The Chrestomanci Series 1 Charmed Life: Amazon.ca: Diana W Jones: Books

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From Publishers Weekly

Part of the series featuring debonair enchanter Chrestomanci, this comic fantasy follows two orphans, one of whom is a witch, when they are summoned to live in a castle full of necromancers. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8–In this recording of Diana Wynne Jones's first novel in the Chrestomanci quartet (Morrow Avon, pap. 1998), British actor Gerard Doyle strikes just the right tone as he delivers the story of Cat Chant and his sister Gwendolen, orphaned as the result of a tragic boat accident and adopted by their relative, the mysterious sorcerer Chrestomanci. Cat begins to settle in at Chrestomanci Castle, but Gwendolen hates it. No one—least of all Chrestomanci—seems to appreciate Gwendolyn's magical powers, and after weeks of playing nasty magical practical jokes on the various inhabitants of the Castle, Gwendolyn finally leaves by going into a parallel world and replacing herself in Cat's world with a double called Janet. Cat and Janet eventually find the way to set the worlds right again, with some help from unexpected quarters. Doyle's pacing and voices are well executed and entertaining. This would be a good way to introduce a new generation of children to Diana Wynne Jones's magical fantasy, and it will encourage them to read the other novels in the Chrestomanci series.–Sarah Flowers, Santa Clara County Library, San Jose, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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5.0 out of 5 stars charmed life review, May 6 2012

By

Jonathan Filipovic - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

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This review is from: The Chrestomanci Series 1 Charmed Life (Paperback)

Excellent book. I had never heard of Diana Wynne Jones before but stumbled upon Charmed Life after reading a comment by Neil Gaiman on how significant a writer Jonwa has been for the past 30 years. I have to say of all the books I've read of hers, this has been by far the best; captivating from the beginning, with just enough of Roald Dahl & Charles Dickins as reference points but more than enough invention to keep me interested. The complicated sibling relationship and use of other worlds this book foreshadows everything from J.K. Rowling to Philip Pullman while providing a great introduction to full on fantasy. I highly recommend this book.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Charmed book, Mar 13 2002

By

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME) (TOP 10 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

Older than and superior to Harry Potter is: Chrestomanci, the tales of the world's most powerful enchanter, and the magical worlds that he goes through. This particular tale starts off very slow, but rapidly turns into a magical adventure at Chrestomanci's castle.

Gwendolen and Cat Chant lose their parents in a tragic paddleboat accident, and end up having to live with a mildly talented local witch. But it soon becomes evident that though Cat has no magical powers, Gwendolen has enough for several people. She's so powerful and skilled, in fact, that she attracts the interest of Chrestomanci, who has her and Cat brought to his castle. But then things start to deteriorate. Gwendolen is an arrogant, spoiled girl who seems to think that since she has magic, she isn't restricted by the same rules as the others. She isn't allowed to do magic, pick the plants, mouth off to Chrestomanci's kids or the teachers, she has to do math and ordinary lessons. Gwendolen finds that Chrestomanci, not her, is the ruler of the castle -- and she doesn't like that at all. (Oh yeah -- she also wants to rule the world) Cat likes being at the castle, is intimidated by Chrestomanci, and likes hanging out with Chrestomanci's two kids.

So she starts off on a one-witch campaign to make Chrestomanci notice and respect her: She infests the lawn with moles, causes apparitions in the windows, giant earthworms, fighting stained glass windows -- and then propels herself into another world, leaving her double with Cat. Cat must learn more about himself, his hidden power, and gain Chrestomanci's help before things get even worse.

This book starts off slowly -- the first twenty pages are pretty dull, chronicling the background of Cat and Gwendolen and how they came to live with Mrs. Sharp. Not very magical. But things pick up as soon as Chrestomanci comes into the picture, and the magical goings-on are sprightly and delightful.

As always, Jones shows great insight into kids' minds: Though Cat seems a little too passive at first, kids will like him, as they will the calm Roger and Julia. People who've read "Lives of Christopher Chant" will also see a familiar face in Chrestomanci's wife Milly. Chrestomanci is, as always, dapper and intelligent and cool-headed and thoroughly enjoyable.

Though this book is compared to Harry Potter, it's superior in every way. Jones never tries to dazzle us with wow-isn't-that-amazing? magic, and her jokes never descend to low humor -- for example, the dueling stained glass windows, and the earrings that scream "I BELONG TO CAROLINE CHANT!" so they'll never get lost. As this is another world where magic is prevalent over science (due to different events long ago), the magic is more casual. There is also respect for authority figures (Chrestomanci); kids who don't save the world entirely on their own, but do play a pivotal part in it; and her villains aren't bad just because they ARE: Gwendolen is merely a brat with magical powers.

This is a delightful fantasy book for all ages, especially for kids who feel oppressed by their siblings. (Read the rest of the series too!)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars BETTER than Harry Potter, Dec 27 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Charmed Life (Mass Market Paperback)

First things first. I love fantasy. I read everything fantasy that I can get my hands on. I search libraries high and low for good fantasy novels. I discovered Diana Wynne Jones long before Harry Potter came out and was entranced by the world of Chrestomanci. Then the Harry Potter books came out and I read them. I enjoyed them very much, but they are not in any way comparable to the Chrestomanci or Dalemark quartets by Diana Wynne Jones. I have read articles in newspapers saying that Diana's books are good to read while waiting for thhe next Harry Potter book to come out or that her books are ALMOST as good as Harry Potter. Diana is not getting the credit she deserves. Maybe I am biased because I am annoyed with Harry Potter Mania, but I have read Diana's books over and over, enjoying them every time, and that is more than I can say about Harry Potter. No offense to J.K. Rowlings. Anyway, Charmed Life is a spectacular book. It is not my favorite in the series(I'm not sure what the best book in the series is),but it is a wonderful example of Diana's spectacular writing skills. Cat's parent's died in a tragic boating accident when he was very young and his older sister Gwendolen and he are given into the care of a witch named Mrs. Sharp. Then a mysterious and elegant man called Chrestomanci who may or may not be an enchanter takes them to live with him and his children, Julia and Roger. Cat looks up enormously Gwendolen and is extremely loyal to her, so when she takes dislike to Chrestomanci after he forbids her to do witchcraft and begins plotting nasty things to do to him, Cat just watches. Cat feels betrayed and is devastated when Gwendolen leaves his world in a fit of rage and drags a girl from another world to replace her. What happens then is for you to find out when you read the book.

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