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Original Essays | September 23, 2009

Jonathan Lethem: IMG Stops: On Those Things My New Novel Forgot to Be About, Maybe



For me, there's a weird, unfathomable gulf — I almost wrote gulp — between the completion of a novel and its publication. Some days this duration feels interminable, as though the book has... Continue »
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Howl's Moving Castle

by Diana Wynne Jones

Howl's Moving Castle Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

In the land of Ingary, such things as spells, invisible cloaks, and seven-league boots were everyday things. The Witch of the Waste was another matter.

After fifty years of quiet, it was rumored that the Witch was about to terrorize the country again. So when a moving black castle, blowing dark smoke from its four thin turrets, appeared on the horizon, everyone thought it was the Witch. The castle, however, belonged to Wizard Howl, who, it was said, liked to suck the souls of young girls.

The Hatter sisters--Sophie, Lettie, and Martha--and all the other girls were warned not to venture into the streets alone. But that was only the beginning.

In this giant jigsaw puzzle of a fantasy, people and things are never quite what they seem. Destinies are intertwined, identities exchanged, lovers confused. The Witch has placed a spell on Howl. Does the clue to breaking it lie in a famous poem? And what will happen to Sophie Hatter when she enters Howl's castle?

Diana Wynne Jones's entrancing fantasy is filled with surprises at every turn, but when the final stormy duel between the Witch and the Wizard is finished, all the pieces fall magically into place.

Review:

"A witty, rollicking fantasy." Booklist (Starred Review)

Review:

"Jones has outdone herself in this frolicking, warmhearted fantasy. Thoroughly enjoyable — a wonderful blend of humor, magic, and romance." Publishers Weekly

Review:

"Jones has created an engaging set of characters and found a new use for many of the appurtenances of fairy tales....[Her] inventiveness never fails, and her conclusion is infinitely satisfying." School Library Journal

Synopsis:

In which a witch bewitched the hatter's daughter — and then some...

Sophie lived in the town of Market Chipping, which was in Ingary, a land in which anything could happen, and often did — especially when the Witch of the Waste got her dander up. Which was often.

As her younger sisters set out to seek their fortunes, Sophie stayed in her father's hat shop. Which proved most unadventurous, until the Witch of the Waste came in to buy a bonnet, but was not pleased. Which is why she turned Sophie into an old lady. Which was spiteful witchery.

Now Sophie must seek her own fortune. Which means striking a bargain with the lecherous Wizard Howl. Which means entering his ever-moving castle, taming a blue fire-demon, and meeting the Witch of the Waste head-on. Which was more than Sophie bargained for...

About the Author

Diana Wynne Jones was raised in the village of Thaxted, in Essex, England. She has been a compulsive storyteller for as long as she can remember enjoying most ardently those tales dealing with witches, hobgoblins, and the like. Ms. Jones lives in Bristol, England, with her husband, a professor of English at Bristol University. They have three sons and two granddaughters.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 8 comments:
rinoa2u, June 15, 2008 (view all comments by rinoa2u)
howl's moving castle is a fun,magical and romantic book that will leave you asking for more. it also tackles the concept of beauty and family. i really like it. i just borrowed a copy from my friend and was supposed to return it immediately but i just reread it over and over again
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(4 of 4 readers found this comment helpful)
nancyhjohnson, June 2, 2008 (view all comments by nancyhjohnson)
This is a howler, all right--howlingly funny! Sophie, the hatter's daughter, is naturally frustrated when the Witch of the Waste turns her into an old lady. But then she goes head to head with the Wizard Howl, whose castle tends to move about. Then bizarre things really start to happen. What a delightful fantasy!
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(2 of 3 readers found this comment helpful)
Aarti, December 19, 2006 (view all comments by Aarti)
I loved this book! It is full of humor, memorable characters, magic spells and fire demons. Not many authors can pull off a novel with the two main characters being a 90-year-old woman and a self-centered and vain wizard. Diana Wynne Jones pulls it off with panache, and leaves readers with a thoroughly contented feeling at the finish.

For those who enjoy Caroline Stevermer, Patricia C. Wrede, Teresa Edgerton (sadly out of print) and J. K. Rowling, this book is right up your alley. Jones is certainly an author I shall be looking into regularly in the future. Luckily for us all, she has written several books.
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(12 of 19 readers found this comment helpful)
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780064410342
Author:
Jones, Diana Wynne
Publisher:
Greenwillow Books
Author:
by Diana Wynne Jones
Location:
New York, NY
Subject:
Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic
Subject:
Children's 12-Up - Fiction - Fantasy
Subject:
Humorous Stories
Subject:
Fantasy
Subject:
Wizards
Subject:
Action & Adventure - General
Subject:
Fantasy & Magic
Copyright:
Edition Description:
1st Harper Trophy ed.
Publication Date:
August 2001
Binding:
Mass Market Paperbound
Grade Level:
- Up
Language:
English
Pages:
336
Dimensions:
678x436x90 34
Age Level:
13-17

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