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I Capture the Castle
by Dodie Smith
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.