I Capture the Castle

"Every time I meet someone who also loves I Capture the Castle, I know we must be kindred spirits." . . . from the new foreword by Jenny Han, the New York Times bestselling author of To All the Boys I've Loved Before.

A beautiful, deluxe edition of Dodie Smith's beloved novel, I Capture the Castle, featuring a new foreword by New York Times bestselling author Jenny Han, a stunning new cover, and designed endpapers that is perfect for devoted readers and those discovering this timeless story for the first time.

Seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain and her family may live in a ramshackle old English castle, but that is about as romantic as her life gets. While her beautiful older sister, Rose, longs to live in a Jane Austen novel, Cassandra knows that meeting an eligible man to marry is not in either of their futures when their home is crumbling and they have to sell their furniture for food. So Cassandra instead strives to hone her writing skills in her journals. Until one day when their new landlords move in, which include two very handsome sons, and the lives of the Mortmain sisters change forever.

Through Cassandra's sharply funny, yet poignant, journal entries, she chronicles 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 novels.

"This book has one of the most charismatic narrators I have ever met." . . . J.K. Rowling, bestselling author of the Harry Potter series

1. "I Capture the Castle" was first published in 1948. How might readers have responded differently to the novel at that time? How might their responses have been the same? Why does the novel continue to appeal to readers today as it did in 1948?

2. I Capture the Castle is told through Cassandra's entries in her journals, an exercise she has undertaken in order to teach herself how to write. Why do you think Dodie Smith chose the form of the diary to tell the story of Cassandra and the Mortmain family?

3. Mortmain's celebrated novel is described as a literary breakthrough and a predecessor to James Joyce. What do you imagine Jacob Wrestling to be about?

4. As a voracious reader, Cassandra compares her situation to that of the Bennets in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. How would you compare the Mortmain sisters with the Bennet sisters?

5. Why does Mortmain encourage Cassandra to be brisk with Stephen? What does the book say about class in mid twentieth century England?

6. What is the meaning of the book's title?

7. Cassandra is fascinated by the Cottons and their American mannerisms, and the Cottons are fascinated by the Mortmains. What does the book say about English preconceptions of Americans and vice versa?

8. How does the novel reflect society's changing views toward women during the first half of the century? How do the women view the opportunities open to them? Consider Cassandra, Rose, Topaz, Mrs. Cotton, and Mrs. Fox Cotton.

9. Over the course of the novel, Cassandra becomes less a child and more a young woman. How is this a coming of age story?