Howl’s Moving Castle

The setting of this story is interesting, but without a doubt the greatest strength (and focus) of this book is its characters and the story. The characters are all very charismatic, empathetic and with nuances to tell. They have their common threads with the mess that is the expanded story.

What the author does best, in my opinion, is the unpredictability and imaginativeness of the story and its twists and turns. From the first chapter that surprises. I've always thought that a good book takes you through moments and situations you never imagined, and this book does it very well.

On the negative side I have to say that even though it knows how to be unexpected and fast paced, it becomes very fast paced and giddy. If what is in the last 15 pages had been counted in 30, the book would be better in my opinion. I know the author wanted to do a lot of twists and turns and make the ending exciting. But I didn't enjoy it as I should.

Another book of hers I read (A Charmed Life) reminds me a lot of hers. But this one is not so slow in its beginning and I think it is better than that one. Although I recommend it if you like it.

Finally I have to add that although I loved the characters, the final shipping does not convince me at all. It's kind of nice but it doesn't convince me.

Of course I plan to read its sequel and the other books by this author. It seems that all of her books have imagination and quality.

“I think we ought to live happily ever after.”

4 ⭐️

I was between a 3.5 and 4 star rating for this but because it is such a classic I decided to go ahead and round up.

This is such an adorable little cozy fantasy. I think the crazy, fantastical, whimsical part of it was super fun. Almost none of it made sense but that’s what I loved about it. I think it got a little lost in the sauce in the middle and started meandering around without a goal but it picked up again and landed the ending.

I will say that I would not date my sister’s sloppy seconds. I don’t care how handsome he is or how much she loves another man now. That’s kinda wild.

The movie is one of my favorites and I was little scared to read the book in fear I wouldn't like it as much, but oh I did! It was magical, funny and just cozy sweet goodness. Really enjoyed my reading of this

I wanted to read this book simply because it was my favorite of Hayao Miyazaki's work. Sofie was always my favorite character and the steampunk imagery always stood out.

I loved this book and now NEED to get the other two books in the series. The writing was beautiful and the characters were well developed. Howl's story comes out over the course of the book. Sophie's story is up front and center. Their relationship is rocky and harmonic at the same time. You can see the changes to both over the course of the book.

As I read the book I was amazed at how little the story was portrayed by the movie and in that made reading this a joy. This book was read as if the movie didn't exist. The mystery and magic are a element of the story but one that is added in, not a focus point. The world that is created and how it moves is a mystery in itself and one I loved to see in motion.

HOwl is superficial and extravagant, but loving and caring. Sophie is soft hearted, but prickly and funny. Then we have Calcifer who watches and knows but is at the core of everything.

The storyline, characters and themes

Empieza segun recuerdo igual que la pelicula de Ghibli. Alguna pequeña diferencia.

Pero no tarda demasiado en ser bastante distinto. Hay mucho mas personajes, hay mucho mas contenido en el libro.

Para mi el unico problema a partir de cierta cosa que parece que deberia ser un conclusion pero no lo es y como que el asunto re-empieza. Me parecio que era alagarlo mas de lo necesario.

This book was so much better than I remember it being. I recently watched the movie adaption and was inspired to dust off my old paperback and give it a re-read. This was only my second time reading the book—after five years at that!—and there were quite a few things I had gone foggy on or forgotten entirely. For one thing, I had forgotten how incredibly entertaining and engaging Sophie is as a character. She was a complete breath of fresh air for me, and the way Jones wrote this entire book kept me turning pages well into the night.

This book is categorized as children's, but I would wholeheartedly recommend it to readers of any age. It is written in a way simple enough for children to understand, but it is just as interesting as any adult novel I have ever read. Perhaps I should give the other books in this series a re-read as well!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There were so many parts that I thought were absolutely hilarious. Howl is kind of like a big child sometimes, but you can tell that he has a really good heart. I adored Michael, he really is such a good young man. I enjoyed watching his bond with Sophie grow. I also really, really liked Calcifer. Sophie is fantastic. She sometimes lets her fears and doubts control her, but when she is turned into an old lady, she starts to stand up for herself and she doesn't give much thought to what anyone else around her might think. She becomes a much stronger character than she was at the beginning of the book. I enjoyed watching her grow as a character.

A classic fairytale-esque fantasy story. Sophie, the eldest of three sisters, crosses the (wicked) Witch of the Waste and finds herself taking on the appearance of a cranky old lady. With her sisters chasing after their dreams of finding love and having ten children and becoming an apprentice witch and making a fortune, Sophie decides to pack up and set out on her own to either find a cure or die trying.

Along the way she meets the Wizard Howl, his apprentice Michael and his fire demon, Calcifer who live in a Moving Castle and are on the run from the Witch of the Waste as well. When Sophie sees the state of their castle, she takes on the position of housekeeper, all the while looking for how she can break the spell.

I really liked Sophie. She was hilarious. She was cranky and fierce and it was perfect. I loved the way she bosses Michael and Howl and Calcifer around. I enjoyed the magical elements of the story, the seven league boots and the idea of a whole moving castle that has one door that opens to many different places. Howl was vain and petty and spoiled but he was also sweet and kind at times and it was hilarious watching him try to outstubborn Sophie. I liked the friendship between them but I can't really say I understood the romance between them. Or the perception of the romance between them by everyone else. It wasn't particularly romantic in my opinion.

I liked Calcifer and how he kept getting bullied into laying down his head so Sophie or Howl could cook over him. And I liked all the other characters Michael and Martha and Lettie.

An enjoyable fantasy story with imaginative world-building and an interesting cast of characters. 4 stars.