by Dodie Smith
First published 1998
In a decaying English castle, seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain chronicles her family's bizarre survival. Broke and eccentric, the Mortmains teeter on financial ruin, their only asset a crumbling stone fortress and Cassandra's razor-sharp observations. When two wealthy American brothers inherit the neighboring estate, everything changes. Suddenly, marriage becomes a potential escape from poverty, and Cassandra's older sister Rose sees the newcomers as her ticket to a different life. But survival isn't simple: each potential match carries complex emotional risks, and Cassandra must navigate her family's desperation, her own emerging romantic feelings, and the delicate social dance of potential salvation. As relationships twist and economic pressures mount, Cassandra discovers that growing up means understanding love's complicated landscape—and finding her own path through it.
Genres: fiction, romance, historical-fiction, 20th-century, coming-of-age, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, marriage-of-convenience
Setting: England
Period: 20th-century
408 pages · Hardcover · St. Martin's Press