I just finished reading I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. This is actually her first novel, written in 1948, after she became a successful playright and before she wrote The Hundred and One Dalmations.
The book is a succession of journals written by Cassandra Mortmain, a seventeen year old girl living with her father, stepmother, older sister and younger brother in a castle in the English countryside. While the book never explicitly specifies the year, my best guess is that it takes place between the two World Wars, since automobiles and telephones exist but are luxuries only for the very rich, and since the discussions of morals (of which there are many) reflect post-Edwardian times with a heavy victorian influence still present. Cassandra's father is a famous author, his notoreity coming from his one and only novel written many years ago. While he was at his peak, they stumbled upon the castle and took a 40-year lease. After the book royalties and speaking fees dried up, so did their savings shortly afterward and with no means for supporting themselves they slowly sell off furniture, clothing, and anything else they can do without and sink into poverty. All that takes place before the book even starts.
Cassandra's journal writing, over about 8 months, represents the simultaneous progression of several things: her writing ability, their economic situation improving due to the arrival of rich heirs from America who inherit the property the Mortmains lease, Cassandra being given successively more expensive journals in which to write by those encouraging her, and her coming-of-age and discovering men and love. As a literary device, it works well.
Anyone familiar with the English is well aware of their fascination with the smaller details of daily life, and this book is true to that form. If you find Jane Austen tedious, then this is not the book for you. There were places where I got bored waiting for something to happen, or for the characters to stop chatting endlessly about stupid little details as if they held great importance. Since my mother grew up in England, you would think I that I would have acquired a greater patience with such things, but no...
All in all, it's a reasonably good story. There's a strong cultural cap and a bit of a language drift (I do fairly well with contemporary English as spoken in the UK, and I had trouble following along in a few places) My edition has a Reading Group Guide in the back which raises some interesting and amusing questions, such as why we never find out any details about what her father's bestseller book was about. I also found it interesting that three years after the end of World War II, Ms. Smith wrote a book about a family living in poverty; my mother has told me much about life in England during and after World War II, and I found many parts strikingly familiar even though the book takes place clearly before the war.
As a look into the culture and lifestyle of early 20th century England, it's worth the read. It won't sweep you away with outlandish tales and fast-moving plots, but it's a good book to wallow in, and to fall asleep with in a hammock out in the late afternoon sun.
Next up: The Confusion, by Neal Stephenson. I'm on vacation this week, and I can't wait to dive in!
10:06:44 PM  ; ;
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