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What happened in these chapters?
Stephen leaves, packing up all his belongings and heading off to London to be in the movies. Cassandra goes to her father's gatehouse where she asks him about work and he loses his temper, but then feels really terrible about it. Cassandra and Thomas discuss their father's unpredictability and they lock him in the tower (!) so he can focus on his work. Meanwhile, Simon and Topaz show up and say that Rose is missing. And Cassandra and Simon find Neil and Rose shacked up in town together. Neil and Rose head off to California together. Father is working on a new book about a child learning to read and write and it seems sort of like utter nonsense (but let's all admit I'm probably a Harry's father because Jacob Wrestling also sounds like nonsense). In the end, Cassandra is left alone at the moldering castle with her father, Topaz, and Thomas. Stephen is in the movies, Neil, Rose, and Simon are all in America.
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Hat mentions (why hats?):
Ivy had on a pale grey suit, tight white gloves, and the brightest blue hat I ever saw, which accentuated the red in her cheeks. (Chapter 15, page 292)
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Last week's homework:
Last week I assigned a variant of St. Ignatius's Sacred Imagination practice. Find a scene and explore what you would have sensed if you were present.
I chose the scene where Cassandra and Thomas are having tea and the father comes in.
What would you taste? Tea and fish. (I'm American enough that this sounds repulsive.)
What would you touch? The metal of the utensils. The wood of the chair underneath me.
What would you see? The table set for tea with two places. Heloise snoozing in a corner. The crumbling castle all around me.
What would you hear? Heloise's snores. Father's footsteps heading in.
What would you smell? Fish. The musty smell of the building.
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Lines of note:
"Are you frightened of him?" I asked myself. I knew in my heart that I was. But why? "Has he ever in his life struck any of you?" Never. (Chapter 15, page 296)
Interesting foreshadowing and a bit of forgetting about the time he spent in prison for attacking his wife with a cake knife.
"What have you come here for?" he said sharply. "Never you mind about my work." (Chapter 15, page 298)
WTF, FATHER! Don't tell Cassandra it's none of her business if you're working. You've led this family into genuine dangerous poverty! I was sort of on his side for most of this book, but now that I know Cassandra is basically going to be left alone with an unpredictable, abusive man, I'm super unsympathetic.
Even a broken heart doesn't warrant a wasted of good paper. (Chapter 16, page 343)
Even with Simon's "patronage," Cassandra is still worried about money in the end.
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Things I looked up:
Little Folks (Chapter 16, page 324) - a monthly United States children's magazine for young readers from three to twelve years-old. It was founded by publisher Samuel E. Cassino, and was published between November 1897 and 1926 in Massachusetts.
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| By Karenthewriter - June 1912 issue of Little Folks that I own, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=106811669 |
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Questions to ponder (as always, feel free to answer as many or few of these as you'd like - talk about what you want to talk about!):
1) What do you think of this as an ending? What do you think is going to happen to all these characters? Will Cassandra become a writer? Will Stephen make it in Hollywood? Will Father kill Topaz? Will Neil and Rose make it long-term? Will Simon ever come back to England? TELL ME YOUR THEORIES.
2) Okay, so Tobia made an off-hand comment early on that maybe the father's first wife actually wrote Jacob Wrestling and I sort of accepted it as head cannon and then I was confused when it turned out that no, he's just a weirdo who writes weirdo books. Also, I assumed that Rose had run off with Simon and was confused by the Neil reveal, which I shouldn't have been because Neil's over-the-top reaction to Rose's engagement to Simon gave us all clues that he was in love with her. Did you have any moments when the book took you by surprise with a plot point?
3) Audio hallucinations are no joke. What do you think of the role that Cassandra's biological mother plays in this book, particularly in the scenes when Cassandra thinks about first seeing the castle and the scene in which she hears her mother telling her that her locking Father in the tower is a good idea?
4) Do, Die, Marry: Simon, Neil and Stephen.
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Homework for you: What do you want to talk about in the wrap-up next week? Do you have burning questions left to discuss? Are there themes you think I've ignored?
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Most iconic quote poll:
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September 2: Wrap-up!!
"Do, Die, Marry" is the politest way I've heard this game! I'd probably agree with you on the order of those men. Also "he's just a weirdo who writes weirdo books" - you know how I feel about the father!
ReplyDeleteWell, I do try to be demure!
DeleteVery demure and very mindful. ;)
DeleteI was satisfied with the ending. Cassandra chooses writing over the guys! I knew that Rose wouldn't marry Simon, but I was surprised that she ran off with Neil - but hey a girl couldn't just call off an engagement without a reason back then so it makes sense.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your Do, Die, Marry - and I'm giggling because yes, that is a very polite way to say it.
" a girl couldn't just call off an engagement without a reason back then" ---
DeleteOooh, this is such an interesting statement to me, Birchie! - do you mean "back then" when the book is set or "back then" when the book was written. It makes me consider what of this book is a product of its time or shows its age?
Don't you think it's both, Diane? It's when the book is set AND when it was written? It was published in 1948 and was probably set in the 1930s sometime. It was definitely set in the interwar period, right? That's a really interesting point because WWII is about to be a thing and I wonder what will happen to these characters during the war?
Delete
ReplyDeleteHi, I started this book late, read a poor ebook edition from Apple Books, and couldn't comment before because I never seemed to be on the only computer I use with a Google account. However, I wanted to come in to say that I loved this book and think it was a great choice for a summer CBBC read!
The ending felt abrupt to me - but stories with many characters are never easy to finish. Cassandra's journey from child to adult was frank and funny, and I thought underscored both by the magical English summer and the touching, clear memory she has late in the book of her mother's voice and face. The endpoint for Cassandra was wonderful though I suspect I would have been disappointed in it when I was younger. The scene with Simon didn't go the way it might have in one of the earlier books I think Smith points to (Alcott, Austen, James and Eliot but surely there were others), and she was given the ability by Smith to acknowledge her complex feelings for him, her father and sister (and Stephen!) and to choose her pen above them all.
I was surprised I enjoyed it so much, as I have tried and failed to get into this story before, but it read to me as a dream - of earlier books and selves and places. The iconic quote for me is this: “... I found myself going round leaning against walls— I can’t think why misery makes me lean against walls, but it does.” Haha!
Egads! There's an Archive version of the book that's okay to read on a computer. I should have really linked to that version more often for folks who had a hard time getting access!
DeleteNow that I'm thinking about the time period here, I think the ending is even stranger. So much is going to change in the next five to ten years! I rarely want an epilogue, but I sort of want to know where all the major players are in fifteen years. I guess we have to use our own imagination for that.
Cassandra had so many classic lines. I love that this one is yours!
Tamara, I think I read the same version. Did yours drop the question marks? It drove me nuts til I figured it out. Sigh.
DeleteWell, I'm kind of mad I don't have the book with me (I'm sitting in Starbucks before work and forgot to bring it along.) So I can't quote any specific passages (I will, next week for the wrap-up.)
ReplyDeleteSO ENGIE. Last week we had a little spat over whether or not Cassandra is an innocent bystander (me) or evil wrong-doer (you.) Let's think about how the book ends- because Cassandra has the fight with Rose, then calls Stephen to bail her out, she tells everything to Stephen, who then goes to Neil and tells HIM, and as a result Rose and Neil end up together- which I did not see coming, although it does make sense. Much better than Rose marrying Simon, who she doesn't love. So Cassandra really saved the day, or at least she set the events in motion to save the day.
The part where Cassandra and Thomas lock the father in the tower was really weird. But HE'S weird, so it probably wasn't a bad way to deal with him. Apparently it worked, because he's finally working on a new book. The new book is a little strange, but I kind of like it.
I liked the ending, and I do think Cassandra goes on to be a writer. I wish she had gone to college- I had to laugh a little at her reasoning, there's no college that can teach you to write. Well- aren't there writing classes in college? But okay- she can stay at the castle and become a writer. And maybe Simon will finally get over Rose, realizes that he loves Cassandra and come back for her. But I liked how she didn't end up with anyone at the end.
Okay, Jenny, she may have set things into motion, but she didn't just open her mouth and tell Rose what was going on. Maybe the same outcome would have happened, I don't know, but just because there was a Rube Goldberg sort of communication web doesn't make Cassandra innocent in how this all turned out. I stand by this. If she loved her sister so much, she should have been honest. I'm trying to give her the benefit of the doubt (she's young, naïve, and in love for the first time), but in the end I just wish she had said something.
DeleteThe whole locked tower thing was hard to read! Sure, he sort of deserved it, but does anyone really deserve to be imprisoned?
I though the whole thing about not going to college to learn to write was hilarious in light of TJC's guest post a couple of weeks ago about how she has a master's in creative writing. There are classes, Cassandra, you sweet summer child!
I always thought Cassandra and Simon ended up together, so was surprised that it's actually fairly ambiguous... I must have shipped them hard when I first read it. I must have somehow conflated it a bit with _Pride and Prejudice_ or even _Little Women_? There's that trope of the second sister wanting the beautiful older sister to be loved by the rich guy so she can marry him to improve the family prospects.
ReplyDeleteDo you think it's ambiguous? I feel like Simon ain't ever coming back to England and now Cassandra's stuck in the castle with her abusive father and flighty stepmother. WWII is about to happen and those three are going to be in Serious Trouble. I sure hope Cassandra's pen and paper keep her warm in the winter. (I am maybe a bit more upset about this ending than I thought I would be!)
DeleteI'm really glad that Thomas finally had something to do at long last in the book. Not only did he lock his father in the tower and remain steadfast in his resolve to keep him there (the part about sending an umbrella down with the food cracked me up), he also was the one to truly understand his dad's creative genius and resulting work.
ReplyDeleteStephen remains the truly good-hearted soul that he is, thinking of the family and Cassandra and their welfare/happiness right to the end. I hope he isn't taken advantage of in the dog-eat-dog business of acting, where ego is more necessary for success.
I never saw the Rose-Neil pairing coming, so apparently I wasn't reading closely enough, or it wasn't really foreshadowed all that well. (I was also reading this at the same time as Jane Eyre, so it wasn't getting my more intense reading. I was reading it more as a fluffy, fun book, admittedly.)
YES! I'm glad Thomas played a role in all this. Good for him. Although, locking someone away is troubling...
DeleteI suspect Stephen will do okay in Hollywood. It was boom time for the entertainment industry during WWII and hopefully he'll be prudent and save his money for the inevitable bust.
I really liked the ending of the book! Still don't care about the father and find whatever his next project is totally confusing. I knew Rose wouldn't marry Simon, and wasn't totally surprised by the Rose/Neil coupling. My hope for Cassandra is that she becomes a successful writer, turns one of her books into a screenplay that goes on to be an Oscar winning movie for her and stars Stephen, in an Oscar winning performance. Will that lead to marriage, or a continued successful working relationship like Ingmar Bergmann and Liv Ullmann with a side of romance? They were my favourite characters, and I wish them both much success!
ReplyDeleteOoh! I like Jacquie's ending.
DeleteOh, Jacquie, I do hope you're right! If only Cassandra had gone to school so she could have learned about screenwriting...
DeleteI really enjoyed the audiobook. Being read-to in an English accent added some nice ambience. But I was frustrated with the ending! Rose and Neil? Cassandra and no one? Father has just been an enormous doofus the entire time? I would have liked for Cassandra to love Stephen and to tell Simon to bug off.
ReplyDeleteAfter I finished the audiobook, I watched the movie. Henry Cavil as Stephen - yes! Perfect casting! I think reading the book first helped me enjoy the movie a lot more than if I hadn't read it.
There's a movie? I had no idea! But I wonder if I'd even want to watch it. Sometimes a book is meant to just be enough on its own.
DeleteYes, I watched the movie this weekend! I thought it was very well cast. The biggest difference I found with the movie was it was more dramatic and less witty than the book. I had more compassion for the father watching the movie, played by Bill Nighy, than I did when reading the book. I really didn't like him at all. I probably would not have watched the movie if I hadn't read the book, and like MG Doodle Studio, I enjoyed the movie because I had read the book.
DeleteJacquie--I adore Bill Nighy, and him playing the father is almost enough to make me watch the film version.
DeleteThe movie is available on Prime. I'm going to try and watch it before I post the wrap-up, but no guarantees!
Delete1) The ending was ok. Not utterly surprising. Neatly wrapped up all loose ends… Except Thomas… This character could have easily been dropped.
ReplyDeleteI had a feeling about Rose and Neil as I mentioned in my comment week 3. I think they will make it. They will not be rich and work a lot so in the end Rose chose love over luxury. I kind of like that even though it’s cliché.
I don’t think Stephen will make it to Hollywood. He only started the acting thing because Cassandra told him so. He was never really into it and it didnt make him happy. However it provided an out. It’s a bit like Rose… Going ahead with an engagement she is not into. It’s the same but different with Stephan, no?
Why would father kill Topaz?
I don’t really care what is happening to Cassandra to be honest. Same as Simon...
2) I was rooting for the dead mother to be the genius in this book. Unfortunately the weirdo father managed to write a book on his own and started a new one. I guess him starting to write the second book was what really surprised me here.
There were lots of signs that Neil and Rose had a thing. I was not surprised.
3) I felt like the longer Smith was writing on the book the more she got hooked by psycho analysis and that is way it started to get more integrated and actually a pivoting point. I am not a hundred percent but doesn’t Freud say that mothers are in your head or something.
4) Do, Die, Marry: Stephan, Simon, Neil
I feel like Thomas played an integral role in the scene where he and Stephen were stalking Scoatney at the dinner party and in trapping the father in the tower, so he earned his position in the book, I think. I would not drop him, I don't think!
DeleteI have a lot of differing opinions on you with the futures of these characters. There's no way Rose and Neil survive. He called her a gold digger. If someone is name calling that early in a relationship, it's not good. Stephen's going to be successful in the WWII Hollywood boom and he'll save all his money so he can survive the bust. That's what I foretell. But maybe I'm too much of an optimist!
(I can't believe you'd marry Neil! I'm shocked by that answer!)
I liked this book a lot, and I liked the ending. I knew we weren't going to hit a brick wall with it, that we would not have a pat ending. I think Cassandra and Simon are pretty well suited for each other, so ignoring the existence of other people in the world that they might meet, I think he'll come back to England and they will marry. Stephen is going to learn how to act and be famous. Dad...is he going to publish his next weird book? Who cares. Not I. The scene where they locked him in the tower, though, I mean What the EVEN Heck? That was awesome. He needed to suffer some, after all of the suffering he has rained down upon his family. I mean, not that he hasn't suffered alongside them, and also the self hatred that he's been torturing himself with for the last how many years. But I wasn't sorry to think of him trying to sleep and cover himself with an umbrella at the same time.
ReplyDeleteAny fans of The Cure? Do you think Robert Smith read this book? COULD HE BE RELATED TO DODIE SMITH??? Opening lyrics to 10:15 Saturday Night:
10.15
Saturday night
And the tap drips
Under the strip light
And I’m sitting in the kitchen sink
And the tap drips
Drip drip drip drip drip drip drip…
I may or may not have found myself sitting in the kitchen sink once, after a stupid boyfriend bought me a REALLY strong drink at a bar that kicked my ass way back in my misspent youth. My mom was asleep in her room, I'm in the kitchen sink (on the counter actually, just my feet were in the sink), my brother is high on pot, and the boyfriend comes over to make sure I got home safely and apologize (I did not drive, a friend drove me home). That's the scene that popped into my head at the beginning of this novel, and of course every time I listen to the song.
Hey, J--Quick Google search, and no, Dodie Smith never had any children. But those lyrics are an awfully big coincidence, right? (I think the only time I sat in the kitchen sink was when I was very little, and it was for baths!)
DeleteJust because Dodie didn't have kids doesn't mean that they couldn't be distant relatives! I'm going with this theory.
DeleteYou're just like Cassandra with your feet in the seat!! How exciting.
I hope Cassandra continues to be a writer. The ending sort of reminds me of My Brilliant Career, where the heroine decides that writing is more important than marriage. I wish all good things for everyone in the book because no one is really malicious in the novel. They're just making bad choices, impulsive choices, helpless choices, non-choices... I like happy endings, so Rose and Neil will be happy - she will surprisingly grow to enjoy dust and dirt on an American ranch. Stephen will be a huge success but then decide that all he wants to do is have a quiet life in the English countryside. Maybe he'll make enough money to buy the castle and restore it? Simon... I have no idea where Simon is going. He seems to lack drive.
ReplyDeleteIs Father supposed to be some kind of James Joyce? I've never read James Joyce, but I imagine his novels are all complicated and dense and pretentious like Father's writing. My goodness, that whole bit explaining the new book... I have to be honest Smith kind of lost me there. I'm not smart enough to even understand what might be remotely brilliant about the new book.
I'm kind of surprised that Cassandra's biological mother doesn't figure more prominently. I almost forgot about her and was kind of taken aback when she appeared in spirit. I feel like after the first chapters and the cake knife incident, she kind of quietly disappears. Does anyone mourn her? Or are they being stoic about her death? And she seems so different from Topaz, so I find her a fascinating choice of wife for Mortmain.
Oh, I never even thought of the parallel to My Brilliant Friend and the ending when they both choose writing! Maybe all CBBC books should end that way from here on out!
DeleteI feel like everyone forgets about the cake knife incident. This father is ABUSIVE and no one seems to care!!! Poor Topaz. I hope she is ready for that violence.
It took me a second to figure out your Do, Die, Marry question. I've never heard it phrased like that, I mean, you are being very polite. Neil, Simon, Stephen.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that I was a bit disappointed in the ending, but also, I had zero expectations of the ending as well. I had an inkling that Rose and Neil would end up together; I mean, their dislike of each other is often an indication of attraction and desire. (which is always so weird!)
The father is/was a huge disappointment in the book; what a freaking lazy weirdo. Could he not find other employment while also NOT writing a book? I'm with you, his books sound ridiculous: Me, also a Harry's Father.
If we had a drinking game with this book and each time they mentioned psychoanalysis, we take a drink, we could have all ended up in the ER together.
Yes, Suz, I am in agreement with you on the Do, Die, Marry order.
DeleteWTF is with that father? I was sort of on his side at first, but now I'm just...grumpy that Cassandra is still stuck with him.
I purposefully avoided all mentions of psychoanalysis, but I guess that's an artifact of Smith's time. Stupid Freud.
Sighhhh - this book started out so well for me! But it really petered out for me in the end. I thought the whole scene of locking their father in the tower to be MADNESS but also the kind of weirdness I expect from this novel after the whole "bear" scene. I think the ending is FINE. I don't necessarily need Cassandra to end up with someone, and I think she's very right to turn down Simon's offer. GOOD GIRL. Focus on your writing! I think Stephen will make it to Hollywood, be a moderate success, get married, have kids, but always pine for Cassandra.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about Rose and Neil. I guess I understand the whole enemies-to-lovers ordeal but it all happened rather fast and she doesn't seem like the kind of girl who would do well in Neil's environment. We really need a follow-up to Rose's new life. Maybe it all works out, though! It's not like she has many choices.
As for Simon, ehhh. I think he will find someone new and be the same mediocre man he's always been.
I wish Cassandra's mother had been more of a presence in this book. I did find the hallucination scene to be pretty wild, but not in a bad way?? I think Cassandra just needed some guidance at that point and that's why her mom "appeared" to her in this way. Poor girl. She doesn't have many people to help her.
4) Do, Die, Marry: Neil, Simon, and Stephen.