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I Capture the Castle Dodie Smith 9780312181109 Books

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I Capture the Castle Dodie Smith 9780312181109 Books

I knew within a couple of chapters that this would become one of my favorite books. It is so charming, so pretty, and I adored Cassandra for everything she was and everything she wasn't. Her innocence and refreshing admiration of life (of simple things, of nature & people) was so candid & well-expressed that the book had me walking around in a similar mindset every time I put it down.

Her father's mysteriousness kept me as interested in him as she was; just as all of the characters wondered, I found myself constantly wondering "Is he genius? Is he crazy? Is he good? Bad?"

Every character, for that matter, was complex and multidimensional. There were no stereotypes, no cliches - just complicated, real people who I loved getting to know.

I really enjoyed the diary format - there were moments I felt like she stole my own thoughts. She's probably my all-time favorite character actually - so much depth, charisma, and joy.

As for the romance, I loved all of it - I enjoyed the interaction between Cassandra & Stephen, how tense & confusing it was. It was so interesting to see how everything played out ... the way, at first, to Cassandra, Simon was just an awkward-looking man in a beard and then, he quickly becomes so much more to the entire family, changing their lives - in a way they had literally sat around hoping for just moments before.

Smith's writing is flawless & beautiful. It flows so well. I could envision everything so vividly. It played like a movie in my mind.

Be sure to read it! I wish I'd read it years ago


Tags : I Capture the Castle [Dodie Smith] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The 1934 journal of seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain reveals her perspective on six stormy months in the eccentric and poverty-stricken life of her family in a ruined Suffolk castle,Dodie Smith,I Capture the Castle,St. Martin's Press,0312181108,1002331321,Classics,Reading Group Guide,20TH CENTURY ENGLISH NOVEL AND SHORT STORY,Castles,Castles;England;Fiction.,Diary fiction,Diary fiction.,England,England;Fiction.,FICTION Classics,Fiction,Fiction - Coming of Age,Fiction - General,Fiction General,GENERAL,General Adult,United States,Domestic fiction

I Capture the Castle Dodie Smith 9780312181109 Books Reviews

This is certainly a period piece, set in the 1930's, so while it's somewhat old fashioned in its feel, the writing is some of the most evocative I've read. It's not action packed by any means, and it's entirely first person, but it reads quickly and I found it very enjoyable. I appreciated that some elements if found in another book would have had predictable outcomes, while here they are not entirely predictable yet also manage to avoid the trap of implausible twists.

The story is entirely set in England but it's also got a few American characters. That adds an additional element of interest for American readers with English ties, or vice versa. There is one stretch that's a bit melodramatic (meloromatic?) for my taste, but it's an important element that ultimately works well. If you find yourself struggling to maintain interest through that section just push through and know that it's not interminable.

I find myself reading many more novels by male authors than female, but I found this female voice, both the author's and the protagonist's, to be a refreshing change of pace. I'm not saying this is a 5-star read, but I do think it is very good.
I am 60 years old, yet this book plunges me into youth so vividly, I can hardly bear it. It is British through and through. The ancient castle is the only setting it could have, and Cassandra its best narrator. The sections are divided by the narrator's collection of journals,along with their cost, a significant factor. It is long, full of puzzling, eccentric characters and then some so clear and lifelike that I believed the author must have known them intimately. I never wanted this book to end. I only wish I'd found it earlier in my life so I could savor it at many ages.
Taking place in the 1930s, I Capture the Castle is the story of Cassandra Mortmain, the daughter of James Mortmain, an author who once wrote an important and celebrated novel. Unfortunately, James has not been able to write for many years, ever since he was sent to prison for three months for knocking down a neighbor after a misunderstanding involving a cake knife. The Mortmain family - James, second wife and artist’s model, Topaz, older daughter and beauty, Rose, Cassandra, son, Thomas, and Stephen, the orphaned son of the family’s deceased maid – live in the crumbled ruins of a castle on which they have stopped paying rent. They have sold all of their possessions and barely have enough money to survive. Then their neighbor dies, leaving the castle and the neighboring estate, Scoatney, to his estranged American grandson, Simon Cotton, who comes to live at Scoatney along with his brother, Neil and his mother. The Cotton family is smitten with the Mortmain family, and nothing will ever be the same for either family. Cassandra’s coming-of-age story is told through the entries in her diaries.

I thought this was a beautifully written book. Dodie Smith does a fantastic job of letting Cassandra’s thoughts and feelings flow onto the paper. We see Cassandra’s growth throughout the book as she progresses through the six-penny journal to the shilling journal and finally to the two-guinea journal as she records her thoughts. We share her hopes and dreams, and happy and sad memories as she tries to navigate growing up in a family struggling to survive, yet endeavoring to live a normal life. Cassandra seems to be the practical one of the family as she tries to help her father write again, schemes with Rose to find a husband, and struggles with Stephen’s feelings for her, as well as her growing feelings for another. It is both a humorous and poignant portrayal of a young girl finding her way in the world, as she also helps and cares for those around her. The novel also examines the English class system and compares English versus American traditions.
I knew within a couple of chapters that this would become one of my favorite books. It is so charming, so pretty, and I adored Cassandra for everything she was and everything she wasn't. Her innocence and refreshing admiration of life (of simple things, of nature & people) was so candid & well-expressed that the book had me walking around in a similar mindset every time I put it down.

Her father's mysteriousness kept me as interested in him as she was; just as all of the characters wondered, I found myself constantly wondering "Is he genius? Is he crazy? Is he good? Bad?"

Every character, for that matter, was complex and multidimensional. There were no stereotypes, no cliches - just complicated, real people who I loved getting to know.

I really enjoyed the diary format - there were moments I felt like she stole my own thoughts. She's probably my all-time favorite character actually - so much depth, charisma, and joy.

As for the romance, I loved all of it - I enjoyed the interaction between Cassandra & Stephen, how tense & confusing it was. It was so interesting to see how everything played out ... the way, at first, to Cassandra, Simon was just an awkward-looking man in a beard and then, he quickly becomes so much more to the entire family, changing their lives - in a way they had literally sat around hoping for just moments before.

Smith's writing is flawless & beautiful. It flows so well. I could envision everything so vividly. It played like a movie in my mind.

Be sure to read it! I wish I'd read it years ago