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!

I have many favourite characters in this book, but don’t want to spoil it for anyone who has not seen the anime, but it’s safe to say the main protagonist, Sophie, is a joy to follow as she progresses through her arc of growth and change. All in all, the story gives the reader a few laughs and plenty to think about in its cosy, delightful manner. There’s plenty of magic and silliness for young adults, some gentle new adult themes as 18-year-old Sophie sets off into the world to find her fortune, and even some thoughts on growing old. A well-rounded, expertly paced fairytale, I think.

So Howl and Sophie's romance isn't really the most believable but I loved Sophie's misadventures and toils, she's one of the best characters ever. To me this book was hard to keep engaged in, but there were some peak scenes that actually made me like this more than the Hayazaki film. For example, the standoff finale was hella cool in the book. And we get to learn a LOT more about the kind of flop Howl is. To be frank, this book is better in my opinion as it capitalises on Howl's many flaws way more and shows how much of a loser he is. Also I got a way clearer understanding of the plot, the book moves in a way that's a lot easier to understand. Both are fun to watch, but the book gave me the kick up the arse that I much needed. Love is maybe a lot uglier and weirder than what movies show it as. It's in Howl being less of a pain in the butt, Howl growing to value Sophie's needs and interests, Sophie gradually regaining agency over herself, Sophie taking on new challenges and facing fears head-on.... Sophie develops a amazing self love and Howl ends many of his curses and together they overcame so many hardships! Also CALCIFER BEST BOY and I forgot the other dude he is peak, the sisters are more likeable here too. And the mother is not as bad because she self reflects as the story continues.

Howl's Moving Castle has become extremely popular as the Studio Ghibli anime, but not many of the people I've spoken to about it are aware that it was first a book, much less know that the author is british! Whilst the anime is very different from the book, Miyazaki has simply taken artistic license with it. Adding in a few of the things he wanted to see, such as flying machines and war scenes. That is what Diana Wynne Jones is about, she wrote the book to make real all of the fantasy things which people want like Seven League Boots for instance. Being a big Studio Ghibli fan, I tore open the wrapper of my Howls Moving Castle steelbook and set to watching it. I watched it, ordered the book by Diana Wynne Jones and then watched the movie twice more whilst waiting for it to come in the post! I enjoyed the movie but felt that some things didn't quite make sense. Since reading the book, all of those little bits have come much clearer to me and I adore the book. Diana Wynne Jones has a method of writing which could hook most adults and children, the book is packed with fantastical events and amazing imagery. There are a great many references to fairy tales and one thing that the story made me think of is Beauty and The Beast. Anyone who knows Studio Ghibli will probably know the outline of Howl's Moving Castle but I don't really want to spoil the story for anybody who hasn't heard of it before – and yes there are people who haven't! Suffice to say, you will read through love, adventure, danger and a great many fantastically developed characters who you will grow to love. Diana Wynne Jones has also written Castle In The Air and The House of Many Ways which are sequels and star Howl, but perhaps in disguise!

I came from the movie, however I deeply LOVE how much character and depth there is I’m this world! Like any book v movie, the book will have more time to explore different plots and characters and this book did just that. The character dynamics between Howl, Sophie, Calicfer and Michael are more pronounced and I loved that they explored Sophie’s family as well! The writing is superb and makes me feel like a kid again, I really wished I read this as a kid actually. Very fun and playful with a bit of drama to keep things going.

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.

I'll admit I was attracted to this book because I grew up enthralled by the animated adaption by Studio Ghibli and having read the original book now, I can safely say I have found a new appreciation for it! Although it is a children's book, I would never let something like that stop me, and indeed, the story is very much for anyone who remembers the likes of original fairytales, especially that of the famed brothers Grimm. Each chapter felt like a short tale of it's own, and a mere glimpse of the daily goings on of a household with a vain wizard, a cursed woman, a young apprentice, and a fire demon. The style was also very reminiscent of a compilation of fairytale stories I used to have, which I have an extremely soft spot for! Same as always however, there were at times I found some of the more detailed moments a little overwhelming to comprehend, but it fits entirely well with that fantastical almost nonsensical feel- I did not expect the gang to appear in Wales to meet Howl's family, nor for Micheal to be in a rugby jacket! I would recommend this book to anyone who has a great love of fairytale fantasy or even those who would love to introduce their kids to it. I always believe it necessary to expose them to unimaginable things to get their creativity rolling! Again, a lovely read and looking forward to reading the rest of the series...

So, having watched and loved Miyazaki's film, it stood to reason that at one point I would need to read this book. It looked like such an interesting plot concept and I was eager to find out the differences between the two! I'm so glad I got round to this one as well because it was a great book! The world building was wonderful to start with, though at times I had a few issues getting where in time it was meant to be set. I loved all the settings that Sophie found herself in: Howl's Castle, Market Chipping, Porthaven, the meadow, etc. There was so much in the way of detail, and it was easy to imagine it all. The characters were my favourite thing about this novel. Diana Wynne Jones has this fantastic ability to inject so much life into them, and make each one unique and interesting. Sophie is a strong heroine, at times a little passive yet we see her develop from someone willing to put up with her lot in lie, to an independent, willful lady. She was an amazing lead character! Howl also took me by surprise with is flamboyance, but I really liked it! It was nice to watch his character develop too, from being a selfish womanizer to a heroic and caring Wizard. Calcifer and Michael were great characters too, and it was nice to see Howl's young apprentice have such a prominent role. The Witch of the Waste was a good villain, though she didn't take up too much of the story. The plot was really good as well, though there were moments that everything became so fast paced that I had a hard time understanding exactly what was going on. A really enjoyable read though, I so want to read the next one!

This is such a great book! I personally found Sophie kind of annoying sometimes, but I guess it's normal when you suddenly turn old for no reason at all lmao. I personally really liked Howl as a character and I thought he was really cute and interesting!! I never really hated him tbh. I felt sorta suspicious of the dog man guy (was his name Percival??) because he didn't even have a reason to be in the castle he js randomly spawned and was just.there lol. But I still found all the character really well written ( you too scarecrow ) and loved the whole book sm!! A lot different than the movie but it's alr!! Def recommend!

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

Howl’s Moving Castle By Diana Wynne Jones is a book that I didn’t know existed three days ago. I thought Howl’s was just a Studio Ghibli original movie from the mind of a Japanese man. How wrong I was and how glad I am that I saw this book cover twice within 24 hours and then immediately went out to rectify my mistake. I absolutely devoured this book in two sittings. ‘The rule was: Lose your temper, lose a customer. She had just proved that rule. It troubled her to realise how very enjoyable it had been.’ Howl’s is simply put, magical. It is the cosiest of cosy fantasy. It’s the definition of a relaxing and fun read. I had an absolute blast with Sophie and Howl, Michael and Calcifer. I picked it up on a whim before I even realised I was a bit tired of all the bloodshed and horror in my current reads. Thank you to that part of me that saw it and immediately bought a copy. I think I’m going to need to hunt down a physical copy if they have the beautiful cover art shown above. ‘Sophie cackled to herself a little, quite unrepentant.’ I don’t quite know how to summarise my thoughts and feelings. A lot of what I loved about this book were moments where I could identify some links to a movie I can’t remember very well. Okay, I’ll be honest I wrote that last line and then stepped away to think about it fully. It’s not fair to judge the book based on the movie when the book came first. The movie does a lot right and there’s a reason why it’s one of the best animated movies of all time. But – and don’t misquote me here – the book is better. I love movies, I really do, but when the written word can paint the kind of picture that Diana painted with Howl’s Moving Castle you just have to tip your cap to a master. Every scene was vivid and fully realised. I built my own images of these characters, separate to the anime. I saw every little detail perfectly from the moving castle itself to the characters’ grooves and lines. ‘Sophie had never found Howl particularly frightening. Now she felt nothing but contempt.’ There was a particular scene that gave me such giddy delight only matched by one other scene by a different author in my favourite book of all time. It was reading about the seven mile boots and the rushing landscape that was truly incredible. The infusion of magic to escape the mundane was something that Diana showed she is capable of doing over and over. Howl’s Moving Castle is outstanding, beautiful and truly magical. It’s nearly perfect in every way and the ways in which it isn’t are so minuscule and nitpicky that they don’t even deserve mentioning. If you love magic. If you love deep, imaginative fantasy. Do yourself a favour and find a way to read this book. I’m certainly going to read the sequels while I cry about the fact that Diana died with more Howl stories left to tell.

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.

La couverture est tout simplement sublime ! Je n’ai pas encore fini le livre, cependant je peux déjà émettre plusieurs points positifs. Ayant vu le film, j’apprécie beaucoup le redécouvrir intégralement à travers le livre. Encore plus, étant donné que de nombreuses choses diffèrent et que l’histoire est plus complète et dense :) Le texte est assez facile à comprendre même s’il m’arrive de buter sur certains mots. J’aime beaucoup la plume de Jones. Les illustrations à chaque début de chapitre sont très jolies ! Et j’ajouterai un petit plus pour l’interview de l’auteure à la fin du livre, avec des questions pertinentes et quelques infos sur l’ouvrage et son processus d’écriture. En bref, je recommande ce livre pour ceux qui ont vu le film et ceux qui ne l’ont pas vu !