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Book Review
Feb. 8th, 2011 09:24 pmHowl's Moving Castle
by Diana Wynne Jones
This is another one of those YA fantasy classics that I somehow missed when I was of the proper age. Since I love the Miyazaki film version, I thought it would be a good idea to read the book and catch up on what I had missed when I was younger.
I am both incredibly sad that I missed out on this book when I was younger and incredibly happy that I have finally gotten around to reading it: Howl's Moving Castle was fantastic, and I had such a great time reading it. It's utterly charming, and all the characters are very interesting. I love the way Jones gives them all rather striking flaws without ever decreasing their basic likeability. Howl is horribly vain, cowardly, and flighty yet also very kind and clever; Sophie is stubborn and cantankerous yet also brave and good; Calcifer is moody yet steadfast and helpful. I was also impressed with the way Sophie's curse of agedness helps her to grow from a passive pushover to a strong-willed and formidable woman who can enact great changes on those around her through both ordinary actions and a nascent magical talent. One of the beauties and charms of the book is the way Jones' writing is absolutely seamless and engaging. It's not that the character development, clever plotting, and wonderful use of fairy-tale tropes isn't clear and present, it's that you can't see Jones doing it - it's all just there, woven together into a perfect whole.
by Diana Wynne Jones
This is another one of those YA fantasy classics that I somehow missed when I was of the proper age. Since I love the Miyazaki film version, I thought it would be a good idea to read the book and catch up on what I had missed when I was younger.
I am both incredibly sad that I missed out on this book when I was younger and incredibly happy that I have finally gotten around to reading it: Howl's Moving Castle was fantastic, and I had such a great time reading it. It's utterly charming, and all the characters are very interesting. I love the way Jones gives them all rather striking flaws without ever decreasing their basic likeability. Howl is horribly vain, cowardly, and flighty yet also very kind and clever; Sophie is stubborn and cantankerous yet also brave and good; Calcifer is moody yet steadfast and helpful. I was also impressed with the way Sophie's curse of agedness helps her to grow from a passive pushover to a strong-willed and formidable woman who can enact great changes on those around her through both ordinary actions and a nascent magical talent. One of the beauties and charms of the book is the way Jones' writing is absolutely seamless and engaging. It's not that the character development, clever plotting, and wonderful use of fairy-tale tropes isn't clear and present, it's that you can't see Jones doing it - it's all just there, woven together into a perfect whole.
