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17 year old Cassandra lives in a real castle in England with her family. Her life is far from a fairy tale however. The castle is cold and crumbling. She is writing a journal by candlelight because the castle was never fitted for electric lights. Her once successful father has been unable to write a second book, and the family had to sell the furniture to buy food. With a plot turn right out of a Jane Austen novel, the new heir of the nearby estate (and the owner of the castle) arrive with two eligible young men. Her older sister Rose decides that her future no longer looks hopeless. So life is starting to look like a fairy tale after all. A complicated fairy tale. Even the handsome farm boy gets a chance for a new life.

I really enjoyed reading Cassandra’s observations of the world around her. She appreciates the beauty of her country setting, and is able to live simply. She and her brother search for ways to help their father write again. (Several characters suggest psychoanalysis which was in vogue at the time). Note- there are several different editions of this book. I listened to the unabridged version which is very thoughtful, but lags in spots. The ending is more ambiguous than I expected, but the more I think about it, the more I appreciate it. The very short abridged audio sugarcoats everything and has a much lighter tone and ending.


56 Bildungsroman tags
435 Coming of age tags