Scan barcode
erivalh's review
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
marloureads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
commedesenfants's review
5.0
Originally posted here: http://living-a-thousand-lives.tumblr.com/post/29554975882/howls-moving-castle-howls-moving-castle-1-by-diana
The Cover
I really like this cover because it looks like a painting with the frame and all. It depicts the story: we see Sophie, the scare crow and Calcifer and the castle, only Howl’s missing. Looking at this cover makes me think immediately: This is a classic!
The Story
19-year old Sophie Hatter is the unlucky oldest child. After her father’s death, her two younger sisters set out into the world to seek their fortunes, while she is destined for a boring and unwelcome future as a hatter. That is until the Witch of the Waste comes into her store and turns Sophie into an old woman. Now Sophie has to go out into the world in search of her own fortune and on her way she stumbles upon Howl’s castle. There she meets the scary wizard himself as well as a fire demon, Calcifer, and Howl’s apprentice, Michael. Together this motley crew experiences many adventures and dangers.
The Protagonist
Sophie’s on my fictional-characters-I-want-as-my-best-friends list. She cares for her younger sisters and is responsible. She might not like her fate but she knows that it’s what she has to do even if it makes her miserable. Until the Witch of the Waste decides that she didn’t like her that is. That’s when we see the feisty and strong and brave part of her. Instead of giving up when the Witch cursed her, she goes on an adventure. Sophie never gives up and that’s what I like her about her. The funny thing is that being “old” helps her to be herself and defy social expectations. She doesn’t let anybody bully her and isn’t impressed by appearances, like with Howl, she’s never blinded by his beauty but calls him out on his bs when he’s being ridiculous.
The Heart Rate
When we first meet Howl he seems like a vain, spoiled and petulant bratty child who likes to throw tantrums when things don’t go the way he wants to and he really is like that. He’s handsome and knows it. But just like Sophie he’s also good at heart. He opens his home to those who don’t have anywhere to go like Sophie and Michael (ok, in Sophie’s case she kind of refused to leave but oh well…) and he cares for them, even if he can annoy them a lot. Let’s say he’s lovable…in an annoying way.
Sophie and Howl’s relationship develops slowly. Neither of them was really looking for love because let’s face it, they had bigger problems, like Sophie being trapped in the body of a 90-year old. They annoyed each other A LOT in the beginning but without even realizing it started to care for eachother. I like that their appearances didn’t matter at all in their attraction to eachother but it’s all about how they feel for eachother. The romance is very tame and it’s not the main point of this book, but it’s very sweet and I consider it one of my favourite love stories ever.
The Good
- Steampunk: This is definitely a fantasy book but I still think it has a kind of steampunk feeling to it and that’s always a plus.
- World Building: Dianna Wynne Jones has created a wonderful and vivid world. While reading I really felt like I was in Howl’s castle, moving around the land of Ingary and meeting its kooky residents.
- Calcifer, the Fire Demon: He’s a bit neurotic but adorable and funny (yeah, I never would’ve thought that I’d ever call a fire demon adorable either…). I just love him.
- Moving Castle: How awesome would it be if we could travel around the world in a moving castle? Well, I guess technically RV’s are serving that purpose…and aren’t there mobile houses, like you can literally move your whole house? Anyway, Howl’s castle is MUCH BETTER! You can turn a wheel to a specific colour and when you open the door you’re in a different place. Plus, your house looks different in each place. So yeah, Howl’s moving castle wins.
- Movie: The movie is very different from the book but I still love it. It’s one of the cases where I love the movie almost as much as the book (the other case is Harry Potter). It’s probably because I separate the book from the movie. If you haven’t watched it, you should check it out. The animation is beautiful!
The Bad
This book is perfect. There is nothing bad about it. NOTHING!
The Rating
★★★★★
Howl’s Moving Castle is one of my favourite books ever and I could read it over and over again. It’s one of those books that are so familiar to me like it’s one of my best friends. When I have a bad time or when I can’t find anything decent to read this is one of the books that I can turn to and which I’ll never get tired of.
The Cover
I really like this cover because it looks like a painting with the frame and all. It depicts the story: we see Sophie, the scare crow and Calcifer and the castle, only Howl’s missing. Looking at this cover makes me think immediately: This is a classic!
The Story
19-year old Sophie Hatter is the unlucky oldest child. After her father’s death, her two younger sisters set out into the world to seek their fortunes, while she is destined for a boring and unwelcome future as a hatter. That is until the Witch of the Waste comes into her store and turns Sophie into an old woman. Now Sophie has to go out into the world in search of her own fortune and on her way she stumbles upon Howl’s castle. There she meets the scary wizard himself as well as a fire demon, Calcifer, and Howl’s apprentice, Michael. Together this motley crew experiences many adventures and dangers.
The Protagonist
Sophie’s on my fictional-characters-I-want-as-my-best-friends list. She cares for her younger sisters and is responsible. She might not like her fate but she knows that it’s what she has to do even if it makes her miserable. Until the Witch of the Waste decides that she didn’t like her that is. That’s when we see the feisty and strong and brave part of her. Instead of giving up when the Witch cursed her, she goes on an adventure. Sophie never gives up and that’s what I like her about her. The funny thing is that being “old” helps her to be herself and defy social expectations. She doesn’t let anybody bully her and isn’t impressed by appearances, like with Howl, she’s never blinded by his beauty but calls him out on his bs when he’s being ridiculous.
The Heart Rate
When we first meet Howl he seems like a vain, spoiled and petulant bratty child who likes to throw tantrums when things don’t go the way he wants to and he really is like that. He’s handsome and knows it. But just like Sophie he’s also good at heart. He opens his home to those who don’t have anywhere to go like Sophie and Michael (ok, in Sophie’s case she kind of refused to leave but oh well…) and he cares for them, even if he can annoy them a lot. Let’s say he’s lovable…in an annoying way.
Sophie and Howl’s relationship develops slowly. Neither of them was really looking for love because let’s face it, they had bigger problems, like Sophie being trapped in the body of a 90-year old. They annoyed each other A LOT in the beginning but without even realizing it started to care for eachother. I like that their appearances didn’t matter at all in their attraction to eachother but it’s all about how they feel for eachother. The romance is very tame and it’s not the main point of this book, but it’s very sweet and I consider it one of my favourite love stories ever.
The Good
- Steampunk: This is definitely a fantasy book but I still think it has a kind of steampunk feeling to it and that’s always a plus.
- World Building: Dianna Wynne Jones has created a wonderful and vivid world. While reading I really felt like I was in Howl’s castle, moving around the land of Ingary and meeting its kooky residents.
- Calcifer, the Fire Demon: He’s a bit neurotic but adorable and funny (yeah, I never would’ve thought that I’d ever call a fire demon adorable either…). I just love him.
- Moving Castle: How awesome would it be if we could travel around the world in a moving castle? Well, I guess technically RV’s are serving that purpose…and aren’t there mobile houses, like you can literally move your whole house? Anyway, Howl’s castle is MUCH BETTER! You can turn a wheel to a specific colour and when you open the door you’re in a different place. Plus, your house looks different in each place. So yeah, Howl’s moving castle wins.
- Movie: The movie is very different from the book but I still love it. It’s one of the cases where I love the movie almost as much as the book (the other case is Harry Potter). It’s probably because I separate the book from the movie. If you haven’t watched it, you should check it out. The animation is beautiful!
The Bad
This book is perfect. There is nothing bad about it. NOTHING!
The Rating
★★★★★
Howl’s Moving Castle is one of my favourite books ever and I could read it over and over again. It’s one of those books that are so familiar to me like it’s one of my best friends. When I have a bad time or when I can’t find anything decent to read this is one of the books that I can turn to and which I’ll never get tired of.
undeadgearhead's review
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
silverace's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sshrimpyyy's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved the movie sooo much and then I found out it was a book originally it is a lot different from the movie but its familiar to it I love it either way
shandyt's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars; utterly enchanting. This was just the cozy, low-stakes, soft-magic fantasy I was craving. I saw the Ghibli movie once or twice, maybe fifteen years ago, so I was vaguely familiar with the plot and premise. One of the major differences, which I was both surprised and delighted by, was the fact that While I wasn't the biggest fan of Howl's character in the movie, this time around I was charmed by his dichotomous gentleman/drama queen antics. Sophie is as great a character as I remember her, and I enjoyed Michael and the other side characters as well. All in all, I think my only complaint is that while the first 3/4 of the book are paced rather slowly, the climax is a whirlwind of activity and ends abruptly. I could have done with an extra 20 pages or so to let things breathe. Nonetheless, I came out of the book feeling as relaxed and happy as I'd hoped. Book therapy!
Spoiler
'Howl,' aka Howell Jenkins, is actually just a slacker from real-world 1980's Wales. He makes his niblings magic video games! He sings Welsh folk songs and plays rugby! Normally, real-world reveals like that get on my nerves, but the fact that he's a loser back home is just... chef's kiss.gretaslittlelibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
xpressionless's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
alexchad's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25