Reviews with content warning for Confinement - I Capture the Castle

I nearly cried at the end, that ending was so blunt, I kept going back to the book wishing there was more. I couldn't help but to sympathise with both Rose and Cassandra, the women in this story are forever unsatisfied, sometimes being the culprits of their own missfortunes (such as Topaz), but mostly because they care too much. Although I do not excuse Rose's behaviour, I cannot say I do not understand it. The author makes each and every character a 3 dimensional one that inspires all kinds of emotions, except for maybe Mr. Mortmain, I really didn't like him at all. Although his lack of characterization can be due to Cassandra being the narrator. I cannot believe I didn't read this book sooner, it really related with me and struck a cord in my heart, even though the second part was a bit slow for my taste.

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rinku's review against another edition

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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.

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wolfthorn's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This book is set in the 1930s although it was written in 1948 and it's about a very impoverished family who live in an old rundown castle in Suffolk. Their financial status is interesting, it's made very clear just how poor they are, and I don't think that's something I've really come across before, certainly not in a much older book. The family has some issues; the father wrote one book which was very successful but hasn't written anything since and seems to have some mental health problems, and there's a stepmother who feels unworthy of her husband, has been an artists model, and likes communing with nature wearing nothing but hip boots. As you do.

The book is very atmospheric, the locations come across very well and are very evocative. It was written when the author and her husband had had to leave the UK due to the husband being a conscientious objector, and there's some parts where it's obvious how much she is missing England. There's a scene describing Hyde Park which says:

what I noticed most was its separateness; it seemed to be smiling and amiable, but somehow aloof from the miles and miles of London all around.

That describes the park to a tee, as anyone who has been there will be able to attest.

It's written from the point of view of the middle child, a 17 year old called Cassandra. She is very personable and intelligent but a bit too perfect. The book is very much an easy read, but oh, the plot. I've never read Jane Austen, but it seems to be a modern version of Austen. Poor family makes friends with rich family in the hopes that the eldest daughter will attract the rich family's heir, get married, and then their money woes will be over. It's not great. Which is a shame, because the setting is quite interesting.

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