Charmain Baker is in over her head. Looking after Great-Uncle William's tiny cottage while he's ill should have been easy. But Great-Uncle Willi... read full description
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Dec 08, 2010
Nic
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Dec 06, 2011
Erin
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Well, I feel a lot of guilt for giving the final chapter of the Castle series a measley 2 stars, but it is what it is.
The magic was pretty boring, consisting of water pipes heating up/cooling down, food appearing when you say "Breakfast, please!", and doorways that lead to many places depending on which direction you turn. Whoop-dee-doo.
The plot was so, so slow-moving. And predictable. Maybe if it had just been one or the other I would have been more satisfied, More...
The magic was pretty boring, consisting of water pipes heating up/cooling down, food appearing when you say "Breakfast, please!", and doorways that lead to many places depending on which direction you turn. Whoop-dee-doo.
The plot was so, so slow-moving. And predictable. Maybe if it had just been one or the other I would have been more satisfied, More...
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Oct 17, 2011
Myles
rated it:
DWJ Book Toast, #8
Diana Wynne Jones is one of my favorite fantasy authors, growing up and now, and I was saddened by the news of her death. I can't say I'm overcome with emotion - as personal as some of her work is to me, its not like I knew her after all - but I wish I could put into words how I feel about her no longer being out there, writing new adventures and laughing at all of us serious fans thinking so hard about her words when we should simply get on with the business of enj More...
Diana Wynne Jones is one of my favorite fantasy authors, growing up and now, and I was saddened by the news of her death. I can't say I'm overcome with emotion - as personal as some of her work is to me, its not like I knew her after all - but I wish I could put into words how I feel about her no longer being out there, writing new adventures and laughing at all of us serious fans thinking so hard about her words when we should simply get on with the business of enj More...
Jul 12, 2008
Becky
rated it:
I really enjoyed reading this book. The writing was excellent, and it was certainly almost a sequel to Howl's Moving Castle, although calling it the sequel is perhaps unfair to Castle in the Sky.
Vague spoilers follow:
It did rather fail as a traditional novel for two reasons. First, there was nothing much holding it together thematically. Charmain's character development was interesting and coherent, but it had no real bearing on the endgame of the plot, beyond the fact th More...
Vague spoilers follow:
It did rather fail as a traditional novel for two reasons. First, there was nothing much holding it together thematically. Charmain's character development was interesting and coherent, but it had no real bearing on the endgame of the plot, beyond the fact th More...
Jan 29, 2012
Amanda
rated it: 
(4.5 stars)
House of Many Ways is the third book in the Howl series, and like Castle in the Air, it is more a companion novel than a direct sequel. Once again, this book takes place a couple years after the last book, and we get to see where several of our favorite characters have gotten to in the last little while. There is more of Sophie, Howl, and Calcifer in this book, which made me happy. The setting is High Norland, a small country in the same world as Ingary. The royal wizard of More...
House of Many Ways is the third book in the Howl series, and like Castle in the Air, it is more a companion novel than a direct sequel. Once again, this book takes place a couple years after the last book, and we get to see where several of our favorite characters have gotten to in the last little while. There is more of Sophie, Howl, and Calcifer in this book, which made me happy. The setting is High Norland, a small country in the same world as Ingary. The royal wizard of More...
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Jan 23, 2012
Marta
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In the last of the Howl's Castle series of books, we start with Charmain, a bookish 14 year old, who gets volunteered by her great-aunt to take care of her distant great-uncle William's house. Well, magical house. Charmain is a respectable young lady (read: sheltered and spoiled) and, as such, she doesn't know how to do much besides reading a lot, and eating a lot of pasties. That includes washing clothes and dishes, and goes as far as making tea.
Luckily for her, the house is indeed More...
Luckily for her, the house is indeed More...
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Jul 15, 2011
Joselyn
rated it:
Unfortunately, I found this book very boring. I also left this book feeling like there were some plotholes that should've been covered. (I'm not going to list them here lest I sound like a fool if they were actually explained.)
Well anyway, I know that DWJ's style is kinda like this... lots and lots of description (sometimes useless), lots of details and nonsense until maybe 3/4 of the book, then BAM! Everything gets solved really quick. The thing is, I don't really like her style, u More...
Well anyway, I know that DWJ's style is kinda like this... lots and lots of description (sometimes useless), lots of details and nonsense until maybe 3/4 of the book, then BAM! Everything gets solved really quick. The thing is, I don't really like her style, u More...
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Sep 07, 2008
Genevieve
rated it: 
To me this reads rather like Diana Wynne Jones trying to write a book that would translate perfectly into a Hayao Miyazaki movie. This sets it apart from Howl's Moving Castle, which was mutlilated in the process of being turned into a Miyazaki film. The hyperkinetic, overstuffed and underexplained action of the latter third or so; the surreal, dreamlike beauty of certain scenes; some bizarrely cute flourishes (like Waif); the frilly Anglo touches (Afternoon Tea, crumpets); the out-of-the-blue
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Jan 27, 2011
Margaret
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This follows Castle in the Air as a sequel to Howl's Moving Castle. Charmain Baker is pleased when her family sends her to look after Great-Uncle William's little cottage while he's ill; after all, she longs to have some time to herself and the freedom to read and do whatever she wants. But Great-Uncle William is the Royal Wizard of High Norland, and his house is...a little unusual. Soon Charmain is drawn into intrigue at the royal palace, where the king has called in magical help from another k
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Jun 10, 2008
Cassie
rated it:
In this sequel to Howl’s Moving Castle, we once again move to a new continent, but we see the return of old favorites like Howl, Sophie, and Calcifer, as well as a few characters from Castle in the Air, namely Jamal and Princess Hilda.
When this book showed up in my mailbox, I excitedly pulled out all my Howl world books and reread them in anticipation of House of Many Ways. I probably need to reread it before truly judging it, but upon finishing it I didnt’ feel as much of a need to More...
When this book showed up in my mailbox, I excitedly pulled out all my Howl world books and reread them in anticipation of House of Many Ways. I probably need to reread it before truly judging it, but upon finishing it I didnt’ feel as much of a need to More...
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Apr 15, 2011
Emma
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“House of Many Ways” is Jones’ third novel featuring Howl and Sophie, following “Howl’s Moving Castle” from 1986 (also a movie adaptation made by Hayao Miyazaki in 2004) and “Castle in the Air” from 1990. Although all of these novels stand alone very nicely, certain nuances of the story will make more sense if you read the novels in sequence. Certain characters’ cameo appearances will also be more satisfying with the background afforded by reading all three novels.
This particular sto More...
This particular sto More...
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Dec 09, 2008
Lynn
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I will read anything by DWJ - she is one of my favorite authors. House of Many Ways features appearances by Sophie, Howl (disguised as a little boy), their toddler Morgan and Calcifer. They are as engaging as always but the central character in this wonderful tale is Charmain, a spoiled teenager who has been raised to be respectable and who spends all the day with her nose in a book. Charmain's aunt whisks her away suddenly to take care of her Great Uncle William's house while he is away bein
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Jul 13, 2008
Zen
rated it:
Yay! The paperback didn't take very long at all to come out, did it?
It is DWJ so of course I enjoyed, but agreed with whoever it was -- on LJ flist, or on GR? -- who said that it was unfortunate that Howl, Sophie et al were in it, because the old characters were obviously more interesting than the new ones. Charmain was all right. I got quite irritated with her, because -- I can identify with her just wanting to read books all the time and getting irritated when people won't let her do More...
It is DWJ so of course I enjoyed, but agreed with whoever it was -- on LJ flist, or on GR? -- who said that it was unfortunate that Howl, Sophie et al were in it, because the old characters were obviously more interesting than the new ones. Charmain was all right. I got quite irritated with her, because -- I can identify with her just wanting to read books all the time and getting irritated when people won't let her do More...
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Aug 02, 2011
I loved it! I admit, it was not as exciting or imaginative as the first two books, but it was still a very charming and enchanting tale, with lots of twists and turns (literally and figuratively) and a lot of very British humor. Once again, Jones' writing style manages to save the book from being dismissed during the slow parts, she's quite a talented author in my opinion. Where the other two books were more like fairytales, this book was more like a whodunit mystery involving fantasy creature
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Mar 21, 2009
Ryan
rated it:
I was all excited about a new Jones book...and a bit let down by this one. This is aimed more at the 12 year old range than older.
The story concerns an adolescent girl, overly protected by her mother, who is pressed into service taking care of her great uncle's house while he is away for medical treatment from the elves. Oh, but Uncle Norland is the Wizard of the Realm and his house has many secrets. Charmain is excited to get out from under her mum, but her real passion is books More...
The story concerns an adolescent girl, overly protected by her mother, who is pressed into service taking care of her great uncle's house while he is away for medical treatment from the elves. Oh, but Uncle Norland is the Wizard of the Realm and his house has many secrets. Charmain is excited to get out from under her mum, but her real passion is books More...
Dec 21, 2008
Barky
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Dec 29, 2011
Yang
rated it:
http://amateuryang.blogspot.com/2011/05/...
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(Check out my full review!)
Back in Malaysia I have read Howl's Moving Castle and to be honest, I find it quite a difficult read for a YA book. Maybe because it was written in the style of a different era but the story got a bit complicated for me at the end. To this day, I am still trying to understand what HMC is really about. The whole Calcifer, Howl and Sophie thing just confuses me.
Just to pick up where I l More...
^
^
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(Check out my full review!)
Back in Malaysia I have read Howl's Moving Castle and to be honest, I find it quite a difficult read for a YA book. Maybe because it was written in the style of a different era but the story got a bit complicated for me at the end. To this day, I am still trying to understand what HMC is really about. The whole Calcifer, Howl and Sophie thing just confuses me.
Just to pick up where I l More...
Nov 06, 2011
Mara
rated it:
This, apparently, is the sequel to Howl's Moving Castle. I didn't read Howl's Moving Castle first (though now I certainly intend to), and it seems that House of Many Ways can act as a good stand-alone book. That said, time to move on to my review.
First point: it's funny. I would venture to say that there is even a bit of an early-Victorian flair in its style and humor. Especially with Charmain's Aunt Sempronia and the various tea parties that Charmain inadvertently disrupts. Diana Wynn More...
First point: it's funny. I would venture to say that there is even a bit of an early-Victorian flair in its style and humor. Especially with Charmain's Aunt Sempronia and the various tea parties that Charmain inadvertently disrupts. Diana Wynn More...
Aug 09, 2011
Amery
rated it:
Oh, this is such a delightful book! After being disappointed by Castle in the Air, I admit that I was a little skeptical when I read House of Many Ways, the OTHER sequel to Howl's Moving Castle. Diana Wynne Jones has managed to prove me wrong with this sequel. The plot is enjoyable and the characters are often times hilarious. Twinkle "Howl" and Morgan make a good comical pair, and Sophie's attempts to stop them from creating chaos brings about a few laughs. I didn't really like the ch
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Jun 04, 2011
Ian
rated it:
Splendido! La storia è intrigante al punto giusto, i protagonisti sono un divertente misto di competenza e imbranaggine e soprattutto, nonostante le divagazioni, la trama non si perde per strada come nella parte centrale del secondo libro.
Ho letto in altre recensioni che alcuni criticano questo libro perché Chairmain è più interessata a leggere libri piuttosto che fare cose (come esplorare la casa dello zio William, imparare incantesimi o cercare Calcifer <spoiler>quando crede ch More...
Ho letto in altre recensioni che alcuni criticano questo libro perché Chairmain è più interessata a leggere libri piuttosto che fare cose (come esplorare la casa dello zio William, imparare incantesimi o cercare Calcifer <spoiler>quando crede ch More...
May 06, 2011
Jen
rated it:
After reading Castle in the Air and being, shall we say, less than thrilled with it, I promised my loyal readership that I would take on the third and final tome in the Howl's Moving Castle trilogy. I'm glad I, "took one for the team." This book was everything I'd wished that Castle in the Air had been. It had all the fantastic pizazz of Howl's Moving Castle and, as always, threw some new tricks into the mix.
Though you are hopefully resting in peace, I just wanted to say than More...
Though you are hopefully resting in peace, I just wanted to say than More...
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Apr 15, 2011
Marilyn
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http://www.marilynmuniz.com/2011/04/hous...
Summary
Charmain is volunteered to take care of her Great-Uncle William's cottage when he becomes ill and needs to leave with the elves for treatment. With little knowledge in magic, Charmain is alone to experience the cottage and its many paths which lead from the bedrooms to the caves under the mountain. Soon Charmain learns her uncle, who is the Royal Wizard Norland, is searching for the Elfgift with the king and his daughter. Will C More...
Summary
Charmain is volunteered to take care of her Great-Uncle William's cottage when he becomes ill and needs to leave with the elves for treatment. With little knowledge in magic, Charmain is alone to experience the cottage and its many paths which lead from the bedrooms to the caves under the mountain. Soon Charmain learns her uncle, who is the Royal Wizard Norland, is searching for the Elfgift with the king and his daughter. Will C More...
Feb 27, 2011
Jennifer
rated it:
2.5 stars
This was diverting, but I think that after reading this and Howl's Moving Castle, I might just not be enamored with Diana Wynne Jones's writing style. I felt like the novel moved slowly, and although Jones's ideas and settings are wonderful, I just feel like she never quite brings them to life. I must admit, however, that my expectations might merely be spoiled by the fact that Hayao Miyazaki turned Jones's whimsical ideas from Howl's Moving Castle into something breath-taki More...
This was diverting, but I think that after reading this and Howl's Moving Castle, I might just not be enamored with Diana Wynne Jones's writing style. I felt like the novel moved slowly, and although Jones's ideas and settings are wonderful, I just feel like she never quite brings them to life. I must admit, however, that my expectations might merely be spoiled by the fact that Hayao Miyazaki turned Jones's whimsical ideas from Howl's Moving Castle into something breath-taki More...
Dec 23, 2010
The Flooze (Michelle M.)
rated it:
House of Many Ways is a very satisfying story. It's just too bad I've now come to the end of the Castle series!
Charmain Baker has no idea what she's in for when an imperious Great Aunt volunteers her to mind a wizard's abode. Completely uninitiated in the ways of magic, Charmain quickly finds herself in a fine mess - terribly frustrating, because all the girl really wants to do is read. (It's probably a bad thing that I see a lot of myself in the persnickity bibliophile.)
The More...
Charmain Baker has no idea what she's in for when an imperious Great Aunt volunteers her to mind a wizard's abode. Completely uninitiated in the ways of magic, Charmain quickly finds herself in a fine mess - terribly frustrating, because all the girl really wants to do is read. (It's probably a bad thing that I see a lot of myself in the persnickity bibliophile.)
The More...
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Oct 23, 2010
Bludhaven
rated it:
The sequel to "Howl's Moving Castle" and "Castle in the Air" follows Charmain Baker. Brought up to be by her overly protective and easily worried mother to be "respectable" she is pretty much the epitome of a child that never had to do anything herself. She loves books and reading more than anything.
Then she is "volunteered" to look after the house of a wizzard in his absence and the adventure starts, because suddenly she finds herself in a house that More...
Then she is "volunteered" to look after the house of a wizzard in his absence and the adventure starts, because suddenly she finds herself in a house that More...
Jun 01, 2010
Willie
rated it:
. Jones, Diana Wynne. House of Many Ways. New York: HarperCollins, 2008.
Genre: Fantasy
Charmain Baker agrees to take care of her Uncles small cottage when he falls ill. What she does not know is that her uncle is a royal Wizard and his house actually bends time and space with a door that lead to many different places. She opens the door and finds herself being responsible for a magical dog, a young apprentice and a box of important documents. She faces many adventures and has to get More...
Genre: Fantasy
Charmain Baker agrees to take care of her Uncles small cottage when he falls ill. What she does not know is that her uncle is a royal Wizard and his house actually bends time and space with a door that lead to many different places. She opens the door and finds herself being responsible for a magical dog, a young apprentice and a box of important documents. She faces many adventures and has to get More...
Dec 10, 2009
Jordan
rated it:
This book is the sequel to a great, great story. A great story that I have not read. Ya' see, what happened was that I watched the movie (which is one of my all time favorites, btw) and then found out about the books. My library didn't have it in right then, so in my impatience, I just checked this one out.
MORALS: The magic and wizards and witches made me pretty uncomfortable... there was a TON of it. If you watched the movie, that much is obvious. He's a wizard, she's a wizar More...
MORALS: The magic and wizards and witches made me pretty uncomfortable... there was a TON of it. If you watched the movie, that much is obvious. He's a wizard, she's a wizar More...
Dec 02, 2009
Douglas
rated it:
Quick review: Fans of Howl's Moving Castle will most likely enjoy this book compared to Castle in the Air which some fans did not enjoy. It's world is more like the original, and it features Howl, Calcifer, and Sophie in stronger supporting roles. Like the book before it, I left my critical mind turned off and simply enjoyed the story—something I don't do often enough.
Charmain is a young girl from a pampered home in a neighboring kingdom from Howl & Sophie who is suddenly thrust into More...
Charmain is a young girl from a pampered home in a neighboring kingdom from Howl & Sophie who is suddenly thrust into More...
Nov 19, 2009
Cindy
rated it:
A good read but not a great one. A sequel to Howl's Moving Castle [great book, on my keeper shelf:] it is a good read - but not a keeper. It had some of the trademark wit and occasional flashes of charm, but not enough. I think the problem is the heroine is very hard to like [the best thing in her favor is she loves books and reading:] and brings being self-centered to the level of art. She does suffer [usually literally:] spurts of character development. The best part of this book was the
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Oct 28, 2009
Alison
rated it:
I liked this one fine, although like Lyn I was disappointed that despite being touted as the sequel to Howl's Moving Castle, Sophie and Howl figured in it about as prominently as they did in Castle In The Air. There was some good Calcifer stuff though, and I liked that Sophie loves Howl and gets his back EVEN WHEN SHE IS SECRETLY... or actually, not really so secretly... trying to hate him to death.
I loved the kobolds, and found the idea of the Lubbock terrifying.
I liked More...
I loved the kobolds, and found the idea of the Lubbock terrifying.
I liked More...
