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The Triumvirate – Daisy, Beth & Gwensi

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#1: The Triumvirate – Daisy, Beth & Gwensi Author: Josie, Location: London

Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 11:26 am

Please discuss the Triumverate here...

#2: Author: Kitty,

Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 2:46 pm

"You'll have to make triplets among you"...This is one of my favourite friendship groups in the series.

Right from the beginning, EBD emphasises their contrasting good looks. Beth, with her chestnut curls and violet eyes, grows up to be tall and beautiful, a "lovely creature" and "quite outstanding". Daisy, with blue eyes and pink and white cheeks is described as an "honest to goodness blonde". And Gwensi is dark eyed, with dark hair and a clear and creamy complexion.

Each experienced separation from their mothers as children; Gwensi's and Dasiy's mothers died and Beth went through a period of feeling unloved (not the same magnitude of loss as the others of course).

When they meet in "At War", there is a sub-plot of Simone's wedding, the last of Joey's quartet to be married. As the friendship blossoms for "the Third Form Trio" we get a glimpse of what adult friendships might mean for them, with all the love that is poured into Simone's wedding by Joey and co.

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

Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 10:12 pm

These are three people I wish we had seen as they grew up in the series, whether by one of them joining the CS or living nearby. We do see Daisy at odd times and have hints that they remain friends, and then Beth comes to Jo for a few books, but it would have been great to see Gwensi again or to see the others on a more regular basis.

Incidentally, do we know what Beth and Gwensi planned to study at Oxford?

#4: Author: Kitty,

Posted: Tue May 03, 2005 12:40 am

(There is mention of the three of them visiting Switzerland together in their late teens/ early twenties.)

Did EBD "forget" that Beth wanted to be a gardener?

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

Posted: Tue May 03, 2005 7:12 am

Kitty wrote:

Did EBD "forget" that Beth wanted to be a gardener?

Very possibly, or else she thought it wasn't a worthwhile occupation during war-time and sent Beth to Oxford to do something else, presumably before she would have entered the women's services, if the war hadn't ended before the Triumvirate left school.

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

Posted: Tue May 03, 2005 9:30 am

But during the war I would have thought that gardening would have been a worthwhile service. What with the need to produce more food etc. Obviously EBD would have thought Beth to be to upper class to be a land girl and so a gardener would have been the next best thing.

#7: Author: Kate, Location: Ireland

Posted: Tue May 03, 2005 11:28 am

It could just have been that Beth changed her mind as she grew up. Gardening, in particular, may seem very attractive at 13 or 14, but not so much at 17 or 18 when you begin to look at it realistically.

#8: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent, England

Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2005 1:03 pm

I love the description of their first meeting in 'The Chalet School at War'. They seemed to really bond with each other.

#9: Author: Susan, Location: Carlisle

Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2005 10:31 pm

Have just realised I have never commented on here.

I love Beth, Daisy and Gwensi, like others have said their first meeting is so lovely.

I wish we had been able to see more of them as they grew up and I would have liked to have seen more of them as older girls/women as EBD made such a thing of the beginning of their friendship then they get dropped.

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

Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2005 7:34 pm

I'm currently rereading "Joey Goes to the Oberland" and I read about Daisy's wedding last night but what really struck me was that neither Gwensi nor Beth are mentioned as being at the wedding! I could understand maybe Beth not being there because she was in Guernsey but Gwensi lives locally. In fact Gwensi is mentioned a couple of pages later because her and Ernest are moving to Plas Gwen!
I know EBD is famous for her EBDisms but still that seems to be quite ridiculous. I wouldn't have expected a long description but something along the lines of "and Daisy's two friends from school Beth Chester and Gwensi Howell were there." I don't think that's asking too much.

#11: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent, England

Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2005 11:17 pm

Maybe EBD just took it for granted that her readers would realise that Daisy and Gwensi had been at the wedding and not mentioned them. I can't think of any other explanation.

#12: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2005 2:02 pm

I would have thought that Beth and Gwensi would have been bridesmaids as they were Daisy's best friends, but it says in the book that Primula and Robin were the only adult bridesmaids. It annoys me that EBD makes Madge get ill and Jem have to deal with an emergency so that Jack and Joey can play the host and hostess at the wedding!

#13: Author: delilah_siren, Location: Sydney, Australia

Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2005 1:41 pm

in some ways weren't Jo and Jack more like parents/family to her than Madge and Jem.
Like when they were living in England Daisy lived with Jo not Madge and commented in Lavender that Jo was more special to her than Madge and made her feel more like family. So isn't it more appropriate that Jo and Jack were the hostess and host?

#14: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent, England

Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2005 2:44 pm

It was Joey who brought Margot, Daisy and Primula Mary to Jem in the first place so maybe that is also why Daisy feels closer to Joey than Madge.

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