Charmed Life

Charmed Life  - Diana Wynne Jones

DWJ Book Toast, #1

Diana Wynne Jones is one of my favorite fantasy authors, growing up and now, and I was saddened by the news of her death. I can't say I'm overcome with emotion - as personal as some of her work is to me, its not like I knew her after all - but I wish I could put into words how I feel about her no longer being out there, writing new adventures and laughing at all of us serious fans thinking so hard about her words when we should simply get on with the business of enjoying them.

And that's...what I'm going to do. She's left behind a huge body of work, a large amount of which I haven't read yet, so I'm going to reread all my old favorites (and hopefully some new).

So it all starts here does it? I've read 'Charmed Life' before, but I was really caught this time with the understated way that Jones sets up Cat's and Gwendolyn's situation in just one paragraph. Her description of that steamboat accident was awful in its calmness. I was reminded of the beginning of 'The Secret Garden' where Mary finds herself alone in a house filled with death.

Cat is our hero here, clinging to his sister because he has nothing and no one else. It's a pity a pack of rabid dogs weren't there instead though, as they're a shade more nurturing than Gwendolyn. What makes this book frustrating is Cat himself, he's so stubbornly naive about his sister, and refuses to trust the only people who can help him. The failure of Chrestomanci himself is almost as bad. I don't find their explanation for not restraining Gwendolyn sooner and talking to Cat suitable at all. Is Chrestomanci or is he not the most powerful trained magic-user around? Show a little backbone.

Those missteps from Jones' usually sound-thinking characters are what drops this book down a few notches. Tough love, you know? It starts the series, yes, and is so good in a lot of ways, Jones' mild humor is top notch here as well as the pleasant Englishness of it all, but I think my conscience will forgive me.

 

Chrestomanci

 

Next: 'The Lives of Christopher Chant'