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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
- 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
- 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
theirgracegrace's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Stalking, Body horror, Gaslighting, and Kidnapping
Minor: Alcohol and Alcoholism
emzhay'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
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
huntress's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Minor: War, Alcohol, and Body horror
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
grizzlysnack's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The writing is wonderfully done and executed (especially for the foreshadowing and clues scattered throughout the book!), and the characters are full of spunk and personality. Just don't expect it to be exactly like the Ghibli movie! :)
Graphic: Confinement and Body horror
Moderate: Murder and Death
erebus53'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
4.0
The book is certainly clearer to understand than the film. It is made clear that Sophie interacts with inanimate objects and respects them more than most people, but because it's her "normal" she doesn't realise that the things she says to the things that she talks to or makes are taken to heart by those items. She is innately magical, but does not see it. This has a subversive, dreamy quality, and I could see how it would be inspirational to a young reader... what if I am magical too, and I just haven't noticed, or figured out the trick of it?
A lot of the little descriptions in the books are rendered in the movie very faithfully. Little things like feeding eggshells to the fire have been faithfully captured in the animated version, though as is always the case, the movie just doesn't have the scope to unpack all the backstory provided in the book.
I am very glad that I got the chance to check this version out, as it fills out a lot more of a story that I already loved. It would be a great read for the 10+ age group.
Graphic: Kidnapping, Body horror, and Confinement
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Mental illness
Minor: War and Death