BookstoReadBeforeYouDie.

　　ICapturetheCastlebyDodieSmith(1949)

　　PLOT

　　Duringthe1930s,inarambling,part-ruinedcastledeepinSuffolk,theMortmainfamilyarelivingalifeofeccentricpenury.James,thefather,isstrugglingwithwriter’sblock,tryingtofollowupthesuccessofhisfirstnovel.Hisseventeen-yearolddaughterCassandrahasnosuchdifficulty.She’sstartingtowriteajournalinasix-pennynotebook,andtherestofthehouseholdareahugesourceofinspiration.There’sherstepmother,Topaz,anartist’smodel,whoenjoyspainting,lute-playing,andnaturism(butonlyatnight-time,soasnottoupsettheneighbours.)Rose,Cassandra’soldersister,despairsateverfindinganeligibleyoungmantorescueherfrompoverty.There’salsoStephen,theyoungoddjobman,adoptedintothefamilyafterhismother(theirmaid)died.He’sstartedtofallinlovewithCassandra,andiscopyingoutlovepoetrytoproveit.

　　Andthennewneighboursarrive–NeilandSimonCotton,young,well-to-do,half-Americanbrothers,visitingtheirinheritedancestralhome.Cassandrawillsoonfillupthesix-pennynotebookandmoveontoashillingnotebookasshedescribestheirimpactontheMortmainfamily–andhowherfeelingsforthem,andherhopesforRose,becomemoreandmorecomplex.Andwhichbrotherwillbuyherthetwoguineanotebook,whichwillendwiththewords“Iloveyou,Iloveyou,Iloveyou”writteninthemargin?

　　NOTES

　　“ICapturetheCastle”wasDodieSmith’sfirstnovel,writtenaftershehadestablishedherselfasasuccessfulplaywright.ShewroteitwhilstlivinginMalibu,California,feelingbyallaccountsexiledfromEngland–herhusbandwasaconscientiousobjectorandtheyhademigratedwhenwarbrokeout.

　　Aninstantcriticalandcommercialsuccess,“ICapturetheCastle”hasbeencherishedbygenerationsofreaders.JoannaTrollope,ArmisteadMaupin,AntoniaFraserandNickHornbyareamongthebook’sdevotees.

　　WHYTHISISONEBOOKEVERYONESHOULDREAD

　　“ICapturetheCastle”iscaptivating.Cassandraisanenchantingnarrator,akeenobserverofherentertainingandcomplicatedfamily.She’salwayshonestaboutherself,evenwhenshethinkssheisfallinginlovewiththewrongperson.(She’sverysharp,too,onwhatisrequiredof‘asuccessfulwriter’,andifshemeasuresup.)

　　ThedescriptionsoflifeinthecastleandtheSuffolkcountrysideareidyllic–andunsentimental.Thenoveliscomforting,delightful,screaminglyfunnyattimes….anddeeplymovingaboutloveandfallinginlove.