How I wish I lived in a Jane Austen novel!
It's high time we had a throwback around here, don't you think? You'd never know it by the paltry sum of Throwback Thursday posts, but it's one of our favorite features. Time to pull ourselves together and I can't think of a better book to get us back on track than I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith.
I don't triple-dog-dare often because it's been known to get me in trouble (Ove), but I'm pulling out the triple here and I don't even feel bad about it. I am adding a qualifier though: I triple-dog-dare you not to fall in love with Cassandra, if you're a Jane Austen fan. Or just an overall lover of Brit lit and witty narrators. She had me at "I write this sitting in the kitchen sink." J.K. Rowling's got my back on this one, calling Cassandra "one of the most charismatic narrators [she's] ever met." Oh, J.K., we really are destined to be friends.
Cassandra's not the only star here—this book is a treasure trove of quirky and lovable characters. A recluse father who's failed to write another book after publishing a best seller, a step-mother named Topaz (enough said), a sister bent on escaping the family's dilapidated castle by marrying for money, and new neighbors that change everything. If you haven't read this classic yet, run, don't walk, to your nearest bookstore or library (see qualifier above). Who knows, it just might change your life.