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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A pair of orphans are adopted by the prestigious wizard Chrestomanci. At the risk of redundancy, this is charming. Diana Wynne Jones's plot structures have a remarkable capacity to be leisurely paced domestic adventures that culminate in unexpectedly clever and large denouements; sometimes in unequal balance, but this is the best I've read so far. I agree with Janet that vast swathes of the plot could have--and reasonably should have!--been resolved by simple communication; to lampshade that doesn't actually excuse it. But Cat is an accessible, sympathetic protagonist, and the humor of his predicaments and the architecture thereof--particularly the routine but inconvenient impact of magic on daily life--is hilarious, despite the dated ableism and body shaming that taints the humor. There's a tremendous amount of payoff, in the plot twist and scale of the climax, but also in the reoccurring jokes; I imagine it's a joy to reread. I adored this and will definitely read the sequels.
It's taken me a couple days to sort through my feelings when it comes to this book. What I love most is that Diana Wynne Jones clearly understands the casual abuse of childhood, and the ways she utilizes fantasy tropes to extrapolate such reality is phenomenal. What disturbs me most about this book is the constant duality one feels: towards Gwendolen, towards Chrestomanci, towards Roger and Julia, even towards initial walk-ons such as Mrs. Sharp and Mr. Nostrum. What are these characters genuinely up to? How do they actually feel--about anything? The deeper run my inquiries, the more frustrated and fascinated I felt by the implications imbedded, baked, into the narrative.
My only reason for knocking it down a star is the prose. The prose is quite like the early Harry Potter books, clunky and adverbial.
Otherwise, EVERYONE should read this fantastic entry into the field of wizard school books, a cut above the rest.
My only reason for knocking it down a star is the prose. The prose is quite like the early Harry Potter books, clunky and adverbial.
Otherwise, EVERYONE should read this fantastic entry into the field of wizard school books, a cut above the rest.
I first read this when I was 12 or so. This was definately one of my favourite books growing up. Highly recommended.
Amazing story , fun and easy to read. Cat and gewendolen go to live with chrestmanci and when the lord ignores her bad behaviour she goes coo coo and opens up a portal and tries to have him killed, but fails and ends up trapped there. She had been stealing cats powers and life this whole time and he is actually like chrestomanci too.
My absolute favourite of the Chrestomanci novels, closely followed by The Pinhoe Egg.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Charmed Life is a children's fantasy novel by British author Diana Wynne Jones published by Macmillan Children's Books in 1977. It's an inventive, fun, and delightful entertaining novel by a superb author of fantasy. Seriously, Diana Wynne Jones really is in a class to herself. I haven't read any other author like her.
Charmed Life follows siblings Cat and Gwendolyn Chant. Gwendolyn is an extraordinarily gifted witch, despite the fact that her little brother Cat has no magical ability at all. After their parents’ deaths, the two orphans are taken in by Mrs Sharp — but Gwendolyn has bigger plans for herself that concern nothing less than the conquering of the world. When the two of them are taken to Chrestomanci Castle, Gwendolyn is delighted. Chrestomanci is a powerful enchanter that she feels sure will teach and guide her on her way to world domination. (Note: The Chrestomanci books are collectively named after a powerful enchanter and British government official in a world parallel to ours, where magic is accepted as commonplace. The Chrestomanci is a government office whose duties include the supervision and enforcement of magical law, and only the most powerful enchanter is up to the task. )
But things are not quite as she expected. Chrestomanci has no desire to teach Gwendolyn before she gains a little self-control. Gwendolyn becomes spiteful and abuses magic. And well, things escalate quickly, and Gwendolyn begins to wage war on Chrestomanci. And poor Cat is stuck in-between the battle. Little does poor Cat know that he too is destined for great and magical things.
To say anything more would be to spoil the *magical* twists and turns of this wonderful story. There were many movements of pure shock as the twists and action on the page.
Diana Wynne Jones is an excellent writer. She creates vivid, imaginative tales full of humor and charming (and sometimes infuriating) characters! Her tales read like fairy tales mixed with science fiction but, I wouldn't say she is an easy read. The components of this story - the parallel worlds, the use of magic, and inventive wacky nature of it -can be a bit complicated but it is worth it! Jones trusted the logic and imagination of children to go along with her for the ride. So trust her, and read on.
There are seven Chrestomanci books: six novels and a collection of four stories subtitled Four Tales of Chrestomanci. I plan to start the next one in the series very soon!
Charmed Life follows siblings Cat and Gwendolyn Chant. Gwendolyn is an extraordinarily gifted witch, despite the fact that her little brother Cat has no magical ability at all. After their parents’ deaths, the two orphans are taken in by Mrs Sharp — but Gwendolyn has bigger plans for herself that concern nothing less than the conquering of the world. When the two of them are taken to Chrestomanci Castle, Gwendolyn is delighted. Chrestomanci is a powerful enchanter that she feels sure will teach and guide her on her way to world domination. (Note: The Chrestomanci books are collectively named after a powerful enchanter and British government official in a world parallel to ours, where magic is accepted as commonplace. The Chrestomanci is a government office whose duties include the supervision and enforcement of magical law, and only the most powerful enchanter is up to the task. )
But things are not quite as she expected. Chrestomanci has no desire to teach Gwendolyn before she gains a little self-control. Gwendolyn becomes spiteful and abuses magic. And well, things escalate quickly, and Gwendolyn begins to wage war on Chrestomanci. And poor Cat is stuck in-between the battle. Little does poor Cat know that he too is destined for great and magical things.
To say anything more would be to spoil the *magical* twists and turns of this wonderful story. There were many movements of pure shock as the twists and action on the page.
Diana Wynne Jones is an excellent writer. She creates vivid, imaginative tales full of humor and charming (and sometimes infuriating) characters! Her tales read like fairy tales mixed with science fiction but, I wouldn't say she is an easy read. The components of this story - the parallel worlds, the use of magic, and inventive wacky nature of it -can be a bit complicated but it is worth it! Jones trusted the logic and imagination of children to go along with her for the ride. So trust her, and read on.
There are seven Chrestomanci books: six novels and a collection of four stories subtitled Four Tales of Chrestomanci. I plan to start the next one in the series very soon!
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes