About the Book
Sophie lived in the town of Market Chipping, which was in Ingary, a land in which anything could happen, and often did – especially when the Witch of the Waste got her dander up. Which was often.
As her younger sisters set out to seek their fortunes, Sophie stayed in her father’s hat shop. Which proved most unadventurous, until the Witch of the Waste came in to buy a bonnet, but was not pleased. Which is why she turned Sophie into an old lady. Which was spiteful witchery.
Now Sophie must seek her own fortune. Which means striking a bargain with the lecherous Wizard How. Which means entering his ever-moving castle, taming a blue fire-demon, and meeting the Witch of the Waste head-on. Which was more than Sophie bargained for…
The Long Story
Having long been a fan of Hayao Miyazaki’s film work with animated films like Spirited Away, I watched Howl’s Moving Castle as soon as I could get my hands on it. And I certainly wasn’t disappointed. Of course, after hearing that Howl’s Moving Castle is based on a book, I bought the book as soon as I could and devoured it.
Diana Wynne Jones has a unique style of writing that makes you feel less like you’re reading a book and more like you’re hearing a story. That may sound confusing, but it comes down to Jones’ conversational kind of writing even in the rhythm with which she writes. While it does take away from being able to lose yourself in the story at times, it still lent to the fairytale feeling of the overall story.
Along with writing in a conversational tone, Jones concentrates on little details that aren’t repeated. Readers should make sure they pay attention to details, or they might find the very end to be a little confusing or out of the blue.
Anyone who has seen the movie should not approach the book expecting the same thing. While you can expect some changes to any movie that originally came from a book, the movie took changes to another level. Both book and movie are quite similar until about halfway through. Then the movie and book go in different directions, not even truly meeting back up for the ending.
I found the ending to be somewhat anticlimactic, but I’m also used to reading more sweeping, epic tales of fantasy rather than realistic ones. Howl’s and Sophie’s relationship is a subtle one, and the ending fit her personality quite well. I should be happy that Jones didn’t beat the reader over the head with the events of the ending, but I still finished the book feeling not unhappy but definitely a smidge unsatisfied.
The Short Story
I recommend this book as a unique story in writing style and content. I only offer the warning that you shouldn’t dig in expecting the movie.
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Rating: 4 stars
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Howl’s Moving Castle
Diana Wynne Jones
http://www.leemac.freeserve.co.uk/
ISBN: 9780064410342
Length: 329 pages