Re-reading a book can sometimes be as exciting as reading it the first time
I've been re-reading Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones, which I first read while I was still at school and have read a couple of times since, mainly because the ending is so bizarre it needs lots of re-reading to even try and understand it. However, on this re-reading I seemed to have forgotten a lot of the detail so it was at times just like reading it for the first time.
The story is about a girl called Polly and her relationship with Tom Lynn after they met at a funeral (almost anything else I could say about it is spoilery and I want you to read it and enjoy it as much as me!). This could be entirely freaky considering they met when Polly was 9 and Tom was about 22/23 but it's all down to Diana Wynne Jones that it doesn't seem that way at all, it all seems quite normal. When I first read it I found myself wanting to have had met a Tom Lynn myself, it all seemed so much fun!
But the beauty of the story lies in the ending. There has been much debate over it by fans and there have been several essays articles written about it, with everyone's opinion as to what is going on differing. I think that just about every time I've read it, I've come up with a different conclusion. The same could also be said for the rest of the book, you pick up on different things and find various points important, which is a sign of good writing.
When I first read it Polly annoyed me, just as one of the heroines annoyed her, for not doing what people told her. Other times I've hated Tom, her Gran but this time I just felt desperately sorry for Polly as she was going through her parent's divorce (bad parenting is a definite theme throughout Diana Wynne Jones' books) and everything with Tom.
I have no idea why Diana Wynne Jones isn't celebrated more, other writers seem to adore her, Neil Gaiman is a particular fan and they've both dedicated books to each other. She's won a couple of Science Fiction writing awards and Charmed Life won the 1977 Guardian Award for Children's books. Added to that Archer's Goon was made into a television serial (which bankrupted the Children's drama department at the BBC as they tried to do the visual effects) and Howl's Moving Castle was made into a film by Hayao Miyazaki but they seem reluctant to attempt anything with her other books, which is a shame as although I do prefer Howl, I think the Chrestomanci books would make a really good film, there is plenty of action to all of them!
What is most amazing is that she's written more than 40 books, most of them completely unrelated to each other, I'd kill for a tiny portion of her talent but my best guess is that she's sidelined as a Children's Author, and that for years her books were out of print, I used to have to order them at the library when I was younger as copies were impossible to find, they republished them all in 2000 on the back of Harry Potter's success. What doesn't help matter is that her books are often placed in the 8-12 section which is such a waste as although I enjoyed them at that age I wasn't able to understand and appreciate the complexity of many of her books (a lot of them have their roots in ancient myths and legends) until I re-read them when I was older. That said she seems very happy as a children's author. I met her in 2000 at the Hay on Wye book festival and she said "children are much easier to write for than adults, they don't have to keep being reminded about what's just happened!"
But as one of the quotes on the back of my copy of Fire and Hemlock says: "Most adults with taste have been reading her books for years!"
So get on Amazon and try her out! And I'd recommend starting with Fire and Hemlock (although perhaps you should save that till last)!
The story is about a girl called Polly and her relationship with Tom Lynn after they met at a funeral (almost anything else I could say about it is spoilery and I want you to read it and enjoy it as much as me!). This could be entirely freaky considering they met when Polly was 9 and Tom was about 22/23 but it's all down to Diana Wynne Jones that it doesn't seem that way at all, it all seems quite normal. When I first read it I found myself wanting to have had met a Tom Lynn myself, it all seemed so much fun!
But the beauty of the story lies in the ending. There has been much debate over it by fans and there have been several essays articles written about it, with everyone's opinion as to what is going on differing. I think that just about every time I've read it, I've come up with a different conclusion. The same could also be said for the rest of the book, you pick up on different things and find various points important, which is a sign of good writing.
When I first read it Polly annoyed me, just as one of the heroines annoyed her, for not doing what people told her. Other times I've hated Tom, her Gran but this time I just felt desperately sorry for Polly as she was going through her parent's divorce (bad parenting is a definite theme throughout Diana Wynne Jones' books) and everything with Tom.
I have no idea why Diana Wynne Jones isn't celebrated more, other writers seem to adore her, Neil Gaiman is a particular fan and they've both dedicated books to each other. She's won a couple of Science Fiction writing awards and Charmed Life won the 1977 Guardian Award for Children's books. Added to that Archer's Goon was made into a television serial (which bankrupted the Children's drama department at the BBC as they tried to do the visual effects) and Howl's Moving Castle was made into a film by Hayao Miyazaki but they seem reluctant to attempt anything with her other books, which is a shame as although I do prefer Howl, I think the Chrestomanci books would make a really good film, there is plenty of action to all of them!
What is most amazing is that she's written more than 40 books, most of them completely unrelated to each other, I'd kill for a tiny portion of her talent but my best guess is that she's sidelined as a Children's Author, and that for years her books were out of print, I used to have to order them at the library when I was younger as copies were impossible to find, they republished them all in 2000 on the back of Harry Potter's success. What doesn't help matter is that her books are often placed in the 8-12 section which is such a waste as although I enjoyed them at that age I wasn't able to understand and appreciate the complexity of many of her books (a lot of them have their roots in ancient myths and legends) until I re-read them when I was older. That said she seems very happy as a children's author. I met her in 2000 at the Hay on Wye book festival and she said "children are much easier to write for than adults, they don't have to keep being reminded about what's just happened!"
But as one of the quotes on the back of my copy of Fire and Hemlock says: "Most adults with taste have been reading her books for years!"
So get on Amazon and try her out! And I'd recommend starting with Fire and Hemlock (although perhaps you should save that till last)!