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Mar 15, 2013 19:29

While we're talking about Diana Wynne Jones, I guess it's time to write up Reflections: On the Magic of Writing.

So here's a story: in January, I was hanging out in a Denver bookstore, and
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booklogging, diana wynne jones

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Comments 10

jinian March 16 2013, 00:17:43 UTC
Re the spoiler: \/\/

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bookelfe March 16 2013, 02:13:17 UTC
I DIDN'T WANT TO KNOOOOOOW. >.<

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jinian March 16 2013, 02:51:13 UTC
It's so obviously inapplicable that I'm not bothered, but I regret your distress.

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kit_the_brave March 16 2013, 03:50:26 UTC
Not only must I read that book, but the "Customers Also Bought" scroll at the bottom of the page has a whole heap of things that I either need to read or re-read. Such astute customers. :)

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bookelfe March 16 2013, 16:49:44 UTC
Hee! That "Customers Also Bought" thing is always either wildly spot-on, or wildly and hilariously inappropriate.

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fadeintodawn March 16 2013, 16:58:21 UTC
I haven't read a lot of Diana Wynne Jones - Fire and Hemlock, and the Howl books. Where would you recommend starting?

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bookelfe March 16 2013, 17:03:57 UTC
EVERYWHERE um that probably is not super helpful. I think The Homeward Bounders and Archer's Goon are probably both good places to start -- they're both standalone, and they give a very good sense for how interesting and weird she is without being actively difficult to follow. (I love Fire and Hemlock, but I always think of it as Advanced DWJ . . .)

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akashiver March 17 2013, 13:46:36 UTC
My starters (non-weird) would be Howl's Moving Castle and The Lives of Christopher Chant.

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akashiver March 17 2013, 13:45:49 UTC
Racism in schools? Given that the kids are all passing "Au Revoir Les Enfants" style, I'd presume we're talking ethnic discrimination here and not visible-race discrimination. If the latter, then I think Jones departed pretty far from her original inspiration.

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bookelfe March 19 2013, 00:44:25 UTC
It's sort of unclear, but I'd like to imagine so, at least . . . over on DW people were talking about it as queerness allegories, too. But the ending still makes that just as problematic. :( I don't want it to be an allegory at all!

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