Wednesday, June 30, 2010

June 2010

This was Karen's first time to choose, and she had us read I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. We gave it 4 stars.  We had a great lunch at The Cheesecake Factory in Murray.

Alison says: I really liked the first part of this coming-of-age novel, written by the same woman who wrote The Hundred and One Dalmatians. I liked the last part of the book as well. I got bogged down in the middle, though, getting a somewhat frantic, even slapstick feeling when I'd try to read a bit before falling asleep at night. I will admit that my work situation, which was somewhat frantic with long, long days, may have contributed to that, and if I'd had the time and energy to read more of the book at a sitting, I may have enjoyed it more. Overall, I did like it, especially the eccentric characters.

Sue says:  I loved Cassandra's journal and her perceptions of the people around her. This is a lovely coming-of-age book as she deals with her first love and her quirky family. Very nice.

Holly says: I Capture the Castle was first published in 1948. And its story is told through Cassandra’s journal entries, an exercise she has undertaken in order to teach herself to write.  Hey, that’s the reason I started my blog—writing practice! By the time Cassandra has “captured the castle” she had captured my heart too!  I really enjoyed this book.