Stopping for a Spell: Three Fantasies

by Diana Wynne Jones

A collection of three funny fantasy tales about weird happenings, magical mayhem, and twisting plots includes the story of an armchair that is transformed into a person, four grandmothers coming for a visit at once, and a friend of one's father who refuses to leave. Reprint.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Fiction, Childrens, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Magic

160 pages, Paperback

First published May 27, 1993

About the author

Diana Wynne Jones was a celebrated British writer best known for her inventive and influential works of fantasy for children and young adults. Her stories often combined magical worlds with science fiction elements, parallel universes, and a sharp sense of humor. Among her most beloved books are Howl's Moving Castle, the Chrestomanci series, The Dalemark Quartet, Dark Lord of Derkholm, and the satirical The Tough Guide to Fantasyland. Her work gained renewed attention and readership with the popularity of the Harry Potter series, to which her books have frequently been compared.

Admired by authors such as Neil Gaiman, Philip Pullman, and J.K. Rowling, Jones was a major influence on the landscape of modern fantasy. She received numerous accolades throughout her career, including the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, two Mythopoeic Awards, the Karl Edward Wagner Award, and the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement. In 2004, Howl's Moving Castle was adapted into an acclaimed animated film by Hayao Miyazaki, further expanding her global audience.

Jones studied at Oxford, where she attended lectures by both C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. She began writing professionally in the 1960s and remained active until her death in 2011. Her final novel, The Islands of Chaldea, was completed posthumously by her sister Ursula Jones.

Reviews

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of three previously published stories by Diana Wynne Jones. The first two were published as individual titles in Great Britain and the third was included in a British anthology. They were then collected together and published for the first time in North America as this combined edition. The stories all follow a theme of the "uninvited guest" and are aimed at the younger reader, perhaps 10 and under. They are hilarious fantasies told with tongue firmly planted in cheek and should please readers of any age who like a bit of wicked fun. Diana's fans will find these short stories to be little gems they may not have come across before and they are sure to delight Wynne Jones' followers. It will remain a keeper for my shelves.

1} Chair Person (1989) - Pure delight! An old chair that's been sat in front of the TV for longer than anyone can remember is losing its stuffing and the family finally decides to replace it. After a spill from a second-hand shop's toy magician's kit brings the chair to life the pretentious chair person moves in, won't leave, embarrasses and bosses them, making them desperate to find a way to get rid of him. Hilarious! (5/5)

2) The Four Grannies (1980) - This one feels a bit Roald Dahl-ish. Erg and Emily's parents go away for four days and call a granny to come look after them for the duration. Due to divorces, the children have four grannies and each is horrible in her own unique way. None can take on the job, but of course, in the end, all of them arrive after the parents leave. Nasty grannies and a magic chopstick-wand make for a wild first day. (4/5)

3) Who Got Rid of Angus Flint? (orig. The Fearsome Friend) (1975) - This is the shortest story and quite silly, but nevertheless quite fun and certainly will entertain its intended young audience of perhaps 7-9. Angus Flint, a friend of Dad Roberts from college days calls upon him out of the blue asking if he can stay for a while since his wife has just left him. Upon his arrival, the family is dismayed to find him a belligerent, self-centered, bossy, ungrateful tyrant who rules their roost. The parents manage by escaping by day leaving the kids with the brunt of Angus's bullish eccentricities and finding a way to make him leave. Fun but no explanation as to where the magic comes from and the story is mostly geared toward younger children. (3/5)

[Fen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Diana Wynne Jones, but this book was really not particularly good. I mean, it wasn't bad... there were definitely some bits I enjoyed, but it didn't seem to be quite up to par with her other writing and I suspect it's unlikely I'll ever read it again.

[Deserthomemaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly delightful collection of stories.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book in one sitting over the course of a couple of hours. To me, its main allure was just that--it was short and easy. I'm still trying to work my way through everything Diana Wynne Jones ever wrote (just twelve left!), and these three stories feel aimed more at younger readers (middle grade or so) than some of her other works.

The first story, Chair Person, was mildly irritating. I loved that the family was so polite, but I hated that they were so polite that they let Chair Person affect their lives so much. They were all clearly so irritated by him but did nothing to try to dissuade him! It makes me crazy when people do that in stories. Like many Diana Wynne Jones stories, it was a little chaotic and tied up neatly at the end.

The second story, The Four Grannies, was also mildly irritating (for the sake of plot) and very chaotic. It was another story about people being irritating and other people not doing anything about it. It frustrated me that Erg kept making wishes to get the grannies off his back instead of just praying for Emily back.

The third story, Who Got Rid of Angus Flint?, followed a similar theme: an unwelcome houseguest who is irritating, disrupts the family's lives, and could probably be sent away if someone just yelled at him.

So all three stories were, generally, fine for what they are. They are pretty simple stories, highlighted with chaos, people doing what they want, and other people just accepting that that's how things are. Diana Wynne Jones is very good at writing people with strong and forceful personalities, which can translate into irritating people sometimes. In the case of these three stories, they were entertaining and easy to read, but ultimately, not my jam.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Should truthfully only be at 2 stars "it was ok", but I'm generously giving the third star for loyalty to the author. One of the things I love about DWJ books is that when there's a truly awful person, they get what's coming to them in the end. That happens in these stories, as well, but the characters are not awful in the usual DWJ way. They're cringeingly awful. They're difficult to read, they're so awful. They're not fun awful, they're horrifying in the way they use and take advantage of people. Also, in one of the stories, I absolutely was not on Erg's side, so it was difficult to feel that it all came right in the end without Erg getting a wallop.

[Khanh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I started this because it was a quick read and looked really interesting. But I didn't really connect with any of the characters in any of the stories, and the endings were not at all satisfying. I should give up on short stories since most of the time, I don't love them. But… My curiosity always gets the better of me and I keep hoping one day I'll find a collection that I will really love.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I patted the uncomfortable chairs and the poor ugly tables and stroked the piano.

"Chairs," I said, "stand up for yourselves! He insults you all the time. Tables," I said, "he said you ought to be burnt! Piano, he told Mum to sell you. Do something, all of you! Furniture of the world, unite!" I made them a very stirring speech, all about the rights of oppressed furniture, and it made me feel much better. Not that it would do any good.

-- Candida Robbins, in 'Who Got Rid of Angus Flint?'

Three 'magical fantasies' make up this short story collection: 'Chair Person' (1989), 'The Four Grannies' (1980) and 'Who Got Rid of Angus Flint?' (1975). They all concern unwelcome guests who seemingly can only be persuaded to depart through magic inadvertently conjured up by young protagonists.

At one level these are merely slight tales of humorous mayhem familiar from much children's literature and from Hollywood films like Honey, I Shrunk the Kids; and yet on another they are rather more what the awful Angus Flint might term 'profound'.

I propose to mainly consider the profound aspects in this review.

The plots are propelled forward by inciting incidents which are summed up beautifully in the author's punny collective title -- which as usual has me wondering whether DWJ spins her stories from a common phrase (maybe as in Charmed Life) or whether the title suggests itself retrospectively.

*'Chair Person' in this tale is not a gender neutral name for a person in charge of a meeting but a blundering armchair brought to life by a leaking secondhand conjuring set. (Think Professor Slughorn in the Harry Potter novel, who transforms from comfy chair to human, combined with the chemistry set that features in Jones' novel The Ogre Downstairs.)

* 'The Four Grannies' refer to the quirky, querulous individuals who come to babysit Erg* and Emily when the children's parents are on a mini-break in Scotland; Erg's 'invention' made from household odds and ends appears to be responsible for the magic that brings objects to life and turns Emily into a Teddy bear. How can matters be resolved before the parents return?

* 'Who Got Rid of Angus Flint?' is the question that a bunch of siblings ask themselves when a truly objectionable friend of their father's descends to stay for an indeterminate (and interminable) spell. His abuse of all and sundry -- including the house furnishings -- results in normally inanimate objects animating to literally kick him out. Which sibling initiated that magic, though?

Many readers will simply enjoy the misunderstandings, frustrations and slapstick that arise in these novelettes, each of six or seven short chapters, and put the book aside with a smile at the end. As I say, these would provide good scripts for family movies in the Home Alone mould.

However, these being DWJ stories, there are I sense darker substrata beneath the surface, very likely inspired by her own unorthodox upbringing (as alluded to in Reflections ). These are tied to the natural anxieties that children often feel when faced with what they see as the irrational whims of adults who have near absolute control over them.

Such anxiety is evident for Marcia and Simon in 'Chair Person': the title character has absorbed all the worldly clichés and conformist thinking that an existence in front of mindless television programmes has provided, allied with a lack of human empathy as modelled by the selfish Aunt Christa. The four grannies of the second tale -- both parents having acquired extra mothers and step-mothers from past divorces -- don't consider their charges' wants or wishes but think they have to provide what's 'good' for Erg and Emily.

Angus Flint is the worst of the lot. Not only does he refuse point blank to leave or observe everyday niceties (he gives The Stare when objections are raised) but he is physically abusive in the casual way that is even more shocking to us now but which more than four decades ago was reluctantly accepted as an everyday evil. Flint-hearted, almost bovine Angus also makes full use of a distraction technique, namely standing on his head as if doing a yoga pose, making it impossible to address issues.

These common threads -- principally adults careless of young people's requirements -- may well have roots in the actions of the author's selfish-minded parents when she was growing up; but she is mindful of youngsters' need to feel empowered in some fashion, and the common feeling that perhaps, just maybe, such power can somehow manifest itself in magic -- if not in reality then at least in the imagination.


* 'Erg' is typical of DWJ’s puns, in this case a triple pun: first, an erg is a unit of energy, apt for a wouldbe inventor; it's also short for his first name, Erchenwald (after Saint Erchenwald, an early Bishop of London); and ERG represents his initials, Erchenwald Randolph Gervase. Profound, eh?

[Գրետա Մանուկյան · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Diana Wynne Jones so much, she has become my favourite author.

[Aja: The Narcoleptic Ninja · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was okay. It was a collection of short stories, but I didn't really click with any of them.

[Sally · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I have read most of Diana Wynne Jones' books, and liked them - especially the Chrestomanci ones - I didn't particularly enjoy these three stories. It felt like she was trying too hard to produce some fables. Fables they were, but what I found lacking in each was a character that I could root for. She did create some characters that were easy to NOT like. These stories were just a bit too weird, and for kids, probably a little too creepy. Still, when one likes an author it's probably worthwhile to check out all that she/he has published.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meg found the comeuppance scenes hilarious, but I didn’t. These three short stories are all about unwelcome guests and I… found their premises all problematic. Good manners does not mean you should allow abusive and inappropriate guests free range of your house (Who Got Rid of Angus Flint), and yes, you should sometimes tell even very bossy people No (Chair Person). And, like, who goes to Scotland for the week and leaves before their grandma arrives to provide childcare (The Four Grannies)? No! They are a little bit older stories—written in the 1970s and ‘80s—and I felt like they didn’t age well.

I mean, if you can get past the premise, I guess the stories are fine. The furniture and laundry coming alive made for some amusing moments.

[Uri Cohen · Rating 3 out of 5]

In all three stories in this short collection for kids, magic helps get rid of (or manage) unwanted visitors – a bullying guest from hell, four meddlesome grannies, and Chair Person (a harmless armchair accidentally transformed into an annoying person).

This book is good but isn't one of DWJ's best. For those not yet familiar with this master author of fantasy, you can start with any of these: Howl's Moving Castle, The Lives of Christopher Chant (and the other books in the Chrestomanci series), or Dark Lord of Derkholm and its sequel Year of the Griffin. She wrote a lot, including the impressive book The Tough Guide to Fantasyland.

[Yzma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm steadily aiming to read all of DWJ's works. The edition that I read didn't have quite a hideous cover. Three stories are contained within.

Chair Person: this silly story left me a little irritated, but I can see how it would entertain children. Quite a few funny bits of dialogue.

Four Grannies: The best out of the three. It was light-hearted and entertaining.

Who Got Rid of Angus Flint?: Another unwanted house guest story. I don't believe this should have been aimed at children. Angus Flint is a physically abusive asshole. His wife left him because he was using her as a punching bag, and he was holding up all the kids by their hair.. dude was unhinged.

[Holly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Diana Wynne Jones and her creativity and writing skill--but this was dreadful. The main first story has nothing attractive or redeeming about it, and the narration was extremely irritating. So glad to finally get through it (I tried repeatedly over the years). I am glad there is an audience for this, as seen by ratings and reviews--but not for me at all. It is a bit sad as she is a much beloved fantasy writer.

[Rebecca]

The theme of a lot of DWJ’s work is that really unpleasant people happen to you and ruin things and adults are often too weak or cowardly to save you so you have to sort things out yourself as best you can—and that you can succeed to ousting them from your life but not without cost. These stories are excellent examples of this.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

None of the stories are particularly satisfying, but the characters are definitely unique in each. The Chair Person is the least annoying of the characters. The lengths to which Erg goes to cover his sister's disappearance from his grannies is impressive, but I felt like Super Granny was fairly feeble. The only enjoyable part of the last story was the furniture uprising.

[Hollowspine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read over two days to my folks. Three stories centered around unwelcome guests and magic gone awry. Kids who enjoyed the zaniness of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and the magic of Bruce Coville's stories or Harry Potter will find this funny and magical.

[Melanie Emry · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best comes last

Three stories. I actually only liked the last one, which surprised me. I normally love her work. Maybe because the first one has too much chair person and the third one is short enough not to have too much Angus Flint.

[Trina · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was interesting enough to make me want to read other books by this author.

[Laurel Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting short stories. Quite magical.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not really sure if I've read this before.

[Marlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite funny and good for quick amusement. Chair Person was rather demented. She makes being overly polite something to avoid.

[Veiltender]

Not one of her greats.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Just not Diana’s best work.

[jyweniverel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird book, just weird.

[Eden Silverfox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains three short stories. The first is about a chair who turns into a person and is very annoying. The second is about four grannies who are quite very different from one another, and the third is about a house guest who just won't leave.

I've read a short story collection of Diana Wynne Jones' before and loved it; her short stories are wonderful and very unique. The ones in this book are also unique and a lot of crazy things happen in them. I enjoyed all of the stories, but I think Who Got Rid of Angus Flint is the one I like the best. But I will say that Chair Person and Angus Flint were both very annoying and I definitely wouldn't want to have to deal with them. I think I could handle the four grannies much better.

Anyway, the stories in this were enjoyable and I really had a fun time reading them. It was always exciting to turn to the next page and find out what was happening next. It's a nice collection of short stories.

[Adobe · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of three short stories: "Chair Person" (an old armchair comes to life with "a sofa opinion of himself"), "The Four Grannies" (four grandmothers converge on a boy who has invented a wish-granting machine), and "Who Got Rid of Angus Flint" (an obnoxious houseguest avoids all attempts to dislodge him).

All of the stories are short and sweet, which (unfortunately) means that they never achieve the convoluted greatness of Jones' novels. The stories here are just surreal snapshots with simple resolutions. However, Jones does a superb job of characterizing the central antagonists in each story. In particular, Chair Person is the most amiably malicious innocent that I've encountered since Charles Dickens' Harold Skimpole.

[Melissa McShane · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to rate Diana Wynne Jones low, because even at her worst she's still far and away one of the best writers out there. I wouldn't say these stories are bad, but they are certainly uncomfortable, with the repeated motifs of ineffectual parents, horrible infiltrators, and just plain malice. I realized this time that each story was written in a different decade, and yet all are thematically very similar--probably an intentional choice, but still interesting how the theme of overbearing, rude, manipulative people is one Jones keeps coming back to.

[Ashley Lambert-Maberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was frustrating. She's among my top-10 favourite authors, but these stories were so similar to each other that, when read together, they just felt repetitive and irritating. Still three stars, because it's Diana Wynne-Jones and she's a wonderful writer, but this would be my least favourite work of hers so far.

Read if you're a completist, otherwise skip--you can do better.

(Note: 5 stars = rare and amazing, 4 = quite good book, 3 = a decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. There are a lot of 4s and 3s in the world!)

[S.N. Arly · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a collection of three short young adult novels(I'd say novellas, really). I find Jones to be an uneven author. At times her writing is spectacular and her humor dead on. Other times (like this collection) I'm not sure how the work got published. There were moments that I enjoyed, particularly in "The Four Grannies" but overall was not impressed with the collection, and could have done without the other two tales completely.