I Capture the Castle
I’ve always thought a good writer ought to be able to write about almost anything. It’s a question of insight and observation. Research, too; although not so much the story drowns in too much detail. And then I read this book and I think it could only have been written by a woman. (This is a comment in no way intended as any kind of a put-down. Not for so much as a millisecond. I really enjoyed the book, and my only regret is that it’s taken me so many decades to getting around to reading it.) It’s just that the level of detail in the thoughts of the 17-year-old narrator – her reactions to the men who appear in her life; the meaning of a kiss; what clothes to wear and how to look; what to say and to whom… I’m not sure any man could have described all this with such surgical precision and insight. One other aspect that interests me: It’s currently being released as part of a Vintage Classics series that also contains The Wind in the Willows ; The Secre...
