I like this concept.
The past two I finished were both Shakespeare plays, but I'd much rather do a mini review of the book I read before them:
Dodie Smith - I Capture the Castle. As with Stew, it was one I knew I'd love before I even started it (although I have been disappointed by such expectations in the past). You can find it in the adolescent section but it's apparently been rated as an adult classic too... dunno how I made it 20 years without ever hearing of it!
Its narrator is a likeable 17-year old, Cassandra, who lives with her family in a run-down old castle. They're poverty-stricken due to the father's years of writers block, but Cassandra enjoys her life with sister Rose and eccentric stepmother Topaz. When two rich American brothers appear on the scene, Rose sees it as a good opportunity to escape poverty through marriage, while Cassandra (though disagreeing with the concept) does her best to help her out. But, of course, all does not go to plan... That description makes it sound a bit crap, but it's really a lovely book, that avoids the trap of sticking in any neat happy ending. Closest "if you like x, read this" would probably be Kate Atkinson.
5/5
