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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
Hilarious, beautifully written coming-of-age story. Adding the film to my "watch over Christmas" list
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
„You lose yourself in something beyond yourself and it‘s a lovely rest“
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January‘s pick for #filthybookclub was Dodie Smith‘s I Capture The Castle. Smith wrote this during the Second World War whilst living in America. It follows the Montmain family who are down on their luck. The story is written from the perspective of Cassandra, she chronicles day to day life as the family scrimp and save wherever they can. Her father had written a very successful book however he is suffering from writers block. His second wife, Topaz is struggling to be a good stepparent to Cassandra, her sister Rose and their brother Thomas. Everything changes when the owner of the castle they are living dies and the family who inherited it come over from America.
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This book was wild. It was all over the place and reading everything from Cassandra‘s perspective was interesting. The family were very much trying to seem like the Buckets from Keeping Up Appearances. It was surprisingly easy to pick up but also I got over it really quickly? By the end I was thinking „come on and end already“
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really enjoyed this - such a sweet narrator, loved the descriptions of pagan rites and the love of her home.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
What a strange yet charming novel! I think the story suffered because of the audio dramatization. I didn’t feel quite as connected with the characters as I would have reading their tale with my own eyes.
slow-paced
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Once in a while you’ll come across a book that really resounds with you and stays on your mind for days after you’ve read it. I CAPTURE THE CASTLE is this type of book.
17-year-old Cassandra lives with her impoverished family in a romantic but run-down castle. Her father is James Mortmain, author of the wonderfully philosophical JACOB WRESTLING, now studied by college students worldwide, who now would rather hole up in his gatehouse than attempt to write another book and thus supply the family with more income. Cassandra’s stepmother Topaz is a stunningly attractive woman very devoted to her husband, and Cassandra’s older sister Rose is a glam girl who dreams of a rich life.
Just when life seems like it has bottomed out, salvation arrives in the form of two young American brothers who own the lease to the Mortmains’ castle. Neil and Simon immediately enter the Mortmains’ lives, and Rose is soon swept up into visions of a glamorous life by marrying one of the brothers. She has her eyes on Simon, the older one who is enraptured by her.
Cassandra observes the courtship amusedly from her position on the sideline, writing avidly in her journal. Her concerns are not so much getting a comfortable life through marriage as they are about figuring out her feelings for family friend/caretaker Stephen and trying to improve her writing skills. Therefore, she is not prepared for becoming a full-time participant in the game of love after Rose marries Simon and things supposedly start getting better for their family.
Cassandra is a wonderfully witty and thoughtful narrator, the early-twentieth-century equivalent of Jessica Darling, for fans of Megan McCafferty’s writings. It’s hard to put this book down, and Cassandra will be a protagonist you will want to emulate and be friends with.
17-year-old Cassandra lives with her impoverished family in a romantic but run-down castle. Her father is James Mortmain, author of the wonderfully philosophical JACOB WRESTLING, now studied by college students worldwide, who now would rather hole up in his gatehouse than attempt to write another book and thus supply the family with more income. Cassandra’s stepmother Topaz is a stunningly attractive woman very devoted to her husband, and Cassandra’s older sister Rose is a glam girl who dreams of a rich life.
Just when life seems like it has bottomed out, salvation arrives in the form of two young American brothers who own the lease to the Mortmains’ castle. Neil and Simon immediately enter the Mortmains’ lives, and Rose is soon swept up into visions of a glamorous life by marrying one of the brothers. She has her eyes on Simon, the older one who is enraptured by her.
Cassandra observes the courtship amusedly from her position on the sideline, writing avidly in her journal. Her concerns are not so much getting a comfortable life through marriage as they are about figuring out her feelings for family friend/caretaker Stephen and trying to improve her writing skills. Therefore, she is not prepared for becoming a full-time participant in the game of love after Rose marries Simon and things supposedly start getting better for their family.
Cassandra is a wonderfully witty and thoughtful narrator, the early-twentieth-century equivalent of Jessica Darling, for fans of Megan McCafferty’s writings. It’s hard to put this book down, and Cassandra will be a protagonist you will want to emulate and be friends with.
The cover of my book has a quote from JK Rowling saying that Cassandra, the main character/narrator of the book, was the most delightful narrator. Personally, I just couldn't get into the book. I never really do like the journal entry format for books. The characters never really seemed to develop and you are left feeling kind of like "That's it".
Merged review:
The cover of my book has a quote from JK Rowling saying that Cassandra, the main character/narrator of the book, was the most delightful narrator. Personally, I just couldn't get into the book. I never really do like the journal entry format for books. The characters never really seemed to develop and you are left feeling kind of like "That's it".
Merged review:
The cover of my book has a quote from JK Rowling saying that Cassandra, the main character/narrator of the book, was the most delightful narrator. Personally, I just couldn't get into the book. I never really do like the journal entry format for books. The characters never really seemed to develop and you are left feeling kind of like "That's it".