4 The Lives of Christopher Chant Part 2

Book 4 of The Worlds of Chrestomanci Series, by Diana Wayne Jones.
Unabridged edition, for educational purposes.
I do not own this book, all credit goes to the Author and Performer. Image credits go to the artist.

[@veronicaelsegood5175]

Am really enjoying being read to at night. Thanking you for posting this well read series.

[@hardingtoplis6980]

Thank you very much for this audiobook. She is a wonderful author and this gives many more people access to her work.

[@christinehottinger5791]

I love the reading of Throgmorton, and love that mean ole cat even more for it!

[@jeanette6396]

Thanks so much. Diana Wynn Jones is one of my favorite authors, but I hadn't read this one. The narrator is great! Thanks again for downloading

[@riverlady982]

This is an excellent story that kept my up all night.

[@applesandpears9756]

So nice to have this as my bedtime story. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it and will share.

[@agreatday9566]

Wow that was so satisfying!! That ending 🤌🏾. Thank you for this recording!

[@Brando64]

Chapter 12: 0:00 Chapter 13: 0:22:34 Chapter 14: 0:45:30 Chapter 15: 1:05:14 Chapter 16: 1:30:01 Chapter 17: 2:05:06 Chapter 18: 2:34:37 Chapter 19: 3:01:25 Chapter 20: 3:33:32 Chapter 21: 4:45:09

[@feathernose6323]

Thanks for this

[@pippakentish7514]

21:12. Bookmark 1:18:48 2:27:30 2:44:20 3:35:50 4:11:00 4:31:15

[@Bear_2930]

4:30:48 bookmark. 4:01:14

[@emmanem574]

2:08:40bookmark

[@grannypeacock]

Wow. I love her stories but I didn't like Takroy, described as a black man, coming from an evil race from an evil version of Earth. I knew early on that he was a double agent; that didn't bother me. Individuals will act as they will. But to describe a black man and then say his entire race is amoral is problematic

[@always2bfaithful]

4:05:16 describes them as coffee colored and fair haired. I don’t think they’re meant to be viewed as black. I don’t even think they’re meant to be viewed as evil to tell you the truth. Their evilness is situational and because their ruler separated them from their souls at birth. Takroy only learned customs and morals to mirror our own because he changed worlds at an early age.

[@grannypeacock]

@@always2bfaithful so many people couch their racism in "it's not the people, it's the culture." I've heard it my entire life. So, yeah, that's not acceptable. Also, mixed kid here. Many of my people are fair haired. But if it makes you happy not to see how uncomfortable this is for others, I'll step out now and say no more.

[@always2bfaithful]

@Christine Reardon thank you for pointing out my mistake. It truly didn’t occur to my while reading it to think of the people as “black” and so I guessed the writer felt the same. I was trying to give comfort but I obviously caused distress instead. Maybe the author was thinking the way you suggested. Thank you for helping me see your view point and thank you for sharing it.

[@christabedwin]

32:50 "He couldn't wait to see Takeroy again. Takeroy was one of the only people who didn't see him as a useful thing." I agree with Always2bFaithful, to claim that Takeroy is simply "bad" is oversimplifying the issue totally. I also did not get imagery in my head of skin colour or perception that black people are bad in this. The Middle East is so full of so many colours (and very few people are white), and I have travelled to the Middle East as the author probably did too. Some of the worlds feel very much like Jerusalem or Damascus before the war (I haven't been there since Russia destroyed it but I imagine the Syrian people are as wonderful and huge-hearted as they were when I was there). The idea (probably North American or British?) you have that everyone only perceives light-skinned people as good is really far off base. Travel yourself a little to societies where there are no white people at all, and most people see smiles and goodness before they see skin colour at all. I think you are interpreting something that is just not there, being triggered on an issue that is important to you. Given this author's intelligence and sensitivity on so many issues,, I highly doubt she was pulling cheap racist plot tricks.

[@christabedwin]

@@grannypeacock 38:22 "His face was bleak and yellowish and wrinkled." Not black. Clearly middle eastern. See my comment below. The whole scene is about Christopher's instinctive love and trust for this man. To me, it totally echoes the feelings I experienced between people when I travelled in the middle east. I think you and I are reading this story through completely different cultural lenses, and you're not reading it the way the author wrote it, with love and respect and trust and curiosity about humanity. You've got some hurts bottled up and you think everyone is out to hurt and judge and be unkind. Go back and listen and check your impressions against the words -- even better, get a paper book and mark up the phrases. I don't think what you heard is actually what she wrote.

[@emmanem574]

2:08:44