Diana Wynne Jones, rest in peace

[xparrot]

2011 is not shaping up to be a good year for creators I love. DWJ's passing isn't unexpected, but it's still sad. I didn't actually discover her until I was an adult, which is a shame because I know I would have adored her as a child. And all the same, the first of hers I read, Howl's Moving Castle, was the first book I'd read in years that upon finishing it, I wanted to do nothing more than flip to the beginning and read it all over again.

But she was writing up until the end, and produced a fabulous body of work (much of which I still have waiting for me to read) and was beloved by folks who know good fantasy everywhere - there are worse epitaphs.

Comments

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I read HMC because I knew the movie was coming - and then ended up not liking the movie very much, because it wasn't like the book ^^; Everything I've read by her has been worth it. And yeah, it's not much consolation to her loved ones - but as a writer, a life and works as fulfilling as hers is what I aspire to!

[gruskek.livejournal.com]

She really is a great role model.

I watched the film first and I liked it (the animation was gorgeous, the characters interesting) but I found the plot confusing (not in a good was) and at times haphazard. Then I read the book and the plot was much better. I'm not saying that you have to be 100% true to the original in an adaptation, but changing things so randomly can't possibly work well.