Howl's Moving Castle - Diana Wynne Jones

Posted : 1 year, 10 months ago at Jan 30 20:40

I read this before I saw the film. As a consequence, I found the film disappointing. I still enjoy the book far more than the film, and would recommend it to anybody without hesitation.

Rating : 8/10

Posted : 2 years, 1 month ago at Nov 5 18:18

Fantastic book and if you have one shred of common sense you will pop out to the library right now and get it. Do not go direct to the film. I can see why Studio Ghibli would be attracted to this book – the very magical setting and the moving castle are appealing for starters. But the main character Sophie who gets turned into an old woman in the first few pages is a complex and richly developed character. She is a witch but doesn’t know that, so it doesn’t really impact on her deliberate actions. She plods along living in the castle as an uninvited guest for the duration of the story, never having a clue what is going on. This is one of those stories where no one knows what is going on for about 90% of it which leaves a lot of wrapping up to happen at the end. The one thing I didnâ€...Read more