The first time I read this book was on a tiny phone screen in the scattered quiet minutes of a night shifts week. I loved it so much - I thought maybe partially because of sleep deprivation brain fuzziness that can give a good book the shimmer of that happy giddy feeling. But now I reread it with brain well-rested — and the magic still holds.

n

Sophie, the eldest of three sisters and therefore *clearly* doomed to failure, is an old soul. Enough of the old soul that, after unwittingly upsetting the Witch of the Waste, she is perfectly fine unexpectedly finding herself turned into a crone. And then she makes her way to Howl’s Moving Castle, “far too tall for its height and not a very regular shape”, makes a questionable alliance with the trapped fire demon Calcifer (a fallen star) who’s eager to be let out of its contract with Howl, and sensibly gets the place in the order it so desperately needed.

n  “Annoyed?” said Sophie. “Why should I be annoyed? Someone only filled the castle with rotten aspic, and deafened everyone in Porthaven, and scared Calcifer to a cinder, and broke a few hundred hearts. Why should that annoy me?”n

Sophie is quite mistrustful of her new employer — the wizard Howl (also sometimes known as Howell Jenkins, PhD and supposed good-for-nothing disgrace for the family), the rumored devourer of young girls’ hearts; fickle, vain and mercurial — and kind to those in need of assistance, and prone to overcharging the King for his magic spells while undercharging the commoners. He can be quite exasperating, yes he can.

n   “Well, he’s fickle, careless, selfish, and hysterical,” she said. “Half the time I think he doesn’t care what happens to anyone as long as he’s all right— but then I find out how awfully kind he’s been to someone. Then I think he’s kind just when it suits him—only then I find out he undercharges poor people. I don’t know, Your Majesty. He’s a mess.”n

n

Or maybe it’s just that Sophie tends to judge too quickly sometimes.

Maybe there is more to the world than meets the eye. Maybe first impressions are misleading and really getting to know someone allows surprising things to shine through. Maybe there are fallen stars and stolen hearts and traveling scarecrows and cowards that are brave and slither-outers who are honest and seeming shallowness that has new startling depths, and annoyance that grows into affection.

Is it a children’s book? I don’t know. It’s simple and sweet and yet can be complex in unexpected ways. It sure spoke to this adult over here. Its humor is kind but at times also a bit quirky. It delightfully turns familiar tropes upside down and makes me happily smile again and again. It makes my inner cynic slink away in shame.

I love it.

5 (falling) stars.
———————

Oh yeah, and I must be that one person who never saw that Studio Ghibli film.

Howl's Moving Castle (Howl's Moving Castle #1), Diana Wynne Jones

Howl's Moving Castle is a fantasy novel by British author Diana Wynne Jones, first published in 1986.

Howl's Moving Castle is the first novel in the series of books called the Howl Series. This series also includes Castle in the Air, published in 1990, and House of Many Ways, published in 2008.

A young woman named Sophie Hatter is the eldest of three sisters living in the town of Market Chipping in the magical kingdom of Ingary, where many fairy tale tropes are accepted ways of life, including that the eldest of three will never be successful.

Sophie is able to unknowingly talk life into inanimate objects. As the eldest, she is resigned to the "fact" that she will have no chance of finding her fortune, accepting that she will have a dull life running the family hat shop. One day, however, the powerful Witch of the Waste turns her into an old crone.

Sophie leaves the shop and finds work as a cleaning lady for the notorious Wizard Howl. She strikes a bargain with Howl's fire-demon, Calcifer: if she can break the contract between Howl and Calcifer, then Calcifer will return her to her original youthful form.

Part of the contract, however, stipulates that neither Howl nor Calcifer can disclose the main clause of the contract to any third party. Sophie tries to guess the specifics of the contract, while Calcifer supplies frequent hints which she usually does not pick up. ...

عنوانهای چاپ شده در ایران: «قلعه متحرک»؛ «قلعه‌ ی متحرک هاول»؛ نویسنده: دیانا (دایانا) واین جونز؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش چهاردهم نوامبر سال 2012میلادی

عنوان: قلعه متحرک؛ نویسنده: دیانا (دایانا) واین جونز؛ مترجم: شراره صدیق؛ مشخصات نشر تهران، کتابسرای تندیس؛ سال1381؛ در302ص، شابک9789645757357؛ چاپ دوم سال1382، چاپ سوم سال1389؛ چاپ چهارم سال1396؛ چاپ پنجم سال1397؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان بریتانیا - سده 20م

عنوان: قلعه‌ ی متحرک هاول؛ ن‍وی‍س‍ن‍ده‌: دای‍انا وی‍ن‌‌ ج‍ون‍ز؛ مترجم: نیلوفر رحمانیان؛ ویراستار مریم قهرمانی؛ تهران، علمی فرهنگی، سال1397؛ در390ص؛ شابک9786004367523؛

داستانی عاشقانه، بین دختری هجده ساله، به نام «سوفی»، نفرین شده توسط جادوگری، و دربند شده در بدن یک پیرزن، و یک شعبده باز، به نام «هارو» است؛ «سوفی» بخاطر طلسم، به دنبال سرنوشتش میرود، سرنوشتی که او را به قلعه ی متحرک و عجیب «هارو»، هدایت میکند؛ در قلعه، «سوفی» با دیوِ آتشِ «هارو»، «کاریشیفا» آشنا میشود؛ «کاریشیفا» به او قول میدهد، تا طلسم را از روی او بردارد، و او را به هجده سالگی برگرداند، ولی تنها به شرطی که ....؛ در این پازل جادویی، هیچ‌ چیز، و هیچکس، آنچه به نظر می‌آیند، نیستند؛ سرنوشت‌ها به هم گره خورده و هویت انسان‌ها با هم عوض می‌شوند

نقل از متن کتاب «قلعه متحرک»؛ (البته «سوفی» همان موقع هم، کلاهدوزی را به خوبی بلد بود؛ از وقتی بچه‌ ی کوچکی بیش نبود در کارگاهی که در حیاط خانه قرار داشت، می‌دوید و بازی می‌کرد؛ در آنجا کلاه‌ها را خیس می‌کردند، و سپس روی قالب‌ها شکل می‌دادند؛ گل‌ها، میوه‌ ها و دیگر تزئینات را از موم و ابریشم درست می‌کردند؛ او مردمی را که آنجا کار می‌کردند، می‌شناخت؛ بیشتر آن‌ها از وقتی پدر او پسر بچه‌ ای بیش نبود، در آنجا کار می‌کردند؛ او «بسی» را می‌شناخت تنها کارگری که، هنوز در مغازه باقی مانده بود؛ او مشتریانی را که از آن‌ها کلاه می‌خریدند، مردی را که از خارج از شهر کلاه‌های خام و حصیری می‌آورد، تا روی قالب‌ها شکل بگیرند، و دیگر کسانی را که مواد کار می‌آوردند را نیز می‌شناخت، و می‌دانست که چگونه برای کلاه‌های زمستانی، نمد درست کند؛ در واقع تنها چیزی که «فنی» باید به او می‌آموخت ترغیب کردن مشتری‌ها به خریدن کلاه بود؛ «فنی» گفت «عزیزم تو باید آروم آروم به کلاه مناسب برسی؛ اول کلاه‌هایی رو نشان بده، که زیاد مناسب نیستن تا به محض اینکه کلاه مناسب رو به سر گذاشتن متوجه‌ی فرقش بشن.»؛ در واقع «سوفی» زیاد کلاه نمی‌فروخت؛ پس از یکی دو روز کار کردن در کارگاه، و سر و کله زدن با تاجرین پارچه و ابریشم، «فنی» او را به کار تزئین کلاه‌ها گماشت؛ «سوفی» در اتاق کوچکی در عقب مغازه می‌نشست، و گل‌های رز را به کلاه‌های بی لبه، و تورها را به کلاه‌های مخمل می‌دوخت، همه‌ ی کلاه‌ها را با آستری از ابریشم، می‌پوشاند، و با مهارت و زیبایی، گل‌ها و میوه‌ های مومی را، همراه با روبان به آن‌ها وصل می‌کرد؛ او در این کار مهارت داشت، و از انجام آن لذت می‌برد؛ اما احساس انزوا و کسالت می‌کرد؛ مردمی که در کارگاه کار می‌کردند، زیادی پیر بودند، و با او مانند فردی غریبه، رفتار می‌کردند، که روزی صاحب مغازه و کارگاه خواهد شد؛ و ...؛)؛ پایان نقل

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 21/09/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 29/07/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی

Buddy reading this with Howl's Moving Castle fans helped me get more pumped up for the story. I enjoyed the whimsical atmosphere, the simple charm of the protagonist, and the quirkiness of Howl. As I got to the second half of the book though, it was hard to maintain interest due to not much happening. I think if it weren’t for me projecting the Miyazaki characters onto the text, I’m not sure if I would enjoy the book as much by itself. That being said, if there were more romance, I would have been more shamelessly into this regardless of plot!

“I hope your bacon burns.”

‘Doors are very powerful things. Things are different on either side of them.’

If the whimsy for a magical adventure oozing with charm and full of unforgettable characters ever strikes you, might I direct your attention to the Diana Wynne Jones’ endlessly entertaining Howl’s Moving Castle. It is a story where assumptions are tested and often overturned and the characters are full of as much nuance as they are personality, making for an engaging read that will keep you on your toes. Sure, there is the Miyazaki film adaptation, but the two are different enough to each stand on their own and this novel is such an fun-filled event I stayed up far too late to finish the book but do not regret yawning my way through the following workday. Howl’s Moving Castle is a quirkily endearing coming-of-age story in a fanciful realm of magic and mystery that explores ideas of freedom, family and that appearances can be deceiving.
n  n
The film adaptation of Howl’s Moving Castle by Studio Ghibli

What really sticks this story straight into the readers heart are the characters that populate the magical realm of Ingary. Jones creates a world that is adjacent to our own, with characters such as Howl’s sister Megan still residing there (her frustration with her brother often hinging on not knowing he is in fact a magic user in Ingary instead of pursuing a job). The story follows Sophie, the oldest of three sisters and ‘it is quite a misfortune to be born the eldest of the three. Everyone knows you are the one who will fail first, and worst.’ A run-in with the Witch of the Waste leaves her cursed to have the body of a frail, elderly woman, but Sophie is a fiery and determined woman who seeks an end of her curse and forces herself into the employment of Howl, a wizard with a dangerous reputation who roams the countryside in…you guessed it, a giant moving castle.

'My shining dishonesty will be the salvation of me.'

Howl is an absolute delight as a character, and also rather insufferable (which is half the fun). Appearing at first to be a villain, the more we learn about Howl the more endearing and completely aggravating he is. To the reader and especially Sophie. Prone to tantrums (he trashes the castle over a bad hair dyeing), being overdramatic (‘I'm going to bed, where I may die,’ he says of a minor cold), and reckless womanizing that leaves behind a string of broken hearts, Howl is ‘fickle, careless, selfish, and hysterical,’ says Sophie. He is a ‘slitherer-outer,’ with his cowardly side keeping him from action, yet there is another side of him that makes him shockingly likable. Jones jokes in interviews that when girls say they are in love with Howl she says to not do that as he is awful, joking that in response to them saying they would like to marry Howl she says 'Howl would be one of the most dreadful husbands one could possibly imagine.' But his duality gives him charm and a weight as a character that is rather infectious, and, yo, this dude is supposed to be HOT so I get it.

’Half the time I think he doesn’t care what happens to anyone as long as he’s all right— but then I find out how awfully kind he’s been to someone. Then I think he’s kind just when it suits him—only then I find out he undercharges poor people.’

Howl is a perfect representation of how appearances can often be deceiving in this novel, and Jones writes really excellent gray characters that were fairly nontypical for the children’s fantasy novel genre in 1986 when it was released, which is part (along with the great humor for sure) of what makes this just as engaging for an adult to read. Sophie looks old and frail, but is determined, the fire demon Calcifer looks ‘extraordinarily evil’ but he is an anxious and charming, even the castle seems like a massive evil building but is actually just Howl’s home bewitched to be able to move about without ever actually leaving. This latter example plays into another theme where the character’s homes tend to represent them, Howl’s being a wandering sort that is actually all just smoke and mirrors or the Witch living in the middle of nowhere as a representation for her isolation from everyone.

‘A heart's a heavy burden.’

Every character seems simple but are always hiding a tangled web of motivations beneath the surface. Howl and the Witch also tend to take advantage of their appearances in order to get what they want. This contrasts well with Sophie, who is prone to brash action without thinking. The catch in the book, however, is that one’s identity often becomes a sort of imprisonment to them. Destructive patterns get them into trouble, Howl’s good looks play havoc on his relationships and Sophie’s lack of self-esteem is a major obstacle for her to overcome throughout the course of the book. This also plays into overcoming expectations, such as the curse placed on Howl using a John Donne poem about impossible tasks. The ultimate task, to find a 'woman true and fair,' does smack of some misogyny that Jones delights in overturning, but overturning and subversion is the name of the game here. This is a world where nothing is impossible, and if we let ourselves be stopped simply by expectations, what are we missing in life? In what ways are we self-sabatoging?

It is impossible to not think of the Miyazaki version of this book when, to be fair, it is what lead me to reading Jones’ original. Being loosely based on the book and taking it in different directions, I feel the two are easily enjoyed separate from each other and I never feel compelled to “prefer” one or the other. I do enjoy how the movie takes a much greater anti-war stance, something that Miyazaki often features in his film and is vocally anti-war in his personal life. He did not attend the Academy Awards when his film Spirited Away won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature and told the LA Times ‘The reason I wasn’t here for the Academy Award was because I didn’t want to visit a country that was bombing Iraq.’ Diana Wynne Jones enjoyed the film, saying ‘I was thrown back in my seat with amazement’ (there is a good interview of her talking about the film you can watch here), and had made special requests of Miyazaki to not change anything of Howl’s personality. Howl’s love of all animals and refusal to kill is emphasized well as a theme of pacifism in the film.

Howl’s Moving Castle is destined to become a classic, and is effortlessly charming and nearly impossible to put down. It is a wonderful statement about moving away from our defensiveness and out of the prisons of the self we either self-impose or have assumed of us based on appearances. This is a story where the only thing to expect is the unexpected and it makes for a fun and often very funny ride. Definitely would recommend.

4.5/5

‘I think we ought to live happily ever after.’

I have to say I love Hayao Miyazaki's movie better because come on, it's an awesome movie. (Although, Spirited Away is my favorite movie)



There were some differences in the book but the movie was based off the book and it's not going to be the same. All that matters is they both were awesome and the author loved the movie too.

I absolutely love fantasy worlds that are way out there.


Happy Reading!

Mel

Es una novela llena de magia. Me gustó mucho la estructura y el desarrollo de la trama. Es uno de los finales más interesantes e intensos que he leído. La batalla final me pareció sumamente buena.
Los artefactos mágicos, el funcionamiento de los poderes de los magos, y los distintos conflictos que aparecen, son muy bien detallados y cool.

Adoré las personalidades de todos los personajes, porque se sienten únicos. Como en ninguna otra novela.

No estoy muy conforme con que el final resultara en un romance, porque no fue algo que nos presentaran desde antes, simplemente sucedió para terminar con un final feliz. Además, hubo muchos momentos medio aburridos y tediosos que hacían que perdiera la conexión con la novela.

Nota: El inglés es avanzado, yo diría que un C1.

Tengo mucho en la cabeza sobre esta historia, pronto haré una reseña más completa en mis redes sociales

I adored the book.

I adored its movie.

And I extra-über-adore this YouTube trash sculpture of the Castle. Omigosh. I want to marry...it? the sculptor? the world?...all the above.

BONUS beautimosity: the Castle post-apocalypse gets built and brother it is fine.

n  Update 28/10/2022:n

I enjoyed this a lot more on my second reread, especially Calcifer. He and Sophie have wonderful banter that rolled off my back the first time but that now, older and wiser, I appreciated and laughed at more. I also loved Sophie immensely more this time around, her spunk and smarts, how enterprising she is, and how she can't be discouraged or gainsaid by anyone, neither Calcifer nor Howl. Simply delightful! Now I have to watch the anime.

n  Old reviewn

I'm just a bit too old for this type of stories beyond a point. However, it's nicely crafted and with a generous dash of humour (S0phie above all, she was a delightful girl), and I'm sure it'll be enjoyable for younger audiences and those readers that feel inclined to read stories like this.

I’m crying. This book was so whimsical and so detailed. The magic, the themes, the characters, the humor...it was so wonderful.

This was a random and fun ride, but I have to admit I prefer the ghibli movie. I wasn't a fan of real-world Britain being a thing in the book and preferred the less annoying Howl and less intense Sophie (really, she tries to throw acid at him) from the movie.

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

Everything whimsical and fun, Howl's Moving Castle was a delight! Although some aspects didn’t live up to my expectations, there’s no denying this is a special tale.

n  ~★~ What is this book about? ~★~n

Sophie is the eldest of three sisters, which means she is bound to be unlucky; Sophie is cursed by the Witch of the Wastes into the form of an old woman. Desperate for her normal body back, Sophie does what few are brave enough to: she enters Howl’s moving caste, home to a wizard known for stealing hearts.

~★~

Diana Wynne Jones has certainly got a wild imagination. It was marvellous to be immersed into a world as fantastical as Ingary, especially after the wizard Howl was introduced. Witches, mermaids, wizards, demons and more, there was plenty to look forward to in terms of characters.

The plot was my main let down for sure. The first third of the novel had me completely engrossed, but soon after it became evident that Sophie’s cleaning, Howl’s outings and Michael’s spells were taking up the majority of page time. A repetition pattern started, and I found that by the time something different happened I was a little out of it.

I’ll say it again: objectively, this is a great story. Especially for its targeted age demographic. I know for sure that if I’d read Howl’s Moving Castle as a kid, I’d have loved it profusely. The mounds of rave reviews are definitely justified!