- “I Capture the Castle” by Dodie Smith
A coming of age novel set in the idyllic English countryside in the 1930s, ‘I Capture the Castle’ is seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain’s diary as she sets out to capture the life, troubles and romances of her and her eccentric family living in a ruined castle. Like a love letter to the past, with tea at countryside inns, “morning calls like in an old novel,” Brontë-Austen book discussions and Midsummer rites. Cassandra’s voice is clear and charismatic; her journals intellectually adventurous, at times elegant and self-deprecating, and with them comes the chance to enter a long vanished world.
2.“Anne of Green Gables” by L.M. Montgomery
This classic follows Anne Shirley, an adopted orphan living on a small Prince Edward Island farm named Green Gables, and her capers and troubles as she grows up. Surprisingly little plot, yet that is the key to its comforting characteristic. The novel celebrates the simple, humble things in life – friendship, love and happiness in its every form. It makes a mundane world seem magical. Basking in the full beauty of Prince Edward Island, with a bounty of irresistible descriptions and a storyline which never fails to amuse, ‘Anne of Green Gables’ is like an old friend, whether reading it for the first or tenth time.
3. “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
Looking for an amusing and comforting book to read? Nothing can beat ‘Pride and Prejudice.’ Brimming with sparkling dialogue and Austen’s witty banter, not to mention unforgettable characters, this remarkable novel is undoubtedly a classic Classic. It may appear at first to be a story of humdrum family life but it is filled with humour – Mr Collins being one of many that will have you in fits: “It’s been many years since I had such an exemplary vegetable.” And of course, there is nothing quite like a bit of the eligible Mr Darcy to warm the soul, conjure a smile and make all cares fall away.
4. “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott
Recounting the adventures of the four March sisters – Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy as they experience adversity, joy and tragedy on their path to womanhood as they find their place in the world, ‘Little Women’ offers almost nothing but comfort. With eminently lovable characters, scenes both poignant and refreshing, the unconditional love of the March sisters at the heart of the story, and an ‘all that ends well’ ending, a warmth and kindness seems to breathe from this amiable classic. Louisa May Alcott once said “some books are so familiar that reading them is like being home again.” And ‘Little Women’ is certainly one of those.’
By MARNIE IZATT
