By Francis Booth | On April 23, 2023 | Updated August 13, 2023 | Comments (0)
Presented here is a deep dive into the character of Cassandra Mortmain, the heroine of Dodie Smith’s 1948 young adult novel, I Capture the Castle.
British writer Dodie Smith (1896 – 1990) is best known for the children’s book The 101 Dalmatians (1956). I Capture the Castle (1948), written after World War II while Smith was living in California and writing scripts for the movies, was her first novel.
The following is excerpted from Girls in Bloom: Coming of Age in the Mid 20th-Century Woman’s Novel by Francis Booth, reprinted by permission. Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On September 27, 2018 | Updated September 20, 2025 | Comments (0)
Dodie Smith (May 3, 1896 – November 24, 1990), born Dorothy Gladys Smith in Lancashire, England, was one of the most successful female dramatists of her generation.
The British novelist and playwright is even better known for her novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians (later better known as The 101 Dalmatians) and the young adult novel I Capture the Castle.
Dodie Smith came to her love of theatre early, with many of her family members either enthusiasts or amateurs in that realm. She studied at the Academy of Dramatic Art, exploring a short career in acting before becoming a successful playwright and novelist. Read More→
By Emma Ward | On October 2, 2017 | Updated April 23, 2023 | Comments (0)
Dodie Smith (1896 – 1990), the British novelist playwright, was best known for The Hundred and One Dalmatians (1956) and her young adult novel I Capture the Castle. Following is a selection of colorful quotes from I Capture the Castle (1948).
I Capture the Castle features sisters Rose and Cassandra Mortmain, members of an eccentric family living in genteel poverty in a crumbling castle in the 1930s. This coming-of-age story has been beloved by readers of all ages ever since it was published in 1948. Critics were kind as well, as in the words of this original 1948 review:
“Finding out what happens makes rewarding reading. This is a captivating — an enchanting story, bit it is also shrewd commentary on life and art and the complexity of the human heart.” Read More→
By Taylor Jasmine | On November 2, 2015 | Updated September 27, 2022 | Comments (0)
From the 1984 Viking edition of the 1956 novel for young readers, The 101 Dalmatians (originally published as The Hundred and One Dalmatians) by Dodie Smith:
Life was good for the Dalmatian couple Pongo and Missis. With the Dearlys to look after them, they lived in a comfortable home in London where they were able to start a remarkably large family.
Their fifteen beautifully spotted Dalmatian puppies became the talk of the town around Regent’s Park. But Cruella de Vil, a neighbor of the Dearlys, plans to cash in on these gems and their lovely coats! Read More→
By Taylor Jasmine | On February 23, 2015 | Updated April 28, 2025 | Comments (2)
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith was the first novel by this British author. It’s the story of Rose and Cassandra Mortmain, two sisters who are part of an eccentric family living in genteel poverty in a crumbling castle in the 1930s.
This coming of age novel has been beloved by young adults ever since it was published in 1948.
At the time of its publication, Smith was an established playwright, and would later become even better known for the children’s classic, The 101 Dalmatians (1956). I Capture the Castle was as well received by critics as it was by the public; here is one such review: Read More→
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