Fire and Hemlock (Paperback)

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• This item: Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones

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The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon 4.0 out of 5 stars (12)  £5.19

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Review
"...Her hallmarks include laugh-aloud humour, plenty of magic and imaginative array of alternate worlds. Yet, at the same time, a great seriousness is present in all of her novels, a sense of urgency that links Jones's most outrageous plots to her readers' hopes and fears..." Publishers Weekly

This is a confusing but intriguing novel, hampered by trying to do too much in the space of one story, changing beyond recognition over the course of its 400 odd pages. Polly is a child of ten when she first stumbles into the mysterious Hundson House and finds herself attending a funeral. Sinister overtones are already intimated and the eerie, other-worldly unreality of the situation escalates as she is befriended by Tom, a middle-aged man who seems at odds with the rest of his family. Together, he and Polly start inventing imaginary, heroic games which unfortunatley have the nasty habit of coming true in various, wierd ways. Tom is clearly frightened and tries to stop contact with Polly. She is determined not to let this happen as her family life has collapsed and Tom is the only kind, stable adult (apart from her Granny) in her life. Meanwhile she is also being menaced in a very real way by Mr. Leroy, the owner of Hundson House, and his son Sebastian. The plot becomes increasingly complicated, moving across the years until Polly is nineteen and at Oxford University. But it appears that she has two parallel lives, or two sets of memories about her teenage years. She is now engaged to Sebastian, with no memory of her involvement with his family or any recall of Tom, until she picks up a book of magical stories which spark the memory. Part witchcraft, part fantasy, this is also a book about love, sexual awakening, forbidden attraction and much more. In fact, it's several books rolled into one. Whilst maintaining atmosphere and interest its over-complicated plot in the end disappoints. (Kirkus UK)

Product Description
In the mind of a lonely, imaginative girl, who can tell where fiction ends and reality begins? An epic fantasy, spanning nine years...The fire and hemlock photograph above Polly's bed sparks memories in her that don't seem to exist any more. Halloween; nine years ago; she gatecrashed a funeral party at the big house and met Thomas Lynn for the first time. Despite the fact that he's an adult, they struck up an immediate friendship, and began making up stories together -- stories in which Tom is a great hero, and Polly is his assistant. The trouble is, these scary adventures have a nasty habit of coming true...But what has happened in the years between? Why has Tom been erased from Polly's mind, and from the rest of the world as well? Gradually Polly uncovers the awful truth and, at Halloween nine years on, realises that Tom's soul is forfeit to demonic powers unless she can save him.

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26 Reviews 5 star:  (20) 4 star:  (5) 3 star:  (1) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.7 out of 5 stars (26 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   26 of 26 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A riveting, wide-ranging and highly detailed story., 29 Aug 2000 By A Customer I stayed out at lunch an extra quarter of an hour today to finish this book, and read so hard I think I've given myself a headache! You know when your heart is in your mouth and you know you are reading too fast to take in all the details properly, but just NEED to find out what happens? What I immediately wanted to do was to start at least the final section again, as it needs close attention. (If you recognise the above feelings, then you will be delighted by the heroine's similar behaviour after receiving a parcel of paperbacks for Christmas! The author lists many books Polly reads and this literary journey turns out to be important.) Not many writers would have the courage needed to portray a heroine right from age ten to nineteen in one book, but Diana Wynne Jones has the skill to show all the subtle ways in which Polly changes. I have always tried to search out novels containing 'rights of passage' themes, but this is the most realistic description I've read of the awkwardness of teenage years getting in the way of a girl's true, strong nature, which wins out in the end. Polly suffers a lot of heartache from her parents' marriage breakup and subsequent bad relationships. This both isolates her and throws her onto the company of her sensible grandmother, who knows more than Polly thinks about the dark secrets of Hunsdon House. But she really has to think for herself and keep on her toes to defeat the truly sinister evil characters. As well as wanting to reread this book to explore its world more thoroughly, I hope you will want, like me, to seek out the old ballads whose words and meanings are woven throughout the story. And was the photograph a real one that the author had seen; did it inspire the whole book? By the way, a part of the book was set in Bristol, where I luckily used to live, so I recognised the descriptions of places and this really enhanced the action for me. To sum up: a satisfying, exciting, old-fashioned magical adventure with convincing working in of fantasy into real life. If you are browsing for fantasy books for an older child, you should definitely buy this - but you'll have to try not to crease it too much before you let them read it! Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   15 of 15 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Old magic, gathering evil and a subtle love story, 30 Aug 2005 By  Jan Jones - See all my reviews This is my very favourite Diana Wynne Jones book. It starts off deceptively simply, but Diana Wynne Jones slides in layers of complexity with such dexterity that you are soon deep in an old, old magic which has potentially horrifying consequences for Polly, the heroine, and Tom, the hero. I love the unfolding of the story, the gathering knowledge of evil and the incredibly subtle love story. I could - and have - read it over and over again. Each time I get to the end I want to cheer and cry and wish it had gone on longer. Definitely my book for a desert island. Very highly recommended. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   11 of 11 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful, Compelling and Gripping Novel, 8 Aug 2005 By  "rubyjinx27" - See all my reviews The first time I set eyes on this book was when my mother told me to buy it one day. I didn't think much of it at first but as soon as I started reading it, I was absolutely engrossed and stuck on it for a whole day. It has got to be one of the most beautiful novels I have read in a long time, and the way Diana Wynn Jones writes it so intricately where everything is described in such detail, is such a wonder. It starts out when Polly, a nineteen year old girl, reads a book she is sure was written by a few friends she had met years ago, only to find that their names have completely been erased from it. She then tries to figure out why she has double memories of each event that took place and which are very important and this brings her on a journey to the past nine years ago on Halloween where she met her lifelong friend, Thomas Lynn. Together they mae up stories of heroes, giants, horses and other fun dreatures but unfortunately, these come true and that is where the horror starts. Polly later tries to remember what she did wrong and why Tomas Lynn was erased from her memory and what dark secret is behind those double memories. All in all, it is a marvelous novel and I promise you, head to the nearest and most quiet cafe with this book and by the time you start the first page, you'll be longing for more. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 26 customer reviews...		Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting and Intricate - Even After Several Reads What I love the most about Fire and Hemlock is that the story works on so many different levels. At its simplest it tells the story of a friendship which exists against the odds... Read more Published 7 months ago by Reeds 4.0 out of 5 stars A lovely blend of Tam Lin and Thomas the Rhymer Polly is 19 when she picks up a copy of "Times of out Mind" edited by L Perry which has a cover reminding her of her Fire and Hemlock photograph. Read more Published 18 months ago by rhinoa 5.0 out of 5 stars Magical mystical book full of deja vu This is the first DWJ novel I read. It started my looking further for other books by the writer. Based upon the fairytale Tam Lin - here is a novel for teens full of... Read more Published on 6 Nov 2006 by tiggycat 4.0 out of 5 stars not bad I really enjoyed this book while i was reading it but the ending let me down a tad. Kind of like when i read the da vinci code. Read more Published on 21 May 2006 by P. J. Rice 5.0 out of 5 stars A favorite I read this book every few years and still I'm not quite sure what happens! Diana Wynne Jones is a favorite author of mine, she weaves a intricate story around the... Read more Published on 21 May 2006 by siglin 3.0 out of 5 stars Very facinating, but I don't understand it one bit! Fire and Hemlock is one of the most intriguing and gripping books I have ever read, and one of the most confusing. Read more Published on 24 Sep 2004 by Jacqueline 5.0 out of 5 stars Fire and Hemlock No matter how many times you read this book you will always find something new and unexpected. Diana Wynne Jones creates such an intense and believable atmosphere that you won't... Read more Published on 8 Jul 2003 by freya23 4.0 out of 5 stars Above average fantasy for teenagers Possibly the best of Diana Wynne Jones' books, Fire and Hemlock would be perfect for anyone disenchanted by standard fantasy. Read more Published on 6 Jun 2002 5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic! Diana Wynne Jones is a great author and this book is one of my favorites of hers. The story may be a retelling of old fairy tales and legends, but the more fantastic parts of the... Read more Published on 26 Aug 2001 5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book! Fire and Hemlock is one of the best books I have ever read. I still don't understand the ending completely and I've read the book quite a few times, (if someone could e-mail and... Read more Published on 4 Aug 2001 by lylais@hotmail.com Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 26 customer reviews...

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