Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
|
List Price: Our Price: $3.82 You Save: $3.17 (45%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $3.74 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Howl's Moving Castle
Book Review: Something Entirely Different From The Movie..
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw the animated version first and fell in love with it. I thought, this is so wonderful I can skip the read (and I did) for some time, but then I bought it, and it sat on my bookshelf for longer. Then a day ago I picked it up and couldn't put it down. I sat in the kitchen in a chair till 3:30 in the morning. I woke up a few hours later (red eyed)and although my eyes stung I reached for the book and staggered into an easy chair. It went on my daily rounds and when I was at the doctor's office people bent down in front of my book (while I laughed harder than I had since I can't remember) to read the title of the book. I didn't even acknowledge their presence. It didn't matter. I was only somewhat there. Most of me was at Howl's watching Sophie (who has so much more to her in the book). She has some issues of worth, but she's much stronger, funny, opinionated! Speed Boots and Weed-Killer (don't say I didn't warn you)! There is an extra sister (the movie ommited) as well as having greatly altered personalities to fit their own version. I still love the movie, but you do your mind a great disservice if you overlook reading this exceptional treat! I look forward to reading the other two in the series by Diana Wynne Jones. If it's anything like this one I will be sleepless and laughing hard!Book Review: Take the Journey
Summary: 5 Stars
Diana Wynne Jones is now forever engraved in my mind as the epitome of a fantasy writer.
Is it Howl's cavalier personality, or Sophie's practicality that keeps me reading? Perhaps it's Howl's resident fire demon, Calcifer, or the fact that Howl's castle door is actually a portal that opens onto four different places? It's everything and more. The tongue-in-cheek pokes at fairy tale clichés are funny. Sophie doesn't expect anything exciting to happen to her as she's the eldest (and as we all know in fairy tales exciting things only happen to the youngest.)
And being the eldest is certainly turned on its heels when Sophie ends up offending the Witch of the Waste who literally turns her into an old lady.
The odd and magical thing is that after this transformation is when Sophie finally starts learning about herself and becoming an awesome heroine. Before she was shy and led a tedious life in a hat shop, but once she aged she really didn't care what people thought of her. Howl is deliciously her opposite, where she is practical he is nonsensical, shallow and vain. Of course in the most likable way. Each character balances the other. This book takes you through such a fun adventurous journey. One everyone should take at least once.
Book Review: A great suprise
Summary: 5 Stars
Sophie is the first-born daughter of a deceased hatter. She makes hats in the shop, now run by her step-mother, resigned to her fate of being a homebody when the Witch of the Waste, for reasons of her own which she is not sharing, changes Sophie into an old woman. Fearing rejection Sophie makes her way out into the wide world and finds herself housekeeper to the dread wizard Howl. As you might guess adventures and self-discovery abound in this enchanting book for young readers, and not so young readers like me.
Diana Wynne Jones has managed to weave a wonderful new fairy tale with everything the old fairytales have that make them so timeless and wonderful! The prose is beautiful and very intelligent, but simple enough that readers as young as third or fourth grade can easily follow it. There is nothing predicable about this tale and you will find yourself turning the pages quickly wanting immerse yourself deeper in this world where wizards and witches are business people and the distance between the mundane and the miraculous is as close as the nose on your face.
Book Review: Teenaged old lady meets everyone's favorite metrosexual wizard
Summary: 5 Stars
I first read this as a college student, having seen and liked the anime-movie version - and I have to say, Howl's Moving Castle is the most enjoyable thing I've read in quite a while! To others who have seen the anime prior to reading the book: the book is quite different in all but basics (yes, it's still about a highly relatable girl named Sophie who is turned into an old woman, and becomes the housekeeper of a vain, histrionic, but entirely lovable wizard), there are many differences, such as Sophie's sister's playing a much larger role, minus the vague backdrop of war, and numerous delightful twists. But the biggest difference is this: cliché as it sounds, the book is BETTER!
I realize that it is a teen/tween book, but it has an enormous appeal for adults as well, on top of weaving fabulously complex, engaging characters into a highly exciting plot, it's also immensely funny, humor ranging from laugh-out-loud comedy, to subtle, almost Austen-esque wit sure to keep you smirking all throughout. Highly recommended for all ages.
Book Review: Surprisingly better than the movie.
Summary: 5 Stars
To be honest, when I heard there was a book that Miyazaki's film was based on, I was surprised. I thought the book itself would be no where near as good as the movie. After reading it, I really have to say that the book surpasses the movie by a long shot. It is written extremely well, it is easy to keep up with and really holds your attention. The characters are a bit different in the book compared to the movie, and you also get so much to each of the characters.
If you loved or even liked the Miyazaki production, I would highly recommend reading this book! If you haven't watched the movie but would like to, I'd suggest watching the movie first. Even if you read it first, the story lines are relatively different, as well as some of the characters, so you'll be surprised to see how they are different, especially if you watched the movie first. :)