Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones is the first book of a trilogy. The first novel follows Sophie Hatter, a girl who is cursed to be much older and frailer by the Witch of the Waste. To relieve herself of the curse, Sophie embarks on a journey where she meets the infamous wizard, Howl.
About the Book
Howl’s Moving Castle (1986)
Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Genre(s): Adventure, Childrens, Fantasy, Romance
Theme(s): appearances, destiny, family, love, magic, vanity
Trigger(s): death
Review
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
On Goodreads, I wrote the following:
This is a cute story about a lot of things, but mostly about love (and family) and destiny.
From my Goodreads.com review
For a children’s novel, I didn’t expect to see much romance. My first impression of the story is of the Studio Ghibli film, so I did think that the romance would be less subtle. I don’t consider it completely disappointing due to the core themes of Jones’ novel… I think that the romantic points of Jones’ work are the last things readers should focus on. The novel is occupied by the characters and their developments (or lack thereof) and its themes.
I also think that the story paced itself mostly well, though it slowed down a couple of times in the middle. I don’t like that the finale felt very rushed, but I can’t complain because there are 2 more books in the series to read.
In all, I think that the book is fun and charming.
But I’ll elaborate here…
Like I said in my Goodreads review: my first impression of Jones’ story is of the Japanese animated film by Studio Ghibli, which was directed by Hayao Miyazaki. And I won’t lie—it was difficult reading Jones’ novel without comparing it with the film. However, I really enjoyed both mediums. New readers shouldn’t expect the story to play out the same way. Miyazaki’s film is wonderful and adds things that the book doesn’t. At the same time, the novel has details that were never included in the film. Although the film and the novel end in similar ways, I think that it’s safe to say that the stories are distinct.
Doors are very powerful things. Things are different on either side of them.
Diana Wynne Jones, Howl’s Moving Castle.
But this post isn’t about the movie.
Jones is a great writer. While the book heavily touches on Sophie’s cleaning in Howl’s Castle, Jones includes silly interactions with other characters like Howl, his assistant Michael, and the fire demon Calcifer, just to name a few. There is much to learn about the characters through these interactions, and much to learn about Sophie and her thoughts about them.
Like I said in my Goodreads review: the story doesn’t focus on the romantic development between Sophie and Howl. (It’s as subtle, if not, more subtle than it was in the film.) However, I didn’t think that the novel would have more romantic tensions between the characters due to the demographic it was written for. Instead, Jones seems to focus more on the characters, their interactions, and its core themes.
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
Diana Wynne Jones, Howl’s Moving Castle.
While I enjoyed the book for the vivid depictions of magic spells and fantastical creatures, I didn’t really like the pacing of the story. There are several scenes in the book that seem unnecessary and drastically slow down the pace of the story. For instance, Michael’s love life. The confusion of which Lettie Hatter both Howl and Michael are trying to seduce was comical, but strangely placed. If Jones hardly bothered with the romance among the characters, then I think that she shouldn’t have included any romance until at least the second book of the trilogy.
I also think that the Witch of the Waste’s roles in the novel were quite short. It’s unfortunate that she wasn’t seen as much because of what she had done to Sophie.
Although I didn’t like the rushed ending, I’m happy to know that there’s a continuation to the story. I’m curious to see how the characters continue to develop and any other mischief that Sophie or Howl get into.
I highly recommend this book to people who love fantasy books and want a break from the explicit content that most adult fantasy novels provide. I also recommend Howl’s Moving Castle to parents who are interested in introducing the fantasy genre to their children. I think this would make a good bedtime story.
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