I Capture the Castle

This was lovely and funny. I feel so much affection for Cassandra - she's at her best when she's sharply witty in her observations, and I can forgive her boring wallow in teenage romantic self-pity, since it doesn't last too terribly long, and only occurs after I've gotten to know her well. It also winds up in a very artful way, in my opinion.This book reminds me of two other books in very different ways.First, this seems like an inside-out version of [b:We Have Always Lived in the Castle 89724 We Have Always Lived in the Castle Shirley Jackson https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1415357189s/89724.jpg 847007] - first-person narration by a teenage girl we can't always trust to be accurate or objective, telling about living with her sister in a Gothic pile and how a potential suitor entering the picture affects their relationship. Of course, this was published earlier, so Shirley Jackson's story would be the funhouse mirror version while this is the original. I can totally see Jackson reading this and saying to herself, “I could write a completely NFBSKed-up take on this story.”The second book it puts me in mind of is [b:Drama 13436373 Drama Raina Telgemeier https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1330157763s/13436373.jpg 18940474], because they both tell stories about romance that aren't “romances.” The relationships don't necessarily follow a predictable arc, and interactions can be frustrating, ambiguous, confusing, and uncertain. You know, like real life teenage romantic relationships! Cassandra's struggles with love are very true to life.Sometimes this suffers from extreme tonal shifts - most notably depictions of depression and guilt suddenly making way for extreme farce at one point. But overall it's just enjoyable to see the world through Cassandra's eyes and meet all the loving, comical, flawed people she knows.

Full review at SFF Book Review.

I have a love-hate-relationship with this novel. I adored the style, I found the story just eccentric and romantic enough and I cared deeply about the side characters. I just couldn't manage to like Cassandra, the protagonist and narrator. She always felt too distant and a bit arrogant to me. Watching all the others, observing their ways and (at least I thought) considering herself a cut above the company.
I do recommend this book though. It shows the craziness that is coming-of-age perfectly and offers some beautiful writing at the same time. 6,5/10 stars

Dodie Smith is a superstar of writing quotable sentences & paragraphs if I Capture the Castle is any proof. It actually more than makes up for Cassandra's annoying naivety through most of the book and a real uncool move by a character I won't name here.

Plus, uh, the bear incident. Hilarious. Trust me, I'm not giving anything away with that.