Howl's Moving Castle - Diana Wynne Jones - Book Review

 

                

                I am a big fan of Studio Ghibli movies, which I binge-watch quite often. One of my favourites among them is 'Howl' Moving Castle'. Recently did I came to know that the movie is based on a book. Luckily, I spotted the book in the library and ended up taking the book for the week. Let's see how it fared.

             Sophie, from Market Chipping, grew up with her two sisters. They have a hat shop run by her stepmother. While her two sisters move out to learn, Sophie gets stuck in the shop creating hats. She accidentally crosses paths with the Witch of the Waste, who curses her to be an old lady. Sophie leaves the house and encounters the moving castle of Howl, who had a bad reputation for taking young girls' souls. Sophie meets Howl, Michael and the fire demon, Calcifer, at the castle and starts to live as a caretaker. She enters a pact with Calcifer to break the curse. Is Howl evil, as people believe him to be? What pact does she make with Calcifer? Is she able to break the curse? forms the rest of the story.

                I had a certain expectation while reading the book. All this is due to watching the movie. This was the wrong thing to do. The story progressed differently in both the book and the film. Since I had watched the film many times, the story from the movie often crossed my mind, spoiling the reading experience. The story was good enough. But the tempo was undulating. What started well slowed down in the middle for some time, and picked up pace towards the end. The language and writing style are simple enough to enjoy the read. Young readers might be able to connect well with the book. The various characters and the underlying characteristics are well written. They may appear one way, but behave in a totally different way. A few underlying themes, like resilience, adaptability, courage, and acceptance, are explored well. The mystery surrounding Howl makes him the most interesting character of the book.

             To sum it up, a charming book that can be fun at times but slow otherwise. Nevertheless, a fairly enjoyable read. Those who have already seen the movie should read this with a fresh mindset.