Castle in the Air

Diana Wynne Jones is very in tune with her young audience. The story flowed well, the characters were well-developed, and the enjoyment factor was higher than expected. I'd highly recommend this book for pre-teens and for people (like myself) who enjoy quick, entertaining little reads from time to time.

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.

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.

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 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!

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 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!

Love the story...but the condition of the book isn't very good. The speed at which I received my order was fast. The book looked good on the outside, but I have to be very gentle and careful when I open in because the inside binding is cracking and ready to fall apart.

Some of this author's early books are entertaining even for adults in the same way Harry Potter is, but this book is very difficult to get through because of the nonsensical plot. You can feel the author trying very hard to make something out of an idea, and spinning out prose just for the sake of making a longer book, but it is a very very thin story. It was much better conceptualized as an animated film by Miyazaki (Studio Ghibli), also of the same title, because the film made much better use of the characters.

Why I Think Boys May Enjoy This

Since I generally like to address when books that were made into well-known film adaptations, let me start off by pointing out that the (beautifully done and Academy Award nominated) Miyazaki adaptation is vastly different from the book. Miyazaki’s film uses the same core concepts but the entire “war” subplot and the much more sympathetic and likable Howl character make the film really different from the book. They are both great for their own reasons but I just felt it was important to note that the book is a really different experience.

Unlike the film, the book feels more like a fairy tale fantasy than that steampunk/adventure story of the film. From the word go, the story feels more like Little Women than Wizard of Oz. By the midway point, the two concepts merge into an amalgamation of the two. The courting/romance plots of Sophie’s sisters (which is cut from the film) is really important and weaves the extra layer of mystery and “ah-ha” moments throughout the story. The mysterious origin of Howl (and Wizard Suliman) demonstrate how this world is connected to but separate from our world (in an Alice in Wonderland sort of way).

Sophie Hatter is the key reason this book is so delightfully wonderful. She is one of the greatest irreverent heroines I’ve read. What I mean by this is that she just takes whatever comes without any complaint and pushes on. Her ability to just accept being turned into an old woman with basically a shrug of her shoulders early in the book really sets the tone for her ability to face any situation with casual dismissal and steadfast determination. Sophie’s attitude sets the pace for everything in the story and it’s quite refreshing.

Overall, it would be a travesty if I don’t mention Calcifer in this review. Sophie is amazing. Michael is fun. Howl is a brooding, whiny teenager throughout. Calcifer, though, is a snarky fire demon who also serves as one of the few continuous comic relief characters. (Sidenote: Billy Crystal voicing Calcifer in the film was a perfect casting.) In addition to his sarcasm, he provides a lot of the foreshadowing that pulls the plot together between the missing prince, Howl’s attitude, and the Witch of the Wastes’ motivations. He may seem like he’s just a fire for cooking bacon, but Calcifer is the glue that keeps the story from falling apart throughout.

Content/Appropriateness

This story is a wonderful read appropriate all the way down to middle grades. It is an easy read and even a strong 8+ reader could handle it without issue. There are no sexual, violent, or language concerns either. There are romantic subplots in the book but they are very simple and Victorian in nature (eg, the girls fawning over who they’re going to marry and all) but it is far from a “kissing book”.

Rating

4/5 Giant Cartoon Mallets from Toonopolis, The Blog's Books for Boys Review

the writing was juvenile. Even though the Harry Potter series was written for teens/young adults the writing was so well done that all ages could enjoy them.

Could not retain my interest. Did not finish.

Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

Though I haven’t seen the anime in years, this has been one of my favorites from the director since the first time I saw the movie. I’ve always known, sort of in the back of my head, that it was drawn from a novel, but when I came across the eBook recently, it was time to see that side of the picture.

The novel in no ways disappoints. The movie successfully recreated the feel of the book, which is one of the reasons I liked it so much. I need to rewatch the anime now to figure out what was different, but the sad, if only in her perspective, tale of Sophie Hatter, the oldest of three in a fairytale world, unfolds beautifully.

Sophie believes her role in life is predetermined by the common themes of the fairytale, so much so that she’s blind to her own reality. Her two younger sisters are both self-absorbed and worried about her in their own ways, while the truth behind her stepmother doesn’t come clear until much later in the story.

There are a lot of seeds that lack enough information to give me answers and yet draw me in with the possibilities and keep me guessing. As I go through my notes, I see for one character several suggestions of who he might be that are later proven false and yet turn out to be true in a weird way. Calcifer, the fire demon Sophie meets in Howl’s castle, is handing Sophie hints she’s slow to see, but which start to paint a very different picture of the story she’s joined than she expected.

Howl, on the other hand, is the opposite of what Sophie believed him to be, and yet, the more she knows him, the more she sees how the stories are true. Where her enchantment both matured her and freed Sophie from her own fears, Howl is immature to a fault and everyone around him engages in the process of helping him navigate the world despite his nature.

It’s a silly little story with a silly ending, but at the same time, it’s a moving tale of fears and relationships, and of laying claim to your place in the world instead of accepting what you believe is true.

I very much enjoyed the time I spent in this world and with these characters. Even better, the edition I have has an interview with the author at the back that reveals there are more tales available in the fairytale world with these characters. I found the interview a delight as her engagement with the characters is very true to the feel of the world as a whole.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It had most of the charm, imaginative elements, and humor of the first book. It took a great deal of time for familiar characters from the first book to appear in recognizable form. I did like the first book a good deal more. Overall, this was still time-well-spent.

Once again, Jenny Sterlin was a most enjoyable narrator.

Published in 1986, this book for young adults by Diana Wynne Jones is the first in a trilogy that includes #2 Castle in the Air and #3 House of Many Ways. The 2004 animated film of the same name helped enhance its popularity, and it's the kind of book that will have a strong appeal to Harry Potter fans.

The main character is a young lady named Sophie Hatter, who along with her two sisters Lettie and Martha finds herself working after the death of her father. When the Witch of the Waste turns her into an old lady, she enters the moving castle of the legendary bad wizard Howl, where she takes up a position as a cleaning lady, with the assistance of Howl's apprentice Michael Fisher, and makes a deal with the fire "demon" Calcifer, in an effort to get released from her spell. As it turns out, all the noise about Howl being an evil wizard is just bluster and publicity, and he's actually a good natured chap, despite his idiosyncrasies. The moving castle turns out to have magical entrances, and functions as a portal to multiple places: Market Chipping (above Sophie's original home), Porthaven (a seaside city), Kingsbury (the royal capital), and Wales (where Howl grew up). But once inside the castle, Sophie's adventures have only just begun, and she finds herself in the middle of a complex web that includes Howl's various lovers, and a missing member of the King's family.

It's a great story, with many creative elements of imagination, lots of magic, and never becomes so serious that it bogs down. It remains light hearted and often humorous, while being constantly engaging, although the plot twists and character relationships can be a little complex and hard to follow at times, so it probably bears re-reading and is even better the second time around. My children are big Harry Potter fans, and also enjoyed this story immensely, and that is high praise. Now to find the next two in the series! - GODLY GADFLY (April 2018)

So I didn't know this book existed until a few months ago, upon my rewatch of the amazing movie (seriously, if you haven't watched it, please do yourself a favor and just do that) I noticed that it said based off of a novel. So, I added this book to my TBR, a bit wary of how it would compare to the movie (which I aDORE). I had no idea when I would pick it up, but stumbled across it at the the store bookstore and it just seemed to be a sign. So I bought it.

And oh my god.

I didn't expect this to be the exact same story as the movie; I expected variation, which is part of what scared me. It shouldn't have. The differences in the plot of this story, or the characters themselves, just work. There are two equally amazing variations of the same story, and that shocked me.

Howl is the same drama queen as the man I fell in love with in the movie, with his fashion and his theatrics and his voice (that ensures I will never watch a Batman movie starring Christian Bale). The book gives you an unexpected backstory for Howl, connecting the mythical lands of Kingsbury and beyond to our own modern-day world. That was incredibly unexpected to me, as I couldn't even fathom this connection before--but it just works. Probably the only disappointment in his character is that he doesn't turn into a beautiful bird man at any point. Although he can teleport (dramatically) instead, and once did turn into that big cat. So there's that.

Sophie's character also has more depth, and her character growth by the end of the book completely surpasses the growth present in the movie. Part of this is due to her family dynamic, which is a sliver of a backstory at the beginning of the film, but which takes a larger role within the book. She is the first of three daughters, and she (along with most everyone) thinks that this determines her fate will be bland. This is an instance of foreshadowing where everyone gets proven very, very wrong.

I love Michael, even though he was a teenager instead of the kid from the movie. That was definitely one of the biggest differences, character-wise. I loved Martha and Lettie and Fanny and Mrs. Fairfax.

One of the overarching themes of the movie seemed to be that Sophie could see the good in anyone, and that even the people who were cruel and evil had hearts and souls. Sophie in the book was still kind and forgiving, but she was a spitfire and powerful, and she saw only the good that actually existed. You cannot make something from nothing, and evil stayed evil.

Howl and Sophie's relationship was amusing to see, especially with all its foreshadowing and the general lack of acknowledgement of it for the majority of the book. Definitely worth it though.

I can't wait to read the rest of this series, since I'm already going through Howl withdrawals, so I hope they're worth it too.

I may be a bit different from most people in that I read the book which then led me to the Miyazaki movie. While I enjoyed the movie, I LOVED the book. I understand why things often need to change with the transition from a book to a film, but in this case I much preferred the book.

Also, I might have been a bit piqued when I saw an exec (the top exec? forgetting his name) at Pixar going into raptures in a documentary about what a genius Miyazaki is because of the door with the different exits based on the colored dial. That was pure Diana Wynne Jones! And the change to even this detail disappointed me in the movie with the change to the destination of the black spot on the dial. That was one of my favorite parts in the book, and one of my least favorite in the movie.

No knock on Miyazaki (I'm a huge fan of his work). I'm just unhappy with not seeing -- to me -- the most intriguing aspect of the book being left out of the film.

Not a lot of writers would be brave enough to pen a love story between a girl-turned-old-lady and a wizard missing a vital organ.

But fantasy dowager Diana Wynne Jones was one of those brave enough to write such a story -- and not only does she succeed, but she creates a brilliantly charming story. It's crammed with complex magical conspiracies, unlikely heroines, dimension-hopping, curse and contracts, and some sly subversions of the usual fairy tale tropes (such as good things only happening to the youngest).

A misunderstanding leads to ordinary Sophie Hatter being turned into a crone by the malevolent Witch of the Waste. Finding old age oddly liberating, she wanders away from her hat shop, and becomes the cleaning lady for the powerful wizard Howl, who lives in a moving castle with his fire demon Calcifer. Calcifer strikes a deal with Sophie -- if she can break the contract between him and Howl, he'll restore her youth. The catch is, neither he nor Howl can tell her WHAT the contract is.

While assisting Howl and his apprentice Michael, Sophie discovers that Howl's reputation for wickedness is rather exaggerated -- he doesn't actually eat girls' hearts and suck out their souls, but he is a prodigious flirt who abandons girls once he gets them to fall for him. He's also kind of a drama queen. But soon Sophie finds that the powerful wizard is ensnared in a horrifying curse -- and Howl has only a little time before the curse strikes.

One of Diana Wynne Jones' favorite sources of humor was poking fun at the tropes of fantasy and fairy tales. If you've ever read a fairy tale -- "Cinderella," "Beauty and the Beast" -- you'll know that the youngest kids are always the pure-hearted ones destined for great things. So Jones obviously had a lot of fun with this idea, and uses it as the jumping-off point for "Howl's Moving Castle."

Along the way, she peppers her novel with a complicated, intertwined conspiracy that Sophie only discovers as she spends more time with Howl, involving a curse ("“Go and catch a falling star/Get with child a mandrake root..."), a lost prince, and the Witch of the Waste. The curse's slow unveiling creates a growing sense of dread without revealing much, except the awareness that something terrible is rising slowly.

But it's handled in a fun, tongue-in-cheek way, with Sophie having to deal with Howl's immaturity (he has a green slime attack when his hair is dyed ginger) as well as the woes associated with magic (the seven-league boots). And Jones clearly had some fun throwing odd twists into the mix.

Sophie is a rather timid, dull character until her unexpected aging sets her free from her unhappy life. Her sensible, assertive new self is a pretty entertaining heroine, especially as she starts feeling both exasperation and romantic interest in Howl. Howl is a delightful character -- he's fickle, immature, flamboyant, eccentric, irresponsible and has cultivated a distinct image as a wicked, heart-devouring sorcerer to keep everyone far away from him. And yet, he's oddly charming and fun to read about, especially as a foil to the sensible Sophie.

Moving castles, fire demons and an oddly charming wizard make "Howl's Moving Castle" an absolute must-read -- especially for those who like their complicated fantasies to be a little tongue-in-cheek.

Though this isn’t my typical go-to genre, I’ve been wanting to read this book for a long time and I wasn’t disappointed. I enjoyed my time in Sophie and Howl’s magical world.

I related way too much with Howl on many occasions. Two prime examples in which Howl is me:

Example 1: When Howl gets sick with a cold and becomes a giant baby about it, moaning and groaning and acting like his world is ending. This is me every time I get sick. Ask my husband. In fact, I’m pretty sure my husband is Sophie and I am Howl in so many ways it is frightening.

Example 2: When Howl tells Sophie his truth: “I’m a coward. Only way I can do something this frightening is to tell myself I’m not doing it.”
This is the backwards tactic I’ve been known to use when I need to convince myself to do scary things — I tell myself and others that I’m not going to do it (or at least find a million “outs”) and then I usually end up doing it. Both Howl and I know ourselves well enough to know that if we have to commit to something, the pressure becomes too great and we give up. I’m not proud of it, but I’ve embraced it. And I loved that he did, too.

So, basically, I related exceptionally well to Howl and I was thoroughly entertained by how Sophie dealt with things. Particularly turning into an old woman. She was just like, “Eh, it is what it is,” and kind of went on with life, only vaguely inconvenienced. I found this hilarious for some reason.

The writing was perfectly middle-grade fantasy and British. At least it was to me, coming from someone who rarely reads this particular genre.

It was nice to roam outside of the norm for a bit with this book. Now I’m off to find out how I can get my hands on the movie!

This is an absolutely charming YA/middle-grade reader fantasy. Perfect for readers beginning in the genre. I wish I'd been introduced to this book many years ago as I'm sure I would have loved it dearly. I still enjoyed reading it quite a bit as an adult!

Our main character is Sophie Hatter, appropriately enough the eldest daughter of a man who owns a hat store. Sadly, Sophie's father passes away very early in the book, leaving Sophie and her sisters and their step-mother in somewhat dire straights. The two sisters are sent off to an apprenticeship and Sophie stays at the hat shop until one day the Wicked Witch of the Wastes comes in to the shop and ends up cursing her.

Sophie runs away and ends up finding shelter with the feared Wizard Howl in his magical moving castle (the castle literally runs around the landscape). In the castle we have Wizard Howl, his somewhat hapless apprentice Michael, and Howl's contracted fire demon, Calcifer. Sophie's no-sympathy approach to life and Howl's melodrama are a great foil for one another. I enjoyed reading about their adventures. The ending was a bit rough as the author tied up as many storylines as possible in just a few paragraphs.

A wonderful light read and I look forward to reading the sequels in the future!

Diana Wynne Jones tells the story of a timid young girl who finds herself growing wiser and more confident in herself as she ages, in her book titled, Howl's Moving Castle. She does so by telling the story from the protagonist's view, Sophie Hatter, and describes in detail her concerns and new wonders she encounters as she is faced with curses, spells, demons, and an arrogant wizard.

The story focuses on a young girl, Sophie, the eldest of three sisters, who finds herself running her father's old hat shop, living a humble life. All seems to be mostly fair until a picky customer comes into the shop and makes fun of Sophie's best hat. The moment she stands up for herself, the customer reveals they are the Wicked Witch of the Waste, the antagonist of the story, and casts an aging spell on Sophie that makes her go from being a teenager to a 90 year old woman. Being punished with a curse that seems to have no cure to it, Sophie runs away from home to find some place where she could live as her new old self and perhaps find a witch or wizard who could break her spell and return her to her youth.

Sophie finds herself running into the notoriously feared wizard, Howl. This sage is known for stealing the hearts of girls and gobbling up his poor victims. To Sophie's luck, since she isn't young, she remains free of his prowling eye and befriends him. Upon arriving to his threshold and making herself at home, she learns that Howl, and a fire demon named Calcifer, are under a curse. The curse won't allow them to speak of its qualities though. Calcifer convinces Sophie to make a deal with him. If she can break his and Howl's curse, he'll break hers. Sophie has found her savior, but not without a price. In order for her to stay at Howl's, she feels it'd be best she make herself useful as Howl's new cleaning lady.

While staying with Howl, she befriends his young apprentice, Michael. Together, they witness epic battles between Howl and the Witch of the Waste, conjure up new spells for Michael's practice, and even visit the royal palace where Sophie goes to blacken Howl's name to the king!

Between Michael, Calcifer, and Howl, Sophie has found her new family and a place to belong. With her being elderly in age, she no longer cares what people think of her and allow her own thoughts to lead her actions. She frowns upon Howl's spoiled behavior and Calcifer's constant negativity. It becomes clear to her that she is the only one truly mature, not just because of age but of her personality and own experiences, that she feels as if she is mothering everyone else.

As for Sophie's curse, the same restraints that are on Howl's and Calcifer's curse is on her; she can't speak of its conditions or what the spell did to her to anyone. Calcifer knew she was under a spell because he was a demon. Because of this, he told Howl and Michael too without her knowing. Once everyone knows, they confront Sophie about it and band together to help her break her curse. No matter what they do, their efforts seem to go to waste. They do learn that in order for the curse to be broken, they must end the Witch of the Waste's reign of terror.

Finally, Sophie finds herself free of the curse and she is turned back into her youthful self. Upon returning to how she looked, she no longer acts in the same shy and introverted manner she did before. She's kept the personality and confidence she gained as an old woman to make her an independent woman. Her new manner of behavior and youthful looks leads her to find her love. The curse on Howl and Calcifer is broken and both are set free from their captivating bonds to one another. Michael grows in his practice and skill of witchcraft.

In the end, through everyone's own individual trials of love, skill, secrets, and stepping out of their comfort zones, they've grown to be a better version of themselves. Each one successfully grows both in maturity and skill as they help each other through their own mishaps.

Anyone of any age can easily read, understand, and enjoy this book. For any reader who is interested in the fantasy, comical genres, Howl's Moving Castle, the first of a three book series, the Howl Series, balances each genre and blends them together effectively to bring the story together and give it substance and background.

I read this book because it was chosen to be read in the book club I run on facebook. This is a book I have been wanting to read for awhile anyway because I really enjoyed the Studio Ghibli movie they made from it. While the two differed quite a bit I enjoyed both.

Howl is a wizard known as the eater of young women's souls. He is much feared in the lands his floating castle moves through. Sophie is a y0ung woman at the cusp of adulthood living a boring life in a hat shop, though she seemed to be very good at what she did. Then a woman came in and put a spell on her that ages her 60 years until she's a very old woman. At that point she decides since she doesn't have much time left she better go out to seek her fortune. When she comes to Wizard Howl's castle she decides to go in and try to get a job with him since it is only young woman's souls he's after.

This book caught my attention from the very beginning and there was never a dull point. There was a lot going on and though it is pure fantasy there are many elements of mystery that you begin to see unfold throughout the story. I was not expecting the way the book ended at all. I had my guesses but I was caught completely off guard and the last 2 chapters in the book sunk it's claws into my heart and I was captivated.

I give this book a 5 out of 5 and would give it even more if that was possible. I loved this book and easily put it in my top 10 books of all time. It is a quick and fun read and something I would consider rereading in the future, something I normally don't do. I recommend this book to everyone who is a fan of the fantasy genre both young and all. There are no adult themes so this is something that would even make a great bed time story for children old enough for chapter books.

Diana Wynne Jones is my favourite female British Fantasy fiction author (yes more than JKR).

This story isn't as mature, complex or sophisticated as Fire and Hemlock but it's incredibly enjoyable for both adults and children. A coming-of-age tale full of adventure, comedy, romance and magic.

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Background: In this fantasy book there are 4 dimensions - and this book is mostly based in the dimension where magic, wizards and witches reside (and quarrel).

Sophie, our heroine, also belongs to this dimension. The 2 wizards who are particularly mentioned in this book are: Wizard Suleiman (the king's wizard also known as Benjamin Sullivan) and Wizard Howl (also known as Wizard Pendragon, Sorcerer Howl and Howell Jenkins) and who come from our dimension (1980s Wales, UK).

Sophie's dimension is rather old-fashioned - sort of a magical Victorian era with elements of medieval Europe.

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Plot: The story is based on Sophie's awakening to her strength (can't give that away or it might ruin the book for some). She had always assumed that as the eldest of 3 daughters she doesn't possess much strength of character, must be naturally unambitious nor does she deserve a prosperous future).

In the meantime the evil witch (The Witch of the Waste) is avenging everyone and anyone including the King, the Wizards and she even creates mischief and disharmony upon poor Sophie by turning her into an old woman. And it is in the guise of an old woman that Sophie not only becomes acquainted with Wizard Howl but acquires a carefree confidence that was lacking when she looked her age.

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Characters:

Sophie Hatter - the protagonist who is initially extremely shy (mousey) and frightened of almost everything. An 18 year old girl who has just finished school, she works at the family hat shop creating beautiful hats without much thought for her future until she encounters the Witch of the Waste.

Wizard Howl - in his late 20s (with a Ph.D in spells and enchantment from his own dimension (Wales, Uk)), a Casanova heartbreaker who seduces young girls for fun, but never commits to any of them or anything. He's flamboyant, charming but also lazy and irresponsible.

Witch of the Waste - the baddie in this book who is after Wizard Howl because he broke her heart. She also doesn't much like the king and had caused mischief upon Wizard Suleiman

Sophie's younger sisters Hattie and Martha Hatter - they have apprenticeships, are extremely pretty and ambitious and believe Sophie is being exploited by Fanny (Sophie's and Hattie's step-mother and Martha's biological mother).

Michael - 15 year's old and an apprentice Wizard who lives with Howl

Calcified - a demon trapped in Wizard Howl's moving castle and under a contractual obligation to Wizard Howl.

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Why did no one tell me how lovely this book is?  Everyone talks about the film, and since I dislike anime (and most animation) I never paid much attention. But then I saw the audiobook on sale and decided to take a chance. 

For those of you who, like me, have remained stubbornly ignorant of this tale, it is in brief, a story of a young woman who is cursed by a wicked witch, and who sets out to find someone who can lift her curse. Along the way, Sophie meets Wizard Howl, his apprentice, Michael, his fire demon, Calcifer, and a whole cast of memorable characters all of whom have their own agendas.

I was delighted by the narrator, Jenny Sterlin, whose talent for voices is quite wonderful. She manages to suggest links between characters even as she makes each voice entirely its own thing. The story itself is gently humorous, and in places, genuinely tense even though you're sure a fairy tale must end Happily Ever After. 

Neither Wynne Jones nor Sterlin disappoint.

I have watched the Howl's Moving Castle on TV many times and enjoyed it very much. So when the store had the book for sale I thought it would be wonderful to have.

I was so excited when I received the book, then I started reading and I do not like it at all. I thought it was terrible.

While I have never purchased this book from the store, I have purchased two copies throughout my life so far: one for myself, when I initially read it, and another as a gift. I thought, however, that I would like to leave my two cents in a place where people are likely to go looking for them.

This is one of my absolute favorite books. While I am not suggesting that it is on the same level as some of my other favorites, such as Hamlet or Pride and Prejudice, I do think that there is much about this book that often goes unappreciated by the casual reader.

Diana Wynne Jones weaves together a world of magic and fantasy in a way that feels effortless, and juxtaposes it against and blends it with a world we're more familiar with in a way that leaves me amazed every time I read the book. The main characters are realistic and engaging, with layers and secrets and intricacies much like anyone you'd meet outside of a book would.

Heartless Howl is not what Sophie first thinks he is, and he's certainly not what we as writers first think he is. He is a deeply flawed hero in a world that seems over-saturated with gleaming and polished leading men who are never anything but courteous and gentlemanly, or at least treated by the narration like they are.

Sophie herself has secrets she's keeping so deep that she's hiding them from herself. As a narrator, we can still see her faults and her blind spots, especially as everything is revealed at the end and you find yourself already wanting to re-read the book to look for things that Sophie missed. The curse that she finds herself afflicted with seems to bring her confidence to the forefront of her personality, as she figures she has nothing to lose now that she's both unrecognizable as herself and suddenly nearing the end of her life. I find this interesting, as people are not consistently the same in every situation; we shift and change to suit the situation that we're in.

She also, as some people have suggested, does not merely resign herself to living as an old woman. The real beginning of her story comes as she is seeking a way to end the curse that falls over her; ending up staying with Howl is only a side effect of that quest.

Jones' writing itself feels effortless, distinctive, and magical. It's easy to read, which I don't think is a sin, although some people do seem to think so. Her description is often sparse, which I prefer, leaving those details she does point out to feel more important, and to stand out against the narration of the story.

Not only is it exceedingly enjoyable for a first read, it's well worth repeated readings to look for hints and information you might have missed before. Even when you know how the story unfolds, it somehow never seems to lose its magic.

I know some people may find me remiss if I do not mention the movie adaptation, as I'm sure some people reading this have come searching after watching the film. I was the same. If you go into this book without the expectation that things will be the same, you should be able to enjoy it.

While I adore the movie, I do find the book to be markedly better. The characters are more layered, for example. Howl behaves much more like someone without a heart, for example, and Sophie gains so much more agency and power in her own right, leaving her to be a more than formidable match for Heart-Eating, Horrible Howl.

In addition, while I love the Calcifer of the films, his book equivalent is simply more interesting and given more depth by context and information that the movie is lacking. Michael, who was adapted into Markl by Miyazaki, is given backstory and personality that felt lacking in the movie.

The biggest change, however, is the plot. While the basic, core elements remain, the plotline is completely different in the novel. If you come to it with an open mind, I'm certain you can enjoy it. If not, well, this is all opinion anyway, isn't it?

I'm only giving this 2 stars because this was a gift for my boyfriend and the book was permanently damaged. I am giving this two stars because the packagers just threw it in there and bent the back of the book, causing a permanent crease. It is not pretty.