The Magicians of Caprona (1980)

I re-read this book last month after the sad news that Diana had died. It seemed appropriate, being the first of her books that had I ever got my grubby little paws on. (Is it odd to refer to her as Diana? Somehow, it simply doesn't feel right to use her last name.)

From the perspective of a newcomer to this multiverse and the Chrestomanci series, I suppose I must have been quite perplexed by this world that I was suddenly plunged into. Set in Chrestomanci's world where Italy never united as one country, and more specifically in the state of Caprona, we meet two feuding magical families who might just be up against something bigger than their own petty grudges as war closes in on Caprona from all sides.

Caprona was once threatened by an evil power. The Angel of Caprona came down and protected the citizens, leaving behind the words to a song. Importantly, music is the common way of casting spells in the spellhouses of Caprona. With the evil once again encroaching (and yet few people believing it is), the only way to stop Caprona being taken over is to find the true words to the hymn, which have been lost over time.

Our protagonist is Tonino Montana, one of the younger members of the Montana family. Like so many of Diana's main characters, he is thoroughly unremarkable and feels the pressure of being so when surrounded by those who have a great talent. I don't think the story would work so well without the inquisitive mind of a child leading the way. Similarly, many of the older characters are fixed in their prejudices, but here we see Tonino gradually realising that the Petrocchi family are not so different from his own. Indeed, there are a great deal of parallells between them.

Chrestomanci plays only a small part in this book. As he is an employee of the British government, he is bound from interfering in Italian politics. Re-reading the book, I remember just how perplexed I was by his character when I first read it. I simply didn't understand him one jot. (I'm pretty sure I followed it up with Witch Week, which didn't help either.) In fact, I seem to recall thinking that perhaps this mysterious English enchanter was secretly the bad guy all along and playing everyone else for fools. But, no. Of course not.

Italy? Feuding houses? Are there shades of Romeo and Juliet? you might ask. The answer would be yes. Sort of. But not in the foreground. And most certainly without any of that nasty death business. Though, like in the play and in many of DWJ's other books, falling in love is the easy part. It's everything that comes after that's tricky.

Without a doubt, The Magicians of Caprona holds a special, nostalgic place in my heart.