I Capture the Castle

Days 56 – 64

I Capture the Castle

Read this book for Cassandra. She is the 17 year old narrator with a wonderfully fresh perspective and a sense of humour so subtle, that there is continuous release of dopamine in your brain without you even realising it. She makes you smile; she makes you frown; she makes you want to visit England and her castle and spend the midsummer’s eve with her. She writes like a child who’s viewing the world for the first time and is wonder-struck at it. But, eventually she grows up, loses some of that child-like wonder which shows in her writing and that, for me, was the saddest part of the book.

Read it for her; because she is the heroine. The rest of them, however much she loves them and however important they might be in her life, are just the supporting cast. She takes this book and makes it her own without even trying. She’s beautifully natural and the colourful depictions of the English countryside become the perfect setting for her story about growing up.

Dodie Smith writes in the voice of a person who’s new to writing and the élan with which she does it proves her to be just the opposite. It’s a beautifully written book and in the process of capturing the castle, Cassandra also captured my heart.

300 Days

90 Books