2019 EDIT: Changing this to three stars now, because I don't have a lot of fond memories of this book.
It's clever and complex, but the main character, Sophie, annoyed me. The more I think about it, the more I realise I might not have really connected to her and cared for her. Her curse really doesn't hinder her much; it could have been anything other than living in an old woman's body, and not much would have changed in her character or the story. Such a great concept, too. And oh, how repetitive Sophie can be with her moaning about having misfortunes because she's the eldest sister!
The ending is very rushed as well. After that exciting climax. The pacing is slow, while at the same time it felt like too much was going on. It's too complicated. Everything from the magical kitchen sink is thrown in here, and some of the charm gets lost as a result. Plus the tone is quite cynical and heavy-handed.
I like the film better. There, I said it.
Final Score: 3/5
Original Review:
A clever and witty fairy tale full of magical spells, castles, boots, scarecrows, dogs, guitars, haughty witches and childlike wizards. I read 'Howl's Moving Castle' after I saw the Hayao Miyazaki adaptation, and I think both the book and the movie are great. Such a funny and complex story Diana Wynne Jones created; set in the magical world of Ingary, and in Wales (it'll make some sense once you've read it).
I'm not sure why I never read a book by this author before, despite them being fantasy and in my school library. Were their covers and premises too strange or too cliche-sounding to me? I don't know. But recently I felt I had to read something of hers for two reasons: 1. Her passing only two years prior to this review being written, and 2. The Miyazaki film.
'Howl's Moving Castle' is anything but cliche. Ms Wynne Jones subverts fantasy tropes and therefore reader's expectations with a hint of cynical charm and a pinch of whimsy. Above all it's good storytelling.
Sophie Hatter is a great heroine. She's practical, brave, calm but has limits, and doesn't take no for an answer to her questions. She's not a typical action girl, but a homely hat shop owner with pessimistic views of her future. A curse is put on her and she does whatever she can to find a way to break it, whilst making the best of her situation. Externally, she learns more about her world and how to live in it; through magic and other means. Internally, she learns more about herself and her capabilities that require brain and heart power. An assertive and stubborn but flawed voice of reason, Sophie is very much the type of human being to root for in a story; regardless of the fantasy world she lives in.
Sophie's relationship with Wizard Howl is one of the best developed romances I've ever read about. It's not obvious - they're polar opposites and quarrel a lot - and it takes the whole book to build up their connection - it's not until the very end that they fully realize they may love each other. Made even better when Sophie starts out distrusting Howl because of the rumours that he eats the hearts of pretty young girls, as he has no heart himself. But he helps her out when they first meet, and since the next time she meets him she looks like an old lady, she has nothing to be concerned about in regards to him, more or less. They share different world viewpoints, and their dialogue and action exchanges are witty and well-written.
Other characters such as Calcifer, The Witch of the Waste, the scarecrow, Miss Angorian, Lettie and Martha add a wonderfully colourful mixture to the story of Sophie and Howl. Nice or nasty, they are dynamic and funny in their own ways.
So 'Howl's Moving Castle' should be one of my favourite books right? Well, I'm sorry to say not so much. The reasons why it misses a star for me are:
1. Sophie's old woman's body doesn't hinder her that much, it seems; even before she develops and becomes stronger,
2. Sophie's exclamations of receiving misfortune because she is the oldest of three sisters gets annoying and is overplayed and unsubtle, unlike the other themes in the book (but I still love her),
3. There are a lot of characters and not all of them are particularly interesting or memorable, despite how over-the-top the fantasy setting of Ingary is,
and 4. I thought the world itself and it's politics and relationship concerning our own world could have been explained and explored more. It got confusing after a while, so I missed a part of the heart and passion obviously written into this book.
But I loved the beginning and end of 'Howl's Moving Castle'. Everything in the story fits together in inventive and clever ways, even if I thought that parts in the middle had to drag in order to reach that exciting conclusion.
To conclude the review, I recommend this fantasy novel to everyone - young and old, realist and idealist. It is arguably Diana Wynne Jones' best fantasy, and perhaps sometime in the future I'll read more of her work if I get through my other reading material fast enough.
'How's Moving Castle' may not be one of my absolute favourite fantasy reads, but it still has a number of merits and reasons for admiration going for it. Smart and creative, it certainly shows a lot of the author's talents.
Final Score: 4/5
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