Hello everybody! Long time, no see! Actually, in my case, it's a bit of case of never-seen. You see, this is my sister's blog and she cordially invited me to join in the fun! I think I should preface this review with a loving nod to my sister's flawless taste in books. Practically everything I've read was recommended by her (often on this blog!). She's been recommending books to me for a while now but I rather think that this one, Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, can be seen as the first in a long line of good recommendations. So, without further ado...Howl's Moving Castle is about a young girl, Sophie, who is the oldest in her family and, therefore, believes she will inherit all of the misfortune. And when an insulting discussion with the Witch of the Waste results with Sophie's transformation into a 90-year-old woman, she believes she has merely received her lot in life. After this transformation, Sophie sets out to seek her fortune and rid herself of the spell. She journeys to the floating castle of the wizard Howl, strikes a bargain with his fire demon, and takes up permanent residence. And, as is customary in Diana Wynne Jones's books, hilarity and charm ensue.
Upon reading this book, it quickly became one of my all-time favorites and Jones instantly became a favorite author. I love her humor and her characters are simply delightful. Sophie's confidence and wry humor are disarmingly fun in a main character. The vain and wacky Howl is hilarious, frustrating, and charming all at once. I only added this book to my private collection three years ago and the binder is already well bent with multiple re-readings!
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4 comments:
Ooh! I love this book! Sophie has such a spunky personality.
I know I need to go back to your (or your sister's) home page to check, but is the "Four Story Mistake" referring to the Elizabeth Enright book? One of my all-time favorites! And I managed to instill this love into my oldest daughter as well. I will have to tell her about "Howl's MOving Castle," as it sounds like something she'd enjoy. In the meantime, let me recommend to you Sea Clearwater, a YA fantasy/adventure book about two teens with special abilities battling evil and trying to unravel the truth about Sea's identity.
OK, dumb me -- the name of the blog IS from "Four-Story Mistake." Wonderful!
This isn't my favorite one from Jones, and tends to be a little confusing to students. After a brief resurgence in interest after the movie came out, this has sadly languished on the shelves.
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