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Enchanted Glass
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Product Description
Review
Praise for Enchanted Glass
"Enchanted Glass is no exception to Diana Wynne Jones's general rule of using, and possibly abusing, folklore and fantasy for her own splendid ends… Wynne Jones belongs to an elect clan of the most treasured of British children's authors, creating her own unique brand of fantasy, in the same manner as Alan Garner and Susan Cooper, and it's surely this experience that breeds the confidence to write with such subtle depth. Blissful."
Marcus Sedgwick, The Guardian
"At her best, as in… Enchanted Glass, Wynne Jones is superb, mixing the comical with the magical… Highly recommended, especially for boys."
Amanda Craig, The Times
"No one has ever written quite like Diana Wynne Jones. The author of over 40 novels, she combines the delicate humour and nostalgic village settings of Barbara Pym with the wild imagination of JRR Tolkien… This latest book remains as predictably unpredictable as all her other works."
Nick Tucker, The Independent
"Time to waive the 'no reading at table' edicts; Diana Wynne Jones is back with another fantasy novel, so if you have an eight- to 12-year-old, enjoy the silence for 332 pages. Enchanted Glass demands nothing less than full-body immersion."
Daily Telegraph
Product Description
A brilliant, intricate and magical novel from the Godmother of British fantasy.
When Andrew Hope's magician grandfather dies, he leaves his house and field-of-care to his grandson who spent much of his childhood at the house. Andrew has forgotten much of this, but he remembers the very strong-minded staff and the fact that his grandfather used to put the inedibly large vegetables on the roof of the shed, where they'd have vanished in the morning. He also remembers the very colourful stained glass window in the kitchen door, which he knows it is important to protect.
Into this mix comes young Aidan Cain, who turns up from the orphanage asking for safety. Exactly who he is and why he's there is unclear, but a strong connection between the two becomes apparent.
There is a mystery to be solved, and nothing is as it appears to be. But nobody can solve the mystery, until they find out exactly what it is!
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
33 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Fans of Wynne Jones may be disappointed to find that none of their favourite characters appear, but she's created another new set. Absent-minded academic Andrew inherits his grandfather's house and magical responsibilities without a briefing on what these are. He also inherits two warring members of staff, who try to control him and infiltrate their relatives into his life. Aidan, a young orphan, arrives on the doorstep. Andrew and Aidan help each other to discover their magical abilities and the powers of the house, seeing off magical attack by creatures that don't use iron, led by the sinister Mr Brown. Readers of "The Pinhoe Egg", another recent Wynne Jones in the Chrestomanci series, may detect similarities - barbed wire barriers set up in the wood by a menacing power; uncovering magical powers where they lay hidden in a house; people who may or may not be magical creatures. Like her novella "The Game", mythological creatures turn out to be real. Lots of delightful inventions and conceits, including a magic wallet, a mysterious consumer of oversized vegetables, and a loyal were-dog. Andrew grows into his inheritance - literally - and after a happy ending, one is left wanting to know what happens next to the characters - as with so many other Wynne Jones stories.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Diana Wynne Jones offers her usual winning formula of engaging, slightly rumpled, protagonists and satisfyingly sinister villains whose adventures play out in a world which is almost, but not quite, our own. There's lots of whimsical comedy (think Wodehouse, Bujold or Heyer) as well as magic and mystery. I enjoyed this novel very much but felt just a little disappointed that still more wasn't done with its main source - a very famous work which I won't name as it's not revealed until a little way into the novel. A little more interplay between the source and `Enchanted Glass' would have added extra richness and resonance to the novel. I also found the implications of the novel's punch line oddly nasty.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I only discovered the books of Diana Wynne Jones in the last few years and so regret the years without these imaginative and clever stories, but there is at least the consolation that I have a backlog to work my way through.
"Enchanted Glass" is another inventive story with the author's usual quirky sense of humour. Unlike some of her other work this story places the magical events and people against the backdrop of everyday life, but despite this the author conjures up a quite extraordinary world. It goes without saying, or at least it does to me, that the writing is fluent and easy to read, the characters are engaging and well formed and that the plot races along at just the right pace. As usual, the plot is not revealed early on and one has to read the whole book in order to find out where it is going, but this is certainly an example of where the journey is a great part of the pleasure of the book and well worth the effort. All in all well worth five stars.
We are told that this was a stand alone book yet the story leaves potential for more and it is a great shame that the sad loss of this talented author means that we will not see that.
"Enchanted Glass" is another inventive story with the author's usual quirky sense of humour. Unlike some of her other work this story places the magical events and people against the backdrop of everyday life, but despite this the author conjures up a quite extraordinary world. It goes without saying, or at least it does to me, that the writing is fluent and easy to read, the characters are engaging and well formed and that the plot races along at just the right pace. As usual, the plot is not revealed early on and one has to read the whole book in order to find out where it is going, but this is certainly an example of where the journey is a great part of the pleasure of the book and well worth the effort. All in all well worth five stars.
We are told that this was a stand alone book yet the story leaves potential for more and it is a great shame that the sad loss of this talented author means that we will not see that.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Enchanted Glass
Enchanted Glass is very good, bot up to the standard of some of my favourite Diana Wynne Jones books, but certainly capable of standing alongside them. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Rubbah
A Spellbinding Swan Song
I came late to Diana Wynne Jones. I'll spare you the ins and outs of that delightful discovery, but the long and short of the story is: Neil Gaiman said she was awesome. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Niall Alexander
Diana Wynne Jones' last novel
I love these wonderful inventive books for children. I do not think this is the writer's best work however. Read more
Published 12 months ago by tiggycat
feeling sad
Just as I received this book I heard of the death of Diana Wynne Jones and so I read it with many mixed feelings. Read more
Published 12 months ago by sue
What a wonderful read
I bought this book soon after the passing of Diana Wynne Jones having never read anything by her. (I am embarrassed and saddened by this.) I am so glad I finally found her. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Rebecca Newland
Review from The Word Fiend
Andrew Hope's magician grandfather dies, leaving his home, Melstone House, and field-of-care to his grandson. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Shelagh
Not Enchanting Enough
I LOVE Diana Wynne Jones and am I huge fan of all her books, especially HOWLS MOVING CASTLE, TIME OF THE GHOST, THE OGRE DOWNSTAIRS, but all her books are brilliant. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Frootface
Enchanted glass
Good tale - well told as always & good to read aloud to kids or for them to read themselves!
Published 19 months ago by Cassie
Courtesy of Teens Read Too
Professor Andrew Hope has inherited Melstone House, and it turns out to be more than he bargained for. Read more
Published 23 months ago by TeensReadToo
A KALEIDOSCOPE!
A most invigorating and bewitching story, full on every page with a 'harlequin' of characters and places. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Harris Green
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