Welcome to our wrap-up for I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith.
Week Three, Chapters 11-14
Week Four, Chapter 15-16
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Movie talk:
There's a movie! It's available on Prime. I have not had time to watch it, but Michelle and Jacquie have and based on their conversation in the comments last week, here's what I've learned:
Henry Cavil as Stephen is good casting
The father is played by Bill Nighy and that makes the character more sympathetic
It was enjoyable to watch the movie if you've read the book
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| The hat! |
Has anyone else watched it? What did you think?
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ICTC Questions to Ponder:
1. Here are all the times the word capture appeared in the book:
I intend to capture all our characters and put in conversations. (chapter 1)
I must capture him [father] later. (chapter 1)
But there is something I want to capture. It has to do with the feeling I had when I watched the Cottons coming down the lane, the queer separate feeling. I like seeing people when they can’t see me. I have often looked at our family through lighted windows and they seem quite different, a bit the way rooms seen in looking-glasses do. I can’t get the feeling into words — it slipped away when I tried to capture it. (chapter 5)
While I listened to Miss Marcy’s children singing I seemed to capture everything together — mediaeval England, myself at ten, the summers of the past and the summer really coming. (chapter 9)
How can one capture the pool of light in the courtyard, the golden windows, the strange long-ago look, the look that one sees in old paintings? (chapter 6)
How arrogant I used to be! I remember writing in this journal that I would capture father later — I meant to do a brilliant character sketch. Capture father! Why, I don’t know anything about anyone! I shouldn’t be surprised to hear that even Thomas is living a double life — though he does seem all homework and appetite. One nice thing is being able to give him enough to eat at last; I crowd food on to his plate.
And Stephen? No, I can’t capture Stephen. (chapter 11)
I waved a little about on a handkerchief and managed to capture them for a second, but most of the time there was just a mysterious, elusive sweetness that stood for London and luxury. (chapter 12)
I stood at the top of the steps for a moment, trying to capture the feelings I usually have on Midsummer Eve — for I had been too occupied in entertaining Simon to think about them before. (chapter 12)
What do you think? Did the books successfully capture the castle?
2. What role does the setting - the castle - play in the book? What would this book be like if it were in a ramshackle rural farmhouse or a poorly maintained shack on the outskirts of town?
3. Which character is most like you?
4. What do you think happens to these characters after we leave them on the page?
5. Did anyone foresee Cassandra's plan to imprison her father? How fitting is it, symbolically? How unethical is it?
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CBBC Questions to Ponder:
1) What book should we read next? (It probably won't be until summer. Don't worry - no homework until then!) I have a large number of suggestions and I'm keeping a running list. Sorry, Nance, I can guarantee you it will never be Jane Eyre.
2) I'm still trying to figure out the pacing for these book clubs. Was this too many pages, too few pages, or just the perfect number of pages each week?
3) Is there any other constructive feedback you'd like to offer about the running of CBBC? Please don't say stop talking about hats - I honestly cannot do that for you!
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And that is our last CBBC of 2024. I appreciate all of you who participated (especially those of you who didn't like the book!) and I cannot say how much it means to me that you all read and post and interact with my silly homework. Having these smart, fun discussions about this classic book has been a great distraction from less fun things in my life. Here's to another successful session of CBBC!
Omg, I loved when she imprisoned her father. By the end of the book I loathed him deeply. I did not think it was unethical at all, and symbolically, imprisoning him just to get him to do something (which he didn't) seemed fitting as he kind of imprisoned them in poverty.
ReplyDeleteI had NO idea this was a movie! I think it might translate well as a movie, perhaps I'll watch it!
I liked the character of Topaz and I like to think that she stayed with the loser father because she loved the girls and wanted to help them.
Thanks as always Engie for running book club! I didn't love this book but I love being part of the book club. I think you do a perfect job of running it. It's a lot of work, coming up with discussion questions and then interacting with all the discussion. Great job!
As for what book we should do next, I think we all should think about this and start making lists - and then we can vote on them like we did last time. I will give it some thought!
Again, thanks so much. I never read this book before and I'm glad I did!
I have a running list of books people have suggested in the past, so I pull on that list for voting. I have added some of my favorites to the ballots, which is why we read ICTC this time around, but maybe next time I'll just do all reader suggested books!
DeleteThank you, Engie for another fun reading experience! Romance is not a genre I usually read; however, I really enjoyed reading this book. I rarely reread books, so it was fun to read a book that was new to me. I found the pacing of the book easy to keep up with. You always come up with really interesting questions for us that creates great discussion.
ReplyDeleteNext book suggestions? A spider has made a web on the screen of my kitchen window. I’ve been watching him/her grow, disappear (discovered it moves up to the very top of the window frame), and return all summer. So, the book that popped into my head is, Charlotte’s Web.
I look forward to next summer’s read, and thanks again for creating The Cool Bloggers’ Book Club, and including this nonblogger!
CHARLOTTE'S WEB!!!!! YES YES YES!!!
DeleteCharlotte's Web has been added! It was written by a dude, though - I'm surprised Nicole's so enthusiastic about it!
DeleteOoh I didn't even consider that there would be a movie version. I will have to watch it.
ReplyDeleteMy prediction is that Cassandra will be a successful writer and Stephen makes it big as a movie star. Everyone else does fine. I loved it when she imprisoned her father.
IMO the pacing of CBBC is perfect. I only read one chapter at a time and didn't have to read everyday to keep up. I think Secret Garden and Anne of Green Gables have been in the running before, and I'd be happy to reread them. My wildcard pick is Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, because (1) it's good, (2) it's widely read - I think everyone has either read it at some point or has been meaning to, (3) period wise I'm sure that there are a lot of hats, and (4) the story has some nods to Jane Eyre without being Jane Eyre, so it's a good compromise for you and Nance!
Ooooh Rebecca!!! Good call!
DeleteHmmm...I added Rebecca to the list, but my multiple attempts to read it over the years haven't gone well. How would it be if I really hated the book we were reading? The questions could get very mean!
DeleteI just re-read Rebecca! Sort of related to ICTC - I had gone down a rabbit hole clicking on movie trailers after watching the ICTC movie trailer, and the recent Netflix Rebecca popped up since it's kind of the same time period and I was so intrigued by the casting. And then I decided to read it again. I loved Rebecca as a teenager! I also loved Jane Eyre. What is it with me and brooding mysterious heroes with dubious behavior and first wives?
DeleteI don't know, Diane. I didn't like either of those books, so...I think we might have different tastes in romantic leads.
DeleteI thought imprisoning the father was entirely unethical, but I cheered them on nonetheless. I did NOT see that coming. I'm thinking about your castle question. What part did it play in the story? Could it have been the same story if they were in a ramshackle shack? Well, I never got the feel that there was a deep and abiding love for the castle myself. So my answer is, I don't know. I think it could have been a house anywhere.
ReplyDeleteI thought the pacing was perfect. Thank you so much for all of the work that you put into this. <3
Oh, INTERESTING. If not for the castle, where would they have locked up the father?!
DeleteAlas and alack, I knew I wasn't going to be able to chime in so listened to a very short audiobook version of the book (well, most of it, I didn't finish) and called it a day. Summer is a tough time for me to stay on top of reading to be honest, so a fall or winter reading schedule would work better for me, but honestly I just love that it's happening at all even if I can't participate! Truly, it gives me warm fuzzies to know this group is reading together.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely read Anne of Green Gables again. I'm a sucker for the older classics. But I'm with you on no Jane Eyre. My read of that book last year ruined it for me forever.
Anne is definitely on the master list. It's actually a pretty short, though. People do recommend the same classics over and over!
DeleteHi, good question about the castle. In keeping with the nostalgic feeling toward England and earlier times in England, I think it had to be a castle. I read somewhere that Smith wrote this book while living in the U.S., and I think the exagerrated setting (not a castle but a broken down castle) reflect the sense of distance and imperfect memories. I'm with Nicole, I really liked the Topaz character but as an academic who is always struggling to write, I also identified with the Father. I wouldn't mind being locked in a tower for a few days!
ReplyDeleteI also have not seen the movie, but one of the actresses is known to have studed at the university I work at - we are very proud of this association!
Thanks for including me in the CBBC, even though I don't blog - I don't always have time to comment or read for pleasure but summer and deepest winter are good times. As to books, I read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (and loved it! great suggestion!), but skipped Elena Ferrante. I've tried more than once but just can't get into that writer. Has anyone read any Carol Shields that might be worth a look? I also recently read a story by Victor Lodato that was very good and made me want to read more (he is a man, but then it is quite possible that Ferrante is too ;-) ).
I honestly wouldn't mind being locked in a tower, either, particularly if someone was sending me food! LOL. But maybe I'd want my dog and cat with me.
DeleteI have only read Larry's Party by Carol Shields. It was fine, but I found Larry an insipid character. Maybe Stone Diaries? Do you have another one you would recommend?
I think I have actually only read her last book, Unless - which I don't remember very much about - and likely a few of her stories. So, no, I don't have a clear recommendation for her, other than to say she has been on my to-read list for a while!
DeleteI added Carol Shields to the list. I'd probably go with Stone Diaries since it's the Pulitzer winner and you don't have a strong preference for something else.
DeleteYes, though maybe she is not strong on coming of age and so not worth adding. Lots of other good suggestions, I look forward to next summer!
DeleteI felt like the castle was the main character, so if it wasn't the scene for this book, I don't know how the story-line would have been.
ReplyDeleteI don't know that I am like any of the characters in this book. Secretly hoping I'm not like the father---good lord! HA.
I did enjoy it and I SO appreciate you hosting this; I know it is a lot of work and you have real work and real life stuff happening.
I am going to watch the movie soon---I had no idea!
Interesting, yes, I think you are right, the castle was the main character or at least a very important one. Maybe the castle is the foil for the father? I realise in typing this that I really have a soft spot for him though the destitution he leads his family into is shameful.
DeleteI also have a soft spot for the father because there must be some mental instability happening. Right? Why else would he let his children go hungry when he could possibly go out and get a job.
DeleteEngie, I forgot to mention that I thought the pace of the book club has been great. Some weeks I had to stop myself from moving forward and a few times I was behind only because life got so busy. But overall, it was on point.
DeleteI think if you're worried that you're like the father, you're probably not like the father!!
DeleteI do hope people watch the movie and report back. I want to know if I should plan on watching it someday.
Yes, Busy Bee, I think definitely some mental health issues, which made me wonder if Smith was writing that character from personal experience. I think mental health is connected to writing productivity (at least for me). When I'm well in my mind, I just write better, and procrastinate less.
DeleteI didn't really go for the whole "Lock dad in the tower" bit. I thought that was kind of absurd. But I guess Cassandra and Thomas must have really believed in their father's genius to do it.
ReplyDeleteThe castle - it's the embodiment of all the crumbling aspirations, right? Literal and metaphorical.
I'm eager to see the movie now. I feel like the book is so episodic it might be hard to fit into a movie, so I'm eager to see how they did it.
I think the CBBC pacing was a little ambitious for me, to be honest. But I usually read three or four books at a time. The weeks where I buckled down and just read ICTC, it wasn't difficult at all.
I feel like our book club theme is coming of age stories. (Or maybe all books are coming of age stories in one way or another...). Some thoughts: House on Mango Street, something by Judy Blume, Their Eyes Were Watching God, the House of Spirits, something by Julia Alverez. (all books I haven't read, but want to!). Or maybe a non Anne L.M. Montgomery book - like The Blue Castle, or Emily of New Moon? Also last week, I referenced My Brilliant Career, not My Brilliant Friend - it's an Australian coming of age maybe semi-autobiographical book. Joy Luck Club. Oranges are no the only Fruit - both books i've read, but would re-read. There are so many books out there!!!!
Oh, this was such a great list of ideas! I have a confession to make. I think I was 100% confusing I Capture the Castle with The Blue Castle in my head. I read them both and was convinced I loved ICTC, but I think I truly loved The Blue Castle. *sheesh*
DeleteThanks again for running the book club, Engie! Even though I wasn't a huge fan of the book, I *am* a huge fan of the book club. And I've been wanting to read this book so now I have! I think the pace you set was perfect. I tend to do my reading for book club on the weekends and it was only a few chapters every weekend, which wasn't bad at all! (But maybe I'm not the best person to ask about reading pace, haha, since I have more time to devote to reading than other people!)
ReplyDeleteYeah, Stephany, sometimes I think you and I are maybe not the best measures and that's why I've been asking about pacing. I think it's too many pages for some and too few for others, so it's probably spot on. 60-80 pages a week seems to be the sweet spot, I'm learning!
DeleteI think the CBBC is so much fun! I thought the pacing was good. Thank you for hosting and for all your thought-provoking questions! Now I want to read The Blue Castle.
ReplyDeleteHa! I've added The Blue Castle to the CBBC list and maybe I can convince people we should read that next time, although I'm not sure I can be trusted after this one.
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