Howl's Moving Castle & Destiny

-
Once again, I'm super behind on the popular books band wagon. For example, I just read Outlander by Diana Gabaldon two months ago (which, I remember, was super popular approximately six years ago). In that vein, I just finished reading Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. Yes, I'm aware that it became super popular circa 2004 and that the movie version is a cult classic. So, on average, it takes nine years for me to get around to reading a popular book.

Anyway, I read Howl's Moving Castle and I absolutely loved it. I found it to be a charming and very sweet novel. In contrast to typical high fantasy novels, I found it to be a straight forward, enjoyable story. The book begins with "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." I was drawn into the novel immediately; the story was intriguing and funny and a joy to read. Jones masterfully wove together the different threads of the plot to create a dramatic surprise conclusion.

The characters are equally enjoyable. I quickly fell in love with Calcifer, a Fire Demon with a sense of humor, Howl, a wizard who loves spiders and dying his hair, and Sophie, a young girl resigned to a boring life who gradually gains confidence in her own abilities.

Sophie's story line in particular appealed to me. Sophie believes that because she is the eldest of three she is doomed to a boring and unsuccessful life. While her younger sisters go out to make their fortunes, Sophie remains at home to work for her stepmother. Sophie believes that her place in her family controls her destiny. However, after she moves into Howl's moving castle, she gradually learns that she is a capable young woman and a skilled magician. Howl, on the other hand, believes that he controls his own destiny.

Jones' commentary on destiny is refreshing in comparison to other high fantasy novels. Many fantasy novels rely heavily on themes of prophecy and destiny. Destiny, as a plot device, can take over character's personalities. In my opinion, too many authors use destiny to avoid exploring a character's true motivations and personality. That's lazy story telling. I enjoyed seeing Jones set this plot device on its head. She begins the book by clearly stating that Sophie, as the eldest, will be the least succesful of her sisters. This prophecy turns out to be completely bogus, as Sophie ends up having more adventures than either of her sisters.

In any case, if you're enjoy fantasy novels and are looking for a short, light book, I highly recommend Howl's Moving Castle.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Spiderman is in The Great Gatsby

-
Image
So, today I saw the new The Great Gatsby movie, to which I say "eh". I love the novel, but the movie version of The Great Gatsby sort of disappointed me. Sure, the movie was really cool from a visual standpoint, but it wasn't The Great Gatsby as it was written. They really took the substance out of the story and made it one long frat party, set to hip-hop music. Which didn't make a lot of sense to me, given that The Great Gatsby is supposed to be set in the 1920s. Apparently, no one told Baz Luhrmann. The problem with his adaptation is that Luhrmann was so heavy handed with the story. I mean, if the metaphors were any more obvious, they would jump out of the screen and beat you over the head with a herring. However, all those things are forgivable. What was not forgivable was the casting of Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway. I say that not because his acting was bad, but because there is no place for Spider-Man in The Great Gatsby. Seriously, that was practicall...
Read more

Noa Noa: Paul Gauguin & Romanticism

-
Image
Paul Gauguin is one of my favorite painters. (Actually, as I write this, there is a print of his painting  Mahana No Atua hanging next to me on my bedroom wall.) So, during my winter break, I decided to read his Tahitian journal, Noa Noa . Noa Noa is a travelogue written by Gauguin, first published in 1901. Although, Gauguin billed the book as his genuine experiences, it seems pretty clear to me and other critics that it's mostly fictional or exaggerated. That being said, I found the book to be very interesting. From a narrative perspective, Noa Noa is a bit dull. Gauguin's writing style has a tendency to be wordy and pedantic. However, from an ideological perspective it's quite interesting. To my mind, Gauguin is an excellent example of Romanticism and Romantic thought. If you don't know, Romanticism was an artistic and ideological movement that reacted against the Enlightenment. Romantics believed that the world could not be understood purely though the le...
Read more

The Best Viking Novels

-
Image
I don't know about you, but I love a good viking novel. I've been interested in history since I was a kid, and I've always been fascinated by the vikings. There's something about the stories of dragon ships and adventures on the sea that capture the imagination.  And, I'm certainly not the only person who thinks that way because there are a lot of books about vikings on the market. Of course, there are plenty of non-fiction books out there, and I've read (or listened to; I love audiobooks) to a couple of them, but novels about vikings seem to be much more popular. That being said, not all novels are equal. Personally, I prefer viking novels that encompass the perfect amount of adventure, drama, and (sometimes) romance.  Since I've been home a lot recently, I've been reading/listening (I love audiobooks) to some old favorites and to some new novels as well. So, today, I want to share some of my favorite viking novels (in no particular order) with you. Ha...
Read more