I Capture the Castle: Part II The Shilling Book

[Jenn, moderator]

Discuss part two of I Capture the Castle.

[Lauren]

I haven't been able to warm up to either Simon or Neil. For one thing I think they're both terribly stuck up. Now, I know that there is a lot of controversy in the book concerning class but I still don't like them for putting Rose down when they first met her and Neil for calling her a gold digger. Although I think Rose is a gold digger and is much more interested in Simon's money than Simon himself, I still think Neil should have had the decency not to say anything. Plus, they're always referring to Cassandra as a little child which she's not. She's 17 years-old! granted, she's younger than they are but not by so much that she can be seen as a child. Plus she has more sense than her step-mother or her sister.

[Bill]

Just finished this part & pressing a bit to reach the end by the end of the month because I've got a lot of other stuff. Struck by the thought that whilst the Mortmain's are penniless & practically beggars they enjoy the same elevated social status as the Cotton's. Loved the formal dinner they put on with no furniture & the remains of the ham providing virtually the whole meal. But could not believe Neil would actually have said to Cassandra's face he thought Rose a gold-digger, however surprised.

[Sheryl]

Lauren said:"I haven't been able to warm up to either Simon or Neil."

I haven't, either. I don't mind the "little child" stuff so much, because it does seem a common attitude of the era, but I don't like how stuck up they are. Worse, neither one of them has enough of a personality to stick in my brain, so for the longest time I couldn't keep them straight.

I liked the first section of the book a lot more than this one, partly because I feel like the romance (or, often as not, hopes of romance) have taken over, but also because I wanted to see more of the characters we're first introduced to. I liked the sound of Cassandra and Rose's relationship but we never really saw them interact, then I was annoyed with Rose's faux-diabolism but still found her interesting; I do not like, and am not interested in, the play-acting person she is through much of this section. I wanted to know more about Cassandra's father, Topaz and Stephen; most of the characters introduced since the Cottons showed up have bored me.

Bill said he was "Struck by the thought that whilst the Mortmain's are penniless & practically beggars they enjoy the same elevated social status as the Cotton's." I thought the whole "blood trumps income" thing was pretty standard in British novels of this era, but maybe I'm wrong? It was certainly standard in earlier eras, but the poor people "of good family" were also judged more harshly by their peers if they didn't "rise above" their poverty, which fits with Neil and Simon thinking Rose a gold-digger.

I think Neil said that to Cassandra's face to let us know he is "real," but I just saw it as rude.

[Alana]

Sheryl wrote: "neither one of them has enough of a personality to stick in my brain, so for the longest time I couldn't keep them straight."

That's exactly it for me: I still barely can tell the difference, I only know that Simon is the older one and has the beard (or did, rather). And I think he's the one from the East Coast. But other than that, I haven't seen anything that makes me think of them as anything other than one single, American unit.

I would love to explore Topaz' character more, and Stephen is extremely compelling.

Actually, I rather thought the "surprise" was going to be Simon's proposing to Cassandra rather than to Rose. They seem to share a lot more intellectually in common. Of course, we have to see what Stephen is up to in that regard... I'm sure he's the supplier of the chocolate and notebook, despite whatever conclusions Cassandra has drawn.

I'm curious what we'll find out about Mr. Mortmain's escapades in London. A new classic novel in the works?

I like Cassandra's comparisons between American and British customs, because some of them I've noticed before, but others I hadn't, although some may be due to the time period (American hotels having rooms with private baths, for example). She's making the differences and similarities between the groups more like a fun cultural exploration, even above developing friendships.

[Bill]

Alana wrote: "Sheryl wrote: "neither one of them has enough of a personality to stick in my brain, so for the longest time I couldn't keep them straight."

That's exactly it for me: I still barely can tell the d..."It's necessary to the plot that the brothers be nearly interchangeable. "I guess" used to be an Americanism; now it's common in England. And English hotels now have "private" ("en suite") bathrooms too.