Friday, March 25, 2016

Top ten embarrassing parents in books

Anna Wilson's newest book is The Parent Problem. At the Guardian, Wilson tagged her top ten embarrassing parents in books, including:
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Cassandra Mortmain seems to lead an exotic and romantic existence, living in a tumbledown castle, sitting in a turret and writing in her journal. I know I wanted to be her when I read the book, hence my character, Skye Green, feels the same way about the Mortmain family. But on re-reading it as an adult, I can see how pained she is at the eccentric behaviour of her novelist father who never earns any money and keeps them teetering on the edge of abject poverty. And then there is her crazy stepmum, Topaz, who dyes everyone’s clothes green and is so otherworldly that mothering seems rather beyond her.
Read about the other entries on the list.

I Capture the Castle is among Rose Mannering’s top five books, Diane Johnson's six favorite books, and Sophia Bennett's top ten stylish reads.

--Marshal Zeringue