TITLE: I Capture the Castle AUTHOR: Dodie Smith
STARTED: March 26, 2008
FINISHED: April 3, 2008
PAGES: 343
GENRE: Fiction
FIRST SENTENCE: I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.
SUMMARY: [From barnesandnoble.com] I Capture the Castle tells the story of seventeen-year-old Cassandra and her family, who live in not-so-genteel poverty in a ramshackle old English castle. Here she strives, over six turbulent months, to hone her writing skills. She fills three notebooks with sharply funny yet poignant entries. Her journals candidly chronicle the great changes that take place within the castle's walls, and her own first descent into love. By the time she pens her final entry, she has "captured the castle"--and the heart of the reader--in one of literature's most enchanting entertainments.
THOUGHTS: This is one of those books where I can't help but think I missed the bigger point. The last three pages completely threw me for a loop and had me questioning my entire understanding of the narrative. In some ways, those last few pages made it seem that this book was too smart for me. Most of the novel I thought I was getting it... it was just those last few pages that made me question if I missed the greater metaphor.
Smith's story, for me, was nothing to write home about. The book seems to be Cassandra's coming of age told against the background of her sister's own maturation... or lack thereof. Cassandra comes across as neither flighty nor overly self-important. She seems real; like one of the girls I used to hang out with in high school. Rose, Cassandra's sister, is that girl you love to hate. She's beautiful and the world just seems to work out for her. The men in Cassandra's life (her father, Stephen, the Cottons) flit in and out of the story - much like the men in many a woman's life. These character interactions create a rather realistic story given the circumstances. I don't know any "landed poor" but I could imagine this family existing. And, while the ending left me ultimately unfulfilled (but I thought Cassandra would end up with...), the book was sustaining enough to keep me reading until the very end.
The diary structure of the book was a nice way to tell Cassandra's story. Like all journeys, Cassandra comes across as more analytical on paper than she would in real life. In some ways, the text seemed to be flowing from Cassandra's pen as I read. The words felt free and without outside agenda. The narrative, while certainly keeping a structured tone, still had the "roaming" quality of a personal diary.
The philosophical side of this book, for me, did not seem to rear its head until the last chapter. Since I did not sense this being Smith's intention throughout the rest of the story it felt tacked on. Then again, in retrospect, if I'm understanding correctly the metaphor Smith is creating, philosophy would not arise until the end.
Now if only I could understand how Cassandra captured the castle. My mind is stuck in chess mode.
My book club will be discussing this work tomorrow. I'm hopefully that the "Did I miss something?' feeling will lessen after our meeting. Also, I get bread pudding for the first time.
RATING: 5/10 [Meh.]
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