This wonderful novel tells the story of seventeen-year-old, Cassandra and her extraordinary family, who live in not-so-genteel poverty in a ramshackle old English castle. Cassandra's eccentric father is a writer whose first book took the literary world by storm but he has since failed to write a single word and now spends most of his time reading detective novels from the village library. Cassandra's elder sister, Rose - exquisitely beautiful, vain and bored - despairs of her family's circumstances and determines to marry ...
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This wonderful novel tells the story of seventeen-year-old, Cassandra and her extraordinary family, who live in not-so-genteel poverty in a ramshackle old English castle. Cassandra's eccentric father is a writer whose first book took the literary world by storm but he has since failed to write a single word and now spends most of his time reading detective novels from the village library. Cassandra's elder sister, Rose - exquisitely beautiful, vain and bored - despairs of her family's circumstances and determines to marry their affluent American landlord, Simon regardless of the fact she does not love him. She is, in turns, helped and hindered in this by their bohemian step-mother Topaz, an artist's model and nudist who likes to commune with nature. Finally, there is Stephen, dazzlingly handsome and hopelessly in love with Cassandra. Amidst this maelstrom, Cassandra strives to hone her writing skills. She fills three notebooks with sharply funny yet poignant entries, which candidly chronicle the great changes that take place within the castle's walls, and her own first descent into love. By the time she pens her final entry, she has captured the heart of the reader in one of literature's most enchanting entertainments.
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Seller's Description:
Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. Though second-hand, the book is still in very good shape. Minimal signs of usage may include very minor creasing on the cover or on the spine.
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Seller's Description:
Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover.
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Seller's Description:
Very good. All orders are dispatched within 1 working day from our UK warehouse. Established in 2004, we are dedicated to recycling unwanted books on behalf of a number of UK charities who benefit from added revenue through the sale of their books plus huge savings in waste disposal. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied.
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Seller's Description:
Good. Good condition. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains.
One of my all-time favorite books- probably the most re-read - is about eccentric, literary, extremely likable people, in the semi-romantic setting of a castle. The 'semi' comes from the Mortmain family's poverty and narrator Cassandra's straight-forward, funny explanations of the day-to-day difficulties they face in her famous father's second decade of writer's block.
As we meet them, the Mortmains' want is critical. Castle owner Simon Cotton, a great admirer of Mortmain's, arrives from America with his mother and half-brother, and his generosity immediately makes their lives easier - and more complicated.
Cloistered as they've been, Cassandra and her older, more beautiful sister Rose are naturally intrigued by the Cottons, who are intrigued by them - though not necessarily at the same time or in the same ways.
Dodie Smith's clear prose is ornamented with beautiful details. We participate in Cassandra's fresh, sensory small pleasures, each good thing to eat or read or wear or smell.. I feel it - pleasure and relief - as though I've been through their years of deprivation.
Cassandra makes both a sharp and generous observer. We enjoy a broader understanding of all the characters in Cassandra's life as events and her insights bring them into full bloom.
Finally, her poignant epiphanies on life and love make this book especially resonant.
