Dodie Smith

Author profile

born

in Whitefield, The United Kingdom

May 03, 1896

died

November 24, 1990

gender

female

genre

Literature & Fiction, Children's Books

About this author

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Born Dorothy Gladys Smith in Lancashire, England, Dodie Smith was raised in Manchester (her memoir is titled "A Childhood in Manchester"). She was just an infant when her father died, and she grew up fatherless until age 14, when her mother remarried and the family moved to London. There she studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and tried for a career as an actress, but with little success. She finally wound up taking a job as a toy buyer for a furniture store to make ends meet. Giving up dreams of an acting career, she turned to writing plays, and in 1931 her first play, "Autumn Crocus", was published (under the pseudonym "C.L. Anthony"). It was a success, and her story -- from failed actress to furniture store employee to successf...more

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Dodie Smith's Books

Average rating: 4.00 · 45,056 ratings · 4,336 reviews · 32 distinct works · Similar authors

	I Capture the Castle 3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 avg rating — 31,377 ratings — published 1948 — 64 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Hundred and One Dalmatians 4.07 of 5 stars 4.07 avg rating — 12,914 ratings — published 1956 — 117 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Starlight Barking (The Hundred and One Dalmatians, #2) 3.61 of 5 stars 3.61 avg rating — 447 ratings — published 1967 — 9 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The New Moon With the Old 3.69 of 5 stars 3.69 avg rating — 179 ratings — published 1963 — 3 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Town in Bloom 3.73 of 5 stars 3.73 avg rating — 121 ratings — published 1965 — 4 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	It Ends with Revelations 3.38 of 5 stars 3.38 avg rating — 99 ratings — published 1967 — 4 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Tale of Two Families 3.4 of 5 stars 3.40 avg rating — 48 ratings — published 1970	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Midnight Kittens (The Hundred and One Dalmatians, #3) 3.31 of 5 stars 3.31 avg rating — 36 ratings — published 1978 — 3 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Look Back With Love 3.8 of 5 stars 3.80 avg rating — 15 ratings — published 1974	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dear Octopus 4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 avg rating — 10 ratings — published 1939	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Dodie Smith…

Series by Dodie Smith

The Hundred and One Dalmatians (3 books)
by Dodie Smith
4.048323250429457 of 5 stars 4.05 avg rating — 13,389 ratings

Quotes by Dodie Smith

“Noble deeds and hot baths are the best cures for depression.”
― Dodie Smith, I Capture the Castle

tags: baths, deeds, depression

1,526 people liked it

“How I wish I lived in a Jane Austen novel!”
― Dodie Smith, I Capture the Castle

tags: jane-austen

244 people liked it

“I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.”
― Dodie Smith, I Capture the Castle

tags: first-sentence

186 people liked it

See all Dodie Smith's quotes »

Polls

Vote for our March Group Read (Beyond 1940...)

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

7 votes, 58.3%

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates

4 votes, 33.3%

Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis

1 vote, 8.3%

A Shooting Star by Wallace Stegner

0 votes, 0.0%

12 total votes

1 comment

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