

Suspect by Robert Crais
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read the Cole/Pike novel, The Promise, prior to this and was introduced to Scott and Maggie there. Getting their backstories here was great fun.

Maggie is amazing, and the parts from her POV help make her a real and substantial character. I am not sure how a whole novel that way would go for a dog's POV, but it'd be an interesting attempt!

Scott is a kind of a dope at times. He makes some bad decisions and things could have gone much worse for everyone. The plot itself is a bit far-fetched, and never really engaged me. But Scott's relationship with and rehabilitation through and with Maggie was what made the story. The moments between them were the best parts of the book.

The Cole/Pike novels are better; but I would read more Scott and Maggie -- if only for Maggie!

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Review: Robert B. Parker's Buried Secrets

2026-04-27T19:01:44.599-05:00

Robert B. Parker's Buried Secrets by Christopher Farnsworth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Farnsworth takes the helm on the Jesse Stone series. He does a very good job; much better than Lupica. Hard to pin point why; but the story just flows better. It feels less like someone doing a Parker imitation; I think Lupica was always reaching for trying to sound just like Parker and to emulate(unsuccessfully) his wit. Farnsworth doesn't try to do that and so it feels more authentic.

The plot is fairly straightforward but engaging. Some of the set up for the plot points could have been a little better, but they end up working well enough. The main focus here -- unlike the last few books -- is on Stone and the bad guys. Molly and Suit are there but the story doesn't go through them. James Naughton continues to be the perfect narrator for the Stone series.

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Review: Hour Game

2026-04-19T00:01:14.510-05:00

Hour Game by David Baldacci
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The former secret service agents, King and Maxwell, have teamed up to run a private detective agency. After a murdered woman is found, there is soon another murder and things just continue. After realizing they have serial killer on the loose, King and Maxwell get deputized and help the authorities find the killer. King eventually pieces it all together, but not after a lot of people get killed.

I like the characters and Baldacci builds the mystery and suspense well. Like the Split Second, though, things get complicated; there are a lot of characters and plot pieces to keep track of. Annoyingly, a lot of King's detecting takes place off screen, so it is hard to put things together yourself.

Still, it's a fast-paced, well-told story with interesting characters.

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Review: Pale Gray for Guilt

2026-04-17T13:05:12.166-05:00

Pale Gray for Guilt by John D. MacDonald
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

McGee doesn't have a client here; in some ways he is his own client -- and his own salvage job. Things got a little convoluted with the scheme they ran. The middle part dragged a bit and was a little longer than it needed to be. The last third really picked up though and it got more interesting. I found the exploration and development of McGee through his relationship with Puss and Meyer to be intriguing and well done.

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Review: Robert B. Parker's Fallout

2026-04-05T23:32:03.611-05:00

Robert B. Parker's Fallout by Mike Lupica
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It is in so many ways great to be able to read the continuations of the characters Robert Parker created. The continuations are, nonetheless, mixed. Lupica's Stone is enjoyable, the stories move quickly and Lupica colors within the lines of the original stories. He doesn't really push things or the characters (that can be good and bad). It's a pastiche that reminds you of the things you loved about the original. His novels are a bit like an episode of a long running, loved tv show. You enjoy the show and characters, even if the episode is not that original or in itself that compelling.

As I've listened to the Lupica Stone novels, I've mentioned the things I don't like. Lupica's Stone is too Sunny obsessed; he's more passive in the driving of the plot; the language, humor is at times not quite right; too many he says, Molly said; and Lupica relies too much on the stock characters from the Spenser-verse. (On that latter point, the narrator, who is overall very good didn't get the voices right for Tony Marcus and Spike).

This story was a bit too convoluted and bit all over the place -- at least for the first half. The second half is much better and the ways turn out was much more compelling than I was expecting. Some of it was foreseeable, but Lupica threw just enough surprises in there to keep it interesting.

This is the last Stone novel by Lupica since he moved on to the Spenser novels. I am interested in seeing (or rather hearing) where Farnsworth takes Jesse Stone. I have, as you might guess, my concerns about Lupica writing Spenser. I'll try to keep an open mind.

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Review: Project Hail Mary

2026-04-04T14:35:14.280-05:00

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was surprisingly really good! My contrarian instincts kicked in with the movie coming out and all the hype I was hearing, so I didn't expect too much. But I was quickly sucked in and really enjoyed it. I laughed out loud at several points, it is genuinely funny at points. The character development and story telling is well done; there are a few surprises and I really didn't know how the book would end. The sciences part were really interesting and thought-provoking. Interesting philosophical, moral, and scientific questions are raised. I've heard speculation about a sequel; and while I'd love me some more Rocky and to know more about how things turned out on Earth; I'm not sure a sequel would work. But Weir seems like a talented writer, so maybe.

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Review: Robert B. Parker's Stone's Throw

2026-03-29T23:35:00.625-05:00

Robert B. Parker's Stone's Throw by Mike Lupica
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Lupica does a serviceable job of emulating Parker's style and carrying forward the series. But after seeing what Reed Farrel Coleman was able to with Jesse, Lupica's stories fall short. It's hard to pinpoint why, there isn't anything Lupica is doing that is really off, it's just not as good. Coleman pushed the characters, the story more. With Lupica, things feel a little flatter, a little rote. I do have a few issues though. One is something I've complained about with Lupica before: the 'he said'; "molly said", "she said" etc. It's too much. The context makes it perfectly clear who is talking: we don't need a XXX said after nearly every line of dialogue. This is especially bothersome on the audio. Second, there was way to much Stone pinning for Sunny here (especially with the way the book ends, which I'm not thrilled with). Bringing back Crow was interesting; and I always like Vinny (though Lupica's version wasn't a bit off for me). Tony Marcus might have been a bit of stretch though and not all that necessary for the story.

Nevertheless, for long-time fans of Parker/Stone this is an overall enjoyable entry.

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Review: The Tainted Cup

2026-03-29T22:10:23.528-05:00

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This series has received such praise; and it absolutely lives up to the hype. Bennett has crafted an inventive and novel world; unique characters; and a complex mystery with some added political intrigue and the world-might-end-tomorrow tension. Operating in the fantasy and mystery genres, Bennett uses many of the standard tropes, but does so in creative and fun ways. The Holmes-Watson relationship is great, but it's not just that (not just Holmes-Watson in a fantasy world). The fantasy mainly is rooted in the setting and the 'technology' they use to run the world- and that part was fantastic, not at all your typical fantasy magical works. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

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Review: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

2026-03-23T21:16:14.998-05:00

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Goblet of Fire has long been one of my favorite of the Harry Potter series; and listening to the full-cast performance reminded me why. We get a bigger picture of Wizarding life. The relationships between Harry and his friends gets explored and enriched. The scenes of the return of Voldemort are done very well in the full-cast performance. The voice-actor for Voldemort is perfect. Really, all the voice actors are great; I've become accustomed to the Snape voice and though it is still not quite right, the actor overall does a good job.

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