Howl's Moving Castle (World of Howl, 1) Mass Market Paperback – August 7, 2001

I've seen the Miyazaki animation based on this book at least half a dozen times (was the only thing not packed away before a move some years ago) and loved it. After reading the book, I actually think the movie was pretty faithful to Diana Wynne Jones's story, just with some parts removed and some characters merged in order to fit this into the length of an animated feature film. I ended up liking both the film and the book about equally well (and was happy to find out there are a few sequels available for the book -- I'll be buying them soon); I guess because of the order in which I read things, I saw the book as a chance to learn more about the characters.Regarding the characters, they're really the ones who are the stars here. Sophie, the POV character (third person, though) undergoes both physical and personality transformations fairly early on -- they pretty much go hand-in-hand. She's timid and a bit fatalistic early on, when she still has the appearance of a young woman, but she loses the timidity when she's changed by a witch into an old crone. The fatalism takes more time to go away, and I won't be sure until the next book whether her personality transformation is complete. Something that was a little lost in the movie (I think; I'm going to have to watch it again, now) was that Sophie actually has some magical abilities of her own and doesn't even realize it. She's quick-thinking but also a little gullible. She sometimes loses sight of her goal (in this case, her bargain to free Calcifer, the fire demon powering the title castle's hearth). And she's entirely likable and sympathetic.Howl is a bit more puzzling to me, but I guess that's the nature of non-POV characters. He's a drama queen, for sure. We do learn quite a lot about his background, including his family. And some things are revealed later on that explain some of his fickle behavior. He's got this reputation that's given to him by other characters. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but pay attention to Howl's actions and the *kinds* of spells he does during the book. Sophie makes a statement about him later that puts his reputation into perspective.A quick diversion to note that this can definitely be considered YA fiction (but is still worthwhile for adults to read). There are some fairy-tale-type transformations (on the level of, say, turning a man into a dog) but none of the violence or gore associated with the Grimm brothers. There's some light romance, but nothing sexual. The language is clean and unobjectionable. If you're a bit tired of the gritty fantasy" trend in literature for adults, this would certainly be a welcome diversion.The setting(s) are pretty typical for fantasy novels. It's not the cities, really, that stand out here, but rather the "castle" of the title, which is more about appearances and convenient travel than anything else (it is most definitely not a medieval fortress). It's possible that the movie aided me here, especially with the door that has a dial and opens on different locations depending on the dial's setting. My picture of the hearth and of Calcifer is also definitely influenced by the movie. It's just such a fun concept, of a hovercraft/castle that's small and cozy inside but imposing and scary when viewed from outside, and where what you see out the window isn't necessarily the same as what's physically outside the wall.As far as the writing goes, we do see a fair amount of Sophie's internal monologue. It's not as interesting, perhaps, as the action scenes (there is a LOT going on during the final confrontation; I had to read it twice to catch everything), or the verbal sparring between Sophie and Howl, but it does go a long way towards helping us understand Sophie as a character.Magic is never explained in detail, although it seems from reading that spells can be worked in different ways -- sometimes even unintentionally -- and that spells that are intended to have bigger impacts require more preparation and energy. People can be cursed, appearances can be changed, but magic can also be used for good. Magic takes on a fairy tale quality in this book that is entirely fitting, considering the setting.Action-wise, the pace is a little uneven. We're treated to a fair number of discussions of cleaning, for example, and these drag a little (although they also serve to introduce us to the castle, so they have a purpose, at least). However, there are a few moments of fright (for example, with respect to a scarecrow that seems to be following the castle, and with a couple of encounters of the villainess, the Witch of the Wastes), and the pace is pretty frantic at the end.One could discuss deeper themes if one had a mind to -- for example, the role of women in Sophie's world. Early on, Sophie's father dies and her stepmother sees little choice except to apprentice out the three girls (one sister and one half-sister for Sophie). Education costs money that a young widow doesn't have, forcing one of the girls to leave school. And the types of jobs (baker's apprentice and witch's apprentice) obtained by, and futures (mother of many children and witch) envisioned by Sophie's sisters are indicative of the roles women were allowed to play in that society. Women in the hat shop where Sophie worked early in the book were pretty bad gossips. And there's an interesting contrast between magic practitioners, where Howl has a *reputation* for being bad, while the Witch of the Wastes actually *is* evil. At any rate, it's an interesting thought exercise to do afterwards, although I didn't really think about these things while I was reading.FYI, the Kindle version has a lot of "extra" content including a brief interview with the author and an excerpt from another book, so you'll be finished well before you hit 100%.In sum, this book has complex characters, the castle is interesting and fun, and you can even find complex themes if you go looking for them. I'm glad I snagged this one when it was a Kindle daily deal and will be getting the next two books soon.

I have adored the Hayao Miyazaki's interpretation of Howl's Moving Castle for years. I must know the movie in its entirety by heart now. With that said, I cannot tell you how ashamed I am that I didn't know this was a book first (something I normally always check first) until a few years ago. When I found out I actually refused to read it for so long because I was afraid that the book was going to be monumentally better and I wouldn't get the same good feeling I did when I watched my favorite movie. (That's forgivable right?) Well, it wasn't until this last month that I ran out of books that interested me that I finally worked up the nerve and bought Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle.My fear came true in a sense, I loved every word.I found this book very difficult to put down, and went I got about halfway through I immediately went and ordered the sequel. I found the characters quite different from those I already love. Sophie is so witty and despite how she would get down on herself she was very strong (that whole inner strength thing right?). She wasn't intimidated by Howl and they way they would go back and forth at each other made their entire relationship so much better. Howl, is a selfish, childish, lazy (but works hard to be lazy if that makes sense), yet entirely loveable wizard who, yes, I did manage to fall a little in love with. All the characters are well developed and the story is strong. Though if I had a negative, toward the end I did get a little confused as everything was playing out.So, is my love for the movie totally sabatoged? Not at all. I found Miyazaki's film, while it has all the same characters and setting, the plot lines are very different. Yes, Sophie is turned into an old woman and finds her way into Howl's castle but other than that there are very few other similarities. Which as it turns out I like, I get a fantastic movie and two books and it all feels like 3 different stories to me.As for recommending it to others, go for it. As it turns out I had just finished the entire Harry Potter series (I know like 10 years later) before I read this and as I was reading through I couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe J.K. Rowling might have read this book at one point in her life. That's my sneaking suspicion anyway. All I know is that the magic and fantasy of Howl's Moving Castle gave me a very Harry Potter feel. But that's just me.To wrap things up, I have a new favorite. Which is saying something because I'm often hard to please book wise (I'm very picky, can't help it), but I'm very much looking forward to reading this again very soon (which is also saying something because I hardly ever read the same book more than once).

Sophie Hatter, the eldest of three sisters, has just started her apprenticeship at her family’s hat shop with her stepmother. Despite that, she has an overall lack of confidence and feels that her life is very dull. One day, Sophie gets a very big surprise when a customer who happens to be a notorious witch curses her into an old lady. On her own, she finds the large moving castle of vain and snobbish wizard Howl who could help her fina a way to break her curse. Slowly, she’ll find plenty of adventure aboard the castle with not just him but also with Howl’s apprentice Michael and captive fire demon Calcifer.“HMC” is a very interesting and familiar fantasy that most of the time has such a relaxed and calm tone through most of its storytelling. Sophie is the most intriguing character for me given how despite her situation, she keeps a calm and determined demeanor to help her through it. The cast of other characters are also interesting with Howl being a real card that takes a while to warm up to. While its ending did feel a bit thin, It’s still a wonderfully whimsical tale with a heroine that’s far from being helpless and gets her wish for adventure. <b>A- (91%/Excellent)</b>

I mean is there anything to say the books is beautiful, the story is beautiful, love the world. I really like how the movie and the book are different in there charming way. The Dust Jacket is beautiful kinda gives a gold metallic reflection, the edges painted with stars are so beautiful. Also when you take off the dust jacket and see that front quote amazing, as for the art when you open it is so cute. Might be bias, but I just love the movie and the book.