Carolyn Recently Finished {I Capture the Castle}:

So, for Christmas I received a stack of books & I'm currently on book #2. Recently, I made the switch from historical biographies of famous women {mostly royals or the elite} to classic literature and I have to say it's been a great switch.

My first conquest in my Christmas literature stash was a phenomenal book entitled: I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith {1948}. Fun fact: she also is responsible for 101 Dalmations.

What I loved most about this book was the narrator, Cassandra. At times, I truly felt that she was writing from my thoughts. Particularly the sections where she discusses daydreaming and imagining futures for other people based on reading into small situations too deeply. This describes me perfectly. Daydreaming is a serious problem in my life, especially when it comes to fantasizing about the future. I did, however, take some advice from Cassandra- she recommends not imagining for yourself because you can only be disappointed when what you hope for doesn't happen. So, create all kinds of crazy lives for those around you, but let nature take its course when it comes to yourself.

The book is set up like a diary {three diaries actually} and follows a romantically impoverished English family in the early 20th century who currently live in a dilapidated castle. Cassandra has an older sister, Rose, a younger brother, Thomas, an eccentric step-mother Topaz, and a, formerly famous, writer for a father, known as Mortmain. The story follows the Mortmain family as their, otherwise bleak, lives change course, for better or worse, when they are introduced to some wealthy Americans. The age old drama on marrying for love or money ensues.

I'm also obsessed with anything having to do with England & as I'm in grad. school for historic preservation, yah, the whole living in a castle thing didn't hurt matters either.

A few of my favorite quotes from this selection:

• "Noble deeds & hot baths are the best cures for depression."

• "After being an artists' model for so many years, she has no particular interest in Nudism for its own sake, but she has a passion for getting into closest contact with the elements."

I would totally recommend this book for those of us who like to be transported into a more romantic & dramatic setting {in England!}. Really light read, so perhaps it would be lovely for traveling?

MOVIE

I Capture the Castle

I know we are all skeptical about movies from books, as they usually leave out major plot points or simply don't imagine the characters as we do, but the movie version of this book is really excellent & totally worth checking out!

Directed by Tim Fywell {2003} it is a beautiful adaptation of the novel. It doesn't omit any part of the plot & the costumes and setting are lovely & perfect too!

It's in the Watch Instantly section of Netflix too, so check it out yo!