I hope you enjoyed the book for the month of April. Now I don't know if I am breaking any rules, but I only have one question for all of you about the book this month. (Although, if you would rather write about something else, please feel free.) I am also breaking tradition in that I am going to wait to give my response until I have heard from some of you. Okay...anyone out there who read this book, please take a second to contribute. Here is the question:
What is the meaning of the book's title?
3 comments:
Okay, guys....I've been waiting to respond so someone else would have the chance to be first. I'm such a blabber and you always have to "hear" what I think. But, there doesn't seem to be any takers. Soooo...here's my challenge to YOU (yes, you who are reading this right now)... post....please??????
Linn...loved this book. Do I say that every month? Yes! But, truly I did. I'll admit, however, I did have a bit of a challenge getting into tit, but ended up crying as the story ended. I just LOVE Cassandra and her perspective... especially when she writes, "Noble deeds and hot baths are the best cures for depression" (p 41).
Toward the end of the book, Cassandra writes, "It is part of a follow-my-leader game of second-best we have all been playing...It isn't a very good game; the people you play it with are apt to get hurt" (p 362). I thought this summed up my feelings of the love triangles that surrounded this plot. I felt so bad for Stephen's broken heart, Cassandra's broken heart, and Simon's broken heart. As hard as it is to read a book that makes you cry at the end, isn't it kind of refreshing to read something that doesn't end up "happily ever after" but more like life; with Cassandra learning to live with the way things are, and learning so much about herself along the way.
Now for Linn's question....I think the title "I Capture the Castle" is representative of the quests each family member is on during the book and their conquering, in some way. Cassandra, through the course of her journal, grows up, experiences love, and starts to understand herself. Her father begins to write. Rose finds love and escapes the castle. And Stephen gains independence. I'm not really expressing this thought very well...sorry. I'd love to hear the perspective of someone else.
Well, I too was waiting, but I guess I'd better answer my own question so as not to be a hypocrite. Although, my answer is a little too similar to Adri's, so it may not count. :)
I also thought that the title represented what the different characters of the book conquered. The castle, in its run-down state, was in a way, the loss of a dream. It had once been beautiful and well-taken care of, as the family had been when Cassandra's father was writing and when her mother was alive. As the characters conquered their own "castle," they found happiness. Not necessarily as they thought they might, but in a way they could live with.
A good lesson in life. There are many things in my life that haven't ended up how I would have liked them to, or planned them to, but the result was either immediately a happier end or it was something I learned to live with until I realized it was the better way. It has been good for me to "practice" dealing with things that are not how I would like them to be. It is something I am trying hard to teach my children.
Glad you enjoyed the book--Adri! :)
Okay, I'm posting because I know its frustrating to choose the book and have no one respond. I am halfway through the book and have really enjoyed it. I love the writing style and the character development, not to mention the visual imagery and descriptions. I also made a mental note of the "noble deeds and hot baths" quote. Having not finished it, I would say so far, that the title means Cassandra, through her journal entries and efforts in writing, has succesfully portrayed what life is like for her and her family at the castle. Not only daily living, but interpersonal relationships as well. Cassandra uses the word capture several times as she has written about the view, the feeling, the moment etc. I'll post again in response to the question when I have finished it. Good pick, Linn. I have liked it quite a bit.
Post a Comment