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Summary: Lovely, Exquiste, Enchanting, Perfect!
Review: I first found this book in England and have read it twice since then. It will be difficult to find one unhappy reviewer for this book as it is perfect in itself. It is the story of seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain and her eccentric family who live in a crumbling castle in 1930's England. Her lovely sister Rose," a pinkish person", is desperate to be married off, her father has become strangly antiscocial after his days as a best-selling author, and Topaz, her stepmother, is the very embodiment of eccentric. Cassandra herself is intelligent, dreamy and sometimes sarcastic, loved by Stephen, "eighteen now, very fair and noble looking but his expression is just a fraction daft," who gives her plagiarized poems, but in love with someone else. Light a few candles on a rainy day and read this book. It is worth far more than $11.16!
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Summary: Jane Austen writes again
Review: I fell in love with this book from the very first chapter. It's funny, poignant and creates such a vivid picture of Cassandra's family and castle that you never forget them. From Bohemian Topaz to Mortmain and the cake knife, from Rose to Stephan to Leda Fox-Cotton, all these people are real. Read this book. You will never forget it.
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Summary: Too bad there are only five stars available
Review: This is the most incredible book--it is an example of the way a book should be written. It is very hard to say something that hasn't already been said . . .this book has been receiving accolades for nearly half a century, and rightfully so. As a fan of Jane Austen, I found myself thinking throughout the book that if Jane were alive in the 1940's, this was what she would have written. It has everything--adventure, romance, humor, and a little bit of philosophizing thrown in for good measure. It is one of those books that when you finish it, you find yourself sad that it ended, and wanting to open it right back up and start again. If you are looking for a great rainy Sunday afternoon in front of the fire novel, a great reading on the airplane novel, or a just plain great novel, pick this up. You won't be sorry you did.
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Summary: This is a wonderful story that captured my heart.
Review: This book is sort of a Gone With The Wind type. I loved it so much, and the end was so heart-breaking and wonderful at the same time. You sort of wish it could have ended differently, but it was also so beautiful that you know you couldn't possibly change a thing. After reading it I longed so much for a sequal. I cry even thinking about this book. It's like you become Cassandra, and feel the way she does about Simon. This is the most wonderful book of all time.
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Summary: My all time favourite book
Review: I first read this book when I was a child, and then reread it so often that I almost knew it off by heart. I love everything about it, the eccentric characters, the strong visual images, the hints at sexuality, the wonderful, mysterious fantasy world that you can escape into. I too imagined it as a film, or TV series (I'd be the director and could choose the cast). I've loved reading all the other reviews, they brought back so many good memories. Thank you everyone. I lost my book about 20 years ago, but am going to buy another asap. I can't wait to read it again (and again)!
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Summary: A Wonderful Book
Review: This a book you want to read more than once and loan to friends so that they can have the experience. The characters, the settings are all beautifully drawn and developed. But more than that, the feelings of Cassandra at seventeen, falling in love for the first time are so vivid. It is wonderful to remember how it felt to be young and in love. A book for everyone. The only problem is that it ends. I could go on reading about these characters and "living" with them in their castle forever.
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Summary: AN EXCEPTIONAL AFTERNOON READ
Review: After I read a very short synopsis of this book, I knew it was a MUST HAVE. The only dissapointment was that it was not long enough. Cassandra Mortmain makes you want to be seventeen again. She narrates to you the very width and depth of her life during probably the most important summer of her life -- the summer she falls in love. It is a story about growing up, getting on, and making do. The fact that it is set in a ruined castle on the English countryside just drags the reader in deeper and deeper into Cassandra's realm. I read the book in two sittings, then I passed it on to my best friend. She too fell madly in love with Cassandra Mortmain, her beautiful sister Rose, and all the delightful characters that come to life for the reader throughout this book. I CAPTURE THE CASTLE is a book for all ages. I kept asking myself, "Why couldn't I have had this book when I was seventeen?" Read it. You are guaranteed to enjoy it. You will laugh, cry, daydream, and want to have a Ms. Blossom all of your own. You will long for more
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Summary: Sheer pleasure
Review: This is one of those books that you can just "fall into." The observations of Cassandra are insightful and delightful. The setting in time and place is a joy. The characters are, for the most part, well-drawn and interesting. My only complaint is that the ending came too fast. This is one of those optimistic books that you never want to leave. Try it as an antidote for the daily news. If you like EF Benson, you will like this one.
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Summary: Divine!
Review: I don't know how to praise this book! No other book can captivate you like this one. It is remarkably written and I would read it everyday if I could
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Summary: not one of the best books- THE best book!
Review: This book is my favourite book ever. i'm 14, and i first read it when i was 13. every time i finish it i have to stop myself from turning it over and reading it again right there! i wish we could read this in school- our teachers always think that we would hate reading anything long but i wish that ICTC would just go on and on.
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