This is a book I feel I should have read long before now, but for one reason or another I just never got round to it. So when Iris suggested a readalong in January I decided it was time I finally read it! And yes, I loved it, and really wished I hadn’t waited so long.
I Capture the Castle has one of those famous opening lines you may have heard of even without having read the book: “I write this sitting in the kitchen sink”. ‘This’ being the diary of seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain, written first in a ‘sixpenny book’ then a ‘shilling book’ and finally a ‘two-guinea book’.
Cassandra lives in a crumbling castle in the English countryside with her eccentric novelist father, her glamorous stepmother Topaz who works as an artist’s model, her beautiful older sister Rose and younger brother Thomas – and Stephen, the son of one of the Mortmains’ old servants, who has become almost part of the family. Cassandra’s father wrote one very successful book, Jacob Wrestling, many years earlier but has been suffering from writer’s block ever since and the family are struggling financially. But when they meet the two rich American brothers, Simon and Neil Cotton, who have inherited the estate of which the castle is part, everything begins to change for the Mortmains.
This novel was published in the 1940s but the feelings and emotions Cassandra describes in her journal are timeless. Cassandra is having the usual problems and concerns that any teenager might have: coming to terms with growing up, falling in love, a changing relationship with her sister and other family members, and wondering what the future might hold. There are many novels with teenage narrators that deal with the same issues, but there are two things that really set this one apart: one is the unusual setting – the castle and its eccentric inhabitants – and the other is the voice of Cassandra herself.
Cassandra is such an engaging narrator, it would be difficult not to like her. Although she is very observant and perceptive, she also has an endearing innocence and vulnerability that leads one character to describe her (unfairly) as ‘consciously naïve’. Of all the things I liked about this book, it was Cassandra’s voice and personality that I loved the most. Through the pages of her journal she really does succeed in ‘capturing’ the castle and everyone who lives there. Some of the stories she shares with us are very funny, for example there’s a hilarious scene involving Rose and a big black fur coat, but along with the humour there are also some moments of sadness and poignancy. I was quite happy with the way the book ended too – not all of the loose ends are tied up, but I liked the fact that Dodie Smith chose a slightly unexpected way to finish the story.
She Reads Novels 
I am so glad you loved it! Even though I am only 1/3rds in, I agree about the Cassandra’s voice. I do hope I get to finish this soon (if only I’d be able to find it!)
It’s a shame you’ve lost your copy, Iris. I hope you find it soon so you can finish reading it!
I have been quite an avid reader all my life, from a very young child,
As my mother used to say “nose buried in a book!”
but then we didn`t own books when I was a child, I used the public library.
then in for 3 decades, I was studying law, and had to concentrate.
now I am retired… bliss… and I am astonished at the books I have to read.
so thankyou for this blog/recommendations I have so much to look forward to
in my retirement, as long as I can continue to afford to buy the books, and my eyes don`t
give out.
I’m glad you find my recommendations helpful, Pauline. I hope you enjoy your retirement!
I was obsessed with this book as a young teenager. It just spoke to me. Glad to see it doesn’t lose its charm when your an adult reader.
I think I might have loved it more if I’d read it when I was a teenager, but it’s certainly a book that can be enjoyed by adults too!
I read this a few years ago, what a lovely book!
It is lovely, isn’t it? I’m glad you liked it too!
I really liked this book too, and mainly because of Cassandra herself. Reading it transported me back to my teenage years!
I loved Cassandra – she’s one of the most appealing narrators I’ve come across for some time.
I enjoyed this book; the setting, the engaging narrator, Cassandra, and scenarios such as the swim in the moat and the fur coat escapade.
Oh, I loved the swimming in the moat episode too. So many great scenes in this book!
I LOVED this book. It’s so lovely and you’re right, so, so engaging!
I’m glad to hear you loved it too, Aarti!
I so wish I had read the book before watching the film! I watched it a few months ago and didn’t care for it very much, but the book sounds spectacular. Maybe I’ll give the book a shot anyway.
I haven’t seen the film yet – I’m sorry to hear you didn’t like it much, but maybe you’ll enjoy the book more.
I read this book about 10 years ago and loved it. To be honest I can remember so little of it now that I think I could easily read it again and it be new enough to surprise me all over again – maybe I will soon 🙂
I hope you’ll enjoy it just as much the second time round!
This sounds great. I also have this one sitting on my bookshelf, unread. But I will have to rectify that–and soon!
I’d highly recommend it, Deb. I really regret not reading it sooner.
I haven’t read this one yet (and I feel woefully behind). But I have vowed to read it this year, and I’m excited to do so!
I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did!
I read this book as a young teenager and desperately wanted to live in my own crumbling castle. I loved all the odd characters and the storyline. I think I was probably writing a diary at the time and so Cassandra’s character seemed so real to me. It would be interesting to read the book now in my twenties to see what I make of her character now.
I watched the film a few years ago and, although it couldn’t live up to the book, I seem to remember it being a brilliant adaptation with a wonderful cast!
It’s interesting the way our feelings about a book can be different depending on how old we are when we read it. I loved the character of Cassandra, but I think I would have loved her even more when I was a teenager!
I, also, just read this book recently & asked myself why I hadn’t read it earlier. I just wrote a review of it on my blog, too. 🙂