Dodie Smith

The story of 17-year-old Cassandra and her family, who live in not-so-genteel poverty in an English castle, "I Capture the Castle" is as brightly witty and adventuresome today as it was when it was first published over 60 years ago.

Young Adult Edition

I Capture the Castle

More about the Hundred and One Dalmatians

The Starlight Barking

From the author of I Capture the Castle and The Hundred and One Dalmatians, an unusual adventure in which humour and more than a touch of strangeness are inextricably blended. When Jane Minton arrives at Dome House as a secretary-housekeeper, she finds herself sharing the comfortable country home of four attractive young people. Their charming widower father, Rupert Carrington is too occupied with his London business to see very much of them. Richard, the eldest, is a composer; Clare, whose true talents (if they can be called that) have not yet disclosed themselves, dreams of courtly romance; Drew is collecting material for a novel; and Merry, still at school, has her heart set on a stage career. Jane is warmly welcomed into this happy household and feels her luck is too good to be true. However, the private world of Dome House is fated to break up as Rupert flees England under threat of prosecution for fraud. He asks Jane to break the news to the children, who must now fend for themselves, and to do what she can to help them. However, the Carringtons are extremely unusual young people and the story of the eclectic choices they make next is an absorbing and unpredictable one.

The New Moon With the Old

A determined young Lancashire girl arrives in London intent on a stage career - this tale from the author of I Capture the Castle is told with the candour and authenticity that derives from Dodie Smith's own experience of the theatre world. Mouse never did fully suit her nickname. Tiny she may have been, but timid never. After less than twenty-four hours in London she had bluffed her way into an audition at a famous theatre, infuriated its forceful young stage director, and amused its kind if quite amoral actor-manager. She had finally landed not a part but a toehold as a junior secretary. During her involvement in the engrossing affairs of the Crossway Theatre she met her friends Molly, a baby-faced six-footer; and elegant, ambitious Lilian, who was fated to clash disastrously with Mouse. Later, there was also Zelle, rich, generous, enigmatic, and responsible for an outing to Suffolk village pageant which proved a turning point for them all. Life was always surprising the fearless Mouse: when she unexpectedly got to a chance to act she made an unforgettable impression, though not the one she had intended. However, nothing prepared her for the assault of first love, highly unsuitable, but welcomed by her in a way which was to have far-reaching consequences. Only when she looks back after a reunion luncheon does she realise the full effects of that shared summer on her friends and herself. A startlingly frank yet nostalgic read, this is a charming novel about coming of age and the healing effects of time.

The Town in Bloom

Cassandra ! Un prénom romanesque, à limage du château perdu au fin fond de l'Angleterre où vit la jeune fille et toute sa famille pour le moins excentrique. Un père écrivain qui se refuse à écrire, Topaz, la belle-mère fantasque, Rose, la soeur aînée rêvant au grand amour, sans parler du jeune jardinier qui n'a d'yeux que pour Cassandra. Quand surgissent deux beaux et riches Américains dans le manoir voisin, la vie au château est bouleversée.

Le château de Cassandra

A Manchester Childhood

Look Back with Love

The novel on which the Disney film was based.

The Hundred and One Dalmatians

One Hundred and One Dalmatians

"Pam and Tom are at home for the spring half-term holiday and are involved in some strange happenings. Enchanting wild kittens appear in the orchard, always on the stroke of midnight; a visit to a long-deserted house is followed by a meeting with a lady almost a hundred years old who lived there as a child. She knows of a secret room and a hidden painting"--Inside front dust jacket flap.

The Midnight Kittens

101 dalmatyńczyków

La carica dei 101

A Tale of Two Families

Ho un castello nel cuore

David Roberts

Dodie Smith’s classic tale about 101 Dalmations and their fight for survival against the evil Cruella De Vil. When Missis and Pongo’s puppies go missing, the two Dalmatian parents know the scary Cruella De Vil has had something to do with it. After all, she adores furs, and the Dalmatians have such beautiful coats . . . The dogs’ pets, Mr and Mrs Dearly, don’t understand them, so it is up to Pongo and Missis to rescue their pups - with the help of all the dogs in England. The Hundred and One Dalmations is an all-time classic children’s book. Famously adapted by Walt Disney Studios, it continues to be one of the most popular children’s books long after the author’s death.

New Moon with the Old

The New Moon with the Old

The author leaves behind her Manchester childhood and comes to London. After training at RADA she launches out as a touring actress. And there are her first attempts at writing.

Volume Two of an Autobiography

Look Back with Mixed Feelings

101 далматинци

Awaiting advice from Sirius, the Dog Star, dogs of every breed crowd Trafalgar Square in London to watch the evening skies. The message they receive is a disturbing one that might forever destroy their status as "man's best friend."

Dodie Smith

About

Books

Join the club