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ksparks's review
3.0
this book contains Howl's Moving Castle, the story the Miyazaki animated film is based on, and Castle in the Air. Castle in the Air is pretty silly but I loved Howl's moving castle. I was impressed by how true to the story the movie is. Howl's Moving Castle reminds me of the fairy tales I loved so much when I was a kid.
victoriaroberts's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
carolinecoyne's review
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mordecai72's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
chronographia's review
4.0
**NB: Read solely for Castle In The Air.
There is a moment after you've just read The Horse and His Boy when some well-intentioned soul feels the need to explain the allegory to you and ruins the whole business. Diana Wynne Jones neatly avoids the downsides of C. S. Lewis by building a similar story that eventually ties in with already familiar characters and places, but as seen from the perspective of a neighboring land and excluding all allegory in the process. (Also she doesn't sucker you in with magical talking horses, which is a relief.)
I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the arabesque tropes she plays with, as they have been so hashed over and trampled by European storytellers for centuries that it's hard to tell where she stops just being another European storyteller using other people's folklore and starts being a subversive author deliberately playing against type. By the end of the book, she has hit her stride. She takes a long, scenic route to get there, and gets lost a few times along the way, though.
There is a moment after you've just read The Horse and His Boy when some well-intentioned soul feels the need to explain the allegory to you and ruins the whole business. Diana Wynne Jones neatly avoids the downsides of C. S. Lewis by building a similar story that eventually ties in with already familiar characters and places, but as seen from the perspective of a neighboring land and excluding all allegory in the process. (Also she doesn't sucker you in with magical talking horses, which is a relief.)
I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the arabesque tropes she plays with, as they have been so hashed over and trampled by European storytellers for centuries that it's hard to tell where she stops just being another European storyteller using other people's folklore and starts being a subversive author deliberately playing against type. By the end of the book, she has hit her stride. She takes a long, scenic route to get there, and gets lost a few times along the way, though.
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