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A review by monetp
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
4.0
4.5 stars
“You've no right to walk into people's castles and take their guitars.”
--
I appreciate the dear friend who gifted me this book. I'm so glad that I listened to reason and finally read of one [a:Diana Wynne Jones|4260|Diana Wynne Jones|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1193516584p2/4260.jpg]'s stories. Her imagination and witty turns of phrase made this book all the more entertaining. For something that is considered a "kids book," this novel has complex characters both heroic and evil, gorgeous descriptions, wise themes, detailed worldbuilding and elaborate plot points. There's no other work that I can think to compare it to.
This is an explosive fantasy tale of good and evil. It's as classic as [b:The Black Cauldron|24784|The Black Cauldron (The Chronicles of Prydain, #2)|Lloyd Alexander|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1405377996l/24784._SY75_.jpg|1122077], [b:The Chronicles of Narnia|11127|The Chronicles of Narnia (Chronicles of Narnia, #1-7)|C.S. Lewis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1449868701l/11127._SY75_.jpg|781271] and [b:Dealing with Dragons|150739|Dealing with Dragons (Enchanted Forest Chronicles, #1)|Patricia C. Wrede|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1385526967l/150739._SY75_.jpg|1178402]. To some, "Howl's Moving Castle" is already considered a modern classic and rightly so. It's filled with wonder and spirit, quirky characters and dazzling worlds.
While Calcifer, Howl and Michael are lively characters, Sophie is my favorite. Her spunk and intelligence make her a lovely person. She's just lovely and kind and sweet and I couldn't say a mean word against her. Usually characters like this are dull to read about, but Sophie never was. She's not perfect, but she is a confident person who always makes the right decision. Her personal journey reminded me of the classic Beauty and the Beast story. Sophie, like the beast, has to learn to live with her physical transformation. She goes from living one life to one opposite of that. However, her transformation leads to an adventure and real friends she makes along the way. By her changing forms, the reader sees even more of her inner beauty.
My final thoughts:
- I loved the concept of Howl's former life in our world. It made him even more of a mysterious and enigmatic character. Also it was sweet how protective of his family he was!
- Calcifer is the original sass master. That is all.
- I got the feeling when Michael was first introduced that he would be distrustful of Sophie and would turn out to be the villain. I'm so relieved that didn't happen! He's such a likeable guy.
- I experienced both terror and nervous laughter during the scarecrow scene. Something about it made me wince, shake and laugh at the same time.
- I can't wait to watch the movie!!!!!!!
Favorite Quotes:
“It is quite a risk to spank a wizard for getting hysterical about his hair.”
“Interesting things did seem to happen, but always to somebody else.”
“In the land of Ingary where such things as seven-league boots and cloaks of invisibility really exist, it is quite a misfortune to be born the eldest of the three. Everyone knows you are the one who will fail first, and worst, if the three of you set out to seek your fortunes.”
“You've no right to walk into people's castles and take their guitars.”
--
I appreciate the dear friend who gifted me this book. I'm so glad that I listened to reason and finally read of one [a:Diana Wynne Jones|4260|Diana Wynne Jones|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1193516584p2/4260.jpg]'s stories. Her imagination and witty turns of phrase made this book all the more entertaining. For something that is considered a "kids book," this novel has complex characters both heroic and evil, gorgeous descriptions, wise themes, detailed worldbuilding and elaborate plot points. There's no other work that I can think to compare it to.
This is an explosive fantasy tale of good and evil. It's as classic as [b:The Black Cauldron|24784|The Black Cauldron (The Chronicles of Prydain, #2)|Lloyd Alexander|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1405377996l/24784._SY75_.jpg|1122077], [b:The Chronicles of Narnia|11127|The Chronicles of Narnia (Chronicles of Narnia, #1-7)|C.S. Lewis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1449868701l/11127._SY75_.jpg|781271] and [b:Dealing with Dragons|150739|Dealing with Dragons (Enchanted Forest Chronicles, #1)|Patricia C. Wrede|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1385526967l/150739._SY75_.jpg|1178402]. To some, "Howl's Moving Castle" is already considered a modern classic and rightly so. It's filled with wonder and spirit, quirky characters and dazzling worlds.
While Calcifer, Howl and Michael are lively characters, Sophie is my favorite. Her spunk and intelligence make her a lovely person. She's just lovely and kind and sweet and I couldn't say a mean word against her. Usually characters like this are dull to read about, but Sophie never was. She's not perfect, but she is a confident person who always makes the right decision. Her personal journey reminded me of the classic Beauty and the Beast story. Sophie, like the beast, has to learn to live with her physical transformation. She goes from living one life to one opposite of that. However, her transformation leads to an adventure and real friends she makes along the way. By her changing forms, the reader sees even more of her inner beauty.
My final thoughts:
- I loved the concept of Howl's former life in our world. It made him even more of a mysterious and enigmatic character. Also it was sweet how protective of his family he was!
- Calcifer is the original sass master. That is all.
- I got the feeling when Michael was first introduced that he would be distrustful of Sophie and would turn out to be the villain. I'm so relieved that didn't happen! He's such a likeable guy.
- I experienced both terror and nervous laughter during the scarecrow scene. Something about it made me wince, shake and laugh at the same time.
- I can't wait to watch the movie!!!!!!!
Favorite Quotes:
“It is quite a risk to spank a wizard for getting hysterical about his hair.”
“Interesting things did seem to happen, but always to somebody else.”
“In the land of Ingary where such things as seven-league boots and cloaks of invisibility really exist, it is quite a misfortune to be born the eldest of the three. Everyone knows you are the one who will fail first, and worst, if the three of you set out to seek your fortunes.”