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I Capture the Castle

I Capture the Castle

  • Downloads：2085
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-04-23 14:54:37
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Dodie Smith
  • ISBN：0099572885
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

'I write this sitting in the kitchen sink。。。'

This is the diary of Cassandra Mortmain， which tells of her extraordinary family and their crumbling castle home。 Cassandra's father was once a famous writer， but now he mainly reads detective novels while his family slide into genteel poverty。 Her sister Rose is bored and beautiful， and desperate to marry riches。 Their step-mother Topaz has habit of striding through the countryside wearing only her wellington boots。 But all their lives will be soon be transformed by the arrival of new neighbours from America， and Cassandra finds herself falling in love。。。

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Reviews

Booksforall93 ，

This book was ok。 It isn't the best that I have ever read but it kept me interested。It did take me a while to get into because of the language。 We follow the Mortmain family through Cassandra's journal。 Cassandra is the second daughter and second of three children in the Mortmain family。 Cassandra's father is an author suffering financially crippling writers' block and has since the family moved to their current house which is a castle。 He also spent time in prison after killing his first wife。 This book was ok。 It isn't the best that I have ever read but it kept me interested。It did take me a while to get into because of the language。 We follow the Mortmain family through Cassandra's journal。 Cassandra is the second daughter and second of three children in the Mortmain family。 Cassandra's father is an author suffering financially crippling writers' block and has since the family moved to their current house which is a castle。 He also spent time in prison after killing his first wife。 Topaz is Cassandra's ste[-mother。 She is eccentric and used to model for painters。Rose， is the eldest of the Mortmain children and she is frustrated at having to live in their poverty。Thomas is the youngest of the children and mainly keeps himself to himself。When their landlord dies， the heirs to the castle come over to England from America， their lives are then changed forever。 I think my favourite characters in this book were the secondary characters of Stephen and Topaz。 Stephen has been taken in by the family after being orphaned when his mother， who worked for the family， dies。 Stephen does jobs for the family and when he gets a job outside of the family， most of his wages go into helping the family。 I felt bad for Stephen because he was so blindly in love with Cassandra and did anything that she wanted him to do。I thought the Americans， the Cotton family， were nice enough and helped the Mortmains as best that they could。 At some points， it felt to me that they were just flouting their wealth。 I found Rose cruel， to both Cassandra and Simon Cotton， and she was very dismissive of Stephen。 I can understand her wanting to marry Simon Cotton to help with her family's financial situation but I think there could have been a better way than being cruel。 Overall I thought this book was ok。 I probably wouldn't read it again， but I'm glad I have read it。 。。。more

Gayatri ，

This was a re-read， and just the dose of joy and comfort I needed during these strange， difficult times。

Grace ，

this book got me out of a fat reading slump in 2018 - thanks to my amazin english teacher at the time for recommending this book to me！！！it perfectly encapsulates the feeling of growing up and becoming more aware of the world around you whilst wishing to remain innocent

Liv ，

cute。 endearing。 love these characters。 love this world。 want to live in it。 but the men annoy me。

sela ，

i read this book in january and it left me in a good mood for weeks。the prose of this book is so pretty， and the storyline was remarkably better than i thought it would be。 i thought from other reviews that i would hate how naive and girlish the narrator was， but i loved her。 this book is about girlhood， and first love， and jealousy， and growing up as a girl- which warrants a fair amount of mistakes。 cassandra is extremely well written。 from how she talks about her family to her wardrobe to mids i read this book in january and it left me in a good mood for weeks。the prose of this book is so pretty， and the storyline was remarkably better than i thought it would be。 i thought from other reviews that i would hate how naive and girlish the narrator was， but i loved her。 this book is about girlhood， and first love， and jealousy， and growing up as a girl- which warrants a fair amount of mistakes。 cassandra is extremely well written。 from how she talks about her family to her wardrobe to midsummer's eve， she's genuine。 you feel her discomfort and guilt when things go awry。 and all the rest of the characters are unique and loveable， and not a bit cliché as i expected them to be。 this is one of my go-to comfort books。5/5 stars。 。。。more

Molly ，

Argh。 This book is really tough to rate; I loved it intensely， until the last 15% or so。 In all candor， this novel is really a 4。5。 It was a delight up until that bitter， unsatisfying ending。 There was crisp， snappy writing。 It provided sharp insight and so many belly laughs。 It was obviously carefully crafted for maximum enjoyment。 There was absolutely no fluff， rather a beautiful stream of charming thoughts and humorously recanted events （the book is in the form of a journal） to enchant the re Argh。 This book is really tough to rate; I loved it intensely， until the last 15% or so。 In all candor， this novel is really a 4。5。 It was a delight up until that bitter， unsatisfying ending。 There was crisp， snappy writing。 It provided sharp insight and so many belly laughs。 It was obviously carefully crafted for maximum enjoyment。 There was absolutely no fluff， rather a beautiful stream of charming thoughts and humorously recanted events （the book is in the form of a journal） to enchant the reader。 It was tremendous and glorious。。。until the end。 I was bitter; I still am， I guess。 Is that the note you want to leave the reader on？ 。。。more

Jacob Avery ，

3。5/5I enjoyed this as a post war perspective; and a very different perspective than I typically read。 I recommend I Capture the Castle， as it was well written and really sets up the time period。 I think the primary reason why I recommend this， is that at moment I found myself just grinning。 I cannot tell you why， but when that happens I know I have found a gem。#100YearsOfBooks

Jessica ，

4:52:44

Seth ，

I wanted to like this book since the premise is quite interesting。 Who wouldn't want to read a story about living in the remains of the castle， waiting for something exciting to come， and all taking place in the English countryside？ However， I was sorely disappointed。 The first 3/4 of the book could have been easily condensed since the climax and conflict really comes to a head only near the end。 Characters were shallow and so actions often felt random。 It seemed the father was portrayed as a sy I wanted to like this book since the premise is quite interesting。 Who wouldn't want to read a story about living in the remains of the castle， waiting for something exciting to come， and all taking place in the English countryside？ However， I was sorely disappointed。 The first 3/4 of the book could have been easily condensed since the climax and conflict really comes to a head only near the end。 Characters were shallow and so actions often felt random。 It seemed the father was portrayed as a sympathetic character but in reality， I could not sympathize in the least with someone who would let his family basically starve。 The twist at the end of the story was not well-executed since there was no foreshadowing at all and so it felt very disconnected from the overall plot。 Overall， I was hugely underwhelmed。 。。。more

Rachel Page ，

Cassandra has started a journal and is documenting her strange life in the Castle。 Her genius father wrote one book and can't write anymore。 The money is drying up and it seems that Cassandra and her siblings are going to be destitute for the rest of their lives。 However， when an opportunity for change presents itself， the girls jump at it。This book has been on my to-read list for a while because it was on the BBC Big Read list that I have been slowly making my way through since I was 13。 Howeve Cassandra has started a journal and is documenting her strange life in the Castle。 Her genius father wrote one book and can't write anymore。 The money is drying up and it seems that Cassandra and her siblings are going to be destitute for the rest of their lives。 However， when an opportunity for change presents itself， the girls jump at it。This book has been on my to-read list for a while because it was on the BBC Big Read list that I have been slowly making my way through since I was 13。 However， I am not entirely sure why enough people voted for it as their favourite book to make it onto the list。 It was a very mellow book。 There weren't any particularly gripping moments。 I found most of the characters dull or unappealing。 I assume the simplistic style was intentional as it very much sounded like a young girl's diary， but that was a little too plain for me。Towards the end of the novel， it got a little bit more exciting， but overall the plot was pretty commonplace。 Like any coming-of-age story， it was more about character development than the actual story itself。 But unfortunately， I didn't care about Cassandra。 Perhaps， I would have reacted differently if I had read this book when I was a teenager and was more likely to empathise with the narrator。 。。。more

Camille ，

This book was so dull and every single character was one-dimensional and just plain unlikeable。

Regina ，

I listened to the BBC full-cast dramatisation， and it was pretty charming。 I kept getting confused at times but it quickly faded away。 I can't figure out how I should rate it。 I think I have to read a print version to get the exact feel from it。 I listened to the BBC full-cast dramatisation， and it was pretty charming。 I kept getting confused at times but it quickly faded away。 I can't figure out how I should rate it。 I think I have to read a print version to get the exact feel from it。 。。。more

Amanda ，

Love the journal format。

Susan Parker ，

Could not get into this book but enjoyed reading about the author and learning she wrote The One Hundred and One Dalmatians。

Jane Reddish ，

I only picked this book because it's one of NPR's Top 100 Young Adult books。 This is a very slow-paced novel。 It took me many days to get past 20%。 It's kinda depressing to read because it's somewhat relatable （not that my family was well-off before）。 The characters subtly resent each other， and they're making up excuses not to work。Hopefully， the ending will make me regret saying these things。 I only picked this book because it's one of NPR's Top 100 Young Adult books。 This is a very slow-paced novel。 It took me many days to get past 20%。 It's kinda depressing to read because it's somewhat relatable （not that my family was well-off before）。 The characters subtly resent each other， and they're making up excuses not to work。Hopefully， the ending will make me regret saying these things。 。。。more

Sarahwhitsett1gmail。Com ，

Terrific

Nina Simon ，

An odd book。 I finished it， so it must be worth something， but I’m not sure what。

Am ，

Charming and light。

Leah Agirlandaboy ，

This is very charming and harmlessly silly， and I was delighted that it was exactly what I expected。 My favorite feature is the wide-eyed wondering that lays bare what it means to grow up， and although the narrator is sometimes frustratingly and almost unbelievably naive （she’s 16/17 but often writes like she’s 12/13）， it makes sense given her situation， I guess。 For me， the characters were juuust quirky enough and the plot was juuust this side of soap opera/melodrama that I had a good time with This is very charming and harmlessly silly， and I was delighted that it was exactly what I expected。 My favorite feature is the wide-eyed wondering that lays bare what it means to grow up， and although the narrator is sometimes frustratingly and almost unbelievably naive （she’s 16/17 but often writes like she’s 12/13）， it makes sense given her situation， I guess。 For me， the characters were juuust quirky enough and the plot was juuust this side of soap opera/melodrama that I had a good time with it all。 I’d love to send Cassandra to sleep-away camp with some of my favorite coming-of-age literary heroines so they could help her come into her own more fully。 。。。more

American From Paris ，

Such a wonderful book that really takes life at a slower pace。 I adored being able to fill the shoes of a witty 17 year old in rural England trying to make sense of the world before her。 The narrator was so fun and refreshing to hear from that I truly did get sucked into the world she set up。 This was the first thing I have read from author Dodie Smith and I am so glad that I did。 I do wish that the ending could have taken the span of a few more pages but nevertheless I was actually pretty satis Such a wonderful book that really takes life at a slower pace。 I adored being able to fill the shoes of a witty 17 year old in rural England trying to make sense of the world before her。 The narrator was so fun and refreshing to hear from that I truly did get sucked into the world she set up。 This was the first thing I have read from author Dodie Smith and I am so glad that I did。 I do wish that the ending could have taken the span of a few more pages but nevertheless I was actually pretty satisfied with the ending。 。。。more

Elena K ，

Sweet story of love ， but I was struggling to read it

Erica ，

What a wonderful book！ The story line is so surprising and wonderful all at once。 Never a dull moment。 I was just a bit let down at the end with one aspect of how the story played out， but life can be like that。 A very refreshing read。

Rebecca Maye Holiday ，

I Capture the Castle is a magical sort of book that is somehow able to make a dreary world of polite poverty seem endlessly fascinating。 Dodie Smith does this in an unexpected way for its time， using wit and humour to paint scene after scene with vibrant language， colourful backdrops and engaging， if not always likeable， characters。 What I find the most interesting is that this book is not really outdated one bit - it's set during an earlier point in time， but readers today will still be able to I Capture the Castle is a magical sort of book that is somehow able to make a dreary world of polite poverty seem endlessly fascinating。 Dodie Smith does this in an unexpected way for its time， using wit and humour to paint scene after scene with vibrant language， colourful backdrops and engaging， if not always likeable， characters。 What I find the most interesting is that this book is not really outdated one bit - it's set during an earlier point in time， but readers today will still be able to get a lot out of it。As shared by main character Cassandra， almost an adult， she and her family live in a castle， but it's hardly a fairy tale。 Poverty， a cruel father and a sprawling but not well managed castle are not easy things to deal with， and she longs for something better。 Through her tales of life in the castle， Cassandra recounts growing up， family dysfunction， love， friendship and heartbreak all in one large and unforgettable journey that ends in quite an unexpected way。I personally found that I didn't always like the characters， and moreover that they were deeply flawed in many ways， but this somehow made I Capture the Castle much more interesting。 These characters are often spoiled， greedy， selfish and callous， but other times， they're very lovable people with some heartfelt moments throughout their stories。 This book is probably one of my more favourite works by Dodie Smith， and it's one that I'd recommend to any reader who loves these kinds of big countryside escapism tales。 。。。more

Linden ，

I liked pretty much everything about the I Capture the Castle， from the warm and witty first person narration to the beautifully detailed descriptions of life in the British countryside in the 40s。 The descriptions were so vivid that reading the book was a very visual experience for me。 I felt like I was sitting next to Cassandra， looking out over the fields surrounding the castle and experiencing the change of the seasons with her。 The characters and storyline progress naturally and manage to h I liked pretty much everything about the I Capture the Castle， from the warm and witty first person narration to the beautifully detailed descriptions of life in the British countryside in the 40s。 The descriptions were so vivid that reading the book was a very visual experience for me。 I felt like I was sitting next to Cassandra， looking out over the fields surrounding the castle and experiencing the change of the seasons with her。 The characters and storyline progress naturally and manage to hit that sweet spot between interesting and realistic。 Once things started to veer more into romance territory， I couldn't quite follow Cassandra there。 But that's for personal reasons and is more a reflection on me than it is on this book。 If I'd been born a slightly more romantic person， this probably would've been a solid 5 stars。All in all， a lovely spring read that manages to capture what it feels like to be 17， imaginative， and learning about life。 It also inspired me to pick a bouquet for my room， so be warned that it's surprisingly persuasive。 。。。more

Cindy ，

I was disappointed with the story。 I do not like the young romantic details， I was trying to see this book differently。 Mary describes this well for me。 Check out her review below。https://youtu。be/V0ksjke7ncU I was disappointed with the story。 I do not like the young romantic details， I was trying to see this book differently。 Mary describes this well for me。 Check out her review below。https://youtu。be/V0ksjke7ncU 。。。more

Tracy Crawford ，

I like Cassandra a lot and would have liked her even more if I’d read I Capture the Castle when I was 14。 Cassandra is 17， but I had to keep reminding myself of that since she seems much younger。 She’s living a very sheltered life in the English countryside with her eccentric family in a crumbling castle in the 1930’s。 Sounds romantic， doesn’t it， and Cassandra believes so。 The story is written in journal form since Cassandra is practicing to be a writer， so there are lots of feelings and landsc I like Cassandra a lot and would have liked her even more if I’d read I Capture the Castle when I was 14。 Cassandra is 17， but I had to keep reminding myself of that since she seems much younger。 She’s living a very sheltered life in the English countryside with her eccentric family in a crumbling castle in the 1930’s。 Sounds romantic， doesn’t it， and Cassandra believes so。 The story is written in journal form since Cassandra is practicing to be a writer， so there are lots of feelings and landscapes to describe。 A lot。 But Cassandra is a girl with real emotions， and she describes them with an honest heart。 I love the vague ending。 The journal is just six months of her life， and she has more ahead than she can imagine。 。。。more

Elisa ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This is a book that really doesn't know what it wants to be。 The main character is presented at first as a sort of Pollyanna， an hopeful girl who cares deeply about her family and is smart and intuitive。 This take of her personality doesn't seem to change throughout the whole novel， to the point where we're clearly supposed to cheer for her and hope for an happy ending。 This would all be nice and fair if she wasn't the most callous person I've ever read about in a book （and I read about just any This is a book that really doesn't know what it wants to be。 The main character is presented at first as a sort of Pollyanna， an hopeful girl who cares deeply about her family and is smart and intuitive。 This take of her personality doesn't seem to change throughout the whole novel， to the point where we're clearly supposed to cheer for her and hope for an happy ending。 This would all be nice and fair if she wasn't the most callous person I've ever read about in a book （and I read about just anything， from murderers to lost souls of any kind， feeling often quite partial to them）。 I even wondered if the author's idea was to show us a terrible character who's blind to her own faults （the whole story is written in a diary form， so it could be all down to her being very deluded）， but the ending seems to point in a different direction。 The moment the book lost me is when Stephen （the only selfless hard-working character） spends his only money to give （supposedly） starving Cassandra a chocolate bar and she gives half of it to the dog。 I am appalled by how many people think this is an idyllic love story。 This was quite a horror story for me， the only moral I can find is that poverty will make you forget all pride and generosity whilst striving for survival， which might be true enough。 If you want to read a book about a deranged family living in a crumbling mansion I suggest skipping this mess and going for Shirley Jackson's We've always lived in the castle。 （Sorry about my terrible english， it's not my first language but I was so angry about this book I needed to let it out） 。。。more

Marie ，

Sometimes read like YA fiction but really loved the writing and the narrator was lovable

Donna ，

Sweet story。 Characters will be with me for a long time。

Andrea ，

Such a fun read; loved the narrative voice。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=I Capture the Castle

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=I Capture the Castle&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,I Capture the Castle&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0