I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
In I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith writes a very unusual novel. It is a story about happiness. Not seeking happiness but having it now.
The Castle is a half-heartedly restored piece of a dilapidated castle that was long ago replaced by a once-modern castle. Cassandra’s indigent family acquires a forty-year lease to indulge her father’s dream of returning to his status as a famous writer – except there is nothing left in him. The whole family (stepmother, older sister, younger brother) cater to his every whim to support him in finding his genius again. This consists mainly of leaving him alone and scrabbling around to find a bit of money and food. Selling all the not-very valuables in the castle, plus making-do with their scanty threadbare wardrobes are the principal ways of sustaining the family.
Cassandra doesn’t mind. Ecstatically, she marvels at luminous night skies and at wonderous tiny plants. Everything in the natural world thrills her sensibilities! In her teens, she still finds the vicar a jolly fellow and a kind confidant. The few people in the distant village are friends who care for her and her inexplicable family.
Into this Eden comes the snake, and maybe Cassandra has to grow-up. The grandsons of their aged landlord (who hadn’t been collecting rent for many years) come by one day to see their newly realized inheritance. Astounded to find such a strange household, they enter into a social game to be the new indulgent landlords.
The grandsons, now owners of the old castle and the new castle, have money and cars and friends and clothes and parties. For quite a period of time, they literally cannot comprehend the lives of their sitting tenants. They blithely suggest listening to the radio, unable to imagine a lifestyle that cannot fund the purchase of a radio. They invite the family to tea and dinner (magnificent meals with choices of foods), unable to realize that the family has no resources for hosting them in return.
Cassandra’s older sister recognizes a gold mine when she sees it. With steely and rather obvious determination, she throws herself at the young man who notices her, with the complete support of her mother. His brother is furious, Cassandra is apprehensive, and jealousy begins to taint the family dynamic.
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