Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Howl’s Moving Castle
by Diana Wynne Jones
Fantasy | Fiction | Middle Grade
329 Pages
Released April 1986
Howl’s Moving Castle Series #1
Rating: ★★★
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Content Warnings
While I am not sure if this book is considered a “classic”, I know that it is well loved. When a book group that I am a part of selected it for the month, I was excited to read this story (having never read the book or seen the movie). Unfortunately, I did not end up loving it as much as the others.
This book follows Sophie, the oldest of 3 daughters. Sophie knows that, as the oldest, she is doomed to be the least successful (or so the stories say). Resigned to taking over the family hat shop, she has a run in with the Witch of the Waste, who turns Sophie into an old woman. Deciding she has nothing left to lose, Sophie turns to the only place she thinks could help - the strange, wandering castle of Wizard Howl - who is rumored to eat the hearts of young women.
This book was charming and I can easily see why it is so well loved. Perhaps I am too old and picky now, though, because there were several aspects I found myself not enjoying as well.
The characters are lovely and amusing but I found both Sophie and Howl to be grating in their own ways. Howl felt irresponsible, and childish, prone to flights of whimsey . Sophie, though emboldened by turning old, felt stagnant. Michael was present but didn’t really serve a purpose. My favorite was Calcifer who was intriguing and charming. I also wanted to learn more of the witch of the waste but she was more of an ever-present looming adversary than a fleshed out villain. Overall, it didn’t feel like there was much character growth, which was a shame and the constant bickering got a bit wearisome at times.
The story itself felt slow and boring as well. I felt frustrated that Sophie made no effort to keep her end of the bargain with Calcifer and so the ending felt quite annoying to me as well. It just didn’t feel like much had happened throughout the book and the stakes overall felt really low. However, this is a middle grade book which could explain the overall lack of tension.
Despite all this, this book is charming and amusing. I think it would be a good entry point for a young reader looking to get into fantasy or an older reader looking for something whimsical with low stakes.