While
I’m not the kind of reader that memorizes the first lines of
books, I do think that a gifted author can communicate important
elements of his or her story right off the bat. With a first line
like, “I write this sitting in the kitchen sink,” I knew
when I picked up Dodie Smith’s YA classic, I Capture the
Castle, I would be spending time with a memorable and offbeat
narrator.
Yes,
it is the same Dodie Smith of The Hundred and One Dalmatians
fame. Who knew she was also a prolific playwright, novelist, and
autobiographer? Smith wrote this book in the 1940s, after moving to
America with her conscientious objector husband. She was feeling
nostalgic for home, and you can feel her love of England ooze into
her text.
Cassandra
Mortmain lives in a castle. Sounds magical, right? It used to be,
back when her father had money. Unfortunately, her father has been
constitutionally incapable of producing a successor to his wildly
successful literary debut, so their income is sparse, and the castle
is in shambles.
While
her father locks himself off in a tower to attempt to overcome his
writer’s block, Cassandra, her beautiful and fiery older sister
Rose, her schoolboy brother Thomas, her “artistic”
stepmother Topaz, and Stephen, the handsome and fawning son of their
late cook, all try to eke out enough money to provide their next
meal.
Despite
their dire straits, Cassandra finds joy in her attempts to hone her
writing skills by keeping a journal, and in the beauty of her
surroundings.
Things
change when their new landlords, the wealthy Cotton family, move in
up the street. Simon and Neil Cotton are young, charming, and
intriguingly American. The Mortmains soon begin machinations to marry
Rose into the wealthy family. Cassandra learns that love and life are
complicated, and she learns to see the world’s complexity while
still maintaining her hope and her integrity.
Smith’s
greatest strength is Cassandra’s voice. If you don’t want
to take my word for it, JK Rowling has declared her “one of the
most charismatic narrators I’ve ever met.” Cassandra is
lively, funny, big-hearted, and honest. You can feel her voice
maturing as she comes of age and learns more about adulthood.
Smith
has a gift for creating powerful visual images in this book. I’m
not surprised to know that it has been made into a movie (which I
haven’t seen — watching movies makes me restless). The
scenes she creates are so vivid, I found myself visualizing how they
would look on screen.
This
book is full of great moments, whether it is ad libbing pagan
springtime rites, creating a distraction by swimming in the castle’s
freezing moat, or locking your father in a dungeon.
Some
minor characters engage in extramarital affairs, and Cassandra’s
stepmother is an artist’s model who is a bit too comfortable
with her body, but there is nothing explicit in this book.
Despite
its 1949 publication date, the novel doesn’t feel dated. Its
atmosphere feels timeless and classic. This is a fun world to escape
into.
Read this book if…
You
love the wit, romance, and atmosphere of Jane Austen, but feel like
everything wraps up a little too cleanly.
You
want to swoon a little — with three very different romantic
leads, you’re bound to root for one of them — but you
feel a bit too feminist to want finding a man to solve all the
heroines’ problems.
You
need a break from futuristic adventures and self-consciously
of-the-moment romances, but feel like historical fiction is bogged
down with too many facts and details.
Erin
Cowles is a mother of two, living in the Washington D.C. suburbs.
Before motherhood, she used her masters in library and information
science in a law firm library. Now she uses it to find good books for
her family at her local public library. She teaches part time for a
SAT prep company, where she enjoys the challenge of making rather
dull subject matter interesting and making college a reality for her
students. During women's history month, she profiles Mormon women
that inspire her at ldswomenshistory.blogspot.com.
Erin
currently serves as a counselor in her ward's primary
presidency.