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Summary: Another great book by Diana Wynne Jones!!!
Review: This book is both funny and intelligent a combination not often found of late in fantasy novels.
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Summary: A Magical Tale
Review: I have read Howls Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. It is the best book I've ever read in my entire life. It is a courageous adventure with Howl the wizard who slithers out of things. Calcifer the fire demon who was a shooting star. Sophie who was a young 17 year old but is now a 90 year old woman trying to brake a contact with the fire demon and Howl. Michael who is Howl's apprentice has fallen in love with Sophie's sister. In this tale they are all working together to help each other out. Diana Wynne Jones wrote great books and most of them are on my favorite list of books.
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Summary: A "moving" experience!
Review: Being a school librarian I am always looking for something I can recommend to the kids...I will enjoy very much recommending this book. I read 2-3 pbs a week so rarely consider rereading a book, yet Howl's Moving Castle is making me think this is one to reread. I enjoyed the characters, the plot, and the magic! I obviously need to read more of Jones' books.
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Summary: A favorite book of mine...
Review: I really enjoyed reading this the first time and since then have enjoyed reading it over and over. It makes for a very entertaining read and most of the characters (Calcifer was my fave!) are very interesting and easily understood; which is a must for a good book. The book was funny, the plot flowed well and, for the most part, was easy to follow. It is certainly not a masterpiece (not a Bronte or a Shakespeare), and it does have flaws (like an occasionally confusing plot and a rather abrupt ending), but it is a book that makes one laugh and makes one care about the characters, which keeps one coming back for re-reads. The open ending also allows for the reader to make his/her own assumptions about what will happen to Sophie/Howl.
Even though this may not be the best book you'll ever read, it is a highly entertaining piece of light reading for in between weightier works. I recommend buying a copy and keeping it in your desk drawer next to your best pen.
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Summary: All Readers - Treat Yourself to a Bit of Magic
Review: The first book I bought by Diana Wynne Jones was the first volume of The Chronicles of Chrestomanci. I was looking for a book for my granddaughter. Before giving it to her, however, I decided I should read it to make sure it was something she would like. I have now read six books by Mrs. Jones and have three more waiting their turn. I have given copies to my sister (age 60), and, yes, my granddaughter, age 13.These books transport the reader to magical worlds, filled with fascinating characters and page-turning plots. Do yourself a favor, buy one of her books (I haven't found a one that I would not recommend!) - then settle back and enjoy!
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Summary: Charming and simple
Review: Basically, this is another cute children's book. The important characters have well developed personalities, such as Howl, whose behavior becomes quite predictable because of his well developed persona. The story is Sophie was shy and never thought she'd become anything special until a witch turns her into an old woman. She finds Howl, lives in his castle, and 'does chores' for him. It's an impossibly cute love story, and a good book on the whole.
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Summary: 'We can't all be Mad Hatters'
Review: Even a short study of fairy tales will show that in any family of 3 siblings, the youngest will make his or her fortune, but the eldest will come off worst - Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, and Puss in Boots, to name three - and Sophie Hatter, eldest of the three Hatter sisters, has been very well educated indeed; so much so that upon her father's death, the sisters discover that he was deep in debt over their school fees. Sophie has always backed up Fanny, her stepmother, in working to make sure that Martha, the youngest, is prepared to make her way in the world; it's no surprise that Fanny has arranged for Martha to study with Mrs. Fairfax (a good witch), Lettie to be apprenticed in a pastry shop, and Sophie in the family hat shop. Sophie gets very lonely trimming hats, being set apart as the boss' daughter, and throws herself too much into her work - although she pays attention to customers' gossip about Wizard Howl, who's said to steal the souls of young girls and eat their hearts. On May Day, Sophie finally ventures out to visit Lettie at the pastry shop - but Lettie and Martha have swapped places on the sly. *Lettie's* the one who wants to go on learning, while Martha wants to socialize, settle down, and raise a big family. They're both worried about Sophie having hypnotized herself with the theory that she can't amount to anything, being the eldest. :) Before Sophie makes up her mind to rebel, her future takes a new turn: the Witch of the Waste comes to call at the hat shop, looking for the upstart 'Miss Hatter' - and curses Sophie, aging her from her twenties to her eighties, with the added touch that Sophie can't speak of the spell to anyone who doesn't know it already. Sophie faces up to the challenge - 'of course I shall have to do for her when I get the chance' - and walks out of the hat shop on the spot to seek her fortune. With no clear destination in mind, she seeks out Howl's castle just outside town. Being old is the making of Sophie; she doesn't care anymore about being embarrassed, and is a *very* outspoken old woman indeed, and bossy - not at all the downtrodden mouse she was becoming in the hat shop. She bullies her way past Michael, Howl's young apprentice, and takes a seat by the hearth, claiming to be waiting for Howl (after all, he's only interested in young girls). Calcifer, the fire demon under contract to Howl, can see the Witch's spell, and offers her a deal - if she'll stay and find a way to break his contract, he'll figure out how to break the spell. And how will she make an excuse for staying? Well, Howl may be a wizard, but this *is* a bachelor household. 'I'm your new cleaning lady, of course.' :) (What better excuse for searching the place - and just generally being nosy?) Nice touch: 'heartless Howl' isn't *evil*, and he only devours the hearts of young girls in a manner of speaking. As Michael says, 'We've had lawsuits, and suitors with swords, and mothers with rolling pins, and fathers and uncles with cudgels. And aunts. Aunts are terrible. They go for you with hatpins.' Howl cultivates a bad reputation professionally mainly to keep customers from imposing on him, but it's not working...
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Summary: Greatness
Review: Hilarious, unpredictable, and exciting; with unforgettable characters and a great scarecrow. Not to mention the dog.
One of Wynne Jones's best -- don't miss out!
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Summary: more than a favorite; a way of life
Review: I first read Howl when I was thirteen, and it left such an impression on me that I am still reading it at twenty. The story of a girl who is turned into an old woman and who has to endure many strange ordeals - like green slime and weed-killer! - while seeking her fortune, "Howl's Moving Castle" turns the fairy-tale world wonderfully upside down. Sophie is a completely human protagonist, and Howl is an impossible but endearing male lead (like Chrestomanci but rather more prone to hysteria). All the supporting characters, from Calcifer to Fanny, are drawn with such individuality that one almost feels books should be written about them as well! The book is funny, complex, fast-paced, and filled with some of the most memorable characters of children's literature. More subtle and sophisticated than Harry Potter, it treats themes such as death and lonliness realistically while remaining unforced and relentlessly cheerful. An added bonus is the clever use of John Donne's "Song" as a central plot device.
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Summary: The funniest book I've ever read...
Review: I picked this book up from the library not knowing what to expect. All I knew is that it was about a magic castle, I really didn't care to check inside, I just wanted a book. ...This story pulled me right in, there was never a spot in which I was bored...I found all the character's amusing, and laughed quite loudly when Sophie went and yelled at a moving castle. I recommend it for anybody that wants to have a good time, because you will have a good time.
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