I Capture the Castle

A special edition of the coming-of-age classic

Cassandra Mortmain lives with her bohemian and impoverished family in a crumbling castle in the middle of nowhere. 
 
Her journal records her life with her beautiful, bored sister, Rose, her fading glamorous stepmother, Topaz, her little brother Thomas, and her eccentric novelist father who suffers from a financially crippling writer's block. 
 
However, all their lives are turned upside down when the American heirs to the castle arrive and Cassandra finds herself falling in love for the first time. 
 
'I know of few novels that inspire as much fierce lifelong affection in their readers' Joanna Trollope 
 
**One of the BBC's 100 Novels That Shaped Our World**

Dorothy Gladys 'Dodie' Smith was born in 1896 in Lancashire and she was one of the most successful female dramatists of her generation. Her first novel, I Capture the Castle, was written when she lived in America during the 1940's and marked her crossover debut from playwright to novelist. The novel became an immediate success and was produced as a play in 1954. She has written numerous other novels but is best known today for The Hundred and One Dalmatians, a story for younger readers. The Hundred and One Dalmatians became the basis of two Disney Films.

A beautiful hardback edition of one of the funny, heartbreaking, iconic coming-of-age novel. 
 
'I write this sitting in the kitchen sink' is the first line of this timeless, witty and enchanting novel about growing up. 
 
Cassandra Mortmain lives with her bohemian and impoverished family in a crumbling castle in the middle of nowhere. Her journal records her life with her beautiful, bored sister, Rose, her fading glamorous stepmother, Topaz, her little brother Thomas and her eccentric novelist father who suffers from a financially crippling writer's block. However, all their lives are turned upside down when the American heirs to the castle arrive and Cassandra finds herself falling in love for the first time. 
 
'I know of few novels that inspire as much fierce lifelong affection in their readers' Joanna Trollope 
 
'This book has one of the most charismatic narrators I've ever met' J. K. Rowling 
 
**One of the BBC's 100 Novels That Shaped Our World** 
 
VINTAGE QUARTERBOUND CLASSICS: Bound to be beautiful

Rebel Voices: Disruptive Stories from Trailblazing Women - a new Puffin Classics collection, celebrating International Women's Day 2023 
 
Seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain and her family live in a beautiful, ramshackle castle - but sadly that's not quite as exciting as it sounds when you're having to use the barn door as a kitchen table, and new clothes are literally made out of old curtains . . . 
 
Determined to forge her own path, Cassandra practices her writing skills by keeping a diary - observing the eccentric comings and goings of her beloved-but exasperating family, and pondering what life may have in store for her. But things are about to get delightfully more dramatic with the arrival of two glamorous Americans - and soon the Mortmain's lives will never be the same again. 
 
Rebel Voices is a new six-part Puffin Classics collection of strikingly designed, highly collectible books, written by female authors, and celebrating courage, rebellion, strength and inspiration 
 
'Every time I meet someone who also loves I Capture the Castle, I know we must be kindred spirits' - Jenny Han, bestselling author of To All the Boys I've Loved Before 
 
'I know of few novels that inspire as much fierce lifelong affection in their readers' - Joanna Trollope 
 
'Everyone I've passed it on to has found it a hit - it works every time, for absolutely everybody' - Nigella Lawson

I know of few novels that inspire as much fierce lifelong affection in their readers

Every time I meet someone who also loves I Capture the Castle, I know we must be kindred spirits

Jenny Han, To All the Boys I've Loved Before

Dodie Smith (Author) Dorothy 'Dodie' Smith was born in 1896 in Derbyshire and was one of the most successful dramatists of her generation. During the 1940s she lived in the USA and it was homesickness for England that inspired her classic novel I Capture the Castle (1948). It was an immediate success and was also adapted for the stage in the 1950s as well as becoming a successful film in 2003. Dodie Smith is also the author of the much-loved book The Hundred and One Dalmatians, which has famously been twice filmed by Disney. Dodie Smith died in 1990. Ngadi Smart (Illustrator) Ngadi Smart is a Sierra-Leonean visual artist and designer based between London, UK, and Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. Her practice consists of illustration, photography and design. She also works as a mixed-media artist, primarily in the form of collage art. In her illustration work, she is motivated by the representation of minorities, highlighting cultural identity and racial discrimination, as well as themes on feminism and gender roles. She likes to deconstruct mainstream society's views of what is 'normal', 'beautiful' and 'right'. She has illustrated for the Atlantic, Time Out London, Eastpak and the Guardian, among others.

Seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain and her family live in a beautiful, ramshackle castle - but sadly that's not quite as exciting as it sounds when you're having to use the barn door as a kitchen table, and new clothes are literally made out of old curtains . . . 
 
Determined to forge her own path, Cassandra practices her writing skills by keeping a diary - observing the eccentric comings and goings of her beloved-but exasperating family, and pondering what life may have in store for her. But things are about to get delightfully more dramatic with the arrival of two glamorous Americans - and soon the Mortmain's lives will never be the same again.

Stop What You’re Doing and Read…To Your Daughter: I Capture the Castle & The Secret Garden

I CAPTURE THE CASTLE &amp; THE SECRET GARDEN: Two wonderful stories about two very unusual girls, who discover freedom, friendship and love. Read aloud and hold your listener spellbound.

I CAPTURE THE CASTLE - Everyone I've passed it on to has found it a hit - it works every time, for absolutely everybody

THE SECRET GARDEN  -  Mary is a tough feisty character, who manages to turn a whole household, and the lives of those in it, completely upside down... The book is brim full of magic and joy

Dorothy Gladys 'Dodie' Smith was born in 1896 in Lancashire and she was one of the most successful female dramatists of her generation. Her first novel, I Capture the Castle, was written when she lived in America during the 1940's and marked her crossover debut from playwright to novelist. The novel became an immediate success and was produced as a play in 1954. She has written numerous other novels but is best known today for The Hundred and One Dalmatians, a story for younger readers. The Hundred and One Dalmatians became the basis of two Disney films. 
 
Frances Hodgson Burnett was born in Manchester in 1849. After living in poverty, she emigrated to the US in 1865. She wrote over forty books; the best-known today are The Secret Garden, A Little Princess and Little Lord Fauntleroy. She died in 1924.

To mark the publication of Stop What You're Doing and Read This!, a collection of essays celebrating reading, Vintage Classics are releasing 12 limited edition themed ebook 'bundles', to tempt readers to discover and rediscover great books. 
 
I CAPTURE THE CASTLE 
'I write this sitting in the kitchen sink' is the first line of this timeless, witty and enchanting novel about growing up. Cassandra Mortmain lives with her bohemian and impoverished family in a crumbling castle in the middle of nowhere. Her journal records her life with her beautiful, bored sister, Rose, her fadingly glamorous stepmother, Topaz, her little brother Thomas and her eccentric novelist father who suffers from a financially crippling writer's block. However, all their lives are turned upside down when the American heirs to the castle arrive and Cassandra finds herself falling in love for the first time... 
 
THE SECRET GARDEN 
Mary Lennox is an orphan who is sent to live with her uncle at gloomy Misselthwaite Manor. Neglected and lonely, she begins to explore her new home and learns of a secret garden that her uncle has forbidden anyone to enter. A friendly robin shows Mary the key to the garden and she discovers a world she could never have imagined... The Secret Garden has enchanted generations of children and adults alike.

A beautiful coming-of-age novel about first love

'This book has one of the most charismatic narrators I've ever met' J K Rowling

Everyone I've passed it on to has found it a hit - it works every time, for absolutely everybody

Smith rivals Nancy Mitford's Love in a Cold Climate series for 1930s toff charm

A deliciously evocative portrait of England

Dreamy and funny...an odd, shimmering timelessness clings to its pages. A thousand and one cheers for its reissue. A +

It is an occasion worth celebrating when a sparkling novel, a work of wit, irony and feeling is brought back into print after an absence of many years. So uncork the champagne for I Capture the Castle

This rite of passage story about a precocious teenager and her eccentric family is romantic, off-beat and totally magical

Much more fun than the reader has any right to expect

It's as fresh as if it were written this morning and as classic as Jane Austen. I'm very happy to have met it

A good story, flourishing characters, and the most persuasive narrative voice

A classic tale of the triumph of youthful naivety over middle-aged cynicism

Dorothy Gladys 'Dodie' Smith was born in 1896 in Lancashire and she was one of the most successful female dramatists of her generation. Her first novel, I Capture the Castle, was written when she lived in America during the 1940's and marked her crossover debut from playwright to novelist. The novel became an immediate success and was produced as a play in 1954. She has written numerous other novels but is best known today for The Hundred and One Dalmatians, a story for younger readers. The Hundred and One Dalmatians became the basis of two Disney films.

Dodie Smith

Abridged Edition

With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction. 
 
I Capture the Castle, a Level 4 Reader, is A2+ in the CEFR framework. The text is made up of sentences with up to three clauses, introducing more complex uses of present perfect simple, passives, phrasal verbs and simple relative clauses. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear regularly. 
 
The poor Mortmain family move to an old castle. Mr Mortmain&rsquo;s daughter Rose wants a rich husband. Her sister, Cassandra, wants to be a writer like her father. But when the Mortmains meet their two rich neighbours, Simon and Neil Cotton, both Rose and Cassandra have their lives changed forever.

Dodie Smith

Penguin Readers Level 4: I Capture the Castle (ELT Graded Reader)

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