I was at work for 13 hours today (!!) so far too tired to write anything particularly lucid, instead I shall write a couple of lines to let you know that I am re-reading I Capture the Castle at the moment (in fact, I have nearly finished it) and it is BRILLIANT all over again. If you haven’t read it, hie thee to a bookshop. And then a DVD shop and watch the brilliant film.
The novel has lots of covers – this isn’t the one I’m reading, but it’s my favourite.
I haven’t read anything else by Dodie Smith, but some e-friends have told me her other novels are wonderful too – A Town in Bloom is heading towards my local library, so I’ll report back before too long.
Happy June, everyone!
I Capture the Castle is reliably brilliant no matter how many times I read it! But I am less fond of Dodie Smith's other books. My favorite is The New Moon with the Old, if your library can get that one for you. :)
This is my favorite cover of the book as well (but not the one I own either). I am not a fan of the film as much though. But I'll have to search for other Dodie Smith books to read too!
I love 'I Capture the Castle', and that is a beautiful cover, although I think the Vintage Classics version with the dress just edges it out for me. Unfortunately I don't own either – I have a hideous orange version intended for the teenage market, which is also full of misprints…
PS Here it is in all its glory, with the nice Vintage cover to the right. It is more orange in real life…
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/dodie-smith/i-capture-castle.htm
Own it, haven't read it (of course). 13 hour day sounds horrendous! You have my sympathy.
I like that, e-friends! I've got a copy of this on my shelf and will try and clear my reading schedule at some point so that I can read it. I remember when I didn't have a reading schedule…
I have a friend who loves this book. How not had a chance to read it myself though.
I read this for the first time last year and was underwhelmed – I wanted so much to love it, which is where I think my problems started. I couldn't help but be irritated by Cassandra. I think I should give this another go without all my expectations, but this is certainly low on the list of books I want to re-read.
I loved this book – in fact, I want to re-read it this year. It really is one of my all-time favourite books. Love the cover you posted, and like the Vintage one as well, but have to say, my favourite one is the VMC one.
I love this book. I read it for the first time a couple of years ago and really wish I'd read it as a teenager. It's perfect.
I read this last year with Cornflower and wasn't that impressed with it. I wonder if it was a case of reading too many good reviews and having expectations too high? I didn't know there was a movie as well.
Jenny – Amen to that! Margaret recommended The New Moon with the Old as her favourite too, but sadly Oxfordshire library system doesn't have it…
Kristen – I don't think I've ever seen this cover in a shop, so not sure where it was. I have a film tie-in edition… bought after loving the film! (I did read the book first, though – just!)
Laura – ah, the Vintage Classics is the edition I'm reading, I do like it. My own copy (film tie-in cover) is being borrowed by a friend. Your cover is, er, luminous(!)
Yvann – thank you! And, yes, you must read it :)
Sakura – I like the term e-friends too – makes most sense for those people I've never met, but consider friends! And yes, I'm always amazed by friends who just pick up anything they fancy reading next, and have no enormous list of books they must read immediately, or for book groups, or whatever. They're the weird ones, I'm sure… ;)
Alec – your friend is very wise!
ABS – ooo no! I think it's amazing how Smith makes Cassandra so like a teenage girl, and yet somehow not annoying. But there you go…
another cookie – I can't believe it took me this long to re-read it – I've been meaning to for years, and it took my book group choosing it to push it to the top of my pile.
Six Impossible Things – I managed to read it for the first time while I was 18, which was maybe a bit too old to be the ideal market – but I'm definitely feeling more of an adult this time, and looking at Cassandra with some hindsight!
Susan – oh, Susan! I don't think I could be more surprised. I'd have had you down as someone who would adore and cherish this novel. I'm going to have to go and recover somewhere…