From the Bookshelf of Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge…
Find A Copy At
Group Discussions About This Book
No group discussions for this book yet.
What Members Thought

View my full review here: http://youtu.be/CUdUlpxfsoA
...more

Maaan, I really really liked this!
First of all, it's about very poor people who live in a castle in England. And the narrator isn't too despairing about it. So that's fun. And there's a big deal made about a guy's beard. (An American, for that matter.) The different characters verge on being caricatures, but don't quite make it there, in my opinion, so that's good too. (Like Topaz! At first I thought I was going to hate her but I ended up adoring her.)
I like Jane Austen and it's kind of like a J ...more
First of all, it's about very poor people who live in a castle in England. And the narrator isn't too despairing about it. So that's fun. And there's a big deal made about a guy's beard. (An American, for that matter.) The different characters verge on being caricatures, but don't quite make it there, in my opinion, so that's good too. (Like Topaz! At first I thought I was going to hate her but I ended up adoring her.)
I like Jane Austen and it's kind of like a J ...more

I can't tell you exactly why I found this book so charming and compellingly readable but I did. Though it was written in 1948 (and it's definitely set between the wars), the voice of the main character, Cassandra, is shockingly contemporary. Though the novel is filled with a vast array of eccentric characters including the castle that Cassandra and her family live in, it's the character of Cassandra and her mix of savvy and innocence that really kept me reading. Into a coming of age story, Dodie
...more

I don't know where to begin with this one. I tried to read this book once before, but wasn't able to get past the first chapter. And again I found it difficult to "get into" the book when reading it this time. However, I'm extremely glad I did "get into" it. It's now most definitely one of my favorite books. Why? Is it the quirky heroine? The castle setting? The quietly amusing dialogue and musings? I think it's a combination of all these things.
...more

4.5 stars
It was with regret that I read the last page. I loved the narrator, and now I miss her.
I had seen the movie a few years ago & pretty much forgot the whole plot. Some months ago, I recorded it for future viewing and allowed myself to watch it only after finishing the book. In a word: disappointing. The book is so wonderful, and I think the movie tried to keep too much of the plot, which made it confusing and far shallower than the book. Also, the best part of the book is the narrative vo ...more
It was with regret that I read the last page. I loved the narrator, and now I miss her.
I had seen the movie a few years ago & pretty much forgot the whole plot. Some months ago, I recorded it for future viewing and allowed myself to watch it only after finishing the book. In a word: disappointing. The book is so wonderful, and I think the movie tried to keep too much of the plot, which made it confusing and far shallower than the book. Also, the best part of the book is the narrative vo ...more

I'm ready to be an 18-year-old girl in a castle. A great story and beautifully written.
...more

Nov 22, 2010
Deedee
marked it as to-read
Lexile 920L
IL: UG - BL: 5.9 - AR Pts: 20.0
IL: UG - BL: 5.9 - AR Pts: 20.0

Apr 01, 2012
Erica
marked it as to-read

Oct 20, 2012
Jen
marked it as to-read

Jun 12, 2014
Melissa
marked it as to-read

Jul 10, 2014
Elizabeth
marked it as to-read

Mar 13, 2015
Malaina
added it

Jan 12, 2016
Laura
marked it as to-read

Mar 17, 2016
Autumn Skye
marked it as to-read

Dec 07, 2016
Sarah
marked it as to-read

Dec 20, 2016
Jamie Dornfeld
marked it as to-read