A lovely portrait of England in the 1930s with a dose of humor mixed in. It is good reading for those who enjoy Jane Austen and/or a clean and pleasant romance. This is a charming story about a quirky girl and her even more quirky family. The only real question at the end is whether Cassandra will wind up with the man she should. Needless to say, most of these issues sort themselves out by the end of the novel-even James Mortmain's writer's block seems to be broken. We mustn't forget Stephen, the Mortmain's handyman-come only source of income, who loves Cassandra OR Neil who loves.well, that would be telling. There is a triangle or two in the romantic entanglements. And she pours out her feelings as Rose determines to marry Simon (the elder-so therefore richer of the brothers), Simon falls hard for Rose, and Cassandra realizes that she loves Simon. There's been no inspiration for years and Cassandra's sister Rose is desperate to escape their genteel poverty-but how's a girl trapped in a broken-down castle in the back of beyond supposed to meet eligible (rich) young men? No worries.enter the handsome,wealthy, and single young Americans Simon and Neil Cotton who have just inherited nearby Scoatney Hall.Ĭassandra hones her writing skills as she describes life in the castle before and after the Cottons arrive. He hoped the atmospheric setting would inspire him. James retreated with his family to the castle when writer's block plagues him. Life quite a bit since Cassandra's father James Mortmain was theĭarling of the United States with his first novel Jacob Wrestling. Money, and barely enough food to continue living. In a dilapidated English castle (with moat and everything!), barely any Months and tells us about her eccentric family life. She fills three notebooks over the course of six I Capture the Castle (1948) by Dodie Smith is really the diary of Cassandra Mortmain, a 17-year old girl in 1930s England.

I capture the castle pages