Friday, August 6, 2010

The End and The Beginning

Sadly, we have come to the end of Diana Wynne Jones Week.  Boo!  I decided to end it with a lovely re-read of one of my favorites -- Charmed Life, the first of The Chronicles of Chrestomanci.  This was my second read of the book and it was everything I remembered it to be.  I wasn't disappointed at all.

I won't rewrite the plot of this one since I've reviewed these books before.  This was certainly a different experience than my first read of this story.  The last time I read it, it was only my third Diana Wynne Jones book.  Everything was fresh and unexpected.  This time it was maybe my 20th book (including a Howl re-read) and so her style was much more comforting and apparent.  I honestly can't say which read was better!

This was also a strange re-read for me because I totally remembered what was going to happen.  Usually I have plot amnesia when it comes to re-reads.  But almost from the moment I started this one, I remembered a large portion of it.  I think it's a testament to the vivid quality of Diana Wynne Jones' writing.  This is why I find myself regularly picking up these children's and young adult fantasy books.  They're just fantastic at any age.

And so I hope that you've enjoyed Diana Wynne Jones Week.  I definitely have!  Thanks again to Jenny for creating and hosting the event.  I hope that we do it again and that we have more new books to look forward to.  I've found some new favorites and am going to keep re-reading my old ones.  In fact, it probably won't be long before I pick up this Chrestomanci volume again to read The Lives of Christopher Chant.

Returning to the real world for a bit but not leaving this one behind,
K


Support our site and buy The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Volume 1: Charmed Life / The Lives of Christopher Chant on Amazon or find it at your local library.  We, of course, own our own copy.

5 comments:

  1. I'm a bit sad this is the last of your posts! I've been enjoying this love-fest as much as you have.

    ReplyDelete
  2. With you on the plot amnesia not working so well on Jones. I have sometimes thought of compiling a reading list for myself in case I ever get real amnesia--make the most of it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm excited that I have this & Lives of Christopher Chant waiting for me at the library! :D

    ReplyDelete
  4. I feel that I have more or less forgotten the plot of this, but I aspect it would indeed all come back to me if I started reading it again.

    I'm also sad that DWJ Week had ended, but I'm so happy it was such a success! Hooray for spreading the DWJ love.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Jenny - It's been really great to see other people's takes on books I've read and get some direction on what to read next (besides my re-reads).

    Villa - That would be funny! "These are the best books out there for a first read". Hmm ... now I want to make a list.

    Eva - Awesome! They are great quick reads.

    Nymeth - I think once you are exposed back into one of DWJ's worlds, the entire landscape unfolds ahead! And I loved reading your posts too. What a great idea Jenny had.

    ReplyDelete