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Title: I Capture the Castle
Author: Dodie Smith
Published: New York: St. Martin's Press, 2013 (1948)
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 343
Total Page Count: 156,243
Text Number: 456
Read Because: personal enjoyment/mentioned in Jo Walton's Among Others, ebook borrowed from Multnomah County Library
Review: 17-year-old Cassandra begins her journals with her family living in the squalor of a dilapidated castle--just before they meet their new American neighbors, who will change their lives. I dislike first person narratives, but this one is phenomenal. It's justified and convincing, and there would be no better vehicle for this coming of age. Cassandra is present, lively, engaged, "consciously naïve" (indeed!), evocative, and utterly charming. Her humor balances out the drearier aspects of the romantic entanglements, and the end is perfect: heartfelt, unidealized, and mature. If I'm honest, the romance that becomes the bulk of the (surprisingly and intentionally Austenian) plot didn't always work for me--but I hardly care, both because the conclusion justifies it and because I rarely see books so consistently good as this one, so endearing and well-executed, such a pleasure to read, while never skimping on substance. I adored it, and recommend it with enthusiasm.
Author: Dodie Smith
Published: New York: St. Martin's Press, 2013 (1948)
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 343
Total Page Count: 156,243
Text Number: 456
Read Because: personal enjoyment/mentioned in Jo Walton's Among Others, ebook borrowed from Multnomah County Library
Review: 17-year-old Cassandra begins her journals with her family living in the squalor of a dilapidated castle--just before they meet their new American neighbors, who will change their lives. I dislike first person narratives, but this one is phenomenal. It's justified and convincing, and there would be no better vehicle for this coming of age. Cassandra is present, lively, engaged, "consciously naïve" (indeed!), evocative, and utterly charming. Her humor balances out the drearier aspects of the romantic entanglements, and the end is perfect: heartfelt, unidealized, and mature. If I'm honest, the romance that becomes the bulk of the (surprisingly and intentionally Austenian) plot didn't always work for me--but I hardly care, both because the conclusion justifies it and because I rarely see books so consistently good as this one, so endearing and well-executed, such a pleasure to read, while never skimping on substance. I adored it, and recommend it with enthusiasm.
