A review by tiffyofthemonts
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
4.0
I loved the film, which I think tricked me into liking the book??? Like, I think the book basically functioned as fanfiction for me.
Reading the book was an enjoyable experience mostly because it elaborated on the parts of the film that made absolutely no sense to me (Turniphead, the missing prince). But also there were things in the book that continued to make no sense to me (Lettie v. Lettie, Gaston/Percival/Sulliman/Justin and their relation to one another, the presence of Wales, the idea of Sophie holding onto the curse - is it because she’s got a chip on her shoulder about being the oldest?).
So I guess in terms of clarity, it’s really a draw.
I did like that the book dimensionalized Howl and Sophie more than the film was able to. In the book, Howl is more obnoxious and self absorbed, and Sophie seems more bull-headed but also more clever & capable, which makes them both more interesting as characters. And the romance came slightly less out of left field in the book - but not by much if I’m being honest.
Dunno. I wonder if the high rating on this book is mostly due to people having been primed by the film first?
I might have to try rereading this. Maybe DWJ is like MWT for me and I just have to read a couple times to recognize the brilliance of her subtle details.
(Hayao Miyazaki clearly recognized the brilliance of her subtle details. I’m still obsessed with the way he illustrated Sophie’s age shifting throughout the film.)
Reading the book was an enjoyable experience mostly because it elaborated on the parts of the film that made absolutely no sense to me (Turniphead, the missing prince). But also there were things in the book that continued to make no sense to me (Lettie v. Lettie, Gaston/Percival/Sulliman/Justin and their relation to one another, the presence of Wales, the idea of Sophie holding onto the curse - is it because she’s got a chip on her shoulder about being the oldest?).
So I guess in terms of clarity, it’s really a draw.
I did like that the book dimensionalized Howl and Sophie more than the film was able to. In the book, Howl is more obnoxious and self absorbed, and Sophie seems more bull-headed but also more clever & capable, which makes them both more interesting as characters. And the romance came slightly less out of left field in the book - but not by much if I’m being honest.
Dunno. I wonder if the high rating on this book is mostly due to people having been primed by the film first?
I might have to try rereading this. Maybe DWJ is like MWT for me and I just have to read a couple times to recognize the brilliance of her subtle details.
(Hayao Miyazaki clearly recognized the brilliance of her subtle details. I’m still obsessed with the way he illustrated Sophie’s age shifting throughout the film.)