Rating: 
Summary: Another children's book for Halloween
Review: An alternate world where history is not quite the same, and wizards and witches are common occupations. A young boy, Cat, and his older sister, Gwendolen, are left orphans at an early age, and become wards of the town. Gwendolen becomes a student of an unscrupulous hedge wizard with his own agenda, before she and Cat are adopted by the mysterious Chrestomanci and taken to live in an even more mysterious castle where the staff have hidden talents.Rivalries between the children and their new found cousins, and a tendency to play magical pranks, keep the story interesting. To say more would reveal the secrets, but power is not always where you think it is, and some people don't know their own talents. In spite of evil intentions of the villains, or maybe because of them, some people end up better off then when they started. Overall, this is a good novel for pre-teen to teenage readers, but adults may also enjoy the story. I thought it was very good. It is an earlier novel by the author, introducing characters in later novels, and should probably be read before many of the other novels.
Rating:
Summary: A Skewed View
Review: Diana Wynne Jones is one of my favorite writers, and I think I've read her entire ouevre. I really admire and enjoy the skewed way she mixes references to contemporary British society with whacked-out fantasy, bad puns and truly numinous mythic resonances...I've found her novels to be caught in the netherworld between Intermediate Fiction and YA Fiction, but I consider that a good place to be---it's like she writes the book that needs writing instead of worrying about its ultimate age-appropriate audience, and this may be why she's not more widely-known in the US... Too many folks insist on easy-to-categorize books for younger readers, and hers are anything but easily categorized. Charmed Life was one of the first Jones novels I read, and it remains one of my favorites. In a Britain very close to our world's Britain, but with the rather important difference of magic-users being commonplace rather than legendary, a mild-mannered young boy named Cat is coping with his aggressively-talented sister, his orphan state, his left-handedness...and his process of self-discovery is a wild ride and a wonderful read. Highly-recommended.
Rating:
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!)
Rating:
Summary: BETTER than Harry Potter
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Charmed Life is Charming
Review: Charmed Life is a great book. It has action,adventure,and most of all MAGIC! This book is about 2 kids, Cat and Gwendolyn,who have to go through numerous adventures. Thier parents died in a freak accident. They llive in a world where magic is common, so it's no surprise when everyone finds out that Gwendolyn is a witch. However, she uses her powers for bad, not good. She and Cat are sent to live with Chrestomanci, an exremely powerful wizard. He tries to teach Gwendolyn some obediance, but she sends herself to another world, and becomes queen. Meanwhile, another Gwendolyn comes and takes her place,a war starts between Chrestomanci and some other wizards, and Cat saves the day because they find out that the powers that Gwyndolyn has been using are Cats! All in all, this is a great book, and anyone who likes Harry Potter wil love this!
Rating: 
Summary: Fantasy, wonderful fantasy.
Review: I remember when I was 20 years old and discovered The Chronicles of Narnia for the first time. Now, 23 years later, I can look back at hours and hours of great fun. First reading the books myself, then reading them over and over for my four kids. A little later I discovered The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, but for about 20 years those were to only fantasy books I had read. Then, three years ago the Harry Potter era started in our family. And now we live in a Harry Potter world here. But, in spite of all the pages a Harry Potter book doesn't last forever. It was with great pleasure that we some time ago opened my daughter's birthday gift and found the series The Worlds of Chrestomanci. They are perfect while waiting for the next Harry Potter to come, and perfect when you want something to read :-) The first book in the series is Charmed life. It tells the story of Eric Chant, known as Cat, and his older sister Gwendolen. Cat and Gwendolen's parents dies in a boat accident, and all Cat have is his older sister. She is a witch, and Cat adores her. They first live with an old woman in the town, but it soon shows that Gwendolen has a very special talent for witchcraft, and to their joy they are asked for to come and live with the great Chrestomanci in his castle. Their life in his castle is not like the two kids expected, and Gwendolen, the witch, takes the easy way out and runs off to another world, Cat has to stay and fight his way through the days. The novel is filled with fantasy and unexpected events. And it never let you get bored. The book is meant for young readers, and any booklover between 9-12 will love it. I even think any book lover between 9 and 99 will. Try the book, and you will be so charmed by it you just need the others in the series as well.
Is it magic? Who knows...... Britt Arnhild Lindland
Rating:
Summary: The Best One!
Review: I love all the Chrestomanci books, but this one was the best!!!! The detail of the characters are amazing! Cat's personality is really funny, I even kinda like Gwendolyn. If you haven't read this series yet, you should probably start with The Lives Of Christopher Chant, to learn the history of Chrestomanci. If you have already read all the other books, then do me a favor and read this one!!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: This is one heck of a book!
Review: If your waiting for the 5th Harry Potter book or if you just want to read a book about magic and fantasy then try Charmed Life. It has many suprises in it, and it has a very happy ending. I told my mom to try it and she did. She loved it too. It has some very close risks plus some very funny parts in it. I voted this book 5 stars because it never had any bad parts in it. I got a little scared about a very close risk that Cat, one of the main characters took. I was a little sad when Gwendolen his sister turned bad, and she didn't have as much love for him as he did for her. This book is making me so eager to get the 2nd one.I am still waiting for it. I am into fantasy and action a lot and I love to read! Sometimes reading can be better then movies because authors can make them longer and more discriptive. I am making my own book called The Magical Path. If I publish this book I hope you will read it! I think Ms.Jones is a supercalafragilistic writer!
Rating:
Summary: Charmed Life : A hilariously charming novel.
Review: CHARMED LIFE is the first of Dianna Wynne Jones's Chrestomanci Quartet, and is delightfully charming itself, especially because it's such a magical and hilarious work that has an extremely involving plot. Cat and his sister, Gwendolyn, are now living in a vast and immense Castle, Chrestomanci Castle. Gwendolyn herself is a witch, and though she's quite a good one, she gets angry quite easily -- a darkness brews inside her that she can't control, and her spells are powerfully dangerous. When she is angry over the rules she has to put up with in Chrestomanci's Castle, she begins to conjure up many schemes to get rid of Chrestomanci himself once after all. Cat doesn't know how to stop his devious , stronger sister -- already she's gaining to much power, and goodness knows what she can do with her witchcraft ! Cat needs to somehow be brave , but he doesn't have magic in his own blood. That's why it would take more then human powers to stop Gwendolyn's evil ! From magical schemes to destroy everything Gwendolyn despises to a talking upset Dragon who's blood is wanted to a charmed pair of diamond earings that can never get lost by constantly screaming, 'I belong to Caroline Chant!' , Charmed Life is a hilarious and delightfully enjoyable novel that sparks an excellent written expression and humor, never failing to amuse but offer a good scare just as well. Dianna Wynne Jones has written a very charming novel.
Rating:
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.
|
