How “I Capture the Castle” Captured Me

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By Sarah Jane Abbott    |   Tuesday, October 21, 2014 - Off the Shelf It happens to everyone eventually: a friend lends you a book that they adore and want you to read, but you read the back cover and think to yourself, "this is so not my kind of book." But you kind of have to read it, and you feel pressured to like it, since your friend loves it so much. If you take a look at my list of reviews, you'll understand why I got this feeling when my friend and co-worker lent me I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (best known as the author of The One Hundred and One Dalmatians). It is billed as a character-driven coming-of-age story about young love.  Folks, this is not a Stephen King or Gillian Flynn. I was dubious, but the lender is a good friend and an editor with excellent taste, to boot, so I figured I would give it a shot — and I am so glad I did. After a few chapters, I was neglecting my other books and diving into I Capture the Castle again and again. More