Reviews

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

ayushi13_'s review

adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

howljenkis's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

my favorite book forever!

sadallthetime's review against another edition

3.0

The writing style wasn’t my favorite, it did take a while to hop in because after the first few chapters, nothing really happened besides cleaning.

I wish we could’ve seen the actual fights between Howl and the Witch of the Waste

mellowbry's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

It's unfair to compare this to the Studio Ghibli adaptation since it takes the story's muscles and bones and heightens its whimsy, romance, and anti-establishment undertones. Compared to the theatrical approach of the adaption, this book feels a lot more like a sitcom following the daily escapades of Howl, Sophie, Calcifer, Michael, and others. But a good sitcom is highly debatable....
Some aspects I will give Jones credit for are the dynamics between the characters. Howl is MUCH more selfish, childish, and overly dramatic than his film counterpart, while Sophie is more blunt, stubborn, and ambitious. This makes for great banter between the two (and character foil), but not exactly romantic banter; more so, close roommate banter, which was greatly disappointing since I love Howl's and Sophie's relationship in the movie. Also, there's no build-up to the romance. They have one heart-to-heart moment in the middle of the book, and then nothing until the end

when they hold hands, cementing their sudden feelings for one another.

There's also a convoluted love triangle? Love square? Idk I lost track at a certain point since I hate that troupe anyway. 
Two more things that I think the book does slightly better than the movie. Emphasize on slightly. 

1. Sophie
   can use magic. It's not much and it functions as manipulation/demands but it's a really cool trait that becomes crucial during many plot points and even challenges Sophie's internalized self-consciousness.
2. The Scarecrow
   being a byproduct of Wizard Suliman's abilities rather than some random prince randomly cursed into a scarecrow is plot-wise logically sensible.

Overall, I like the close family, magic, and beauty of the film better than the book. If Howl and Sophie were the main narrative focus of the next book in this series then I would've liked to see where they ended up next. But since they unfortunately aren't, at least there's an awesome movie with a stellar soundtrack to satisfy me instead. 

nightingale42a's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

mailovely's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

achristiannerd's review against another edition

funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A wonderful, low-stakes silly fantasy. I'm excited to see how Studio Ghibli interprets it!

xtinaji's review against another edition

4.0

3.5 Stars - Yet another review from someone who adored the Ghibli movie, only to just now read the book! It's been said over and over again how the book has a tighter plot and bolder, sassier versions of Howl & Sophie - a statement I completely agree with. Jones weaves together a tight narrative, with multiple disparate threads coming together at the end seamlessly. The book made me appreciate the movie more too, for many of the differences were delightful to find + its interesting to see why both the source material and the adaption /work/ for their respective mediums. An overall quick and enjoyable read, though the pacing was a little off for me around the last couple of chapters.

apricots_and_peaches's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

maddiwillman's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0