This book is completely magical and this is how I know:On the fourth of July, we crammed ourselves into our car (my husband, mother in law, two girls, and I) and drove for over an hour to go see some fireworks. There was traffic almost the entire way, and I was jammed in the back in between two booster seats, which let me tell you – was not comfortable. I am a tall person and my knees basically alternated between being squished in between the two front seats, or slanted crazily off to one side.

Honestly what made me want to read this book was the movie. *gasp* I know, I know shouldn't do that. The movie was good (I am a fan of Hayo Miyazaki's films) and I wasn't disappointed in the book. As always much of the book wasn't put into the movie, but it was understandable because I imagine it would be hard to piece together a movie with all the components this story has.To really grasp and understand the book I would suggest that it be read twice I think. Since I did watch the movie I wasn't...

I read this to my daughter, Celyn (10 at the time), who is too disabled to read books by herself.I had seen some of the anime film version years ago but remembered basically nothing of it.I found the whole thing original and refreshing. The point of view character (Sophie) is engaging and no-nonsense with a very capable can-do attitude. The story moves along at a good pace and the whole moving castle / multiple doors thing is a great idea and used well.The Welsh connection is well-played, and th...

Buddy reading this with Howl's Moving Castle fans helped me get more pumped up for the story. I enjoyed the whimsical atmosphere, the simple charm of the protagonist, and the quirkiness of Howl. As I got to the second half of the book though, it was hard to maintain interest due to not much happening. I think if it weren’t for me projecting the Miyazaki characters onto the text, I’m not sure if I would enjoy the book as much by itself. That being said, if there were more romance, I would have be...

I came in expecting a novelization of the movie (one of my favorites), but what I got was even better. Good news: The atmosphere and characterization is extremely similar to the Studio Ghibli film. I absolutely loved practical, stubborn Sophie and vain, dramatic Howl as well as the overall concept of the story. Those were the reasons I wanted to read the book in the first place, and luckily it delivered.The book is simply more. We get more insight into Sophie and Howl's backstories and strong pe...

There is, of course, a wonderful anime about this book, with the same title. But as is true of many, many books and movies, I found the experience of reading to be very different from that of viewing.In my opinion, any movie based on a book is really a movie about one reader's reaction and interpretation of a book. In this case, it's an enjoyable one, but I felt that it missed many of the nuances of the story that made it such a great read. I've yet to read a book by Diana Wynne Jones that did n...

I have to say I love Hayao Miyazaki's movie better because come on, it's an awesome movie. (Although, Spirited Away is my favorite movie) There were some differences in the book but the movie was based off the book and it's not going to be the same. All that matters is they both were awesome and the author loved the movie too. I absolutely love fantasy worlds that are way out there. Happy Reading! Mel 🖤🐾🐺

this is the most magical story I have ever read

For some reason I've been reading a lot of really great books lately. I feel that itch to find something I can tear apart and relish in the destruction. However, Howl's Moving Castle didn't provide me with that opportunity.It is an amazing and fantastic book. The characters are so very different, funny, quirky and lovable that I was sucked in right away. The storyline was intriguing and fun to read. The writing was quite good and the world was utterly fascinating.If you've watched the movie then...

Howl's Moving Castle (Howl's Moving Castle #1), Diana Wynne Jones Howl's Moving Castle is a fantasy novel by British author Diana Wynne Jones, first published in 1986. Howl's Moving Castle is the first novel in the series of books called the Howl Series. This series also includes Castle in the Air, published in 1990, and House of Many Ways, published in 2008. A young woman named Sophie Hatter is the eldest of three sisters living in the town of Market Chipping in the magical kingdom of Ingary, w...

Howl's Moving Castle, for whatever reason, totally failed to engage me the first time I read it several years ago, but it worked so much better the second time around. I really felt for Sophie, the main character, who feels so timid, trapped and hopeless that when she's (unfairly) hit with a curse that turns her from a young woman into an old crone, it actually frees her in more ways than one. She leaves her dead-end job in the village and, for lack of a better option, moves herself (without bot...

The first time I read this book was on a tiny phone screen in the scattered quiet minutes of a night shifts week. I loved it so much - I thought maybe partially because of sleep deprivation brain fuzziness that can give a good book the shimmer of that happy giddy feeling. But now I reread it with brain well-rested — and the magic still holds. Sophie, the eldest of three sisters and therefore *clearly* doomed to failure, is an old soul. Enough of the old soul that, after unwittingly upsetting th...

Turns out that the movie was way different than the book. But that's okay, because I'm a Howl simp first, human second it was soo good! Very tempted to go watch it again.~~~~~~~~~~~~~ASKJDLAKSJDAKLJDSL IT'S HEEEEERRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE~~~~~~~~~~~~~Update: I put this and other Studio Ghibli movies on hold at my local library.Now it's time to wait.~~~~~~~~~~~~~This book was so charming and wonderful, therefore I don't think I will ever be able to properly review it.(That sentence took me 5 m...

Quite different from the movie but no less fantastic.Needless to say, I loved it.

I have been wanting to read this book for a long time, so decided it was about time I just jump straight in. My deepest heart's desire was that I'd find the female-equivalent to Terry Pratchett, but sadly that is not the case.It was written so well and Diana has an amazing imagination that makes Neil Gaiman look normal. But sadly the characters were flat and I felt nothing for any of them, though I think Howl was the most wonderfully developed of the lot. They were all a little bit "I'm only her...

This was such an enchanting story!

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones opens in a picturesque little village, in a country and a world where magic—gifts and curses, fairies and witches—are not just real, but taken for granted. The people around them manage to have almost tediously normal lives.Our protagonist, Sophie Hatter, is the eldest of three sisters, so she knows her youngest sister will have luck and adventure while she herself will have a dull and obscure existence, probably as an old maid tending her father’s hat s...

This was so fun?!? I haven't seen the movie yet, but the book was just this wholesome fantasy frolicking romp that I found absolutely charming. It was published in the '80s so it kind of took me back to some of the really old books I used to read as a kid. And it was quite funny! Dramatic and clever and full of characters I totally adored.Best part was how Sophie (after being cursed to look like an old lady) was just like "well old people can be grumpy and no one judges them so, I'm gonna." And

Before Hayao Miyazaki made "Howl's Moving Castle" into a feature length animated film in 2006 (2004 if you saw it in Japan), it was a book written by Diana Wynne Jones in 1986. Due to the inherent difficulties of creating an animated film, Miyazaki greatly abridged and adjusted the plot of the novel for his movie. I happened to enjoy both film and novel but after reading the book I realized that the plot is extremely different in the novel--enough that the book and movie become completely differ...

One of the best fantasies, and a clever mystery besides. Read it, for probably the 10th time, but this time I read it aloud to my 7yo. He loved it, though I did have to explain a few things. I would love a Calcifer of my own.2020: read this beautifully illustrated edition to all three kids, who loved it. (Of course.) One of the best books of all time? Indeed.

rare case of the movie being better than the book T__T

I am so pleased to say I loved this book!This was exactly what I needed to read right now. My year thus far has been full of more serious books with heavy content, but this was a perfect balance of fantastical and lighthearted.Sophie and her two sisters work in a hat shop with only their stepmother for company since the unfortunate death of their father. Being the eldest of three, she has accepted that she is destined for a life of utter mediocrity. When the infamous Witch of the Waste curses So...

After finishing Howl's Moving Castle I immediately Googled “Diana Wynne Jones” to see how many more books in this series I can look forward to. The first thing I noticed was “Died: March 26, 2011”. My reaction was “WTF? And we are just getting acquainted!” The book starts off charmingly with:“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 three.” This misfortune falls on 18-year-old Sophie

Rereading this book was just as wonderful as experiencing it for the first time, if not even more so. While I’ve loved the Miyazaki movie for well over a decade, I only first read this book in 2017, though I dearly wish I had read it sooner. Wynne Jones is an absolute treasure, as I should have known from Neil Gaiman recommending her every chance he gets. Below is the review I wrote in 2017, and I stand by everything I wrote then.I adore middle grade fantasy fiction. The Lion, the Witch, and the...

Howl's lingers with me because of the humor, because of the perfectly executed twisting plot, because of the snapping dialog. Diana is possibly the best writer of her generation but because she wrote mainly YA in a time before HP she was disregarded. You want to know what I think a book should be like? Read this one.

This was awesome. It's delightful, thoughtful, and funny. The language is fantastic, with tons of witty turns of phrase. I liked Sophie's down-to-business attitude and perspective a lot. There are fun crossovers with our world and endlessly refreshing magical mischief. And all the moving pieces come together in one sweeping ending, which, just wow.I'm also not sure that this book could get published today. It's clearly middle grade but the character ages are all over the place. The main characte...

i had such a lovely time reading this!

Ahhhh, the wizard Howl... I mean THE WIZARD HOWL.. Drama Queen of drama queens.This is such a delightful, entertaining, original and imaginative story. I have never read it as a kid, but I just loved it as an adult. I also happened to love Diana Wynne Jones's writing style: simple, powerful & competent, without fuss and there is definitely magic there, even though it not obvious at first sight (just like her heroine, Sophie).“In the land of Ingary where such things as seven-league boots and cloa...

I watched the movie, Howl's Moving Castle, directed by Hayao Miyazaki, when I was going through my anime phase, not to mention I'm pretty much always going through a Christian Bale phase. I loved it, of course, it was so odd and just plain weird, exactly why I enjoy anime so much.This was quite a while ago, and it wasn't until just recently that I started reading reviews of the book by Diana Wynne Jones, so I ordered it right away. And, because my "to read" pile is enormous, it sat on my shelf f...

[October 28, 2019] Marking for reread. Delightful, charming, and Old Sophie is my Patronus. [January 1, 2016]I talk about this book in this video wrap-up.This was my first read of 2016, and it was a lovely and enchanting way to start my reading year. Howl's Moving Castle is so much of what I love in books: whimsy, a vivid setting, bright characters and found families. Wynne Jones' story is told in such a clean and straightforward way that it makes the fantastical elements and setting stand out a...