A review by wolfthorn
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

 This book is set in the 1930s although it was written in 1948 and it's about a very impoverished family who live in an old rundown castle in Suffolk. Their financial status is interesting, it's made very clear just how poor they are, and I don't think that's something I've really come across before, certainly not in a much older book. The family has some issues; the father wrote one book which was very successful but hasn't written anything since and seems to have some mental health problems, and there's a stepmother who feels unworthy of her husband, has been an artists model, and likes communing with nature wearing nothing but hip boots. As you do. 

The book is very atmospheric, the locations come across very well and are very evocative. It was written when the author and her husband had had to leave the UK due to the husband being a conscientious objector, and there's some parts where it's obvious how much she is missing England. There's a scene describing Hyde Park which says: 
what I noticed most was its separateness; it seemed to be smiling and amiable, but somehow aloof from the miles and miles of London all around. 
That describes the park to a tee, as anyone who has been there will be able to attest. 

It's written from the point of view of the middle child, a 17 year old called Cassandra. She is very personable and intelligent but a bit too perfect. The book is very much an easy read, but oh, the plot. I've never read Jane Austen, but it seems to be a modern version of Austen. Poor family makes friends with rich family in the hopes that the eldest daughter will attract the rich family's heir, get married, and then their money woes will be over. It's not great. Which is a shame, because the setting is quite interesting. 
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