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I found DWJ
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Diana Wynne Jones
I found DWJ...
I found DWJ to be quite a letdown. Everyone was all ra, ra, Diana, go DWJ! and so I read "Howl's Moving Castle." And was bitterly disappointed.
Okay, DWJ is not a terrible writer. She has her moments. But this... this was just senseless.
Good Points first, then.
1. Howl. He was awesome. <3
2. Calcifer. He was so /not/ evil.
3. The Witch of the Waste. Underused! She was such a twisted, complicated, wicked character... DWJ could have done so much better with her, instead of just sort of cramming-her-in-at-the-end-and-hoping-that-maybe-nobody'd-notice-how-underdeveloped-she-was.
And Bad Points.
1. Sophie. Whine. whine. whine more. And bore the reader to death. Dull, flat, and utterly without a personality of any kind. And really annoying! Disrespectful to Howl, as well, barging in and insisting upon cleaning his house... control freakiness in a bad way, really.
2. Emotions. D'you think that if you were randomly aged eighty years, you might, say, react to that somehow? Anger, disbelief, denial. Vengeance, mayhaps? Or fear. Or something other than I will run away and hope that no one notices.
3. Lack of self-confidence in Sophie. Really don't like characters who are all maybe yes, maybe no and don't have much self-esteem. "Failure! Comes from being the eldest!" She was not a strong protagonist, and let society dictate what her future would hold.
4. The fire demon aspect. That was actually smart. But again- Crammed in at the End in the Hopes Nobody'd Notice. It was an excellent concept, along with the whole Lily Angorian (or whatever that lady's name was) idea. But underused.
5. That random battle/family reunion scene at the end of the book. I really have nothing more to say about this than, "Um, HUH?"
6. The writing style. Like C. Funke, DWJ's writing just didn't appeal to me. It was flat and dull and did not grab my interest. If you like her, okay. Totally fine, that's your opinion. *ends on good note*
submitted by Mary W., age 11.57, Saint Louis, Mi
(July 29, 2009 - 4:35 pm)
(July 29, 2009 - 4:35 pm)
Sorry, I havn't read it yet. I still plan too, however, because I've read other books by this author that were great, and I think she's so good that I'd like to read more -- as many as I can find.
(July 29, 2009 - 6:09 pm)
front...?
(July 31, 2009 - 3:44 pm)
I agree. The plots of her books are okay, but she does not have a good writing style. :/
(August 1, 2009 - 9:21 pm)
Sophie does too have a personality! Gah! Bah! Be Daffodils in June!! Air, thicken up so we can breathe! GRAAAAH!!! YOu should read FIre and Hemlock, if you think DWJ's not a good writer!!
(August 1, 2009 - 6:59 pm)
I recently read A Tale Of Time City, and it was disappointing. I didn't care too much for it. It was slightly boring. However, her other books that I've read were great. I'm going to keep reading her books.
(August 1, 2009 - 9:25 pm)
What's FaH about?
(August 5, 2009 - 9:05 pm)
Have you ever heard of Tam Lin? It's basically that plot, but in a different setting.
*coughs* *goes into DWJ ad mode*
Polly Whittacker is packing for college when she finds a book. It triggers hidden memories and all of a sudden she has a double memory. Then the story goes through those hidden memories, from the time that Polly accidentally gate-crashes a funeral on Halloween because she thought her friend went in also, and thus meets Thomas Lynn. In the end.........*cue dramatic music*.... Tom's car lands on Laurel's rose bushes!! But there's more in between, of course. Polly's parents get divorced, Polly is adopted by her grandmother, Polly and Tom's little hero game is turned into reality by the evil Mr. Leroy and Laurel, Sebastian Leroy falls in love with Polly, Tom and Polly are chased by a monster that turns into Sam after they run into it with the horse-car, and much, much, more!
(August 7, 2009 - 5:24 pm)