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: An emtertaining story
Review: Cat looks up to his sister Gwendolyn more than anyone else. It's prefectly obvious why, she's a very powerful witch. And ever since the two sibling's parents died Cat has clung to her every day. And when he's sent to llive with Mrs. Sharp, all she wants to do is nourish Gwendolyn's gift. But when there sent to live with the fabled Chrestomanci Gwendolyn is more or less put in her place. SHe is not allowed to pratice witchcraft. SO she sets up into proving the Chrestomanci wrong and porving that she is the most powerful one of them all. But Cat know's what his sister is capable of and when she dose something so powerful, he's the one who has to fix it. Like many people I found the title of this book on a online list called "what to read after Harry Potter." When I read this I was very entertained. Cat's story is thrilling and suspenceful. I reccomend this book to fans of fantasy books such as Harry Potter and/or Tamora Pierce. Though it's not as good as JK Rowling's creations it's definatly a novel any fantasy lover should put in their collection. I'm planning on reading the other four novels in the series too. Read it you won't be dissapointed.
Rating:
Summary: Diana Wynne Jones is the best!
Review: Charmed Life is the greatest book by the greatest of all children's fantasy authors. Head and shoulders above Harry Potter. Eric (also known as "Cat") is someone with whom you sympathize from the very first page. His sister Gwendolyn is also sympathetic, but.... well, you'll find out. There's a standard rule of drama that a new major character can't be introduced past the midpoint of a book. Whenever I hear that rule, I think of this book.... I don't think the author of that rule had this in mind! One word of warning: This book is marketed as "the first book of the Chrestomanci series." But this isn't really a "series" at all -- these books really are independent of each other.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: Charmed Life, by: Diana Wynne Jones is about two siblings, Gwendolen and Eric(nicknamed Cat)Chant. When these two children were quite young, their parents died while cruising on a boat. Gwendolen cannot drown because she's a witch. With Cat knowing this, he grabbed on to her. They were one of the few people who survived the disaster. Funds were started for the people who survived. The other people that survived took the money in their funds and went to go live somewhere else. Only Gwendolen and Cat stayed. They both decided to live with Mrs. Sharp, an old witch that lived nearby. Before they moved in with her, they went back home to collect their belongings. At Mrs. Sharp's, they all started looking for any belongings that were valuable to trade in for witch lessons for Gwendolen from Mr. Nostrum, a necromancer. They found Gwendolen and Cat's mother's diamond earrings, but Gwendolen snatched them out of Mrs. Sharp's hands. Besides that, they found three letters all with the same signature. The letters were all signed by Chrestomanci. Not knowing who this person was, they traded in the three letters for witch lessons from Mr. Nostrum. As Gwendolen became a proud student by Mr. Nostrum, Cat didn't. Cat was not a witch nor a warlock or any sort of magic-doer of any sort, at least that's what everyone thought. Mrs. Sharp decided to have him take violin lessons. One day while Cat was practicing, Gwendolen came storming in from next door and turned Cat's violin into a cat. The cat yowled and hissed just like a bad-playing violin would sound. They named the cat Fiddle. A couple days later, Gwendolen came in very happy. She said they were going to live with Chrestomanci. When they got to Chrestomanci Castle, they unpacked and got their rooms assigned to them. The next day, Gwendolen and Cat started their first lessons from Mr. Saunders, their magic teacher. Gwendolen soon found that not only was witchcraft about magic, it was also about the history of it. Since she was not allowed to do magic without an adult's supervision, she thought she would try and show Chrestomanci how great her magical abilities were. After having gone too far, Gwendolen got her witchcraft taken away by Mr. Saunders. The next day, they found that she was gone and instead another girl was in her place. Her name was Janet. She looked extremely similar to Gwendolen. Cat soon also found that he was an enchanter, just like Chrestomanci. He also had 9 lives to spare like Chrestomanci as well. These kinds of people were extremely rare. Janet decided to stay at Chrestomanci Castle, while Gwendolen was off being queen in another world.
Rating:
Summary: Charmed Life
Review: Charmed Life, by: Diana Wynne Jones is about two siblings, Gwendolen and Eric(nicknamed Cat)Chant. When these two children were quite young, their parents died while cruising on a boat. Gwendolen cannot drown because she's a witch. With Cat knowing this, he grabbed on to her. They were one of the few people who survived the disaster. Funds were started for the people who survived. The other people that survived took the money in their funds and went to go live somewhere else. Only Gwendolen and Cat stayed. They both decided to live with Mrs. Sharp, an old witch that lived nearby. Before they moved in with her, they went back home to collect their belongings. At Mrs. Sharp's, they all started looking for any belongings that were valuable to trade in for witch lessons for Gwendolen from Mr. Nostrum, a necromancer. They found Gwendolen and Cat's mother's diamond earrings, but Gwendolen snatched them out of Mrs. Sharp's hands. Besides that, they found three letters all with the same signature. The letters were all signed by Chrestomanci. Not knowing who this person was, they traded in the three letters for witch lessons from Mr. Nostrum. As Gwendolen became a proud student by Mr. Nostrum, Cat didn't. Cat was not a witch nor a warlock or any sort of magic-doer of any sort, at least that's what everyone thought. Mrs. Sharp decided to have him take violin lessons. One day while Cat was practicing, Gwendolen came storming in from next door and turned Cat's violin into a cat. The cat yowled and hissed just like a bad-playing violin would sound. They named the cat Fiddle. A couple days later, Gwendolen came in very happy. She said they were going to live with Chrestomanci. When they got to Chrestomanci Castle, they unpacked and got their rooms assigned to them. The next day, Gwendolen and Cat started their first lessons from Mr. Saunders, their magic teacher. Gwendolen soon found that not only was witchcraft about magic, it was also about the history of it. Since she was not allowed to do magic without an adult's supervision, she thought she would try and show Chrestomanci how great her magical abilities were. After having gone too far, Gwendolen got her witchcraft taken away by Mr. Saunders. The next day, they found that she was gone and instead another girl was in her place. Her name was Janet. She looked extremely similar to Gwendolen. Cat soon also found that he was an enchanter, just like Chrestomanci. He also had 9 lives to spare like Chrestomanci as well. These kinds of people were extremely rare. Janet decided to stay at Chrestomanci Castle, while Gwendolen was off being queen in another world.
Rating: 
Summary: Engaging
Review: Children's fantasy has enjoyed a renaissance with the rise of Harry Potter, and it was through that renaissance that I discovered the books of Diana Wynne Jones. While J.K. Rowling is still the far superior plotter, and the Harry Potter books are more interesting and more skillfully paced, the work of Diana Wynne Jones is engaging enough. Charmed Life is the story of Cat Chant, a sweet boy who lives in the shadow of his strong-willed sister Gwendolen. When their parents die in a boat accident, Gwendolen comes into her own, and as her personality and magic powers expand, Cat seems to contract to make room for her. For a time, the orphaned siblings live with a witch who arranges for Gwendolen to receive magic lessons from a necromancer, but they are later sent off to live with the great enchanter Chrestomanci, who seeks to curb Gwendolen's megalomanic tendencies. Naturally, Gwendolen does not take kindly to this, and drags the blindly loyal Cat with her through no end of trouble, leading to a showdown with Chrestomanci himself. For some reason, I never got into the books of Diana Wynne Jones as deeply as I did into J.K. Rowling's. Even after reading three of the four Chrestomanci novels, I developed none of the sense of familiarity and identification I have with the world of Harry Potter. Moreover, to borrow from Roger Ebert, the Chrestomanci novels lack "the confident forward sweep of a [book] that knows where it's going." When I try to describe the plot, the word that comes most readily to mind is "clunky." But the characters, especially Chrestomanci, are interesting and attractive--for all that I remain strangely detached from their feelings and fates, they make me want to read on and find out what happens next.
Rating:
Summary: A GREAT BOOK!
Review: I don't think there's a children's author living today that has as great a grasp on twist endings as Ms. Diana Wynne Jones. Jones has the dubious honor of being my current favorite fantasy writer for children and teens (aside from J.K. Rowling, I suppose). Her collected stories contain more whimsy and wit in a single paragraph than 98% of the adult books on the market today, let alone those for the kiddies. "Charmed Life" is the first in the collected Chrestomanci novel series. A witty tale of a brother and is magical sister, the book is pure Jones and as fresh as if it was written yesterday.
Cat and his sister Gwendolen were the only survivors of the fatal boat crash that drowned both their parents and a host of innocent civilians. Now on their own, Gwendolen is turning out to be an incredibly competent young witch. Cat, for his part, isn't magical in the least and is perfectly content to stick by Gwendolen at all times. When a mysterious relative by the name of Chrestomanci comes to take the two to his home, Gwendolen (spoiled with a nasty sense of entitlement) thinks she's about to be realized as the genius sorceress she truly is. She's in for a nasty surprise as Chrestomanci and his large extended family treat her as normally as possible. When Gwendolen's pranks for attention go too far, Cat finds that her schemes might well upset the balance of magic in the world. Worse, she may not be the beloved sister he really needs.
This story has all sorts of tiny magical details and sly spots throughout it. In many ways it's a book more similar to Harry Potter than most. Of course, "Charmed Life" originally was published in 1977 so there's little question of who may have influenced whom. The characters are, of course, great. Jones has always excelled at writing truly awful children. Real remarkably spoiled brats. Gwendolen is a perfect example of this. She's stuck-up, cruel, and not a very good sister. Cat, for his part, is completely passive. He lets Gwendolen do whatever she wants whenever she wants it, and even goes so far as to miss her when she unexpectedly disappears halfway through the book. Chrestomanci himself is a huge departure from the stereotypical wise wizard. He has a very nice wife and two slightly overweight (but likable once you get to know them) children. He's a spiffy dresser and not particularly old. I doubt that there are many like him in the fantasy wizard world.
If there's a flaw with the book, it's that the reader has a hard time suspending disbelief at times. Once Cat finds himself in terrible trouble, he refuses to consult with Chrestomanci. The reasons for this are weak and somewhat confusing. Also, Chrestomanci himself is also prone to not explaining himself. He has a particularly weak reason for this as he explains at the end of the novel, making many of the plot points somewhat hard to believe at times.
Otherwise, the book's a pip. If you've already discovered Diana Wynne Jones, this one should certainly not disappoint. If you've never encountered her before, this is an excellent place to start. It's witty and well-written and full of particularly enjoyable characters and situations. There's enough imagination in this puppy to tide you over for quite some time. A true Jones creation.
Rating:
Summary: Charmed Life
Review: In Charmed Life Eric -nicknamed Cat- is always being pushed aside by his much more magically able sister Gwendolen who is the only remaining member of his family. After their parents died Gwendolen and Cat go to live with a witch named Mrs. Sharp who takes a keen interest in Gwendolen's magical abilities. Since Cat can't do magic to save his life she is far less interested in him. After a few years of Gwendolen taking magic lessons Chrestomanci, who is the most powerful enchanter in the world, takes an interest in the siblings and sends for them to come and live with him at his castle. But there is something strange about this castle and it inhabitants. Gwendolen claims that this castle is ruining her witchcraft abilities. Is it smart to take revenge on the most powerful enchanter in the world? I thought this was a wonderful book and it was almost impossible to know what was going to happen next.
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: "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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