Book Review- I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I Capture the Castle is an old novel by a somewhat well-known British Author, Dorothy (Dodie) Smith. Most people know of her most famous book, 101 Dalmations, which was the basis of the Disney film.


I Capture the Castle features Cassandra Mortmain as the young narrator/journalist whose experiment in learning to speed-write leads her to begin a diary describing her family life. Set in 1930's England, Cassandra writes of the physical and emotional poverty and richnesses of her family, which is living in a ruined castle that has been rebuilt into a farmhouse. The book has shades of Jane Austen, as the whole family (outside of the dottering father) takes on the role of attempting to marry off the oldest daughter, Rose, to their rich American neighbor and landlord.


The book is an interesting study of class as well. An example of this is the relationship between the Mortmains and a young boy who lives with them, Stephen. Stephen was the son of their former maid/nanny who remained with the family after she died. However, the family still views him as a servant even though he is the only one providing for the family, bringing in income and sharing it with the whole family. Cassandra looks upon him with a combination of love and disdain.


The character of Cassandra, as the narrator, is the central figure of the novel. It is fascinating to witness her evolution from a naive young child into a somewhat conniving and emotionally complex young woman in a matter of a very short time as she begins to experience the world in a more socially complex way and starts to feel the pangs of love and hormones.


The novel has a fun British sort of tone to it, reminiscent of Austen with a modern twist of PG Wodehouse. I think the novel reveals the kind of British humor that you see in quirky Britcom shows and movies.


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