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Diana Wynne Jones is celebrated for her clever and humorous subversion of fairy tale and fantasy novel tropes, and she is at the top of her form in this charming YA novel. Sophie, the eldest of three daughters, has dutifully resigned herself to a dull life running a hat shop. But when she runs afoul of the evil magic of the powerful and testy Witch of the Waste, her life becomes very interesting indeed. The Witch's curse turns Sophie from a young woman into an old one. In shock and desperation, Sophie finagles herself a job as housekeeper in the Moving Castle belonging to Howl, a wizard with a (perhaps undeserved) unsavory reputation, in hopes that either Howl or his fire demon Calcifer prove capable of removing the spell. Acclaimed Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki based a 2004 animated film on this book. Eldest of three sisters in a land where it is considered to be a misfortune, Sophie is resigned to her fate as a hat shop apprentice until a witch turns her into an old woman and she finds herself in the castle of the greatly feared wizard Howl.Read full review
I read this after watching the movie. While great, I was left a little lost with the story in the movie, but it had me interested in reading the original source. I got through the book very easily- it was very fast paced and interesting. It's a great book for any Harry Potter fans. The characters were very realistic and well-rounded. I loved reading Sophie's and Howl's adventures. The only thing I could criticize is the development of the romance and the abrupt ending. Characterization was great, but I did not see a developing romance throughout the book and it felt like the author just put the obligatory couple together at the end. Maybe I need to reread it to see it, but anyway I read it for the fantasy adventure rather than the romance. I highly recommend anyone who is a child at heart to read Howl's Moving Castle.Read full review
I am almost finished reading this book. I saw the movie first and my sister said that the book was good. I bought it off ebay and there have been times I had a hard time putting it down during my breaks! Knowing how the movie ends makes it a little easier to put it down, but there is still so much more detail and more plot than what's portrayed in the movie! Truly an amazing read!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I bought this book because I've been enjoying the animated movie by Hayao Miyazaki for several years and I wanted to see how different the book was from the movie. The style of the writing is very simple and engaging. The characters are well thought out and amusing. There's nothing really to dislike about this book and if you liked the movie, I strongly suggest reading this, because it's awesome. It's basically a story of finding your own self worth, family, friendship and of course romance as Sophie lives with the eccentric Wizard Howl. There are some differences between the movie and the book, as to be expected. For instance, in the movie Michael is about 10 or so. In the book he's 15. Also, Sophie has two sisters instead of just one and the plot is slightly different. Whether you've watched the movie first or not, you're sure to love this fantastic tale by Jones.Read full review
When I hear Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle was coming to America I was very excited and went to look online for more info and found out it was based on a book. I went to buy the book to get an idea on the movie. I later found out it was quite different from the movie (as most books to movies are). The book is in the point of view of a very apathetic girl who just seems to have given up or not care about a thing. It has a somewhat strange feel to be reading a book from the perspective of someone like that. As the book progresses though you can sense her views of the world changing just by the writing. It is written VERY well and is an excellent and enchanting story. If you've seen the movie already, just be prepared for the apathetic feel of the begining.
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