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A review by destinyischoice
Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was a magical and fun read, and I do feel like it deserves its place as a classic of children’s literature. However, what stopped me from giving this four or even five stars was the fatphobia sprinkled throughout.
Perhaps not as terrible or as obvious as in Harry Potter, but still noticeable enough for me to think that the author had some serious biases and issues around fatness, food, and body shame. Not great for kids to read body shaming stuff. Otherwise, I enjoyed this book very much. I’ve heard that there is some racism and more fatphobia in subsequent books in the series so unsure if I’ll carry on.
Perhaps not as terrible or as obvious as in Harry Potter, but still noticeable enough for me to think that the author had some serious biases and issues around fatness, food, and body shame. Not great for kids to read body shaming stuff. Otherwise, I enjoyed this book very much. I’ve heard that there is some racism and more fatphobia in subsequent books in the series so unsure if I’ll carry on.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia