Indeed Sophie introduces herself as the eldest of three so destined to “fall first and worst” should she set off to seek her fortune which I think sets the whole story up very well. There are plenty of fairy and folktale references, nods and tropes used, with a humour and awareness that kept them fresh. Their off-hand, dry and snippety ways bring a good deal of humour as well as allowing us a smidgen of doubt about their true nature. They’re both evil of course…or so they’d have you believe. Howl is arrogant, selfish and Calcifer is a grumpy demon. Howl and Calcifer too are a brilliant pair.
I loved what ‘Old Sophie’ did for ‘Young Sophie’. With a touch of Esme Weatherwax about her, she’s both a character to be reckoned with and a clever way of celebrating old age as a bringer of freedom, self-assertion and confidence rather than a stereotypical fragility or ineptitude.
Sophie, our protagonist, is a particular favourite.
With themes of family, friendship and lotslty there is a wonderful cast of characters who quickly find their way into your heart despite no-one being quite what they seem! Funny, clever, warm and witty, it’s a brilliant magical adventure challenging our very human inclinations to judge books by their covers, gossip and keep secrets.Īfter their father dies, Sophie and her two step-sisters are found apprenticeships by their mother/step-mother, with Sophie staying at the family hat shop diligently making and mending until she’s paid a visit from a rather put-out Witch of the Waste which sets her on a very different course… I can’t believe I’ve not read this sooner. I chose Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne-Jones, which I listened to as an audiobook read by Kristin Atherton. My second stop on the Believathon quest was The Yellow Brick Road, with a prompt to read A Book You Should Have Read Years Ago.
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