Castle in the Air (Howl's Castle Book 2)

Once I started reading this book, I got so immersed in it, that I dovoured it in two days. The book is easy to read and easy to comprehend, has captivating plot and funny characters that you are going to enjoy much.

If your choice to read this book is based on seeing Miyazaki's film adaptation, which is my case, then please note that the book and the film have not much in common except of main characters (Sophie, Howl, his apprentice)and begining of the story, when Sophie is transformed into an old lady by the Witch of the Waste.

The story of the book is far more complex and captivating than a film adaptation could ever be.

Spending money on this book is not a waste.

I really enjoyed this book. It was nowhere near as enjoyable as the Miyazaki movie, but it was great to read the book behind the movie. I couldn't put it down, which is always a good sign. I would recommend this book, but I would suggest waiting until the price is under $5. I feel that I overpaid, but since I enjoyed the book, it was worth the price.

The only reason I don't give this five stars is because it's abridged. John Sessions does a wondrous job differentiating characters, and reads with as apparent relish that made me long all the more for the full, unabridged version of this, one of my favourite-ever books.

I very much liked this book. It was fun and imaginative. I highly recommend it to adults and young people looking for a light little adventure. I also highly recommend the movie. It's a bit different in parts, but also wonderful. I do wish this would have been available on Kindle.

This is such a sweet book and I enjoyed it immensely. As an adult reader, I can see that this book would appeal to all ages from Potterheads to Pratchetteers (Sorry, Sir Terry, RIP) I haven't seen the movie as I have heard it is not the same as the book, and as the book is so English, I would prefer to keep that view in my mind. You could do worse than see out a rainy day by reading this little gem.

The main character goes through a transformation within and without. Though it was more light than serious, the story drew me in early and didn't let go until I was done. Jones' sense of humor doesn't hurt, either.

My wife and I read this book together and really enjoyed the fantasy of it all. We watched the movie later (which of course is very different) and definitely thought the book was better. Howl's antics are entertaining but no, he is not someone we'd want to be around. Will definitely be look at other Diana Wynne Jones books!

I really enjoyed the movie when I watched it and I was surprised that there was actually a book. I like the book very much, although, some may find it slow and a little convoluted in some places. The book certainly fleshes out the characters more than the movie and I enjoyed knowing them, however I think the movie and the book should probably be judged on their own merit.

"Castle in the Air" is supposed to be the sequel to "Howl's Moving Castle", but I didn't feel that the connection between these two books is very good. First of all, the main characters of "Howl's Moving Castle" don't appear until the end of the book. In addition, when the characters finally do appear, its seems as if they had undergone a personality change. Speaking of personality, I didn't feel that the characters were well developed. In fact you never really care for the main character of this book, especially after you learn of his urges to kick cats. Whether he finds his princess or gets turned into a toad, it's all fine as far as the reader goes because the reader never gets a chance to feel any sympathy for the character.

As far as the action goes, it never develops into a coherent story. It just seems like an endless stream of minor incidents thrown together. When you finally get to the end, you'll groan at the simple trick used to resolve the final confrontation with the villian. Not even an elementary school student would fall for it, but it works in this story.

In the end, my recommendation is to pass on this book. If you haven't read "Howl's Moving Castle", I recommend reading that instead. If you have, don't get this book. It doesn't add anything to "Howl's Moving Castle". It shouldn't be labeled as a sequel.

Well okay, the book is pretty similar to the Studio Ghibli version (the movie being based off the book in the first place), but yet they are so different in character personalities and events... I love the movie more because I saw that before reading this book. But as a separate book, it captured my interest and I enjoyed reading this:)

It sure took a long time to ship but once I received it, was glad I made the purchase. It's a paperback that's easy to hold. I love the design on the cover. The pages are regular mass market type quality but the font and spacing between lines is great. I love it and would buy it again.

This is one of my favorite books. I have been waiting for this to come on Kindle for the last two years! The kindle however needs editing. Even that slight annoyance still a great read and a good companion to the Movie however are not exactly related. I am so thankful its finally out. I love how Diane Wynn Jones writes its very comfortable. I don't find it just ended like some reviewers stated. I feel it fit perfectly to the book. I recommend anyone who is into fantasy give this a try!

This is a quick read, and entertaining. If you saw the movie, it is similar except the characters in the book are more flawed and believable. The movie version of Howl is a bit sanitized - he is not as noble as depicted on film.

I had no idea that one of my favorite movies was actually based on a young adult novel. The book follows a similar story line, but with the added bonus of more detail about all of the characters. All the great stuff from the movie is there, but it's richer and fuller. A fun and easy read!

Like most of my generation, I saw the animated movie before every hearing about the book. I adored it, honestly. I'm fully considering finding and buying a hard back to keep as bedtime story stock.

For those of you here in search of a more detailed version of the movie, you're in for a bittersweet disappointment. I found the real story more interesting, more satisfying than the movie.

This book is great! I saw the movie before I read the book. The movie is amazing (if you haven't seen it) and the book is even more amazing. I couldn't put it down. You receive so much more of the story through the book and you understand so much more of Howl and Sophie. Read this book if you love the movie. Again, great book.

I ordered this as a Christmas gift for my daughter. I originally had a hard time finding it, I should have gone directly to the store.com of couse it was here! The item was received in excellent condition it was bought new. I ordered it late but it still arrived before Christmas thank you the store!

Let me start out by saying I love the movie version I have watched it over 100 times. Upon seeing the reviews about the book I decided to give it a try and I am happy I did. Reading the book after the movie gave me a chance to see the how amazing Hayao Miyazaki's imagination is.

The book was also well written kept me interested and I liked the character of Sophie in the book she had more to her that you didn't see in the movie. This was a quick read that I really enjoyed if you love the movie I would recommend taking a look at the book :)

This is one of my favorite books by Ms. Jones, though many of them are great reads. "Howl's Moving Castle" has a fun, busy plot with creative writing and memorable characters. A must-read for lovers of fantasy and magic.

Excelente libro, la tipografía es grande y cómoda para leer, y aun estando en inglés es de fácil comprensión./Excellent book, the font is large and comfortable to read, and even in English is easily understood. Good purchase!!!

I wanted to love this book but I really couldn't. I'm always the person who loves the book verses the movie but it's the first time it actually turned out to be the opposite for me. I loved the movie so I thought I'd enjoy the book even more. I bought the hardcover version for $15.99 which was great quality but I wish I had bought the cheaper paperback version for $10 less since I doubt I'll ever want to read it again. For some reason I didn't like most the characters. They seemed more gloomy, serious, and prone to arguing more than I thought they would be. It did have its moments of charm and calcifer is still my favorite. The magic in the book was interesting but most of the chapters seemed unexciting for the most part. I didn't find much humor in the book and what little romance there was didn't really fit in with the story, it was kind just thrown in the last chapter just because. If I was able to find it in any of my local libraries and read it prior to purchasing, I wouldn't have bought it. It's an easy, quick read I just really didn't like it. Very disappointed.

Howl's Moving Castle may have originally been intended for the young teenage set, but my great-granddaughter is almost 24 and madly in love with the book. She saw the Hiyao Miyazaki movie first, then read the book at our local library. She's now read her own copy at least 15 times since we bought it and she falls more and more in love with Howl, Sophie, Michael, and Calcifer every time. This book is a terrific read.

Maybe if I had read the book first, I would have thought it was better than the movie, but this is one case where I like the movie more. The movie was more colorful and funny. Miyazaki really brought life to it! In fact, if I'd read the book first, I'm not sure I would have thought it was movie material. I'm glad someone decided it was, because the movie is delightful.

Hayao Miyazaki's animated Howl's Moving Castle is one of my favorite of his films so was quite delighted when I found the book. The book was much longer than the movie and the story line slightly different but still loved all the characters and their personalities. This is one case though where I still like the movie version better than the book version.

I enjoyed this book immensely! I have owned the movie for a few years now and after so many times watching the film it became my favorite of the Studio Ghibli films available. I had to read the book and have wanted to for quite a while. I consider the book and the movie two different animals but like them each(very much so) individually. I kind of like that they were different from one another. While reading, I still had the SG images in my head with DWJ's characters.

I finally read this book after falling in love with the movie (I didn't know it was based off a book). I loved it! Perfectly charming in the characters and storyline. It has made its way into my list of books that I will read over and over again.

What a lovely romp through fantasy! More importantly, though, is the evolution of the character of Sophie. Her journey is what makes this a gem of a book.

Whimsical, light hearted, and quick paced.

It is a great book and the world is a great book and the world is a great book and the world is a great book and the world is a great book and a half the worlds largest in a great book is the end of a great book and Sebastian the world of us have been a tree k and Sebastian sitting on this island likes to see the worlds most important thing is that it was a beautiful thing

This book has been on my to read list sence I was a kid there just has been to many books I wanted to read. Then the movei came out and I just had to read it. Loved them both and am looking forward to read many mkre books by this author. She wrote this way before harry potter. Loved it for the kindle.

I'm gonna be the black sheep in the comments and explain why, personally for me, the book wasn't great. For starters, I'll admit I became interested in this book thanks to the movie, which I didn't know for the longest time was based on Jones work. So when I heard about this book I had to buy it, and from what I read in the comments they made it out to be amazing, even better than the movie's version. One thing I learned about comments regarding books, if they don't explain why the plot was great it's because they didn't read it or they really did like it or they're just not critical like me. I knew from the start the book was going to be different from the movie. The only thing I expected was for it to be more descriptive, fill in parts the movie had to cut in order to save time and make room for personal creativity.
Plot wise, it was simple. Sophie's trying to break free from the Witch's curse. However, her curse and her own magic, which she didn't know she had, will connect to an even bigger situation the Witch is plotting. The problem is, you forgot that was the main idea. At the beginning, after making a deal with Calcifer in which both parties will break each other's curse, Sophie tries to find clues to the contract Howl made with Cal. But, then, she forgets about it and instead focuses on stopping Howl from courting anymore girls whose hearts he only breaks. It's at the end the plot returns to its original purpose. The rest of the book was boring.
As for the characters, HUGE letdown. Little boy Markl from the movie is teenage Michael in the book with little personality. He's just a love-struck, scaredy mice that has no significant purpose other than to be Howl's apprentice. Calcifer, I was real disappointed with him. In the movie, he was a funny smart-alec caring demon. In this version, he just fades into the background and fills the role of a magical furnace. Howl isn't as mysterious as he was in Ghiblis' version, he's more obsessed with his looks and women. As for Sophie - dear, sweet Sophie . . . is a bitter, cranky woman with serious temper issues! She was a whirlwind of hormonal emotions. In the beginning when she was young, she became a depressing, insecure weakling. And you don't even know what caused it. She just pinned it on herself, "Oh, I'll never be anything good because I'm the oldest." First of all, where did that belief come from? But, then, when she became a granny she was suddenly a loony, disgruntled, nosy, nagging, temperamental woman.
Interactions was seriously missing from the characters. Not to say they didn't talk, but we didn't see friendships develop. Especially the romance between Howl and Sophie. In fact, I'm not sure if they did fall in love! Cal and Michael did mention that a sure sign to know if Howl is serious about a girl is if he didn't care about his appearances. Yeah, okay, but I didn't get that vibe at all, even when they were holding hands at the end. They could have confessed their love and I still wouldn't believe it. It just wasn't well developed.
All in all, the book was a let down. Anyone can disagree with me and argue how I'm wrong I'm just stating an opinion.

This is one of the most amazing novels I have ever read. It is simple fabulous, captivating, and just amazing details for a book. I could picture myself in Market Chipping. A wonderful that was beautifully brought to life in a great film. Awesome book.

Buyer beware! At page 324, there is a completely different book inserted! Pages 325 through 356 are missing and replaced by pages 343-374 of a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BOOK. This is for HarperCollins' Greenwillow Book, First EOS edition 2008. Now we have to find one that was published correctly.

OK, I read this as a Kindle buck 99 download. I liked the story and character. It certainly pissed me off when, at 83% the story was over and I got an interview. Don't do this to us Kindle. When I buy a book and it has 398 pages, I expect the story to end on the three hundred and ninety eighth page. Thanks for allowing me the rant. Good story.

Diana Wynne Jones is an amazing story teller. You will absolutely fall in love with her characters in this wonderful world of magic and wizards. If you saw Hayao Miyazaki's animated interpertation of this story, you will love the book just as much. Possibly more!

The audio version of this book is great. When listening to it, I think it sounds exactly how it sounds in my head when I read the actual book myself. I can't complain with the audio version of the book, I'm only disappointed that there isn't a regular kindle version of the book itself, without the audio.

I read this book when I was 10 and loved it,after seeing the movie I was curious to see if the book was as wOnderful as I remembered it. It was so fun to reread it as an adult and I am so excited for when my daughter is old enough and I can pass it on to her.

I had always love the movie made by Studio Ghibli, and had always wanted to read the book. now I have and now I love both even more! So much plot is left out of the movie but that always happens with book to movie transitions. I will read this again and again.

I haven't gotten far into the story yet, but I'm enjoying it. The problem is with the binding/physical book - it is incredibly cheaply bound even for a mass market paperback. I doubt that I'm going to be able finish reading it before it falls apart.

Try a different edition or maybe one of the other binding options!

With elements of mystery, grandiosely flawed characters, and a healthy dose of charm, Wynne Jones serves up a story that's well worth reading. However... there are some real structural problems with this book. Recurring elements are poorly established and inexpertly linked to later. The ending is a rush of "so this is what was happening all along" and seems to be predicated upon poorly communicated themes and abandoned concepts. There's a lot of unrealized promise in the story and characters and I found myself wishing it had been written in a post-Harry Potter world where Wynne Jones may have had the luxury of another 200 pages to bring things to a more satisfying conclusion.

I bought this book for my sister,and she loved it. It came before it was due on arrive which i thank very much for that. i came just like new how i ordered .

I will perchase soemthing from you again . thanks very much.

Not at all as well written or interesting as the first book.
Left wanting both more substance from the plot and less of the outlandish, embarrassing, jumble of what is one of the least cohesive character ansombles ever!

I loved the movie so I thought I'd give the book a shot. I really like the characters in the book. The movie was definitely better because of the music and visuals but I liked the book almost as much.

This is an amazing book, even better than the movie in depth and detail. The book arrived in perfect condition, and was cheaper than I'd hoped to find it for. I would recommend this for anyone who loves good fantasy books with a good bit of magic involved.

I received this book in great condition, like it was brand new! The story itself was very very good. It's a completely different story from the movie, but it still worked. This has become one of my favorite books and i definitely recommend this!

Howl's Moving Castle as done by Studio Ghibli isn't going to be written in these pages. There are some rather large differences in various ways when I started reading this book, but I have to say its definately a page turner for me. I'm only about 1/3 of the way through so far and still love it.

This book is the best book I've ever read. It's so whimsical and fantastical that it just took my breath away. Please read this book now. I would recommend it to anyone (not sure if action lovers would like it though).

As a person who has enjoyed other books from this author, I can honestly say I liked this one as well. I would definitely recommend it for any age. It would especially be a good book to read aloud to children.

I am a bookworm! (truth) I have read too many books to count and when I read Howl's Moving Castle, It became my most favorite book by far. Once I get it back from my friend I will most certainly read it again! >.< The movie is also extremely awesome.

I bought this book to motivate my 9 year old to read since he likes being on the kindle so much so He reads 2-3 chapters a night for his reading log, the book is keeping him interested. He says it is funny and very good.

This was a book for all ages that enjoy a good fantasy. It was never dragging and had lots of fun tongue and cheek and you could really relate to Sophie [both young and old Sophie] It is a book that I will pass on to my Grandkids.

I saw the movie first and loved it! While there were some differences from the movie, which were to be expected, the book was funny, and a great story. I thoroughly, enjoyed it! It was very hard to put down.

Recommended to me by a friend and I'm unimpressed. I made it 3/4 the way through and couldn't drag it out any farther. The characters are haphazard and random and the plot doesn't seem to go anywhere. Sophie needs to become a little girl again? Okay.... so.... when is she going to do something about that? And this was made into a movie? Come on. I just couldn't get attached to any of the characters or the even the plot. Sorry, Miss Jones. Maybe next time.

I honestly watched the movie before reading the book and loved it as well. However, I love the book even more! I feel like it's so detailed and really brings out the characters personalities. Loved it, must read!

I purchased this book on the recommendation of others. For the most part, I didn't like it. My biggest problem was with the characters of Sophie and Howl. I just didn't like them. They are both overly emotional, avoiders, and terrible communicators. My other problem was with the ending: don't tell me that everything had a reason and then don't really explain it. And Sophie's "magic" is never really clearly figured out or discussed, everyone just kind of refers to it. Come on, give the reader a better explanation of what they just read through. There is a lot of action which was somewhat entertaining, but I felt that a certain amount of it was pointless. I cannot recommend this book.

I absolutely love this book! It is clever, cute, and funny with wonderful characters and a unique story. Everyone I have recommended this book to have loved it as well. You can't go wrong with this story!

I have loved this story for many years now and was delighted to get a copy in hard cover... my poor paperback has been loving read time and again for far too long.

Diana Wynne Jones is a wonderful author and a must read for fantasy lovers.

I really enjoyed the imagination that went into this story. Howl's castle is a one of a kind and really exercised the mind. The book also developed a few interesting characters very well. All in all though, I would have liked to see more plot development. The book felt rushed, like the author was trying to hit a deadline and didn't have time to go back and proof read. I'm not sure if I will be reading another book in this series. I would like to see if this great concept takes off.

I saw the movie first and you know what everyone says "the book is always better than the movie". Well in this case...not so. The Imaginary world of Howl was interesting, but the short dialogue between the characters and long narrations had me skipping along the book a little. I couldn't connect with characters and the selfish yet caring persona the author tried to give Howl let much to be desired. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book if you have already seen the movie.

Good read by a good author of fantasy. BUT, this book's storyline, characters & plot is not the same as the famous animae movie "Howl's Castle." I bought the book thinking it was a novel version of the movie's story and I was disappointed. Jones has invented a new kind of Cindarella fantasy wizard-type story. Though the storyline meanders, a few of the characters, especially the secondary characters, are vague, the book was worth reading. Believe me, the settings, storyline, characters, plot, etc., are beautifully & fully fleshed out in the animae movie version. Hayao Miyazaki is a genius!