Scan barcode
rinku's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I Capture the Castle was such a relaxing and comfy read for me. The story is so simple focussing on Cassandra and her family that doesn’t have much money and lives in a small, cute castle, but I still enjoyed it.
It’s a bit hard to talk about the plot since it’s mostly slice of life and coming of age, but I can say something about the topics. Since it’s coming of age, there’s a great focus on Cassandra growing up. This was honestly so hard to see since it leads to her abandoning things she used to enjoy and distancing herself from her sister. She just becomes alienated not only from the person she used to be but also from her family. Luckily, this changes towards the end again. Other things I loved were how much nature and different kinds of art, like paintings, literature, photography and film, play a role both in Cassandra’s live and for the story itself.
I feel a bit ambivalent towards the ending. I mostly liked it, expect for the fact that Rose was secretly dating Neil and left together with him in secret? I don’t know, I just didn’t like this “twist” as much. In contrast, I really liked Cassandra’s character development: Since her father starts to write again, she aspires to become a writer itself and luckily, she doesn’t leave for America with Simon but stays in England .
The diary-like writing style was so well executed here and it just felt like a real diary. Of course, there are some explanations directed at the reader to explain certain character constellations or something but that didn’t feel forced. It felt more like a friend is talking to you about what she has experienced.
Most of the characters were so lovely and I liked them so much. I really loved Cassandra, even though she’s an older form of the “not like other girls”-archetype. I don’t have much to say about the rest of the cast besides Stephen. He was so much better than Simon and the radio scene made me so sad that I just wanted to hug him. But I have to admit that there’s some chemistry between Simon and Cassandra even though I wasn’t the biggest fan of this pairing.
All in all, I Capture the Castle is a more interesting classic read with a female character and her feelings in the focus – and not only romantic feelings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Alcohol, Classism, and Confinement
Minor: Death of parent
More...