Dodie Smith

La joven Cassandra Mortmain ve pasar los días plácidamente en el castillo medio en ruinas en el que vive junto a su familia, aislados en medio de la naturaleza. Su excéntrico padre es un escritor que no consigue superar el bloqueo creativo; su bohemia madrastra no deja de rememorar los tiempos en los que fue la musa de muchos artistas; su hermosa hermana, Rose, llena las horas de aburrimiento soñando con casarse con un hombre atractivo y rico que los saque a todos de la miseria, y su hermano pequeño, Thomas, un chico tan inteligente como inocente. Sin embargo, la llegada de los Cotton, la familia estadounidense que ha heredado el castillo, lo cambiara todo para siempre.Cuando en 1948 Dodie Smith publico su primera novela, Capturo el castillo, se convirtio primero en un exito sin precedentes, y despues en un clasico atemporal de la literatura inglesa. Entrañable, ingeniosa, divertida y conmovedora, esta inolvidable historia de formacion ha emocionado a generaciones de lectores.Este libro tiene una de las narradoras mas carismaticas que he conocido. J. K. Rowling

'I write this sitting in the kitchen sink' is the first line of this timeless, witty and enchanting novel about growing up. Cassandra Mortmain lives with her Bohemian and impoverished family in a crumbling castle in the middle of nowhere. Her journal records her life with her beautiful, bored sister, Rose, her glamorous stepmother, Topaz, her little brother Thomas and her eccentric novelist father who suffers from a financially crippling writer's block. However, all their lives are turned upside down when the American heirs to the castle arrive and Cassandra finds herself falling in love for the first time.

From Dodie Smith, the author of I Capture the Castle and The Hundred and One Dalmatians comes a classic tale of complicated sibling relationships, friendship and forbidden love. Set in 1970s England, this is a delightful, funny novel with deftly drawn characters and true heart. Suspecting her husband, George, of dalliances in the city, May decides it is high time the family moved to the country. Determined to create the perfect home there, she finds an idyllic country house set in a lilac grove and sets about furnishing it properly and cooking enormous meals. She even manages to convince her less well-off sister, June, to move into a cosy cottage on the grounds with her husband Robert. This new set-up is very much a family affair as June's husband Robert just happens to be George's brother: the two sisters are married to two brothers. At first both families seem to be settling in well, sharing delicious meals and having jolly times together. Their grown-up children, Hugh and Corinna, visit from London and there even seems to be a hint of romance in the air for them, while the surviving grandparents from both sides of the family move into the big house and forge new friendships. But the arrival of a cantankerous great aunt will reveal the cracks in the family's tangled relationships and will even threaten to unveil the greatest secret of all - while May thought moving George to the country would put a stop to his affairs, he has begun to fall in love with his sister-in-law, June. The death of a beloved character will, however, turn the tables again and lead to the ultimate, happy, denouement.

Penguin Readers is an ELT graded reader series for learners of English as a foreign language. With carefully adapted text, new illustrations and language learning exercises, the print edition also includes instructions to access supporting material online.Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction, introducing language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content.The eight levels of Penguin Readers follow the Common European Framework of Reference for language learning (CEFR). Exercises at the back of each Reader help language learners to practise grammar, vocabulary, and key exam skills. Before, during and after-reading questions test readers story comprehension and develop vocabulary.

I write this sitting in the kitchen sink This is the diary of Cassandra Mortmain which tells of her extraordinary family and their crumbling castle home

A charming tale of love, family and compromise filled with vivid characters, from the author of I Capture the Castle. From Dodie Smith, the author of I Capture the Castle and The Hundred and One Dalmatians comes a classic tale of complicated sibling relationships, friendship and forbidden love. Set in 1970s England, this is a delightful, funny novel with deftly drawn characters and true heart. Suspecting her husband, George, of dalliances in the city, May decides it is high time the family moved to the country. Determined to create the perfect home there, she finds an idyllic country house set in a lilac grove and sets about furnishing it properly and cooking enormous meals. She even manages to convince her less well-off sister, June, to move into a cosy cottage on the grounds with her husband Robert. This new set-up is very much a family affair as Junes husband Robert just happens to be Georges brother: the two sisters are married to two brothers. At first both families seem to be settling in well, sharing delicious meals and having jolly times together. Their grown-up children, Hugh and Corinna, visit from London and there even seems to be a hint of romance in the air for them, while the surviving grandparents from both sides of the family move into the big house and forge new friendships. But the arrival of a cantankerous great aunt will reveal the cracks in the familys tangled relationships and will even threaten to unveil the greatest secret of all - while May thought moving George to the country would put a stop to his affairs, he has begun to fall in love with his sister-in-law, June. The death of a beloved character will, however, turn the tables again and lead to the ultimate, happy, denouement.

Penguin Young Readers are written by specialist ELT authors. The language, topics and page design are carefully graded to match both the age and ability of every young learner. Every Penguin Young Reader has a range of activities in the book and accompanying Factsheet to help increase children's understanding and develop language.

Instalada en un destartalado castillo rodeado de abundante naturaleza, los días transcurren sin sorpresas en la vida de Cassandra Mortmain. A sus diecisiete años, su familia no es precisamente una fuente de diversion: su padre es escritor, pero no escribe; su madrastra, bohemia y musas de artistas, sueña con tiempos pasados; su hermana Rosa muestra uan preocupante tendencia a la melancolia; y a su hermano Thomas no le ven el pelo.

Dodie Smith Seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain keeps a journal during six turbulent months of 1934, filling three notebooks with sharply funny, yet poignant entries about her home, a ruined Suffolk castle, and her eccentric, penniless family. By the time the last diary is finished, great changes have occurred within the Mortmain household, and Cassandra is herself, deeply and hopelessly, in love.

Instalada en un destartalado castillo rodeado de abundante naturaleza, los días transcurren sin demasiadas sorpresas en la vida de Cassandra Mortmain. A sus diecisiete años, su familia no es precisamente una fuente de diversion: su padre es escritor, pero no escribe; su madrastra, bohemia y musa de artistas, sueña con tiempos pasados; su bella hermana Rose muestra una preocupante tendencia a la melancolia; y a su hermano Thomas no le ven el pelo. Sin embargo, un buen dia, la tranquila existencia de Cassandra se ve alterada con la llegada de los Cotton, una familia norteamericana que ha heredado el ruinoso edificio. Esta desconcertante aparicion trae consigo un generoso aire de energia y vitalidad que cambiara radicalmente el destino de los Mortmain. Y en especial el de las dos hermanas, que tendran la ocasion de descubrir la amistad, el amor y, sobre todo, el largo y bonito, aunque a veces doloroso, camino hacia la madurez. La edicion en castellano de El castillo soñado supone la publicacion de un autentico clasico de la literatura anglosajona. Leida por millones de personas de varias generaciones, esta obra que ha inspirado a muchos autores famosos, desde Amistead Maupin hasta J. K. Rowling permitira a jovenes y adultos conocer a una gran narradora, una escritora tocada por el talento y la sensibilidad. Con una prosa bella y sincera, repleta de colores y resonancias tanto cinematograficas como literarias, Dodie Smith ha reunido en Cassandra un personaje de mil matices, que con su ingenuidad y sabiduria, su picardia y bondad, cautivara a los lectores de todas las edades.

Conhecida e renomada pelo filme da Disney, Os 101 dálmatas é uma história clássica de 1956 que ainda tem muito a contar. A aventura se inicia quando os dálmatas Pongo e Missis – cachorros dos humanos

A beautiful hardback edition of one of the funny, heartbreaking, iconic coming-of-age novel. 'I write this sitting in the kitchen sink' is the first line of this timeless, witty and enchanting novel about growing up. Cassandra Mortmain lives with her bohemian and impoverished family in a crumbling castle in the middle of nowhere.Her journal records her life with her beautiful, bored sister, Rose, her fading glamorous stepmother, Topaz, her little brother Thomas and her eccentric novelist father who suffers from a financially crippling writer's block. However, all their lives are turned upside down when the American heirs to the castle arrive and Cassandra finds herself falling in love for the first time. 'I know of few novels that inspire as much fierce lifelong affection in their readers' Joanna Trollope'This book has one of the most charismatic narrators I've ever met' J.

La joven Cassandra Mortmain ve pasar los días plácidamente en el castillo medio en ruinas en el que vive junto a su familia, aislados en medio de la naturaleza. Su excéntrico padre es un escritor que no consigue superar el bloqueo creativo; su bohemia madrastra no deja de rememorar los tiempos en los que fue la musa de muchos artistas; su hermosa hermana, Rose, llena las horas de aburrimiento soñando con casarse con un hombre atractivo y rico que los saque a todos de la miseria, y su hermano pequeño, Thomas, un chico tan inteligente como inocente. Sin embargo, la llegada de los Cotton, la familia estadounidense que ha heredado el castillo, lo cambiara todo para siempre.Cuando en 1948 Dodie Smith publico su primera novela, Capturo el castillo, se convirtio primero en un exito sin precedentes, y despues en un clasico atemporal de la literatura inglesa. Entrañable, ingeniosa, divertida y conmovedora, esta inolvidable historia de formacion ha emocionado a generaciones de lectores.Este libro tiene una de las narradoras mas carismaticas que he conocido. J. K. Rowling