I can’t say how long and hard I looked for this book, in libraries, used bookstores, new bookstores. I finally stumbled upon it in a small independent bookstore I was positive wouldn’t have it. A friend once recommended it to me a few years ago and I loved it but never finished it; I don’t remember the reason. Now I’ve come back to give this lovely book justice.
Dreamy Cassandra Mortmain is the second daughter of a burned out writer living in the romantic English countryside… in part of a ruined castle! As her family deals with issues both financial and emotional, she begins to practice her own writing, recording her life at the castle in a shorthand journal. Through times of joy, sorrow and confusion, she never fails to make witty observations of the people and places around her. Ultimately, it is a story about love, its difficulties in the life of a teenage girl and its many forms.
This is a romance of a sort, so if babble about relationships and such is not for you, this book probably will not be either. However, I’d stress that the exquisite writing is reason enough to read it. The descriptions have that magical quality of transplanting the reader into the castle and the English countryside eighty years ago. Each character’s flaws contribute to a sincere portrait of a person who is neither hero nor villain. This book would often make me giggle suddenly, causing people to stare (and hopefully wonder, “What is that funny book?”). I think it’s also worth mentioning that Dodie Smith authored The Hundred and One Dalmatians as well, not a surprise considering the lovable nature she gave the Mortmains’ pooch, Heloise. There are quite a few hilarious one-liners about Heloise in I Capture the Castle, but it would be a crime to give any of them away.
My only warning is that at times, I found Cassandra’s indecision and naivety a bit frustrating, but I think this irritation was due more to my impatience than to any fault of the writing. Perhaps that was why I put it down originally. Readers today expect every book to feel like a movie, but the nature of I Capture the Castle is different (it was written in 1948), and perhaps it’s more realistic that way. Therefore, I stress some patience and understanding with Cassandra’s wails and woes; you won’t regret it.
Here’s the first little passage to wet your metaphorical appetite for the lovely writing…
I write this sitting in the kitchen sink. That is, my feet are in it; the rest of me is on the draining-board, which I have padded with our dog’s blanket and tea-cosy. I can’t say that I am really comfortable, and there is a depressing smell of carbolic soap, but this is the only part of the kitchen where there is any daylight left. And I have found that sitting in a place where you have never sat before can be inspiring — I wrote my very best poem while sitting on the hen house.
Tasting the English flavor yet? Don’t make me spoil anymore. This book is simply delightful!
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