This book is completely and utterly charming, it's quaint and whimsical, and I just absolutely reveled in it. It's a somewhat neglected and forgotten fantasy/fairy tale novel about a town on the borders of fairyland, and its citizens, who are trying to protect themselves from incursions of magic. Besides being exquisitely written, it's also wise, touching and funny by turns, and makes for wonderfully relaxing and enchanting reading. The plot doesn't really stick together, but I paid very little attention to it (as usual), so that didn't really bother me. I wouldn't say that it was resolved in any very satisfactory or surprising way, all of the events in the book were inventive and beautiful, they just don't cohere. The language is so poetic and so clearly steeped in fairy tale traditions that it obscures everything else by its sheer loveliness. This is a must-read for anyone who likes their fantasy non-epic and homely. The place and character names alone are hilarious and beautiful: the Debatable Hills, Ambrosine Pyepowders, Hyacinth Baldbreeches, etc, etc. I'd say that I liked the book so much because it has a very satisfying balance of the humorous and the beautiful, especially in its style.
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