House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones
Sep. 23rd, 2009 07:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meganbmooreCharmain Baker is a ridiculously sheltered young woman. Her mother doesn’t approve of her knowing how to do anything that isn’t “respectable,” and so she can’t cook, clean, mend, or do magic. Possibly partially as a result of that, she’s also a bookworm in the extreme, and hopes to be able to one day help in the royal library. When her great-aunt-by-marriage’s great uncle, who is also the royal wizard, needs a house-sitter while he’s away being treated for an illness, the family decides Charmain is the one to do it.
The house only has one door, and that door opens to various rooms, and other places. There’s also a kobold in the garden that causes mischief, a monster in the hills, a size changing dog, and a boy named Peter who has come to be Uncle William’s apprentice. Not only that, but the king accepts her offer to be an assistant in the royal library, and she soon learns that the royal treasury is being depleted, and no one can determine how.
House of Many Ways is described as a sequel to Howl’s Moving Castle on the cover, but like Castle in the Air, it’s not so much a sequel as it’s set in the same world. Sophie, Howl, and Calcifer show up, but not much, and what there is of them is quite choice. Though, as fond as I am of Howl, Sophie must really, really love him if she’s willing to put up with him and his antics all the time.
DWJ’s characters tend to start out somewhere near rock bottom in one way or another, and consistently improve, and Charmain is no exception. She’s so sheltered that she doesn’t even realize she could do things, and is only to eager to let someone else do the work once there’s a person available, but willing to help when asked. Mind you, I’m not sure Peter is much better so much as Charmain escaped to her books before he could find a way to have her do the chores. I’m not sure how old they’re supposed to be, but I’d guess 14-15. (I’d put it more in the 12-14 range, but Charmain’s family did think she was old enough to housesit for an indefinite period of time, so…)
This isn’t my favorite DWJ, but it’s a very entertaining one, especially with the book geeking at the library, and any time Sophie and Howl were around.
The house only has one door, and that door opens to various rooms, and other places. There’s also a kobold in the garden that causes mischief, a monster in the hills, a size changing dog, and a boy named Peter who has come to be Uncle William’s apprentice. Not only that, but the king accepts her offer to be an assistant in the royal library, and she soon learns that the royal treasury is being depleted, and no one can determine how.
House of Many Ways is described as a sequel to Howl’s Moving Castle on the cover, but like Castle in the Air, it’s not so much a sequel as it’s set in the same world. Sophie, Howl, and Calcifer show up, but not much, and what there is of them is quite choice. Though, as fond as I am of Howl, Sophie must really, really love him if she’s willing to put up with him and his antics all the time.
DWJ’s characters tend to start out somewhere near rock bottom in one way or another, and consistently improve, and Charmain is no exception. She’s so sheltered that she doesn’t even realize she could do things, and is only to eager to let someone else do the work once there’s a person available, but willing to help when asked. Mind you, I’m not sure Peter is much better so much as Charmain escaped to her books before he could find a way to have her do the chores. I’m not sure how old they’re supposed to be, but I’d guess 14-15. (I’d put it more in the 12-14 range, but Charmain’s family did think she was old enough to housesit for an indefinite period of time, so…)
This isn’t my favorite DWJ, but it’s a very entertaining one, especially with the book geeking at the library, and any time Sophie and Howl were around.