Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (Howl's Moving Castle, #1) * * *
The story follows Sophie Hatter, an eighteen year old who works in her family’s hat shop. She lives with her stepmother, whom she loves like a real parent, and she has two younger sisters, Letty and Martha. Early on, both sisters leave to take up apprenticeships, while Sophie remains in the shop. She sees her future as fixed and unremarkable, largely because of her position as the eldest sister in a fairy tale type world.
That changes when the Witch of the Waste curses her, turning her into an old woman, around ninety years old. This is a physical transformation with clear limits. Sophie cannot easily explain it to others, and she chooses to leave home rather than face her family in that state. At first, this situation is discouraging, but it also removes the expectations that were holding her back. As an old woman, she becomes more direct and more willing to act.
Her goal is to find Howl, a wizard with a dangerous reputation, in the hope that he can remove the curse. On the way, she encounters several unusual elements that later become important, including a scarecrow that appears to follow her and a walking stick that she uses. She eventually reaches Howl’s moving castle and manages to enter by presenting herself as a cleaning lady.
Inside the castle, the main characters are introduced. Calcifer is a fire demon bound to the hearth, and Michael is Howl’s fifteen year old apprentice. Howl himself initially appears vain, unreliable, and overly concerned with appearances. He has a pattern of pursuing women and then losing interest once they return his attention. However, as Sophie spends more time in the castle, she begins to see that his behaviour is partly a way of avoiding responsibility.
The structure of the story is relatively slow. Much of the middle section focuses on daily life in the castle. Cleaning, conversations, and small interactions take up a large portion of the narrative. At the same time, the book introduces several mysteries. The identity of the scarecrow, the role of the Witch of the Waste, the missing Prince Justin, and the absent Wizard Suliman are all connected, although this is not immediately clear.
One important aspect of Sophie’s character is her magical ability, which she does not recognise at first. She has the power to speak things into life or give them properties through words. This is shown early on in the hat shop and becomes relevant later when she interacts with objects in the castle. This ability is essential to the resolution of the plot, particularly in relation to Calcifer and Howl’s contract.
The final part of the book moves much faster than the earlier sections. By the end, everything is resolved in such a quick succession that it feels a bit abrupt and sudden, but also the logical conclusion of all the mysteries we have encountered.
I rated this book three and a half stars. I enjoyed it, but I did not find it especially engaging in the middle section. The pacing is slow, and a large part of the story focuses on everyday activities rather than major events. However, the structure of the plot is well constructed, and the resolution makes effective use of earlier details.
The characters are one of the stronger aspects of the book. Sophie develops in a clear and logical way, and Howl becomes more complex as more information is revealed about him. The supporting cast, especially Michael and Sophie’s family, also add to the overall structure of the story.
Overall, I would recommend this book, particularly for readers who enjoy character driven fantasy with a focus on gradual development rather than constant action. It is a story that builds its main ideas slowly and resolves them by connecting previously established details.
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