Finally, finally, finally!    
I've managed to finish I Capture the Castle 
by Dodie Smith (1896-1990)!

This was recommended to me about 20 years ago and I've carted the book around until finally (after a few false-starts) being able to enjoy it.

Last summer I was able to visit some genuine English castles, and that definitely put me in the right mind to enjoy this book which was wildly popular in the late 1940s.  The physical descriptions of daily life without electricity, telephones, television, etc., and the descriptions of scenery and seasons, although very good on their own merit, take on greater depth after having seen them in England.

Brief synopsis:

In the rationing and privation of post-WWII England, an indomitable adolescent girl keeps a journal in which she observes her family, Nature, and her own mental growth, as they manage to survive day-by-day in a derelict castle.  Our point of view is through the eyes of Cassandra, but the omnipresent character is the backdrop of the castle itself (metaphor for England, perhaps?), as the other players—Cassandra’s older sister, younger brother, dysfunctional washed-up-writer father, eccentric step-mother, “hired hand” youth, loyal dog and aloof cat— sort themselves out into a mass of happy endings in some 340 pages.  Cassandra’s family are poor tenants, having sold off all their furniture and belongings to make do.  Two young American heirs of the property become the catalysts for all adventures and the eventual resolution of poverty.  There are many wry observations and clever dialog and even some decent philosophizing on religion.  Reminded me a bit of Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd, and if you liked that, you’ll probably enjoy this book.