I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain lives with her eccentric family in a crumbling English castle. Her father, once a famous novelist, now suffers from writer’s block; her stepmother, Topaz, communes with nature; and her sister, Rose, dreams of escape. When two wealthy American brothers inherit the nearby estate, the Mortmains’ isolated world is thrown into chaos. Through Cassandra’s witty and heartfelt journal entries, the story captures the trials of first love, ambition, and self-discovery in one of literature’s most enchanting coming-of-age tales.