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Summary: An Utterly Charming, Delightful Read
Review: I first heard of this book when Entertainment Weekly gave it an unheard of A+ rating, and thought it sounded fun. After reading it, I became a D. Smith ADDICT and quickly read everything else (unfortunately, thru the library as they are mostly out-of-print) she'd written. The comparisons to J. Austen are apt, but Smith has her own idiosyncratic style. Cassandra Mortmain is a heroine for all times, though and I can well imagine that I too, will become one of the book's devoted fans who will read and re-read and re-read this book for years to come. Yes it really is that good!! As one reviewer put it so succinctly, "What Chanel is to perfume, Dodie Smith is to charm." Do yourself a big, big favor and discover this utterly delightful book for yourself!
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Summary: Men like it too !
Review: I am a 48 year old man, I just read this book for the first time, and it is a definate great. I can't think of a better guide for young girls about the complexity, wonder, and pain of growing up. I would put it in the ranks of Anne of Green Gables, and The Education of Little Tree. I think boys (teenagers) would also like this book because of the sensitive description of girl's emotions, desires, and ambitions.
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Summary: My favourite English novel
Review: I have read this book over and over again and never tire of it. A wonderful story of a teenaged girl in 30s England. I especially love the graphic descriptions: the sunbathing on the castle roof, the night swim round the moat, the magic of the dinner party at the Cottons', the candlelit summerhouse and the fountains, the midsummer rites - I could go on and on, but please read it and discover these joys and so many others for yourself.
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Summary: Wonderful novel for those who crave romance and life
Review: I bought this book this summer after hearing a clerk say she read it as a teenager and was afraid to re read for fear that she would not like it as much as an adult... she then said she loved it as an adult. I was surprised at the timelessness of it, yet enjoyed the dated periodness as well.It is a book that you will read and then buy for others as a gift.
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Summary: A magical book I will NEVER forget
Review: I read a short blurb about this book and knew I would love it. I was unprepared, however, for how deeply I felt about it. This is a book to savor, although I found it hard to pace myself. Smith's book is as satisfying as a Jane Austen novel and as funny as the Adrain Mole diaries by Sue Townsend.
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Summary: Wonderfully charming, funny and English!
Review: If you loved the movies "A Room With A View" and "Cold Comfort Farm" you won't be able to put this book down! It's so very charming and eccentric. A lovely story. I plan on giving copies to all my favorite people.
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Summary: A family favorite
Review: I've always been an avid reader, and whenever I visited my grandparents in Ohio, I would invariably run out of books and start scouring the shelves of my mother's and aunt's childhood bedrooms for anything to read. Once when I was looking, my mother said to my aunt, "Where's your copy of I Capture the Castle?" My aunt fetched it from her home and lent it to me with the warning that it had better be returned! I read it and was instantly captivated. I have since found my own copy and reread it at least once a year -- anytime I'm looking for a story with a main character I want as my best friend! I'm thrilled that this is out again, and I'm planning on buying my aunt a brand-new copy to replace her tattered, threadbare edition!
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Summary: A unique book
Review: It seems redundant to add my voice to the chorus of admirers, but I can't resist. This is one of my favorite books; I, too, have read it over and over. I don't quite understand why I love this book so deeply. Yes, it's beautifully written, with a very real main character and a story that both celebrates romantic convention and twists it into some surprising knots. It's a strange and wonderful combination of psychological reality with a wildly improbable plot and some very weird supporting characters. It's intellectually and artistically sophisticated without being stuffy or pretentious. But it's not just that. Somehow, this book got to a part of me that very few books do. I treasure it for that reason.
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Summary: A book you feel lucky to read
Review: This book is like a gift, and everyone who reads it wants to share it. I first received a copy from a complete stranger -- a participant in a newsgroup discussion at rec.arts.books.childrens. When I mentioned that I'd never read the book, she sent me an old, well-worn copy in the mail. She wouldn't even accept payment. Now that it's back in print, it's on my gift list for half a dozen people. ICTC is intellectual without pretension, romantic without mush, comic without jokes. It's simply magic.
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Summary: A Wonderful Book
Review: This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. It might be considered a "woman's novel" in the vein of Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Antonia White, or Colette. The protagonist, Cassandra, a very bright and sensitive 17 year old writer, makes one want to move to a medieval castle in England. She has a very perceptive and wise view of life for a young woman, and captures the pains and joys of falling in love to which women of all ages can relate. Just a fabulous book!
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