Book Review: I Capture the Castle

I thought I would like this book far more than I did. It is about England, a young girl finding love, writing ... all things I am crazy about. However, it just seemed to drag for me and I never really got sucked into the setting of the place, as I thought I would. It takes place in an old castle-turned home, which sounds romantic, but the descriptions of the poverty of their existence turned the romance of it sour. Moreover, the love story ended in a way that I found dissatisfying.

The description on the back cover made me think it would be amazing:

"I Capture the Castle tells the story of seventeen-year-old Cassandra and her family, who live in not-so-genteel poverty in a ramshackle castle. Here she strives, over six turbulent months, to hone her writing skills. She fills three notebooks with sharply funny yet poignant entries. Her journals candidly chronicle the great changes that take place within the castle's walls, and her own first descent into love. By the time she pens her final entry, she has "captured the castle" - and the heart of the reader - in one of literature's most enchanting entertainments."

The book just never really hooked me into the story very well. I didn't care for or dislike the main character. I just felt neutral toward the whole thing. I'm sure there are loads of people who have loved this book. I'm just not one of them.