Hanzy

It's the end that got me then and it's the end that gets me now :((
This was a nice revisit to a familiar world

An absolutely lovely book and a definite recommendation from me to everyone!
I read an abridged version as a child and I must say it didn't do any justice to the actual book. It's one of those books that are so wonderful that they just warm your soul and will always have a special place in your heart.

This book was nothing I'd expected yet everything about it affected me differently. I admire Murata's ability to tackle deep-rooted societal issues in a unique, idiosyncratic way such that the message is loud and clear yet not directly spelt out. This was a difficult book to read so make sure you read the TWs. I had to take a break midway as there were a lot of horrible moments, moments where I found it hard to go on with the RAGE I felt. The narrative takes you through the mind of someone rather intimately and the writing's quite smooth and fluid.

I think I liked it better reading the second time. I remember having difficulty keeping the Ghibli film off my mind when I read it the first time and Howl seemed so much of a disappointment. This time around though, I found that there's more character to Howl than I'd presumed before... Sophie as well is quite interesting and I enjoyed the banter between them. I still think the ending was a bit rushed after the whole build up which is why I wouldn't rate this book a 5 but loved it just the same.

I cannot enjoy books narrated by characters you're bound to detest