Akiva Reads

by Diana Wynne Jones

Reread, obviously. Every time I revisit this book I like it more. The details of life as a servant in a Victorian-ish House---the weird rules, the behind-the-scenes personalities and occasional mayhem---are one of the highlights. My only complaint is that the exposition is a bit thick at the end, but it was a lot to wrap up.

Also, every time I reread the theme of Conrad's family dynamics comes out more strongly. He goes through some hard realizations. I didn't notice before that Christopher supports him at one point after he talks to his mother, saying "I went through something very similar once." He did, didn't he? I also love Anthea so much, even though she amounts to being a minor character, and I feel for her when she apologizes for not taking Conrad away with her. (Conrad doesn't understand why at that moment, but the reader does.)