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Summary: A charming book
Review: In this, which I think is the second best Chrestomanci novel out of the four, Dianna Wynne Jones has something for everybody. It is a comedy, with lots of funny parts to it, and fantasy, because of course there is lots and lots of magic, a suspense, like the thrill at the end. It's tedious in a good way in the middle, then it ends in a big, epic, whoosh. It's a great book for all ages, and if it hasn't acheived classic status, it has to me!
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Summary: Just Another Great Novel She Has Written
Review: Just as she has done in many of her novels, Jones cleverly animates the life of the young hero in Charmed Life. In all her stories, she demonstates the ability to take the reader around many obvious turns before they know the real truth. She does this in the life of young Cat, a unsuspecting magician in the making. She paints the average life of an unaverage boy. And she kept me going throughout the book, oblivious to the dark aspects of several of the other characters, and what the eventual outcome of the story would be. The presence of the patriarcal hero Crestomanci should indicate to anyone familiar with Jones' work that this one is another great read. I began reading Jones in junior high school, and continue to do so now that I am past college. Charmed Life is another of her books that I pick up and reread when I am between books. I have read all the Harry Potter books and loved each one. But in the back of my mind, I know that it was Diana Wynne Jones that originally inspired within me all the reasons that I all love Harry. Anyone will agree with me if they give Jones a chance. I also highly reccomend Howl's moving Castle, The Lives of Christopher Chant(especially for Harry Potter fans), Dogsbody, and Eight days of Luke (my personal favorite).
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Summary: A Classic for all ages
Review: Long before Harry Potter there was Cat Chant. This book is enormously appealing and well written for people of all ages, though it is aimed towards children. I first read it when I was around 13, and I've continued to enjoy it since.It's the the story of a pair of young orphans Cat and Gwen Chant who are sent to live with an old friend of their fathers after their parents death. They discover much about magic and themselves (at least Cat does) in this lively and well written book. This is not the only book by this author set in this magical universe, but in some ways it's still my favourite after all these years. One more short story featuring Cat can be found in the author's book "mixed magics".
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Summary: Charmed book
Review: 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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Summary: "When was a Chant Ever Normal?"
Review: Out of all of Diana Wynne Jones's novels, "Charmed Life" is possibly her most famous, and her most read. It is the first published of her Chrestomanci novels, and it stars many of her most famous characters with her requisite twisting plot and quirky sense of humour. Set in a parallel world ripe with magic, wizards and magical creatures, DWJ's "Chrestomanci" quartet were clearly inspirational to J. K. Rowling in her creation of Hogwarts and her wizarding world - a lot of comparisons can be made between the two. Ultimately "Harry Potter" is the deeper and more intricate series, but DWJ's novels are stand-alone, can be read out of order, and are rich in detail and cleverness.
Gwendolyn Chant 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 amongst a neighbourhood of magical folk - 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.
But things are not quite as she expected - Chrestomanci has no desire whatsoever to make this young witch even more powerful before she gains a little self-control. With the added restrictions of their tutor Mr Saunders and Chrestomanci's family watching her every move, Gwendolyn has had quite enough - she begins to wage war on Chrestomanci.
From there things only begin to get uglier, as Chrestomanci gets more and more stubborn and Gwendolyn becomes more and more frustrated. Stuck in the middle is Cat, desperately loyal to his sister but just as eager to fit in with his new family. Gwendolyn's plans are even deeper than expected, with secret trips to dodgy black marketeers and a hidden source of magic that even Cat is unaware of...
Funny, heartfelt, realistic, imaginative and sometimes even a little grotesque, "Charmed Life" is one of a work of true children's literature. The characters are vivid, the storyline intriguing, and the morals sincere without being too heavy-handed. Some components are a little complicated: DWJ sprinkles hints and clues throughout the book and some of these are hard to remember - but all of that simply justifies a second reading to pick up the things you missed!
Chrestomanci himself is a gem - think for a moment of all the famous wizards in literature. You're almost certainly thinking: Merlin, Gandalf, Dumbledore (and if you're rather well-read, Dallben, Merriman Lyon and Cadellin) What do all these wizards have in common? - they're old, wizened, sage-like and immensely wise. Chrestomanci turns this tired stereotype around on its head - he's handsome, well-dressed, reasonably young and quite infuriating at times! Plus, if you've already read "The Lives of Christopher Chant", the name of Chrestomanci's wife may make you smile...
In typical DWJ fashion, the story does not end on a perfectly upbeat note - in fact it's rather sad, with only a trembling sort of hopefulness in our main character that will induce readers to seek out other Chrestomanci books: "Witch Week", "The Magicians of Caprona", "The Lives of Christopher Chant" and "Mixed Magics" - an anthology of short stories.
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Summary: One of my favories of all Time
Review: This book has been a favorite of mine since it was first published - I seem to reread it every two years or so. The characters are both charming and well described. One of the best books of its kind!
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Summary: Charmed Life:An exquisite book
Review: This book is a thrilling book and kept me on my toes the whole time. I would recommend it to anyone. It has many surprises and it is very exciting.
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Summary: Not just for children, a wonderful book
Review: This book is a wonderfully imaginative tale of an alternate England, mixing Victorian society with the practice of magic. I first read the book when it was marketed to adults, and loved it then. The characters of Cat, his sister Gwendolyn, Janet, and of course Chrestomanci, are all vividly drawn and come wonderfully to life. Don't be put off by the YA cover, this book can be enjoyed by fantasy lovers of any age.
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Summary: Luv it!
Review: This is a great book! When my friend requested the Year of the Griffin, I loved it and saw in the library there was millions of books by the same author. It's about shy Cat Chant and his sister. Their parents die and they first get sent to this old lady. Cat's sister, Gwendolen, takes magic lessons.And to pay for the lessons they found letters with the signiture Chretomanci. Later he adopts them, but they don't know why. Oh yes, and Gwendolen hates Chrestomanci and does these bad things to him. Find out more if you read it! Great read!
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Summary: My favorite book
Review: This is my all-time favorite childrens book. I first read it in fifth or sixth grade, and ended up going through two copies of it because I reread it so much. Now I'm in my third year of college and I just found a copy of it and reread it last night, and it's still as good the second time around.
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