I Capture the Castle

I Capture the Castle

Summary

Rebel Voices: Disruptive Stories from Trailblazing Women - a new Puffin Classics collection, celebrating International Women's Day 2023

Seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain and her family live in a beautiful, ramshackle castle - but sadly that's not quite as exciting as it sounds when you're having to use the barn door as a kitchen table, and new clothes are literally made out of old curtains . . .

Determined to forge her own path, Cassandra practices her writing skills by keeping a diary - observing the eccentric comings and goings of her beloved-but exasperating family, and pondering what life may have in store for her. But things are about to get delightfully more dramatic with the arrival of two glamorous Americans - and soon the Mortmain's lives will never be the same again.

Rebel Voices is a new six-part Puffin Classics collection of strikingly designed, highly collectible books, written by female authors, and celebrating courage, rebellion, strength and inspiration

'Every time I meet someone who also loves I Capture the Castle, I know we must be kindred spirits' - Jenny Han, bestselling author of To All the Boys I've Loved Before

'I know of few novels that inspire as much fierce lifelong affection in their readers' - Joanna Trollope

'Everyone I've passed it on to has found it a hit - it works every time, for absolutely everybody' - Nigella Lawson

Reviews

  • I know of few novels that inspire as much fierce lifelong affection in their readers
    Joanna Trollope

About the authors

Dodie Smith

Dorothy Gladys 'Dodie' Smith was born in 1896 in Lancashire and she was one of the most successful female dramatists of her generation. Her first novel, I Capture the Castle, was written when she lived in America during the 1940's and marked her crossover debut from playwright to novelist. The novel became an immediate success and was produced as a play in 1954. She has written numerous other novels but is best known today for The Hundred and One Dalmatians, a story for younger readers. The Hundred and One Dalmatians became the basis of two Disney Films.
Learn More

Ngadi Smart (Illustrator)

Ngadi Smart is a Sierra-Leonean visual artist and designer based between London, UK, and Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. Her practice consists of illustration, photography and design. She also works as a mixed-media artist, primarily in the form of collage art. In her illustration work, she is motivated by the representation of minorities, highlighting cultural identity and racial discrimination, as well as themes on feminism and gender roles. She likes to deconstruct mainstream society's views of what is 'normal', 'beautiful' and 'right'. She has illustrated for the Atlantic, Time Out London, Eastpak and the Guardian, among others.
Learn More

Sign up to the Penguin Newsletter

For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more