This is the only book by Diana Wynne Jones that I've read that I didn't like.

I was rather creeped out by Thomas and Polly's friendship, especially as this book has a sort of realist feel to it and I know that in the real world an adult man being that friendly with a little girl would not be normal. Not that I think Thomas meant anything sinister by it, but it set off my squick radar. That might just be my personal sensibilities, though, so on to the rest of the book:

At times, the story was interesting, but at other times it was just plain confusing - in fact, I'd still be hard pressed to tell you what actually happened at the end, because I read it a good three times and still don't get it. I vividly remember realizing that I'd just read ten pages and had absolutely no idea what had just gone on. I think it was meant to be a very dramatic, climactic confrontation, but instead of being on the edge of my seat I was just confused. I've got no issue with complicated narratives or things where all the information isn't laid out with perfect neatness, but here I just don't feel like I got enough information to understand it sufficiently. ( )

Polly Whittaker is getting ready to go back to college when something triggers a memory she didn’t realize she had. This starts her on a search to discover what had happened to her in the past that she no longer remembers.

Diana Wynne Jones has crafted an exciting and mysterious fantasy novel using the legends of Tam Lin and Thomas the Rhymer as the basis of her story. Polly discovers her past has many layers and a best friend that she doesn’t remember. The riddle of the past must be solved before she can go onto the future. Although this is a YA book, readers of any age who love of good fantasy tales will enjoy this book. 3 ½ stars ( )

Polly has been looking at the picture above her bed. With its dark figures, smoky flames and sense of foreboding, it has always fascinated her. And its name, 'Fire and Hemlock' that seems to link to a story in the book she is holding.

But why is the story not there? As she searches her memory for the answer, other things suddenly pop out at her, events that don't fit with what she remembers, with the path her life has seemed to travel.

And then, the memories begin to fall into place. Thomas Lynn, her best friend that has been erased from her mind; the adventures they went on that seemed to always be coming true; that house. The house where it started with a funeral.

This was a spine tingling, dark and mysterious fantasy that has truly shown this writer at the top of her game. With multi-layered characters, events that don't quite make sense, and the Leroys that keep coming back, I couldn't help but read this into the early hours of the morning.

Every part of the plot is stunningly constructed, with Polly's various sections of her life all vividly real, and as they are revealed, you cannot help being drawn in. This held the kind of darkness that many fantasy writers can only dream of. That doesn't need to involve graphic violence or gratuitous death, but that sucks you in and leaves you holding your breath as the characters become more and more tangled in the vast web.

I started this at 8.30pm, and finished at 4am. Surely there can be no better recommendation than the inability to put a book down to sleep.

A spine chilling fantasy with twists and turns that suck you in ( )

Loved this when Janet lent it to me, and the kind ceb-fairy bought it for me for my birthday, so happy to read it again. Wonderful fantasy novel of the best sort, mixing old myth and fairy tale with modern life and young people. Recommended to all. ( )

I had to buy this because I lost my original copy. One of my favourite books as a teen was Pamela Dean's Tam Lin, so this story always suffered by comparison. But it is still a wonderfully crafted tale of growing up, of memory, and the ways reality can be shaped.
I'd give this to fans of magical realism/urban fantasy. ( )