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I had never heard of this book before but after listening to Scarlett Curtis talk so excitedly and positively about the book on the Women’s Prize for Fiction podcast, I just had to get my hands on a copy and see what all the hype was about. I also had no idea that the author, Dodie Smith, also wrote 101 Dalmations, which made me even more excited about reading this modern classic.
SYNOPSIS: Through six turbulent months of 1934, 17-year-old Cassandra Mortmain keeps a journal, filling three notebooks with sharply funny yet poignant entries about her home, a ruined Suffolk castle, and her eccentric and penniless family. By the time the last diary shuts, there have been great changes in the Mortmain household, not the least of which is that Cassandra is deeply, hopelessly, in love.
REVIEW: I thoroughly enjoyed this rags to riches story but I will warn you that the book is over 400 pages and my copy was THICK! The book is divided up into three sections and is written in diary style. Through each book, we go through different seasons and I absolutely loved the depictions of how the castle changed with the seasons. Since reading I Capture The Castle, the Mortmain family will always hold a special place in my heart because each member of the family is so unique and loveable in their own way. I especially loved Cassandra, our protagonist, and I felt like because it was written in journal style, I managed to develop a very personal connection with her because of how personal she spoke in her diaries. I adored how within her journal entries she details her surroundings and the behaviours of the people around her. It’s how I would imagine myself writing a journal when I was a child. I think the part of the book I enjoyed the most was the witty humour and sarcasm which came through Dodie Smith’s writing and I felt like through Cassandra and her melodramatic family, she was really making fun of the rich in society.
Overall, I really enjoyed I Capture The Castle and I thought it was true escapism at its finest. I wish so much that I could be part of the Mortmain family because there really would never be a dull day. A lovely, memoir-style, love and family story.
READ THIS IF:
🏰 You’re looking for something a bit different
🏰 You like books that are written in journal-style
🏰 You enjoy books about dysfunctional families
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