Book #20: Howl's Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne-Jones

[grav_ity]

young fantasy, magic, vague nonsense, girl power, best curse ever

I went through a not-short period of my childhood reading books I didn't like. I read them because my mother decided they were worthy, and because I was made to. Looking back, I realize that there is a difference between being able to read and being able to understand. It's why the first time through "Contact" was such a train wreck, and why Madeleine L'Engle and I got off on the wrong foot entire. As an eight year old, there were many things I just didn't get.

So I wonder why my mother never went for Diana Wynne-Jones. Because this book was AWESOME.

I really liked the title, for starters. It's kind of fantastic. And I loved that none of the sisters or the step-mother were "evil". They were just REAL people who had REAL problems (where REAL is defined in a fantastical setting, of course), and who sometimes were a bit absent minded because they were focused on themselves. And Howl was hilariously stupid, at times.

I really, really, loved Sophie. The idea of her character is really neat, and I love that her only real enemy is herself. I might be projecting a bit (who me? NEVER!), but I liked watching her grow through her issues and come into her power. AND I LOVED THE CURSE! I loved the idea that she stopped being afraid of thing IMMEDIATELY upon becoming old. It's just so...perception based and wacky, and I love it.

I also love the part where, had the Witch not interfered, Sophie would never have left the hat shop, and the Witch would have won. Because I am a sucker for that kind of story-telling.

There were a great many parts of this book where I laughed out loud. The ending was a bit sudden, if only because I was totally not expecting Howl and Sophie to hook up (well, that's a lie, because CLEARLY they were...I was just expecting it to be different). But EVERYBODY LIVED, and I always, always love that.

This book was just so much FUN. And now I have to go and read everything she's ever written! I am excited. I give it a 9!

Comments

[emmaorgana.livejournal.com]

That's pretty much the EXACT SAME WAY I felt upon reading this book for the first time last year.

LOVE LOVE LOVE.

[laura-josephsen.livejournal.com]

I read this book several years ago (three or four?) and LOVED it. I still love it, and have read it several times. There are two sequels (featuring other characters as the main ones, with guest appearances by the cast of Howl's Moving Castle). The first one is called "Castle in the Air" and the second one is called "The House of Many Ways." :D

[wildtiger7.livejournal.com]

I loved both Howl's Moving Castle and its sequels. They're a lot of fun.

[iskra-revoir.livejournal.com]

I will be forever grateful to HM for making the movie, cause even if it was quite different from the book, it make me look for the book and discover DWJ´s writting :)
I dearly love the Castle series, each plot is very different from the next, while still allowing you little peeks into the lives of dear favorite characters...
While you are on a DWJ high, I recommend you to read the fic "A Woman true and Fair" which tells the story from Howl´s eyes with an excellent writting and a good deal of laughter.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2500604/1/A_Woman_True_and_Fair

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

Oh, SOPHIE. She is so awesome. =D

The two sequels aren't as good, sadly.

And DWJ's other stuff is also fun, generally.

[oscuridad.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you're reading this! One of my faves :)

[sache8.livejournal.com]

Hee! Now I'll have to reread it again.

I felt the same way about the ending! Like... so surprised that Howl knew all along and, yeah, it's hard to explain.

For some reason, I have an even bigger fondness of Castle in the Sky. It's probably not as original a book, but it's so damn hilarious and it hit me at a point in my life where I really needed a funny book. So... I'll look forward to your review of that too. :-)

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

I've ordered the next one. And I really am trying to read 100 Cupboards, but the closer they get to the "fantasy" part of the book, the less I want to follow them there. I never thought I'd say this, but I love the "normal" world so much in this book, I kind of don't want them to have any adventures! I just want Frank to be weird and awesome, and Henry to actually become a person without having to leave this plane.

[sache8.livejournal.com]

That is so funny! I felt the same way about the "normal" part of Book One! I loved the whole picnic sequence when he was learning to play baseball. (Zeke, btw = Immen-like character of supreme noble awesome).

isn't Frank the best? Hee!

[tsukara.livejournal.com]

I've been in love with this book for years, and I'm so squeefully happy you like it too. The sequels are good fun, and I love pretty much everything else she's written, so clearly this is an awesome plan. /thumbsup