Customer Reviews
Wizardly doings - By: E. A Solinas, 19 Jan 2006 
When people think of wizards, they think of gray-bearded old men with pointy hats & staffs. But nothing could be further from Diana Wynne-Jones' Chrestomanci, a dapper English mage with nine lives & the responsibility of overseeing magicin ALL the worlds. "The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Volume 2" compiles two of the books about this unique mage, "Witch Week" & "Magicians of Caprona".
"Witch Week" takes placein England, at a school called Larwood House that is reminiscent of English boarding schoolsin such books as Harry Potter -- but suspicion seethesin this one. In this world, witches are burned at the stake. And someone is a witch -- but who is it? Unpopular Nan? Silent Indian boy Nirupam? The identity of the witch (or witches) may change the world...
"The Magicians of Caprona" takes placein Italy,in the city of Caprona. Casa Montana & Casa Petrocchi are two Italian families of spellmakers, who have been feuding for a long time over an insult that neither family can really remember. But unknown to them, war & an evil enchanter are endangering Caprona. It falls to magically inept Tonini Montana & Angelina Petrocchi to save the day...
Long before there was Harry Potter, Diana Wynne-Jones was penning the funny, imaginative tales about Chrestomanci. "Magicians of Caprona" & "Witch Week" pretty much break the mold for fantasy wizards, choosing to be humorous & inventive instead of melodramatic & cheesy.
Don't expect fluffy fantasy. Jones's prose is amusing, dramatic, evocative & fast-paced. The intricate magical systems, where a single event can send an entire universe awry, are wonderfully portrayed & dramatically brought to our attention. And despite the Italian setting of "Caprona," the two books have a crisp, British flavor.
Her characters are likable ones. In "Caprona," there's a bit of goofinessin the generations-long feud. But the characters themselves are much like real people. And "Witch Week" captures, without a sense of cozy romance, the trials of being at a school where you're the unpopular kid -- there's a clique of popular students, & a larger number of unhappy, lonely ones.
Forget the antics of Harry Potter, & step into the magical stories of of Chrestomanci & his magical worlds. "The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Volume 2" is a must-read for fantasy fans.
A double portion of Chrestomanci - By: The Five Sisters, 13 Jul 2005 Although this volume doesn't look quite as smart as the individual booksin the Chrestomanci series, it's mighty good value for money. For those of you who haven't met Chrestomanci, he's a sartorially suberb & very powerful wizard with the job of generally keeping magicin orderin a number of related worlds (which is of course no easy matter). The book contains two stories - the Magicians of Caprona & Witch Week. The Magicians of Caprona is a slightly Romeo & Juliet style story with two warring familiesin an Italian town who are forced to face up to a magical power that threatens them both. Witch Week is setin a schoolin a world where magic is outlawed & witches are burnt at the stake. Both are terrific stories, although if it's your first try, I would start with volume I as it gives more backstory.
Harry Potter comparisons are inevitable - I would say that these are at least as much fun & generally more lighthearted. Definitely good books for the pining Harry Potter fanin your household!
GREAT! - By: , 01 Jun 2001 Diana Wynne Jones is one of the best writers around. This story, 'The Magicians of Caprona', is about two families: the Petrucchis & the Montanas. They are at war, & it seems that nothing can bring the tow main wizarding families of Caprona back together again. However, when Angelica & Tony, each from one of the families, are thrown togetherin a twist of fate, they need to work it out.. or does it mean death for all the habitants of Caprona? This book retains all the vigour & excitement of the Chrestomanci series. I feel that, behind 'Charmed Life', it is definitely the bestin that series. This is because I enjoyed the plotline, with more than one story happening at once, & I liked Diana Wynne Jones' distinctive style of writing. If you liked this book then read all of D.W.Jones' books! cya l8a!
