The Vintage Reader

This weekend I finally read I Capture the Castle, a novel by Dodie Smith that I've been curious about for years. When I heard there was going to be a movie of it, I decided the time had come to read it, and went looking for it in the usual online bookstores, but didn't find a price I liked. Then over the weekend I was up in the attic and found the sack that had my AAUW book sale haul in it. Digging around for something to read, I found this very strange edition of I Capture the Castle from the 60s that apparently caught my eye at the book sale. This cover is astonishing: it would be far more appropriate for, say, Go Ask Alice, or perhaps I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, than it is for this dry, witty little English country romance from the 40s. Maybe that deranged woman on the cover is Dodie Smith (also the author of 101 Dalmatians), but I doubt it.

It's the story of an eccentric English family with two daughters of marriageable age, one of whom, at least, is in search of a husband to save the family from poverty. When two young American men and their mother arrive on the scene as the family's landlords, their situation improves considerably. And I'm not really understating it. It's not exactly a barnburner, but it's a good solid read (except for a scene in which one of the girls is mistaken for a bear, thanks to an ugly coat; that's just silly).

I had forgotten how much I enjoy books like this. Granted, this one is a little sharper and a little more cynical than the ones I'm thinking of, by people like Margery Sharp (who, in addition to light, witty romances, also wrote a few animal books--including one that was made into a Disney movie). By the end of the first chapter I was pretty well hooked. The Mortmain family is quirky and interesting, and although it's difficult to believe that the narrator is only 17, who cares? Her voice is crisp and young, and the writing is absolutely timeless. Other than a few latter-day anachronisms (the first time I came across the word "wireless" I actually wondered about the spacing of communications towers in the English countryside for a split second before my vintage reading sensibilities kicked in) you could believe it was written this year by Helen Fielding or maybe Wendy Holden (except that it's better than any of their recent efforts).

Definitely good summer reading, and I'll catch the movie too. Tip: if you like I Capture the Castle you'll probably like Cold Comfort Farm, in either book or movie form. And vice versa.

Labels: reviews