Howl's Moving Castle: The beloved modern classic fantasy book for children ages 9+ (Howl's castle series, 1)

Kannte vorher nur den Film von Studio Ghibli und habe diesen schon geliebt.Das schöne Cover hat mich dann dazu gebracht das Buch ebenfalls zu kaufen, und es sieht wirklich schön im Bücherregal aus.Das Buch steht der Umsetzung von Ghibli in nicht nach und kann ich wärmstens empfehlen.

Amo este livro, ja amava o filme e fiquei ainda mais apaixonada pelo livro! A história tem muitas diferenças do filme, vale muito a pena ler!

Llegó a tiempo y en buenas condiciones.

Howl’s Moving Castle By Diana Wynne Jones is a book that I didn’t know existed three days ago. I thought Howl’s was just a Studio Ghibli original movie from the mind of a Japanese man. How wrong I was and how glad I am that I saw this book cover twice within 24 hours and then immediately went out to rectify my mistake. I absolutely devoured this book in two sittings.‘The rule was: Lose your temper, lose a customer. She had just proved that rule. It troubled her to realise how very enjoyable it had been.’Howl’s is simply put, magical. It is the cosiest of cosy fantasy. It’s the definition of a relaxing and fun read. I had an absolute blast with Sophie and Howl, Michael and Calcifer. I picked it up on a whim before I even realised I was a bit tired of all the bloodshed and horror in my current reads. Thank you to that part of me that saw it and immediately bought a copy. I think I’m going to need to hunt down a physical copy if they have the beautiful cover art shown above.‘Sophie cackled to herself a little, quite unrepentant.’I don’t quite know how to summarise my thoughts and feelings. A lot of what I loved about this book were moments where I could identify some links to a movie I can’t remember very well. Okay, I’ll be honest I wrote that last line and then stepped away to think about it fully. It’s not fair to judge the book based on the movie when the book came first. The movie does a lot right and there’s a reason why it’s one of the best animated movies of all time. But – and don’t misquote me here – the book is better.I love movies, I really do, but when the written word can paint the kind of picture that Diana painted with Howl’s Moving Castle you just have to tip your cap to a master. Every scene was vivid and fully realised. I built my own images of these characters, separate to the anime. I saw every little detail perfectly from the moving castle itself to the characters’ grooves and lines.‘Sophie had never found Howl particularly frightening. Now she felt nothing but contempt.’There was a particular scene that gave me such giddy delight only matched by one other scene by a different author in my favourite book of all time. It was reading about the seven mile boots and the rushing landscape that was truly incredible. The infusion of magic to escape the mundane was something that Diana showed she is capable of doing over and over.Howl’s Moving Castle is outstanding, beautiful and truly magical. It’s nearly perfect in every way and the ways in which it isn’t are so minuscule and nitpicky that they don’t even deserve mentioning. If you love magic. If you love deep, imaginative fantasy. Do yourself a favour and find a way to read this book. I’m certainly going to read the sequels while I cry about the fact that Diana died with more Howl stories left to tell.

Noch ein Buch, das ich seit einer Ewigkeit lesen wollte – genau genommen seit ich erfuhr, dass der Studio Ghibli-Film Das Wandelnde Schloss darauf beruht. Und als es endlich soweit war, verschlang ich es in zwei Tagen!Wie die meisten Romanvorlagen erzählt auch diese Sophies Abenteuer viel ausführlicher und genauer als der Film. Der Plot ist sehr straff gespannt und komplex. Am Ende hatte ich ein Gefühl wie bei einem Puzzle, dessen Teile auf den Millimeter genau ineinander passen. Ab und zu war mir das Tempo fast zu schnell, aber letztendlich wurden alle offenen Fragen auf elegante Art gelöst. Auch die Welt, in der die Geschichte angesiedelt ist, und die fantasievolle Darstellung von Magie gefielen mir auf Anhieb.Die Charaktere haben nicht nur Schwächen, sondern werden sogar durch sie definiert. Sophie ist fest überzeugt, dass sie bei allem scheitern wird, was sie anpackt. Howl lenkt sich mit hübschen Frauen und Flirts von seinen zahlreichen Ängsten ab. Aber gerade diese Schwächen machen die beiden so liebenswert. Auch die Dynamik zwischen ihnen gefiel mir sehr gut – sie ergänzen sich, gerade weil sie völlig gegensätzlich sind. Auch die Nebencharaktere haben alle etwas an sich, das sie interessant und einzigartig macht.Dank des verträumten Schreibstils hatte ich die ganze Zeit über das Gefühl, ein besonders ausgefeiltes und liebevoll konstruiertes Märchen zu lesen. Sophies und Howls Welt ist so farbenfroh und spielerisch, dass ich sie am liebsten nicht mehr verlassen hätte.Zwar schien mir der Plot an zwei oder drei Stellen etwas zu komplex und das Tempo zu schnell, trotzdem kann ich dieses Buch nur weiterempfehlen!

It has been a really long time since I've read a book that was so good from start to finish, that by the end of this book, I was tempted to just start back at the beginning and read it all over again. Everything was spot on; the characters, rich and colourful, with plenty of personality and spark, the scenery perfectly painted, the plot fun and totally unbelievable in a very believable way. That makes sense, right?This story revolves around Sophie Hatter. She is the eldest of three girls, making her the most unfortunate of the lot. Elder siblings rarely make much of themsevles, so Sophie tries to put all her energy into the happiness of her two younger sisters Lettie and Martha, who both have managed to secure apprenticeships in prominent places that will surely bring them their fortune.One day while trying to close up the hat shop she works for, Sophie encounters the Witch of the Waste. Not realizing who she really is, Sophie, already in a foul mood, gives her a bit of sass, and suddenly finds that she has been cast under a spell: she has been transformed into a 90 year old woman! And what else; she is unable to speak about it to anyone!Before anyone spots her, Sophie departs the hat shop, and journeys in the direction of the Wastes. One her way, she encounters Howl's Moving Castle. She wrestles her way inside to find Calcifer, a fire demon. Calcifer recognizes her curse right off the bat, and is therefore able to discuss it with her. He strikes a bargain with Sophie: free him from his contract with Howl, and he will release her from her curse. Only one hitch: Calcifer is also not free to discuss his contract.Sophie decides to take the deal. She poses as the new cleaning lady in the moving castle, and is right away believed mostly because of the filthy state of the place. This allows her to observe life in the castle between its occupants, and gives her ample time to observe and determine what Calcifer's contract entails.I don't know why I'm so shocked, Diana always writes fantastic fantasy novels. But I just cannot get over how awesome all her characters in this story are. Everyone is totally fleshed out, three dimensional and the like. I can picture everyone so clearly as if I knew them all personally. Even minor characters, or characters you're not meant to like are all entertaining and fun to read. But seriously, Calcifer is my all time favourite!!!!I have laughed out loud at this book, smiled like a fiend, and even teared up a bit. This is going to be a book that I will want to reread again for sure.*** Side Note *** If you are at all interested, I also really enjoyed the movie. It was a very rare occasion for me to admit, but I actually loved everything about the movie, and even though they changed a few plot lines and details, to me, it made sense for the movie. I have watched it several times, and even again after reading the book, and I still feel great about it. Calcifer in the movie is also my favourite! :)

Ich bin ein großer Fan des gleichnamigen Ghibli-Films und hoffte, die Geschichte im Buch noch detaillierter erzählt zu bekommen. Daher war ich etwas enttäuscht, als ich feststellte, dass nur die grobe Handlung und die wichtigsten Charaktere übereinstimmen. Der Fokus im Buch liegt auf der Beziehung von Sophie zu ihrer Familie und auf der Beziehung von Howl zu verschiedenen Zauberern, Hexen usw. Die Hintergrundgeschichte des Krieges, die den Film auch moralisch wertvoll macht, fehlt im Buch vollständig.Wenn man den Film nicht gesehen hat oder aber sich auf eine andere Geschichte mit den Charakteren einlässt, ist das Buch sehr schön zu lesen. Die Charaktere wirken glaubhaft, die Welt, in der sie leben, wird mit viel Fantasie geschildert und es gibt jede Menge originelle Ideen und Wendungen. Ich kenne kein Buch, das eine ähnliche Geschichte erzählt, daher hebt sich dieser Roman angenehm vom Mainstream ab.Das Englisch ist mit einigen Jahren Schulenglisch-Kenntnissen gut verständlich, die Sätze unkompliziert. Lediglich einige Worte, die man im Alltag nie braucht, z.B. zum Thema Zauberei, muss man nachschauen oder drüberlesen.Fazit: Erst den wunderschönen Fantasyroman lesen und danach anschauen und staunen, was das Ghibli-Studio daraus gemacht hat!

I've seen the Miyazaki animation based on this book at least half a dozen times (was the only thing not packed away before a move some years ago) and loved it. After reading the book, I actually think the movie was pretty faithful to Diana Wynne Jones's story, just with some parts removed and some characters merged in order to fit this into the length of an animated feature film. I ended up liking both the film and the book about equally well (and was happy to find out there are a few sequels available for the book -- I'll be buying them soon); I guess because of the order in which I read things, I saw the book as a chance to learn more about the characters.Regarding the characters, they're really the ones who are the stars here. Sophie, the POV character (third person, though) undergoes both physical and personality transformations fairly early on -- they pretty much go hand-in-hand. She's timid and a bit fatalistic early on, when she still has the appearance of a young woman, but she loses the timidity when she's changed by a witch into an old crone. The fatalism takes more time to go away, and I won't be sure until the next book whether her personality transformation is complete. Something that was a little lost in the movie (I think; I'm going to have to watch it again, now) was that Sophie actually has some magical abilities of her own and doesn't even realize it. She's quick-thinking but also a little gullible. She sometimes loses sight of her goal (in this case, her bargain to free Calcifer, the fire demon powering the title castle's hearth). And she's entirely likable and sympathetic.Howl is a bit more puzzling to me, but I guess that's the nature of non-POV characters. He's a drama queen, for sure. We do learn quite a lot about his background, including his family. And some things are revealed later on that explain some of his fickle behavior. He's got this reputation that's given to him by other characters. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but pay attention to Howl's actions and the *kinds* of spells he does during the book. Sophie makes a statement about him later that puts his reputation into perspective.A quick diversion to note that this can definitely be considered YA fiction (but is still worthwhile for adults to read). There are some fairy-tale-type transformations (on the level of, say, turning a man into a dog) but none of the violence or gore associated with the Grimm brothers. There's some light romance, but nothing sexual. The language is clean and unobjectionable. If you're a bit tired of the gritty fantasy" trend in literature for adults, this would certainly be a welcome diversion.The setting(s) are pretty typical for fantasy novels. It's not the cities, really, that stand out here, but rather the "castle" of the title, which is more about appearances and convenient travel than anything else (it is most definitely not a medieval fortress). It's possible that the movie aided me here, especially with the door that has a dial and opens on different locations depending on the dial's setting. My picture of the hearth and of Calcifer is also definitely influenced by the movie. It's just such a fun concept, of a hovercraft/castle that's small and cozy inside but imposing and scary when viewed from outside, and where what you see out the window isn't necessarily the same as what's physically outside the wall.As far as the writing goes, we do see a fair amount of Sophie's internal monologue. It's not as interesting, perhaps, as the action scenes (there is a LOT going on during the final confrontation; I had to read it twice to catch everything), or the verbal sparring between Sophie and Howl, but it does go a long way towards helping us understand Sophie as a character.Magic is never explained in detail, although it seems from reading that spells can be worked in different ways -- sometimes even unintentionally -- and that spells that are intended to have bigger impacts require more preparation and energy. People can be cursed, appearances can be changed, but magic can also be used for good. Magic takes on a fairy tale quality in this book that is entirely fitting, considering the setting.Action-wise, the pace is a little uneven. We're treated to a fair number of discussions of cleaning, for example, and these drag a little (although they also serve to introduce us to the castle, so they have a purpose, at least). However, there are a few moments of fright (for example, with respect to a scarecrow that seems to be following the castle, and with a couple of encounters of the villainess, the Witch of the Wastes), and the pace is pretty frantic at the end.One could discuss deeper themes if one had a mind to -- for example, the role of women in Sophie's world. Early on, Sophie's father dies and her stepmother sees little choice except to apprentice out the three girls (one sister and one half-sister for Sophie). Education costs money that a young widow doesn't have, forcing one of the girls to leave school. And the types of jobs (baker's apprentice and witch's apprentice) obtained by, and futures (mother of many children and witch) envisioned by Sophie's sisters are indicative of the roles women were allowed to play in that society. Women in the hat shop where Sophie worked early in the book were pretty bad gossips. And there's an interesting contrast between magic practitioners, where Howl has a *reputation* for being bad, while the Witch of the Wastes actually *is* evil. At any rate, it's an interesting thought exercise to do afterwards, although I didn't really think about these things while I was reading.FYI, the Kindle version has a lot of "extra" content including a brief interview with the author and an excerpt from another book, so you'll be finished well before you hit 100%.In sum, this book has complex characters, the castle is interesting and fun, and you can even find complex themes if you go looking for them. I'm glad I snagged this one when it was a Kindle daily deal and will be getting the next two books soon.

Man kann es kaum aus der Hand legen, die Geschichte ist wirklich vielseitig, wenn auch ein wenig chaotisch, doch das gibt ihr auch einen gewissen Charme.Ich bin durch den Film des Ghibli Studios auf dieses Buch gekommen, die Geschichte unterscheidet sich aber stark vom Film, es wurden nur die wichtigsten Charaktere übernommen und teilweise Persönlichkeiten völlig verändert und das Buch zeigt viele Details, die man aus dem Film nicht schließen kann. Man sollte es davon getrennt betrachten, aber es ist sicher auch für alle interessant, die den Film kennen.Im Stil erinnert es ein wenig an die Chroniken von Narnia, der Schreibstil selbst ist flüssig, es lässt sich gut lesen.Sophie, die als Älteste von drei Geschwistern geboren wird, fühlt sich zum Scheitern verurteilt, da es eine allgemein bekannte Tatsache im Lande Ingary ist, dass die Älteste nichts aus ihrem Leben machen kann. Ihre beiden jüngeren Schwestern jedoch nehmen ihr Schicksal selbst in die Hand und handeln entgegen dieser Sichtweise, was Sophie nachdenklich stimmt.Lange hat sie dafür aber nicht Zeit, denn plötzlich taucht die Witch of the Waste in ihrem Hutladen auf und verwandelt sie in eine alte Frau. Sophie muss nun ihren eigenen Weg finden und mit ihrer enormen Willenskraft stellt sie sich selbst als Putzkraft in Howl's wandelndem Schloss an, das von dem Feuerdämon Calcifer angetrieben wird. Dieser einigt sich mit ihr darauf, ihren Fluch zu brechen, wenn sie es schafft, den Handel zwischen ihm und Howl zu lösen. Howl, der sich als egoistisch, eitel und als Schürzenjäger ohnegleichen herausstellt. Obwohl ein mächtiger Zauberer, scheint er immer wieder vor Verantwortung fliehen zu wollen. Und er kommt nicht einmal aus derselben Welt wie Sophie...Ob Sophie es schafft, ihn zur Vernunft zu bringen und die Flüche zu lösen, erfahrt ihr am Ende des Buches ;-) Viel Spaß beim Lesen!