The Chrestomanci Chronicles, vol. 1

[starlady]

Jones, Diana Wynne. Charmed Life. 1977.
-----. The Lives of Christopher Chant. 1988.

I am not one of those people who read Diana Wynne Jones in childhood and fell in love for life. By whatever quirk of timing + the suburbs + publishing ??, the only Jones books I read as a kid were the Dalemark quartet, which I enjoyed at the time, but which didn't leave me hungry for more and which friends of mine who've read more Jones than I have tell me are not her best works. I kind of had already figured that. My apathy was cemented when I read Howl's Moving Castle after seeing the movie and thought the book was pretty terrible in comparison.

NB: I'm willing to revise my opinion of the book, if I reread it, but I'm not really willing to be browbeaten by the hardcore DWJ fans out there about my opinions on the movie versus the book, so please keep your thoughts on my heresy to yourself unless you can express them politely.

Of course, the very fact that I felt the need to make the above warning says something about the passion of DWJ fans for her works, and when Jones died last year the many wonderful tribute posts that people made, such as this one by Karen Healey and this one by rushthatspeaks, made me think that I should give Jones another shot. I also fortuitously lucked into a few random Jones books through friends moving away, and also through The Other Change of Hobbit's firesale last fall, so I figured I was set.

I started with the Chrestomanci Chronicles, and with volume 1 of the three-volume MMPB bind-up set, which contains the above two novels. I was really puzzled by the publisher's decision to lead with Charmed Life, because reading it first spoils some important plot points in The Lives of Christopher Chant and also sabotages some of the force of the ending. Well done, publisher. Also, the early 2000s cover art for the bind-ups is hideous--I'm happy to report that the recent reprint art is much better.

Jones is a really subtle writer. She'd have to be, to pack the force she does into the word limits of old-school YA, but I nearly missed the turning point of the whole story in Charmed Life, and I wouldn't be surprised if there's other bits that I missed too along the way. In some ways I'm sorry I didn't read Jones in childhood, because I just don't read as single-mindedly and wholeheartedly now as I did then (who does?), and because some plot developments that were obvious now might have been less so to me then, but I did enjoy these books, although Cat's passivity was quite annoying at times. Maybe the upside of reading her as an adult is that I did actually fully appreciate the irony and the humor, both on the characters' part and on the author's, all of which was pretty great. I'm also amazed that Jones was able to pull off a book in which the main character is so passive, and although Christopher might be an ass, he's an interesting ass. (I also find it significant that we see that he grows up to treat Cat in more or less the same fashion that he hated being treated as a child. Given Jones' history, it's not surprising, but it is the sort of touch of reality that I wouldn't expect from many writers.) I think Throckmorton wound up being my favorite character, closely followed by Julia, but that's not really surprising either.

Comments

[qem_chibati]

I think both the movie and the book of Howl's are lovely in their own ways, but very different things, and likely to appeal to different people...

Huh. You know, I'm pretty sure I actually read lives of chirstopher chant first, and I definitely agree - I think it does go better before reading a charmed life - I guess it was just that they were going in publishing order?

[starlady]

I wondered that too, but the books in volume 2 were published between Charmed Life and The Lives of Christopher Chant. IDK, and IDK who thought the hideous cat covers were a good idea either. But then, my sister's copy of HMC is from the same era, and the cover is also hideous.

[zooey_glass]

I also got into DWJ as an adult, but would now count myself as one of her adoring fans. It's worth going back to Howl - it's actually never been one of my favourites (although I like all her books), but I've been teaching it recently and am growing more and more appreciative of it each time through. IMO the movie and the book are two completely different beasts, both enjoyable but essentially not that related to each other.

One of my absolute favourites of hers is Deep Secret, which was actually published for adults. It's especially fun if you are fannish, since a large portion of the action takes place in a science fiction convention (she bases one scene on her experience of having breakfast with Neil Gaiman at a similar event *g*).

[esmenet]

Deep Secret is SO GREAT. It's been far too long since I last re-read it!

[starlady]

I have a copy of Deep Secret on my shelf. I've been told it's hilarious.

I'd like to reread Howl at some point, maybe, not least because one of the DWJ books I acquired last year is the sequel.

[laceblade]

I am grateful for this honest review! I've only tried Howl's Moving Castle (after having seen the movie) and A Tale of Time City, which I really didn't like.
At some point, I'll try her other stuff because so many people have read/loved them, but it's good knowing I'll have company if I end up not being won over, ^^

[starlady]

I've seen the Firebird reprint of A Tale of Time City staring at me in bookstores. The ones everyone told me were their favorites in this post were usually Fire and Hemlock and Dogsbody, which have also just been reprinted by Firebird, with a minority holding out for Hexwood.

[oyceter]

I'm also one of the people who didn't read DWJ growing up, and though I like most of her books, I'm not as attached to them as I think other people are? I don't actually remember the Chrestomanci books much at all, though apparently I liked them, going by past write ups! (DW/LJ as external memory, awesome.)

Overall, I like a lot of her stuff, though only a few books have stuck with me (ironically, HMC after I didn't like it on first read and glommed onto on second read, and also F&H, The Time of the Ghost and Homeward Bounders).

[zopyrus]

I sometimes forget I didn't read any DWJ as a young kid. My high school roommate grew up with her and basically thrust the books into my hands when she found out I'd never heard of them.

I was an eventual convert but it took me a few books. I wasn't wild about the Chrestomanci series (some of the first I read), maybe because it took a little while for me to adjust my expectations to her style. I'd like to read them again at some point.