Howl's Moving Castle: 1 (World of Howl)

I loved this book. It’s just so cozy and fun. And the Studio Ghibli adaptation sticks surprisingly close to it—at least, in the earlier parts of the book. It does diverge significantly towards the end. The plot is twisty-turny with plenty of mystery about things like Howl’s identity, the nature of his contract with Calcifer, what happened to the prince and the former royal wizard etc… And Sophie Hatter is caught up in the middle of it all ultimately just trying to find a way to break the curse put upon her by the Witch of the Waste. I do feel like the Ghibli movie cranked up the coziness to maximum compared to the book, though. In the book, Calcifer isn’t as cute (but he’s just as snarky), Howl is much more melodramatic (and a bit of a dick), and the scarecrow is made out to be a lot more terrifying to the characters. The characters themselves are all wonderful, and there’s a much wider cast than in the movie. We get to see Sophie’s sisters and their stories as they go off to find their fortune, as well as the magical shenanigans they get up to. Calcifer and Michael are a brilliant pair and we spend a lot more time with them. Michael is older here, too, and a lot more capable. Howl absolutely steals the spotlight whenever he’s on-scene, with a huge personality that everybody else just has to work around. It’s all great fun. One of the more unsettling aspects of the story is not just that Sophie has been cursed to look like an old woman, but that she actually is, with all the ailments and frailties that go along with it. There’s the sense that it could actually kill her before she finds out how to change back. Diana Wynne Jones’ prose is elegant but fun. It reminded me somewhat of Ursula K. Le Guin’s prose, but much more geared towards the younger reader. The pacing, however, is a little uneven. It starts off really great, and it ends marvellously. But in the middle, there’s a large section where, honestly, not a lot happens. We just have Sophie watching from the sidelines sewing up one of Howl’s suits as Michael and Howl go about their business. She gets involved in the odd caper, but it did sag a bit. I don’t want to talk too much about the worldbuilding because a lot of it is left a mystery. There’s enough to get the implication that it’s a portal fantasy of sorts, and there’s a little explanation about some of the magic system when it relates to the fire demons like Calcifer, but mostly it remains very soft. Being the first book in a trilogy, I’m willing to bet that a lot of the worldbuilding gets fleshed out in the next two books. The nature of the world is one of the mysteries the book leaves open, likely deliberately. Overall, as I said, I really enjoyed this book and I’m absolutely going to be reading the rest of the trilogy. Highly recommended!

Love this book so much. Definitely recommend, especially if you like the Ghibli movie (this is very different but still amazing)

My introduction to both this book and author originally came from the Japanese animated movie of it by the legendary studio Ghibli. I loved it, amazing characters, excellent plot and a well realised world. Over a year later my partner pointed out to me it was based on a book by British author Diana Wynne Jones so naturally I had to give it a try. While very similar they differ greatly and it's obvious studio Ghibli changed quite a lot of it. The main character is a young woman named Sophie Hatter who lives a rather unfufilling living making hats in a small shop in the land of Ingary. Her life becomes infinitely more interesting when one day the Wicked Witch of the Wastes appears in her shop and transforms the young woman into an old crone. Not wanting her family to see her like this Sophie runs (well, hobbles) off eventually ending up in a place no one would think to look for her, the castle of the evil Wizard Howl that roams the countryside. The ideas in this book felt really original in so many ways and are supported by some surprisingly humorous moments, some of which are pretty subtle. The characters are great, especially Sophie once she becomes a bossy old woman really made me smile. Despite being a book for young adults I found it well suited for people of all ages really and had a good time reading it. I did however I must admit, enjoy the film more, (rare that is the case) if only because I found the pace of the book pretty slow, there are stretches where little really seems to be happening but it all ties together nicely in the end. If you're a fan of the film or just want a creative story that's a little bit different then you certainly can't go wrong with Howl's moving Castle. + Very original. + Great cast of characters. + Good humour in places. - Pacing is a little slow in a couple of places.

I love Howl's Moving Castle! To be honest I own 3 different versions of this book and bought this latest one because of it's stunning front cover, and it did not disappoint! Arrived quickly and in perfect condition. If you haven't read Howl's Moving Castle yet then please do. It's a brilliant book - lots of characters and places to explore, funny moments and a wonderful storyline mixing magic, curses and a little bit of love. First in it's series and all beautiful in their own way.

It is impossible for me to write an unbiased review of this book. I love Diana Wynne Jones her books. I love the adaptation made by Miyazaki. However, I really want to confer on potential buyers how wonderful this book is. Howl's Moving Castle tells the story of Sophie, a young girl that does not think to much of herself as she is the eldest of three sisters, which in a magical world means that you have a boring future in store for you. But when a wicked witch puts a spell on her, everything becomes very interesting especially as she has to seek out the dreaded Wizard Howl, who eats the hearts of young girls. Wynne Jones weaves together fairy tale wisdoms that we we all grew up with and know with strong, amazingly complex (for a children's book) characters and our own world. I especially love how characters are not really good or evil but, just as everyone you know, sometimes heroic, egotistical or insecure. If you have already seen the movie, please take the time to read the book. I found it filled in a number of small gaps that I did not understand and to be honest, the characters are more interesting in the book, especially Calcifer a fire demon with a secret. To keep this review brief, I can only recommend this book wholeheartedly. I would not know for which ages and up its appropriate, some scenes may be a bit scary, but mostly there is nothing shocking or obscene. Read it and love it.

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Great book

ODD, EXTRAORDINARY AND FUNNY LIKE ALL THE WORK OF THIS BRILLIANT & PRODUCTIVE WRITER

I totally recommend for howl lovers, although there were big differences between the anime and the novel I still love them the same, I just wish there was more of young Sophie and howl in the end but ig I have to read the sequels to see more about their relationship , so looking forward to it. And don’t get me started on my fav chapter (spoiler free) when howl caught a cold, it was funny.

A melhor fantasia que li, desde Harry Potter. Fiquei ressentida por só ter descoberto o livro agora, apesar de ele ter sido publicado em 1986. Ao terminar a leitura, primeiro me veio a empolgação por ter descoberto uma obra-prima. Depois senti um ciúme absurdo da história. Não queria que ninguém soubesse que ela existia. Tive vontade de trancar aquele mundo, personagens e palavras num baú que somente eu acessasse, como se alardear sobre Howl e Sophie fosse torná-los menos meus. Eu posso ser bastante mesquinha quando as histórias que eu amo estão envolvidas, mas, felizmente, os instintos malignos não duram muito tempo. “Howl’s moving castle” é uma fantasia romântica. Eu a descreveria como Orgulho e Preconceito em formato de conto de fadas, embora outras pessoas talvez dissessem que a comparação não tem nada a ver (às vezes, a nossa mente faz conexões que só ela faria). Gosto de quase tudo no livro, mas o melhor são os feitiços que acontecem de repente e sem alarde (não há palavras mágicas; os personagens e o leitor mal sabem o que os atingiu), os desentendimentos entre Howl e Sophie por ela ser uma organizadora compulsiva (acontece o mesmo aqui em casa; alguém decide arrumar o meu quarto, e eu não consigo mais encontrar os livros e papéis), a superstição de Sophie sobre estar fadada ao fracasso por ser a filha mais velha (me lembrou que coisas simples, como uma ideia tola e fixa, podem gerar empatia e verossimilhança; todo mundo acredita um pouquinho em destino, coincidência, sorte, azar; a superstição de Sophie fez com que ela se tornasse uma pessoa mais real para mim), o fato de bruxos e não bruxos conviverem organicamente (a magia faz parte do mundo, e isso não exige maiores explicações) e a rede de personagens memoráveis (não se trata de uma aventura complicada protagonizada por um herói genérico). O filme de Miyazaki (disponível na Netflix; em português, O castelo animado) também é excelente. Não é estritamente fiel ao livro, mas tem um encanto próprio e cenas que nunca vou esquecer (como aquela em que Sophie e Howl caminham juntos no ar sobre a cidade movimentada; belíssima). Um livro para ler, estudar e passar adiante para nossos filhos e netos.