The story of Sophie, the oldest daughter of a hatmaker, and what happens to her when a witch turns her into an old lady.  

Love, love, love this book! Funny and sweet and full of action. It had me on the edge of my seat... laughing. ( )

I picked this book up because of the Hayao Miyazaki anime film. Having loved the film, I expected to like the book as much or even more. But for some strange reason, that was not the case. While I certainly did like the book, it did not live up to my expectations.

Sophie the oldest daughter of a family of three girls does not expect her life to amount to much. She believes that while her sisters are supposed to go off and seek fame and fortune, she must remain home and tend the family hearth. She is an excellent hat maker and her work is admired far and wide. But one day while on an errand, she meets the wizard Howl. Howl does not have a very good reputation amongst the town folks especially the women as he is believed to steal young girls' souls. Sophie rebuffs his gestures of friendliness and refuses to engage in much conversation with him. And though she puts this encounter out of her mind, she soon finds that Howl will become an important part of her life.

One day close to closing time, a lady comes into the shop and without much provocation casts a spell on Sophie that turns her into an old lady. This woman is an enemy of Howl's and the wicked witch of the Waste. Oddly enough, this sudden descent into old age makes Sophie feel less restrained than she has ever felt in her entire life. She closes up the shop and decides that she will not be returning there but will wander the land. On this journey she meets Howl's wandering castle and takes up residence there.

This story is a sweet and interesting fairy tale that takes you on a journey. It creates so many colorful pictures in your head as you read and you want to be transplanted there so you can be a participant. Sophie as an old woman leaves most of her self pitying behind and embraces life with a gusto limited only by her arthritic limbs. Howl turns out to be a hilarious character whose sulks could sink a ship. His assistant Michael and the fireplace demon Calcifer round up the group and are themselves interesting characters.

But as interesting as I found the book, there were parts of it that I feel did not work as well. For one thing, there seemed to be many convoluted side turns that the story took into the like life of Howl that just overwhelmed the story while not adding as much to the story as the author probably intended. The story also felt very chaotic at times and I did not really enjoy those parts at all.

But all in all, I did enjoy it and will definitely read more by Wynne Jones. ( )

A fun read. Howl's Moving Castle is about a cowardly wizard, his frazzled apprentice, and a girl trapped in an old woman's body. If that doesn't grab your attention, nothing will. ( )

Wizard Howl's Castle has arrived at Market Chipping, skulking around the hills outside the town, and scaring the young girls into walking in pairs. After all, he eats the hearts of young girls.

Meanwhile Sophie, the eldest daughter of three and so destined to be a failure or lead a boring life, finds that things have got a little more complicated than she imagined, as the Witch of the Waste turns her attention onto her. Needing help, Sophie ends up in the moving castle, seeking the dreaded Howl.

This was a really fun fantasy story with layers of hilarity and humour throughout, as well as the well-realised fantasy world I have come to expect from this writer. Throw a disgruntled and moody fire demon, a nervy apprentice who is learning magic, some seven-league boots and a one-legged scarecrow into the pot and you get a fast paced and surreally funny story.

Sometimes it felt that there were perhaps too many elements within this, but then I'd get swept along into the next twists and turns of Howl's love life, or Sophie's battles to get the Castle and its inhabitants under some form of control and forget that I was slightly bewildered by what was going on.

In the end, it's discovered that no one should be taken at face value, and perhaps things aren't always as they seem, including the evil Howl himself. And if that message can be achieved with some fun and adventure along the way, who's going to complain?

A whirlwind of colour and fun in this fantasy adventure. ( )

Hold on to your magic hat, your wand, your broomstick and your potions and take a wild ride in the spinning, floating, swiftly moving castle with a magician who sometimes has different monikers, but always is a clever young man.

Along the way you will meet a young woman named Sophie Hatter who, like the magician and the castle, is changeable and once was young but now is old; you will laugh at the antics of apprentice Michael as he struggles to make sense in a swiftly turning world, and you will learn to like the "evil" Calcifer who is a fire demon.

While fantasy writing is usually not my pot of brew, I enjoyed this book. There are three sisters, one step mother, a scarecrow, a King, a Princess, a magician and his apprentice, some spells, a wicked witch of the waste and many adventures along the journey.

This is a clever book!

This story features Sophie Hatter a young girl who is turned into an old lady and moves into a moving castle that is somewhat less impressive on the inside than on the exterior. Aspects of the book were absolutely delightful -- I especially enjoyed the way it plays with fairy tale expectations. But somehow I found some of the wandering left me a little confused. ( )

I’ve fallen for Howl’s Moving Castle. Sophie Hatter is turned into an old woman by the Wicked Witch of the Waste, and goes to work as the cleaning lady for Wizard Howl (who lives in a moving castle, as one gathers from the title) in the hope that she’ll find a way to remove the spell.
If you had asked me when I first read it, I would have said I loved it but it wasn’t at the level of Dark Lord of Derkholm or Fire and Hemlock brilliance. Now I’m not so sure. It’s quirky, original and clever – and upon rereading it, I notice it is more complex and subtle than I first realised.
Some of its complexities are obvious - there's a moving castle whose doors open onto very different places. It also plays around with fairytale conventions about curses, people transformed under spells and general confusion concerning identities. Sophie is a young heroine who has been turned into a crotchety old woman, and while Howl is definitely handsome, he’s also vain, fickle and prone to tantrums. Other complexities stem from the story being from Sophie’s perspective… I was lulled into taking her interpretations of events at face value, and there’s a bit more going on than she realises.

I just love it. The moving castle. Calcifer (Howl’s fire demon). Michael (Howl’s teenage apprentice). The curse! But mostly I love Sophie, who finds being an old woman both limiting and liberating, and Howl, who is simultaneous more and less heartless than one is led to believe… ( )

Diana Wynne Jones writes books in which the plot twists and turns, teasing the reader with the possibility of working out what's going to happen next. By the time the book reaches the climax, a cohesive ending seems impossible, and yet Jones ties everything together neatly. Howl's Moving Castle is populated with fascinating and endearing characters. Howl is constantly described as flawed, Sophie is grumpy, and Howl's apprentice Michael is clueless. And yet all they are all utterly charming. Sophie and Howl's budding romance is never explicitly stated until the very end of the book, but a reader can sense it and will be rooting for its success. Howl's Moving Castle is a book to read once and then trot out whenever sickness or unhappiness strikes. It is a real gem. ( )

I admit I caught this book after watching the anime. I really love this book, even if it's meant for younger audiences, and it started me on reading [author: Diana Wynne Jones]. The humor- the story, it's all just lovely and magical. It has some very funny moments, and I couldn't help but love Howl's character. I've read it once and again since I have it, I just can't get tired of it. ( )

Very cute and simple book to read. ( )

I read this book for a RL SFF book group. Otherwise I never would have picked it up. It is a YA book and extremely simple. It reminded me of a written version of a Disney cartoon. It is also a disguised romance. Just not my cup of tea.

We have a tradition of reading fluff books during August and December because of the summer/Xmas holidays. Not something I approve of, but I have been outvoted.

I have read Wynne Jones before and enjoyed her Dark Lord of Derkholm , it didn't seem to be as simplistic.

This book follows the eldest of 3 sisters in a magical realm. They are daughters of a hatter and are still in school, but also help out at the shop. There is a step-mother and one of the girls is her biological daughter. She is actually a good woman and doesn't play favorites.

The father dies unexpectedly and there is not enough money to continue as they were. The daughters have leave school and go to work. One goes to a witch to learn magic, one goes to a pastry shop to become a baker, and the eldest, Sophie, stays and works with the stepmother in the hat shop. Sophie is the POV of the book. She is a frightened, little grey mouse of a person.

Sophie has magical skills but isn't aware of them. She somehow angers the evil witch of the Waste who comes into the shop. She is cursed with old age and the inability to tell anyone about the spell. Sophie as a 90 year old decides to hobble off and figure out how to get the spell removed. As an old woman she develops a backbone and a personality.

Along the way she helps a scarecrow and a dog, which have repercussions later on. She also ends up in Howl's Moving Castle. He is a wizard with an evil reputation and a castle that motors along in the sky. Its really a small house inside with few rooms, an apprentice and a fire demon who powers everything.

Howl turns out to be a young man, and not very evil. He is besotted with women until they return the emotion and then he dumps them. He lives in squalor and Sophie says she is the cleaning lady. They develop a grumpy adversarial relationship that is the bulk of the story.

Howl and the witch of the Waste are enemies and end up battling each other. The book ends with all the sisters pairing up with their true loves.

Throughout the story Sophie says it is pointless to try to better herself, because she is the eldest and destined to fail. It becomes very annoying.

The characters are OK, though there is the obvious going on that the characters can't see and becomes tiresome (Sophie is in love with Howl).

It was a quick heart warming read, but just not satisfying for me. bah humbug ! :) ( )

With characters like Howl and Sophie around, it’s hard not to laugh. When the Witch transforms Sophie into an old woman, Sophie finds herself strangely freed. No longer her dormouse-quiet self, she tells everyone exactly what she thinks of them. She also sticks her big feet and long nose into absolutely everything, so despite her good intentions, she never quite seems to get anything right.

There's more to this review here: http://ultimatebookhound.blogspot.com... ( )

I feel rather ashamed to admit that the film was what drew me to this book and not the other way around...which seems a completely redundant sentence now that I have seen/read both, as these two enchanting tales could not be any more different...

A young woman named Sophie Hatter is the eldest of three daughters living in the town of Market Chipping in the magical kingdom of Ingary, she is the eldest and therefore, as the narrator points out, the most doomed of her family--for if you are the eldest child it is a well known fact that you will be less successful.

Destiny and romance appear to be chief themes in the book, while the film focuses more on appearances and growing up--both the film and the book present these ideas beautifully and effortlessly. It’s rare to find a film (and its original novel) on such equal footing while being so strikingly different to each other.

I would say the book is funnier, Howl and Sophie's dialogue is a constant battle of wits and arguements which was very fun to read! Wynee's Sophie is a little more impulsive (after the transformation that occurs in the book!) and I very really enjoyed her character.

The book itself has quite a few secret plots which were squished out in the film for various reasons. These little subplots will delight any fan of the film (which is probably why I recommend the film first and foremost).

The book also has a sequel known as CASTLE IN THE AIR which came out four years after. It is more of a sister book to the first, but I highly recommend it to those who enjoyed reading this. ( )

'In the land of Ingary, where such things as seven-league boots and cloaks of invisibility really exist, it is quite a misfortune to be born the eldest of three. Everyone knows you are the one who will fail first, and worst, if the three of you set out to seek your fortunes.' (pg. 1)

I wish I has written this book. I am the eldest of three sisters, just like Sophie Hatter, and her story is my own. This book is fantasy/romantic adventure/comedy at its best.

Sophie, the oldest of three daughters, is not destined for anything in life (after all, everyone knows that it's the third daughter who is bound for greatness). But when Sophie is cursed by the Witch of the Waste, she is forced to leave home and comes in for more than her fair share of adventurers as a cleaning lady for a dashing young wizard. As always, Jones's characters are likeable and her stories original and entertaining, and Howl's Moving Castle is one of my favorites. ( )

Terrific, fun, and utterly satisfying. Jones plays beautifully with fairy tale conventions, and Sophie is an admirable heroine. Must find the movie. ( )

I read this book whenever I get depressed and it always makes me feel better. ( )

I have seen the movie this is based upon many times, and I was curious to see how it compared.

However, perhaps this was not the best of books to read while recovering from surgery and on pain medication.

Howl's Moving Castle takes place in a zany world with prominent wizards and witches. There is the Witch of the Waste, not a figure one wants to cross. There is Howl in his moving castle who is said to eat the hearts of girls. And then there is Sophie Hatter, an absolute nobody. The eldest of three sisters and doomed to be the biggest failure, Sophie resigns herself to a dreary life of making hats. That is, until the Witch of the Waste waltzes in and without explanation changes Sophie into an old woman. Arthritic and grumpy, Sophie sets out to find her fortune and ends up cleaning house for Howl - who has his own conflict going with the Witch of the Waste.

This is a trippy little book. As odd as it seems, the movie actually toned down the craziness a good bit. I had trouble following it at times - whether that was because of my mental state or the book itself, I can't really say. I still loved Calcifer, though. ( )

One of the rare times when I actually like the movie better than the book although I would recommend both. This is for those who love YA fantasy.

Wonderful and creative! ( )

This was the first book I've ever read by Wynne Jones, and I can gladly say that it won't be the last. That doesn't mean I loved the book, however... in fact, I found that it dragged in a few places, and I had a hard time liking the main characters at first. After awhile, they grew on me, and I finished the book thinking "that was pretty good, I'd like another, please" - so I'll give her another go and see how it is. If I was rating the book, I'd probably give it a 3/5 (which doesn't mean I didn't like it!). ( )

Oh, so much more satisfying and coherent than the movie. I lost track of the number of times that I made little noises of comprehension while reading it, because so much more of the movie makes sense to me now. Not that I understand why Miyazaki made the changes that he did, or why he felt the urge to remove much of Sophie's personality, but at least now I can follow much of the plot. And the fact that Howl is apparently Welsh will never stop being funny to me. ( )

Delightful. When a witch transforms Sophie into an old woman, she ends up a housekeeper working for the dreaded wizard Howl. But just like Sophie, nothing in this books is what it appears to be, and many layers of deception and enchantment have to be removed before things can work out. ( )

I read this all in one sitting. A fun story, though the ending is perhaps too predictable. ( )