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Customer Reviews of I Capture the Castle

Bittersweet and lovely
Along with the rest of the literary world, I recently rediscovered this classic after it was republished having sat in obscurity for years. And was promptly blown away. For any lovers of Pride and Prejudice, Anne of Green Gables, or even The Age of Innocence, this is a must-read. The plot is Austen's, the characters Montgomery's, and the setting and bittersweet flavor Wharton's. Written as the journal of a cynical but essentially dreamy 17-year-old, it depicts the turning point in both her life and the lives of her family, as they spiral toward decay and complete poverty, the only hope of redemption being offered by the arrival of wealthy, good-looking neighbors next door. Don't expect to find any Mr. Darcys in this book - the Cotton brothers are much more thinly sketched and truth be told despisable heroes than that famous character, but the book rides on the wistful, witty, breathtakingly clear voice and character of Cassandra Mortmain, a heroine who burns in the memory long after the book has been put down, and as such the book is more than worth reading. Doesn't quite achieve the peak of lofty classicism of other more famous books such as Jane Eyre or Pride and Prejudice, but a lovely story which skitters on the edges of childhood, romance, heartbreak, and growing up with grace and near-brilliance. For a book to be a true classic it must contain 1)intensely vibrant, complex, and individual characters, particularly the main one 2)a well-constructed and finely drawn plot, that brings nothing extra in and 3)that extra spark, of style or vision, that lifts a book into something that appeals on some level to all humanity. I Capture the Castle has a good dose of all three but not quite enough. On the first charge, while Cassandra herself fits the bill as nearly as a 17-year old can(unfortunately by the very nature of the age given to her she doesn't quite have the maturity or decisiveness of a woman) most of the other characters feel either over-the-top(her family) or under-drawn(Rose and the Cotton brothers). On the second, there is such a thing as too much detail, and Dodie Smith falls into that trap. On the third, she nearly, nearly reaches that level, particularly in the brilliant ending scene, but not quite; the wider emotions - hate, fear, and the deeper vision, is missing. So, in the end, while this remains a minor classic - the story of a year or so in the life of a girl - it's a brilliant and heartbreaking one. "Three more lines left. I love you."

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Deserves a second, closer reading
Mortimer Adler (How to Read a Book) recommends reading a book three times to delve deeper into what an author is trying to say through their story. I just finished reading this for the first time. This really deserves a closer read now that I "get" what happens with Rose at the end. (No spoilers here). <
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>I'd seen the movie a while ago and it didn't really do anything for me. I watched the movie again last night and still didn't like it. Sure, the movie was OK, but I don't think it really got to the heart of the story. <
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>I feel the author is really trying to say something here that is summarized at the end during the discussion between Simon and Cassandra about her father's book. This book is a puzzle in itself on purpose. It is not just about a love story, or a child growing up. Dodie Smith is trying to say something about the creative process itself. It will take effort on the reader's part to tease out all the meaning that is layered into the story.

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The Movie Was Better!
I suppose that I would have liked the book more, had I read it first instead of watching the movie first. I think this book lacked details that I look for in a good book. I did not care much for the time or place that it took place. I felt the book had a slow beginning. That was enough for my husband to quit reading it. Several of my book club members could not get past the fist sentence! As you read on, however, you find that the story gets better as it goes. There is so much drama between the two sisters in this book! It makes it really good! It has some laughs and some serious parts. There were some parts in this book that my book club members disagreed about as far as what Smith was trying to get across to the reader. Overall, I would say that it is worth a try, but I would not read it again. I would, however, watch the movie again!