The CBB :: View topic - Margia & Amy Stevens

Margia & Amy Stevens

The CBB -> Book Discussions

#1: Margia & Amy Stevens Author: Rachael,

Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2005 11:26 am

Please discuss these talented sisters here

#2: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2005 4:22 pm

I always felt that these two were under-rated. Margia's talent for the piano should have been made more of, as should Amy's talent for writing. They got into the usual sort of trouble, but Amy of course was shuffled off to the Annexe, whilst Margia just sank into being the usual sort of Middle who grew out of it.

#3: Author: Chelsea, Location: Your Imagination

Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2005 5:41 pm

I really like both of them - though I found it strange that Amy (at age Cool

couldn't wash or dress herself (shades of Robin).

#4: Author: jennifer, Location: Sunny California

Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2005 11:10 pm

I think Margia is one of my favorites of the early character. She's distinctive enough to stand out from the pack, and, inspite of her musical talent, is a nice, normal, well adjusted girl. She's mischevious but not nasty, a natural leader among her peers without being bossy. and morphs nicely from a junior middle to a senior. She also doesn't need to be reformed, or go through any jarring changes of character. Amy is a little less vivid, although that's largely because she keeps being sent up to the Annexe, so we don't see as much of her. It's a shame that we don't see any of her literary efforts in later years, as she's described as quite talented in the earlier books.

#5: Author: Katie, Location: A Yorkshire lass in London

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 12:50 am

I really liked them both at first, but they just sort of fade out of the story a bit. I always thought that was a shame.

#6: Author: Susan, Location: Carlisle

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 12:03 pm

I always think Margia and Amy add to the family atmosphere in the early books. I know EBD had an exaggerated idea of what children can and can't do at certain ages but wonder if MAy was kept as a baby by her mother because they spent a lot of time in hotels or rented accommodation and she would have less freedom than in a family home, also if she was delicate she was maybe seen as being unable to do things for herself. I too wish we had seen a lot more of them as they progressed through the school. It would also have been nice to catch up with them in later years.

#7: Author: Kathye, Location: Laleham

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 12:30 pm

Do we know what happens to them ?

#8: Author: Helen P, Location: Crewe, Cheshire

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 12:49 pm

I'm sure Margia gets a mention in later books as a famous pianist - or am I confusing that with one of the fill-ins rather than EBD? Doesn't somebody says something like 'you mean THE Margia Stevens actually went to the Chalet School?' ?Can you tell I'm not terribly sure what I'm talking about here?!

#9: Author: Kirsty, Location: Melbourne, Australia

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 1:45 pm

Margia was a nurse in Sydney? (definately in Aus anyway) during the war, as that was where she was when it was declared. She'd been on a concert tour.Amy got married and had at least one daughter, cos in one of the later books Margia wants to win a doll's house for her. I don't remember whether she had become a writer, but I do remember that it's mentioned later in Amy's school career that apart from "A Rime" she had never had anything else published in "The Chaletian". Of course, this could just mean she never submitted anything else.I liked both of the girls, particularly Margia, as she seemed to be a nice, regular girl, admittedly with a muscial talent, that didn't need to complete personality about-face to grow up.Amy was a bit more of a cypher, as she was shunted off to the Annex & kept being moved back & forth, so you never really got a sense of her growing up the same way as you do Margia.

#10: Author: nikkie, Location: Cumbria

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 4:37 pm

Wasn't Amy a friend of Robins? Was she a prefect with Robin?

#11: Author: patmac, Location: Yorkshire England

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 5:40 pm

Margia gets mentioned as a Concert Pianist in Rescue when Phoebe first meets Jo and Phoebe's father knew her. ETA. Just realised I also need to add to the discussion Embarassed

I did like Margia being 'normal' as well as talented rather than in the Eustacia, Nina Rutherford mould. It seemed more realistic. Amy's helplessness puzzled me but I think it was EBD seeing 'delicate' as helpless. She did the same with Barbara and I really didn't understand in either case how their mothers could let it happen to one child only. I think I can understand (though not condone and was certainly never tempted Shocked

) how a mother can keep all her children as babies but to bring one up so differently is weird. It's a shame they faded out of the series.

#12: Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!!

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 7:51 pm

I've always liked both Amy and Margia because we get to know them both so well in the early books. I always felt sorry for Amy to be sent to the Annexe, though I suppose someone other than Robin had to also go!! I really wish we had heard more about her writing but it seems there could only be one ex-CS girl author Rolling Eyes

I really liked that Margia was a normal girl as well as being really talented. One of my favourite scenes with her is when she crosses Matron Besley about practising and matron is astonished by how good she is, a great 'YES!' moment!! I really wish we had seen more of her as she grew older and as a prefect but other characters start to dominate at this point and she fades away.

#13: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2005 3:37 pm

I have to agree that it's a shame Margia and Amy get rather sidelined. Margia is shown to have good natural leadership qualities quite early on, which should put her in natural place to be head girl when she reaches the sixth. She does go on to become a famous pianist (Nina Rutherford knows about her) and doesn't she open the sale one year?Amy gets shunted off to the Annexe, although there's not been much sign before then of her being delicate, and really if she was delicate enough to have to go there, Jo should probably have been an Annexe pupil as well!Liz

#14: Author: BethC, Location: Worcester, UK

Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2005 9:43 pm

I'm another that thinks it's a shame they more or less disappear! And it always annoys me slightly that Jo gets the credit for calling Mr Denny "Plato" when it was actually Margia's idea. Amy must be the only character that EBD realised was getting too old for her role, as she makes a point of explaining that Amy stayed on because of illness - although as far as I remember that still doesn't quite stop her age from changing between books...

#15: Author: Mihiri, Location: surrey england

Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2005 11:25 pm

I think it's a shame that these two fade out of the story so quickly. Margia could definitely have had more made of her. Perhaps EBD diddnt want Amy to publish anything as then Jo would not ahve been the schools only authoress!

#16: Author: Josie, Location: London

Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2005 2:17 am

I always liked these two. They were both talented, but also nice, normal, healthy schoolgirls (well, until Amy suddenly became mysteriously 'frail' anyway) and I thought Margia especially was a very well written character and totally believable. Like everyone else, think it was a shame EBD faded them out almost completely. Margia was a good friend of Joey's to begin with, but once they'd left school she almost vanished apart from the fete in Coming of Age. She didn't even get invited to Joey's Reunion did she?

#17: Author: Cazx, Location: Swansea/Bristol

Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2005 10:30 am

I don't think either of them got invited to Reunion, which in my opinion was strange. Corney gets invited when she had only spent one term at school with Grizel but Margia and Amy who had spent every term with Grizel don't go! I alsso think it's strange that Margia doesn't get to be Headgirl. Margia appears more real to me than Amy does but that maybe because she is a more central character.

#18: Author: Joyce,

Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 7:45 am

yeah, I never understood why the Stevens girls where not invited when they were easily two of the earliest girls to attend the school. I love the idea of Joey having invited them and both turned her down!! Very Happy

But unfortunately I don't think that happened. Joey definitely knows where Margia is because she greets her in Coming of Age it sounds as if they stay in touch.

#19: Author: KB, Location: Melbourne, Australia

Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 1:35 pm

Margia reappears in Coming of Age and opens the Sale. She receives a few mentions as she writes music that appears in several of the Christmas plays, at least until Nina Rutherford leaves school and takes on that role. Amy has two daughters, Margia and Celia.

#20: Author: Gabrielle, Location: Near Paris, France

Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2005 6:30 am

I really like Margia in the early books, she's one of my favourite characters and I love the mischief she gets into which is probably why I love Evvy and Corney so much too! EBD's middles in the Tyrol books are very well done. And it also drives me nuts that Joey gets the credit for calling Plato, Plato! If I'm rembering correctly isn't Margia one of the girls who is in the first half of 'Exile' but not the second half? I know Evadne is one of them, at least in the paperback. Amy on the other hand, just seems to be little more than a name after Robin replaces her as school baby. And she's at school for a really long time too! I've always thought it interesting that the old girls mentioned in Reunion and Coming of Age weren't necessarily the girls who were actually the 'foundation stones' The very first pupils were Joey, Grizel, Simone, Margia, Amy, Gisela, Maria, Bernhilda and Frieda. Juliet (not that she gets mentioned again, I think she gets two lines in Reunion) came later as did Wanda and Marie and Matey who didn't appear until at least 'Rivals" Just nitpicking. Very Happy

#21: Author: KB, Location: Melbourne, Australia

Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2005 11:29 am

Gabrielle wrote:

If I'm rembering correctly isn't Margia one of the girls who is in the first half of 'Exile' but not the second half? I know Evadne is one of them, at least in the paperback. Amy on the other hand, just seems to be little more than a name after Robin replaces her as school baby. And she's at school for a really long time too!

Actually, Margia doesn't get a mention at all in Exile. She is mentioned in Goes To It as having been in Australia when the war breaks out, so she must have left before at least the first half of Exile. She actually has no mention in Gillian either, which suggests that she left at the end of New. As for Amy, she is at the school until the end of Gay, the same as Robin.

#22: Author: Ray, Location: Bristol, England

Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2005 3:57 pm

Just a random thought, but one reason Margia never really made it into the sixth form could well be that she left the school to go to a dedicated music school - is there something like that mentioned in New, towards the end? I could be completely off base with that. Ray *wondering*

#23: Author: KB, Location: Melbourne, Australia

Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2005 10:43 pm

We aren't told so. All there is in New is this: ‘I’m leaving at Christmas,’ returned Gillian quietly. ‘I shall be almost eighteen then, and Mummy needs me. You’re practically safe to be Head Girl after me. Such crowds are leaving this term – Lulu, Paula, Margia, Luigia, Anne, Arda, Cyrilla, and Elsie – that we’ll be a good deal alone in our glory. Ida and Nancy are leaving next term, too, they tell me and Madame and the Abbess won’t see having Lonny Barkocz for Head when she’s been in Upper Sixth only one term. Her turn will come next September she’s not quite sixteen, even now. So you’re pretty safe for it, I think.’ However, such an assumption is resaonable, as Margia is only sixteen at this point. She is eleven in School, 14 in Eustacia, 14 in Exploits and 15 in Lintons (implying that her birthday is around Christmas).

#24: Author: Ray, Location: Bristol, England

Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 7:30 pm

All of which does rather beg the question of how old Elsie was when she left! But that might be for another thread... Ray *glad she wasn't completely off base!*

#25: Author: KB, Location: Melbourne, Australia

Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 9:53 pm

Ray wrote:

All of which does rather beg the question of how old Elsie was when she left! But that might be for another thread...

Elsie was described as both fourteen and fifteen in and Jo, 15 in both Exploits and Lintons, and her final book was New, at the end of which she would most likely have been 17.

The CBB -> Book Discussions

output generated using printer-friendly topic mod, All times are GMT + 1 Hour

Page 1 of 1