I Capture the Castle

One of the reasons I read so much backlist is that I feel like the cream rises to the top over time, and this is one of those books that gets recommended over and over and over again. It is indeed quite a charming read! Cassandra Mortmain, seventeen years old in the 1930s, starts keeping a journal as a writing exercise. In it, she records the daily life of her family, including her father (who once wrote a modern novel that was very well-received and has done nothing that would bring in any money, writing or otherwise, since), her stepmother (an artist's model who enjoys communing with nature by walking around naked outside), her younger brother Thomas (a mostly normal teenage boy), and her beautiful older sister Rose. They live in a castle, but it's a crumbling ruin and they are selling off the furniture to afford even the scanty food they eat. But the family's luck turns when the person who owns the estate on which the castle is located dies and his young American nephews come to check out the place they've inherited. Of course, romantic intrigue develops. The real star here is the narrative voice Dodie Smith gives to Cassandra, who is delightful and witty and has a sweetness that avoids being saccharine. She feels like an actual person, and one you'd like to know. The plot is entertaining enough and well-paced but was not really the point, at least for me. It's a winning book and one I'd recommend if you've managed to miss it thus far (especially if you enjoy coming-of-age stories!).