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

[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