Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
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Book Reviews of Howl's Moving Castle
Book Review: Howl's Moving Castle will brighten up any boring day!
Summary: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Avni Gupta (age 15) for Reader Views (7/08)
When I got the book "Howl's Moving Castle" in the mail, I was elated. I had been going through a dry spell where I did not have any books that I had not already read. As soon as I got it, I sat down and started reading. A few hours later, I was finished with that masterpiece of a book. Of course, it being written by Diana Wynne Jones is another reason that it is a masterpiece.
This book is about Sophie, the oldest of three sisters. In her day and age, the oldest child is usually the most unsuccessful. This being known to her, Sophie decides to live with her fate. Fate, however, does not want her to bend to this rule and has a different outcome in its eyes for Sophie which involves the mysterious wizard Howl who lives in the floating castle near her town. This plan that fate has is all put into place when the wicked Witch of the Waste comes into Sophie's mother's hat shop when Sophie is the only one in there. Sophie angers the witch, and in her angered state, the witch turns Sophie into an old woman. Sophie has no idea how to break the curse, but she thinks that wizard Howl might. So, Sophie walks up to the castle. There she continues the plan set in place by fate with help from her new house (well castle really) mates, Michael, the apprentice, Calcifer, the fire demon, and wizard Howl himself, who is a lot more than meets the eye.
I thought that this book was amazing! It was a perfect balance of wit and magic all with a touch of mystery. I feel that this book is a book that all fantasy readers will enjoy. The humanness of Calcifer, the fire demon, ties the story all together. Without him, I know that the story would not have gone anywhere, nor would it have made any sense at all.
Of all of the fantasy books that I have read, "Howl's Moving Castle" by Diana Wynne Jones is the one that I have found to be the most plausible. I also think that people who generally do not read fantasy will like this book as well. And the best part is that this book has been made into a movie, so you can read the book and then watch the movie or watch the movie and then read the book!
Book Review: Howl's Moving Castle
Summary: 5 Stars
In the land of Ingary, it is considered a great misfortune to be born the eldest of three. It means that you are destined to fail, no matter what you do, and Sophie Hatter, a meek little hat shop owner's daughter, firmly believes in this. She herself is the oldest of three in the town of Market Chipping, and her younger sisters are considered far more pretty and talented than she. But Sophie's miserable little world is turned upside down when she is transformed into an old hag by a woman known as the Witch of the Waste, and she leaves the hat shop to seek her fortune in the world. On the way, Sophie encounters a vicious dog stuck in a hedge, a scarecrow she accidentally brings to life, and most importantly, a huge moving castle owned by a wizard named Howl, who has many different rumors floating around the place about him. In the castle, she discovers a fire demon named Calcifer, who is bound to Howl by a contract he cannot tell Sophie about. Calcifer offers to free Sophie from her curse though, and return her to her normal form, if she breaks the contract between him and Howl. Sophie starts to get used to her life in the castle, including Howl's hopeless apprentice Micheal, the odd business the castle runs, and Howl himself and his peculiar little quirks. But the more times goes on, and the more Sophie grows to almost enjoy her time here, she starts to worry...will she ever be able to free Calcifer, and therefore, herself? And more importantly...does she even want to?
I found this book absolutely amazing, and I think it is honestly one of the best books I ever read. It definitely kept my attention throughout the whole novel, and I absolutely could not put it down after I started reading it. I believe that anyone who likes fantasy with a more humorous twist should definitely pick this one up.
-Jenn
Book Review: "You can find out what it is if you watch and listen carefully...."
Summary: 5 Stars
Howl's Moving Castle is a brilliant book, well on its way to becoming a classic. With its spare language and dense content it's like a poem. With its suggestions, hints, and wickedly unreliable narrator, it's like a puzzle. With its allusions both overt and subtle, it's a gateway book: Jones sends the reader out of the story world to visit or re-visit everything from Donne, Shakespeare, and Austen to folklore, botany, and rugby songs (which, as this reader has learned, can be really, really raucous). These forays are worth the effort. You return to HMC with better understanding of bookish Sophie, vain Howl, stern but loving Mrs. Pentstemmon, and the rest.
But as Calcifer, Howl's enigmatic fire demon, suggests, you really do have to watch and listen carefully. Otherwise you might breeze right past what is really going on emotionally behind Howl's and Sophie's frantic teasing, bantering, arguing, sulking, cleaning, courting, "exploiting," slithering out, slicing suits to ribbons in fits of jealousy, and so on. Very deftly, Jones demonstrates the real pain that both characters bring to the story. Part of solving the puzzle is in realizing that Howl and Sophie each have strong defenses and idiosyncratic, often very funny, ways of dealing with feelings and drives for which they are not prepared. Howl's Moving Castle is, after all, the fairy-tale romance of a young woman who emotionally is an old woman, and a young man who emotionally is a boy.
Depending on the reader's age and perspective, it is also a clear-eyed look at marriage in all its aspects, from the mundane--washing dishes and cleaning toilets--to the mystical--both partners' dead-on capacity to heal one another's deepest psychic wounds, all the while driving each other stark raving bananas.
Highly recommended.
Book Review: A wild ride in a moving castle!
Summary: 5 Stars
Wow! What a ride. From the start, Howl's Moving Castle grabs you and takes you on a wild ride of magic, adventure, mystery and love.
At the beginning of the story, we meet Sophie, a plain young hat-maker. For some reason, the Witch of the Waste casts a spell on her and Sophie is instantaneously an old woman. She can't tell anyone about the spell and ironically sees the spell as an opportunity to set out on her own.
Tired and weary from a day of walking, Sophie must seek refuge in Howl's moving castle. Inside, she finds an unholy mess. She then meets the fire demon Calcifer, Howl's apprentice Michael, and eventually Howl.
Despite his reputation for evil-doing, Howl is not one to turn out someone in need. When Sophie tells him that she is the new cleaning lady, he allows her to be that and she sets to the task (barring a few limits which Howl has placed upon her cleaning.) The ragtag team of people in this 'household' become close.
Sophie learns about the ties that bind Howl and Calcifer. She learns much of the magic of the house and even comes to find out she has some magic herself. To no avail, she tries to help Howl elude the responsibility of finding the Prince and the Wizard of Suliman. She roots for Howl in his fight with the Witch of the Waste but she is still concerned over his womanizing and the inevitable heartbreak which will befall her sister Lettie.
So much happens in so many interesting places, I would do a disservice to say that this is a summary of the book. Suffice it to say, that I recommend that you read this book. It's a fun-filled adventure that will leave you breathless.
Book Review: Whimsical and Hilarious
Summary: 5 Stars
I love this book. I don't think I've ever read something quite so unique. The cast of characters is not one you've likely seen before. It includes a girl with a curse upon her that's made her an 80-year-old woman, a fire demon, a spoiled sorcerer, and his apprentice, so there's no shortage of variety.
The characters are truly what brought this story alive for me. They are not without flaws - in fact, Howl would be downright intolerable to live with, and Sophie too at times - but that's what makes them so charming. Much of this story's whimsy comes from its sense of humour. I probably looked like a lunatic, laughing on my own as I read about Howl's bewitched jacket that had grown so large it trailed behind him all the way down the hall. The image of him tugging yard after yard of fabric into the bathroom was hysterical. That said, I've never met a character quite like him. He's vain, fickle and extremely high maintenance, but then he does something small that surprises you, and you wonder if maybe he's a lot more than that beneath it all.
The magic of the castle had me pretty enamoured with this world - I would love a house with a door that changed locations so I could visit friends in far away countries if I wanted. That sort of home-made portal is fascinating. The story itself is a meandering sort - you aren't always entirely sure where it's going to lead you. I found it really appealing, like reading a book for children that's actually written by someone whose really well-connected with their inner child. Overall, there's very little I didn't like about it and I'd love to read it again and again.