Enchanted Glass, by Diana Wynne Jones
Title: Enchanted Glass
Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Genre: Fantasy, Faerie
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 332 (Paperback)
Copy Origin: Review copy provided by HarperCollinsNZ
Get Your Own Copy From: Amazon.com, The Book Depository
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!
Diana Wynne Jones is one of those authors that I have heard a lot of good things about but, for one reason or another, I had yet to read. My only experience with anything of hers was the Studio Ghibli adaptation of Howl’s Moving Castle - and even that film differs significantly. But after reading Enchanted Glass - a funny, clever and overall wonderful book - I can safely say that I am going to be reading more of her work in future.
Whimsical, witty and wonderful are three of the many adjectives that could describe Enchanted Glass. It is a book filled with all sorts of vibrant and quirky characters, and even though the bulk of the cast are adults, they are just wild and wacky enough to capture the attention of any young reader, just fantastical enough to take a step from our world and the adults we know. Because really how young (and old) lovers of the quirky not find humour in a crotchety old gardener whose idea of revenge is foisting an incredible amount of over-sized vegetables on his employer? Or the beautiful young woman who predicts the future through the names of winning horses? But even if a bunch of quirky (and possibly mad) adults do not appeal to younger readers, there’s always young Aidan and the troubles he causes instead.
There is a lot of cross-age appeal in Enchanted Glass. While the story itself mostly lends itself to younger readers, Jones’ writing is multi-layered providing an enjoyable read for many different ages, with some jokes that definitely were aimed towards adults, and would have passed over the heads of younger readers. The writing of Enchanted Glass is intelligent and humorous, with just the right amount of wit and laughter and more to keep adults reading aloud to children laughing along and just as captivated as the young one being read to.
Overall Enchanted Glass is a highly enjoyable novel with something for readers both young and old. Whether you’re a fan of Diana Wynne Jones or have not read any of her work at all, I highly recommend Enchanted Glass if you are the type to enjoy a light-hearted fantasy filled to the brim with intelligent, humour, and a delightful array of characters wrapped up in the perfect amount of charm.
Mirrored from On The Nightstand.