Enchanted Glass, by Diana Wynne Jones (Read-a-thon # 6)

[rachelmanija]

Sponsored by jonquil.

Andrew Hope inherits his grandfather's peculiar house, recalcitrant gardener and housekeeper, magical responsibilities, and the care of a teenage boy, Aidan Cain, who has an inexhaustible wallet, a name no one seems able to remember, and a lot of mysterious pursuers. A farrago of magical counterparts, were-dogs, and giant vegetables, not to mention actual giants, ensues. I particularly enjoyed the climactic mingling of a Faerie battle with a rigged contest at the fair for various Best Bits of Garden Produce.

I wouldn't say this is one of my favorite Jones novels - the characters have bright surfaces but not a lot of depth, and the end is more one thing after another than an orchestrated and coherent climax - but it's very funny, with particularly good running jokes about extremely big vegetables and cauliflower cheese. It reminded me a bit of the underrated The Ogre Downstairs (the one with the magic chemistry set.)

Enchanted Glass

The Ogre Downstairs

Comments

[sarahtales.livejournal.com]

I love the Ogre Downstairs a whole lot. This may be because of a youthful crush on Malcolm McIntyre...