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natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Body horror and Confinement
Moderate: Death and Murder
Minor: Violence, Death of parent, and Alcohol
small_shrimp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Minor: Death of parent and Child death
katievallin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, and Body horror
Minor: Death of parent and Alcohol
tays_books's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Death and Murder
Minor: Ableism, Death of parent, and Alcohol
novella42's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
I think my favorite part was getting a clearer glimpse at the interiority of the characters (mostly Sophie) and what made them tick. It's very clear to me now that Howl is neurodivergent and likely coded for autism, though it's unclear how aware the author was of that when she wrote it in 1986. Mild spoiler:
Howl, the resident Manic Pixie Dreamboy, is still a frustrating character with a lot of elements of misogyny to unpack, concerning infidelity and relationships with minors. For example, Sophie is 17 and he is in his early/mid 20s. (There's no Storygraph tag for ageism, but this book definitely has a lot of ageism, with many characters valuing youth above all else in small and large ways.) Howl is kind to her in different ways, and they seem to (kind of?) work well together, but it's not clear to me exactly why she falls for him after being frustrated with him for most of the book. It felt like a lot of stuff I've read/seen from the 80s where a lot of stuff gets excused because love enters the equation.
Howl's Moving Castle has a very "oral history fairytale told around the fire" kind of voice to me. A lot happens in exposition. Also, I don't typically enjoy mysteries because I can rarely solve the puzzles before the end and don't get the dopamine hit from that which some friends enjoy. But I suspect if you enjoy solving mysteries, this one might feel a little, um. Oddball.
I hesitated to read this book because body horror is usually a hard no for me due to trauma, but a friend said it wasn't graphic in the way I usually find hard, so I gave it a try with the reading equivalent of tiptoeing cautiously into the book. It ended up being fine for me. If anyone else is concerned about that, here's a clear detailed spoiler of what that means:
Graphic: Gaslighting, Body horror, Confinement, Infidelity, and Stalking
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Fatphobia, Ableism, Mental illness, Sexism, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Torture, War, Cursing, Death of parent, Vomit, Alcohol, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexism, and Slavery
e_r_q's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"There was nothing outside. It was neither black, nor gray, nor white. It was not thick, or transparent. It did not move. It had no smell and no feel. [...] it was neither hot nor cold. It felt of nothing. It seemed utterly and completely nothing."
Diana Wynne Jones' whimsical and humourous writing helps craft some extremely lovable characters, and brings this creative fantasy world to life, introducing a refreshingly feminine perspective to a typically male-dominated genre. The matter-of-factness with which the book's absurd and sometimes dark magical elements are described is hilariously delightful, and I love the relative contrast of how contemporary real world Wales is described with a tone of utter amazement.
The plot of Howl's Moving Castle is impressively layered, clever and interconnected, especially for a children's book. Although, sometimes the narrative can get bogged down with being convoluted, and some plot points feel a little too vague. Additionally, there are high stakes, but they aren't effectively reinforced, meaning there is no real urgency to the plot.
But still, I did really enjoy Howl's Moving Castle, and I'm excited to check out its famed Anime adaptation (although I have a feeling the Anime will be extremely different to the source material).
Minor: Body horror and Death of parent
paintinyourwing's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Minor: Alcohol and Death of parent
foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcohol and Death of parent
nolongerhuman_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Minor: Death of parent
raypaws's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Moderate: Death and Body horror
Minor: Death of parent