Charmed Life (The Chrestomanci Series, Book 1) cover art

Charmed Life (The Chrestomanci Series, Book 1)

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Charmed Life (The Chrestomanci Series, Book 1)

By: Diana Wynne Jones
Narrated by: Tom Baker
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About this listen

"One of the wittiest, sharpest children’s fantasies ever written" – Katherine Rundell

Glorious new rejacket of a Diana Wynne Jones classic award-winning favourite, featuring Chrestomanci – now a book with extra bits!

Everybody says that Gwendolyn Chant is a gifted witch with astonishing powers, so it suits her enormously when she is taken to live in Chrestomanci Castle. Her brother Eric (better known as Cat) is not so keen, for he has no talent for magic at all.

However, life with the great enchanter is not what either of them expects and sparks begin to fly!

©1977 Diana Wynne Jones Fiction Growing Up & Facts of Life Literature & Fiction Science Fiction & Fantasy Fantasy Magic Users Magic Witchcraft Cats

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Critic reviews

"One of the wittiest, sharpest children’s fantasies ever written" – Katherine Rundell

“…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

“Truly magical – guaranteed to leave you gasping – even hotter than Potter”

The Bookseller

“Diana Wynne Jones could teach Stephen King and JK Rowling a thing or two … [she] has a skill for inserting just the right amount of detail in her written words, leaving you satiated but not stuffed.” SFX
All stars
Most relevant
I read this book years ago and enjoyed hearing it again. The music playing over the story was annoying.

Good story

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A very Enchanting Read :) went through this pretty quickly as the story was so very exciting.

From My Favourite Childhood Author

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A beautifully written story of magicians and magic. Intended for older children and old ladies who always believed in magic

Love it

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This book is phenomenal, and was read very well, except I was sad that we did not receive the full story, since it was unfortunately abridged.

Why abridged?

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enjoyed this story, starts slow but it soon gets interesting, fun, magical when unexpected twists

captivating

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