Howl's Moving Castle Author: Diana Wynne Jones | Language: English | ISBN:
B008LV8TSU | Format: PDF
Howl's Moving Castle Description
Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl's castle. To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there's far more to Howl—and herself—than first meets the eye.
- File Size: 657 KB
- Print Length: 340 pages
- Page Numbers Source ISBN: 006441034X
- Publisher: Greenwillow Books; Reprint edition (September 25, 2012)
- Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
- Language: English
- ASIN: B008LV8TSU
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray:
- Lending: Not Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,583 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #37
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Children's eBooks > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths - #74
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Children's eBooks > Science Fiction, Fantasy & Scary Stories > Fantasy & Magic - #77
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Children's eBooks > Action & Adventure
- #37
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Children's eBooks > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths - #74
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Children's eBooks > Science Fiction, Fantasy & Scary Stories > Fantasy & Magic - #77
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Children's eBooks > Action & Adventure
Diana Wynne-Jones has a well-deserved reputation for funny, well-plotted, keep-you-riveted-to-your-chair fantasy stories. Here she provides an unusual sorcerer, an unlikely heroine, and a lot of sly winks at fantasies and fairy tales. Very entertaining.
Sophie Hatter is the eldest of three daughters, which in this fantasyland means that she's the one who doesn't have an astounding "fortune" to seek. Instead she's stuck at the hat shop. One day a plump, very rude woman comes to see the hats, and Sophie uncharacteristically insults her. Unfortunately, this woman is the Witch of the Wastes, and responds by aging Sophie into a crone. Peeved out of being shy and retiring, she tramps off to the "Moving Castle" of the supposedly evil wizard Howl, who reportedly [steals] out the souls of young girls.
After arriving at the castle, she encounters Howl's pleasant apprentice and contracted fire demon Calcifer (who promises to disenchant Sophie if she breaks his contract). Though she annoys the rather self-absorbed Howl and drives Calcifer almost nuts at times, Sophie becomes the cleaning lady at the Moving Castle. She begins searching for the chewed-up hearts of the girls, only to find something a lot more bizarre -- including her own peculiar magic.
If you've ever read a fairy tale -- Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast -- you'll know that the youngest kids are always are the favored ones. They go on to marry princes or princesses, become wealthy and beloved. Jones mocks this and many other fairy-tale cliches, such as the hilarious scene where Sophie lurches around in seven-league boots. There's even a brief homage to J.R.R. Tolkien.
It's certainly an interesting twist to have a not-so-evil evil-wizard, a harried apprentice, and a heroine who appears to be in her nineties.
Howl's Moving Castle is, overall, a good book.
That said, I don't think it is even in the same sphere of interest as J. R. R. Tolkien, or J. K. Rowling. The tone is different; DWJ maintains a witty tone, very emotional, but practical as well. She keeps you interested because of the ways her characters act. Sophie is a particularly complex character, and I enjoyed the ways in which she tried to deny her, um, feelings for Howl (especially the weed killer). I found Tolkien to be more detail-oriented, and less character-based. His books weren't as easy (or, in my opinion, interesting) to read. J. K. Rowling? A different story entirely. The three books don't compare, and not because one is better than the other. They're just completely different.
The book and the movie differ as well. At least two people I know, faced with me coaxing them into reading the book after seeing the movie, declined, with the excuse that they didn't think the book would be as good. This is definitely NOT TRUE. Miyazaki couldn't possibly summarize the character's personalities (Sophie's stubbornness and emotionalness; Howl's selfishness, and total escapism, and his courage, bravery, genius and hot! body, haha). He didn't even try. Come on. Even though I love Miyazaki, admire his films, and think he is truly skilled, I don't think this film was at all his best. The characters were saccharine. Sophie was a nice old woman without a lot of personality, and Howl was a seemingly selfish man who turned out to be a flying bird turned war hero turned 'ideal' male lead. And then there was the Witch. She WASN'T GOOD. SHE WAS EVIL. I know I sound pessimistic, and there were parts of the movie that made me love it... but as a movie. I loved this book first, and I was really disappointed with the movie.
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