Diana Wynne Jones

Howl's Moving Castle

Nica

“Unlike some people’s,” she said, “it’s natural.”

“I’ve never seen why people put such value on things being natural,”

“You don’t have to be unkind to someone in order to exploit them.“

A new look for one of Diana Wynne Jones’ funniest and most popular novels.

Howl’s Moving Castle

Acadia

When I first watched the movie, I knew I need to read the book and it didn't dissappiont me. Beautiful characters and lines. 

Kiran Aftab

In the land of Ingary, where seven league boots and cloaks of invisibility do exist, Sophie Hatter catches the unwelcome attention of the Witch of the Waste and is put under a spell.

Deciding she has nothing more to lose, she makes her way to the moving castle that hovers on the hills above Market Chipping. But the castle belongs to the dreaded Wizard Howl whose appetite, they say, is satisfied only by the souls of young girls… There she meets Michael, Howl’s apprentice, and Calcifer the Fire Demon, with whom she agrees a pact.

But Sophie isn’t the only one under a curse – her entanglements with Calcifer, Howl, and Michael, and her quest to break her curse is both gripping – and howlingly funny!

OKAY LISTEN IT'S A CHILDRENS BOOK SO I'M NOT GOING TO RATE IT BUT I love howl and I love sophie and calcifer and the little doggie and michael. I love this story and I appreciate that there's a little change to the story in the studio ghibili version and the book version. 

surtified™

Sophie and Howl from the movie adaptation may be way different from the book, but i like it better.

« it is quite a misfortune to be born the eldest of three. everyone knows you are the one who will fail first, and worst, if the three of you set out to seek your fortunes »

this was SUCH a cute read? i picked this book up because i had seen the movie once, a lifetime ago, and the book also came recommended to me by my best friend.

i didn't expect much, just a sweet little reprieve after the last book i read and i had so much fun i could barely put the book down. 

i thought sophie and her thoughts were so well written and howl, as much as i like to sigh at his antics was so so endearing. i loved how fully fleshed out the characters felt? i loved michael, i loved calcifer, i liked sophie's sisters although not very present,...

i gave it five stars because honestly, it might become one of my favourite reads. genuinely very sweet.

florine

« it is quite a misfortune to be born the eldest of three. everyone knows you are the one who will fail first, and worst, if the three of you set out to seek your fortunes »

this was SUCH a cute read? i picked this book up because i had seen the movie once, a lifetime ago, and the book also came recommended to me by my best friend.

i didn't expect much, just a sweet little reprieve after the last book i read and i had so much fun i could barely put the book down. 

i thought sophie and her thoughts were so well written and howl, as much as i like to sigh at his antics was so so endearing. i loved how fully fleshed out the characters felt? i loved michael, i loved calcifer, i liked sophie's sisters although not very present,...

i gave it five stars because honestly, it might become one of my favourite reads. genuinely very sweet.

Itzel

I don't think I've ever said how much I adore this book.

I do love it a fair bit. 

It's sweet, domestic, and fun. I had first watched the Ghibli adaptation of the book, and was quite surprised to found out how very different both versions were. I think I definitely enjoyed the book more, obviously.

Sophie is a lovely character. She begins thinking absolutely nothing of herself, and at the end, I don't really think that's changed, but we do see that she isn't plain, that she is very strong-willed, and determined.

Sarah Sammis

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynn Jones (1986) is a delightful fantasy story full of spells, political intrigue and interesting characters. It was adapted into a wonderful film directed by Hayao Miyazaki in 2004.

Sophie Hatter one day finds herself bewitched into an old woman by the Witch of the Waste. Having no one else to turn to, she decides to seek out the Wizard Howl who was "known to amuse himself by collecting young girls and sucking the souls from them." (page 4)

As with many of Diana Wynne Jones's books, Sophie is left in the dark about much of the political situation that her apparently reluctant hosts, Howl and his apprentice Michael, are part of. Nonetheless, by her own proximity to them, she is pulled deeper and deeper into the fight for Ingary being launched by the Witch of the Waste. She must also sort through the complicated relationship of Howl and the demon who moves the castle, Calcifer. Through a combination of stubborn determination, hard work and dumb luck, Sophie succeeds in often times unexpected ways.

I came to this book both as a fan of Diana Wynne Jones and of the Miazaki film, I was pleased to recognize the film in the book. Yes, there are differences but the spirit of the book was translated into the film. The novel and the film feel like coherent entity expressed in different media.

There is a sequel to the novel called Castle in the Air (which is hinted at in closing credits of the film).

Maria

howl being a phd student literally the funniest thing in existence imagine being his supervisor and he’s like “sorry i’m too busy messing with magic and pissing off the witch of the waste”

Christine

OKAY THIS WAS ACTUALLY REALLY CUTE WHAT


1/2/24: I am back here just because I jsut saaw somebody say that this is actually in truth a Tam Lin retelling and I am scrEAMING DWJ!!! Not only F&H but also HMC!! 
anyway i would pay good money for a book accurate hmc screen adaptation

Tobias V. Langhoff

Pretty entertaining YA. The plot is haphazard and moves along in rapid spurts divided by long character developments. The novel takes place in a self-aware fairy tale world where everyone knowingly follows laws such as "the rule of three", with an interesting twist related to the nature of the world later on (which was not in the Studio Ghibli movie, as far as I can remember).

Howl’s Moving Castle is my favourite Studio Ghibli film so I was so excited to finally get to read the book. It has so much detail and so many more things than the movie has. I love the little rivalry between Howl and Sophie. The book gives us so much of Markl and Howl’s backstories. I was smiling throughout the last chapter. It just made me so happy. It makes me appreciate the movie even more. Highly recommend to everyone. 

Alexandria New

definitely one of my favorite books ever🫶🫶🫶

i’m on a happy little cloud.

definitely one of my favorite books ever🫶🫶🫶



Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl's castle. To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there's far more to Howl—and herself—than first meets the eye.

Howl's Moving Castle #1

allison chen

every little detail matters and it made so much more sense at the end omg... so pleasantly different from the movie that i'm kinda stunned

Honestly, this made me see the movie differently (I mean, obviously) but in a good way

Howl is so much sillier (in a drama king way) in this hee hee

sophie <3

Honestly, this made me see the movie differently (I mean, obviously) but in a good way

Howl is so much sillier (in a drama king way) in this hee hee

** spoiler alert **
           4.5 

What an absolute joy to read. I found myself genuinely laughing and smiley at all of Sophie and Howl’s antics. My only complaint would be that the whole book concludes on the last page, not one chapter that ties the ending together, one page. Rather abrupt but good overall.

Julia Moran 

4.5/5

Howl is the exact type of character I'm a sucker for and so is Sophie, I love them to death.

Ally

absolutely loved it! it's my favorite book up to this day :) the characters were so well-written, the writing was perfectly descriptive and suited a fantasy book. the concepts were as unique and creative as it could get. imo the movie doesn't do this justice! 

not as much romance too so manage expectations if you're expecting that - but the bond between the characters is present. i adore this <3

absolutely loved it! it's my favorite book up to this day :) the characters were so well-written, the writing was perfectly descriptive and suited a fantasy book. the concepts were as unique and creative as it could get. imo the movie doesn't do this justice! 

not as much romance too so manage expectations if you're expecting that - but the bond between the characters is present. i adore this <3

no one understands my desire to be an old lady better than diana wynne jones

y✦

✦ realized how easily i got lost in ghibli's version of ingary, and while so beautiful, it just left me confused
✦ turns out it was all magic and no war
✦ sophie is SO MUCH sassier.. just snapping left and right in that castle 😩

teks

i really enjoyed this book! im a big fan of the movie so i wanted to see how they differ. i recommend to fans of the movie! such a beautiful story, i loved seeing how everything came together in the end. all the characters are portrayed differently and it was refreshing to learn about my favourite characters in a more in depth way.

zainab

Literal magic in a book, I’m so thankful my favourite movie is now also my favourite book. I think I like that I watched the movie first because this lets me see beyond Miyazaki’s vision. Thank you for this book truly a light through this winter season.

Lena

Diana Wynne Jones's Howl's Moving Castle is a gorgeous modern magical fairytale which is fit for both children and adults in my honest opinion.

It is unbelievably cheeky and humorous in the writing style and Howl's vanity and the wordplay and Sophie's grandma-esque grouchiness and dialogue, thus creating a warm atmosphere in the book that is so very personally reminiscent of my many, many childhood experiences reading fairytales. Though I do believe the slow pace of the plot contributes to that, as well.

They had given [Percival] the guitar, rather as you gave a baby a rattle, and he was sitting making horrible twangings.

There are jokes popped in here and there which are slightly more suitable for adult tastes whether due to the necessity, for instance, of knowing about labour exploitation, or having experienced bad translation attempts of poems in school, or understanding references to literature which one may not read until adulthood. (Though, to be honest, I caught Alice in Wonderland and Lord of the Rings references in the book, and both of which I tried to read in my childhood/tweenagerdom.) This alongside a nice (while slightly drifting) plot development forms a book that will NOT put adults to sleep while reading to their kids. At least I hope so.

But Sophie and Howl were holding one another's hands and smiling and smiling, quite unable to stop. "Don't bother me now," said Howl. "I only did it for the money."

I am not really sure how to describe what makes Howl's Moving Castle so magical, so warm, so childhood-evoking, so―well, like THAT that I simply want to reread it so much and re-experience all those feelings all over again. Mayhaps it is the slow pace, mayhaps it is that there are so many flowers and so much magic. Mayhaps it is the ridiculousness of the interactions between Sophie and Howl, mayhaps it is the wordplay and dialogue. Mayhaps it is that I read in the summer where all of the previous becomes even more magical in the warm air and the scent of blooming flowers.

This is novel which I think everyone should read. Or at least try to do so, because wow. Simply wow.

Howl said, "I think we ought to live happily ever after," and she thought he meant it. Sophie knew living happily ever after with Howl would be a great deal more eventful than any story made it sound, though she was determined to try. "It should be hair-raising," added Howl.

"And you'll exploit me," Sophie said.

"And then you'll cut up all my suits to teach me," said Howl.

Howl's Moving Castle

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