I Capture the Castle characters

Appears from the start

A seventeen-year-old who records her family's life in a series of notebooks while trying to improve her writing. Intelligent, observant, and romantic, she lives in a decaying English castle and is both devoted to her unusual family and clear-eyed about their poverty.

Appears from the start

Cassandra's strikingly beautiful older sister. She is tired of the family's isolation and lack of money and hopes that marriage will provide the security and wider life she wants.

Appears from the start

Cassandra's father, a celebrated writer whose experimental novel made his reputation. He has produced almost nothing since and spends his days reading, doing crossword puzzles, and withdrawing from the family's financial crisis.

Appears from the start

James Mortmain's second wife and Cassandra's stepmother, a former artist's model who believes in living close to nature. Her dramatic habits and unconventional clothes can make her seem impractical, but she works hard to hold the household together.

Appears from the start

The Mortmains' younger son, still at school and more pragmatic than the adults around him. He understands the family's predicament and often shares Cassandra's skeptical view of their father's long creative silence.

Appears from the start

A young man raised with the Mortmains after his mother, the family's former maid, died. He works without wages to keep the castle functioning, is notably handsome, and has taught himself with the help of books and Cassandra's company.

First appears in chapter 6

The elder of two American brothers who inherit nearby Scoatney Hall and become the Mortmains' new landlords. Educated, reserved, and financially secure, he is fascinated by the castle and its residents when he first visits.

First appears in chapter 6

Simon's younger brother, an American who has worked on a ranch and is more direct and skeptical than Simon. He initially regards England and the Mortmains' eccentric circumstances with impatience.

First appears in chapter 8

Simon and Neil's energetic American mother. She takes an immediate interest in the Mortmains, offers practical help, and is particularly excited by the possibility that James might write again.

First appears in chapter 3

A local schoolteacher and librarian who is friendly with the Mortmain children. Sensible and kind, she gives Cassandra access to books and provides occasional contact with ordinary village life beyond the castle.