I Capture the Castle

Sometimes I pick a book to write about for the sheer pleasure of reliving the fun I had reading it - this is one of those! This means that those of you who enjoy positive reviews because of the warm and fuzzy feeling generated by someone saying nice things about a book you like will enjoy it, while those of you who prefer the bitchy thrill of a mean review a) should be ashamed of yourself and b) might want to stop reading now.

Before I start the review proper, I should apologise for the recent sporadic service - various circumstances have left me with rather less free time than I had formerly, so I will now be updating this twice a week, not the three times you will all have come to expect and, I tell myself, eagerly anticipate.

Now, on to the novel! Clearly, I am a fan. Partly, I just like Dodie Smith. I like the way she writes, and really enjoyed all other novels of hers I have read (which, for those of you who haven't heard of her, include 'A Hundred and One Dalmatians'. Which is brilliant). Partly, I think it is a lovely novel.

The characters are well-drawn and very real, though Rose does annoy me a bit. Cassandra, however, is the kind of girl one could easily be friends with and Topaz, while nuts, is warm and loving. The plot is nothing out of the ordinary - the magic for me is all in the writing and characterisation.

The only point of disagreement I have ever come across is about the ending. I happen to love the bittersweet nature of it - it's true to life without being "gritty realism" (in other words unpleasant and depressing work that people only read so they can say they've read it). However, if you're absolutely committed to a definite conclusion, I can see that this wouldn't appeal to you.

'I Capture the Castle' has the other bonus that it is one of very few novels whose film adaptation I truly enjoyed. Anyone who knows me will have heard me complain ad nauseam about the terribleness of various movie adaptations, so you will appreciate how rare this is - if you haven't seen it, I can heartily recommend it. But read the book first.