Hello,
Maybe you know of Myasaki's adaptation of this novel into a film or maybe not. ^^ I read the book as soon as I got my hands onto it and I wasn't disapointed! If you never heard of it, the story is about a mousy girl that unintentionally gets on the way of a witch, whose reaction is to cast a spell upon her which turns her into an elderly woman. She decides not to become a burden to her family and goes travelling. On the way to wich she becomes the aquaintance of the great and narcissistic magician Howl. There begins a delightfull quest to decipher a riddle, leading to a fight against a witch, and love blooming.
It got me some time to get into the story the begining is a little slow but the characters are entertaining and they feel "true" to me. Of course love is a touch I always appreciate in a book however discreet it may be, I like when it saves the day.
But that is only my opinion that's why if you liked the film (it was an interpretation of the book but a good one still) or the book feel free to share.
(and please forgive me my poor english)