The CBB :: View topic - The Chalet School and Barbara

#1: The Chalet School and Barbara Author: Rachael,

Posted: Mon Apr 05, 2004 8:53 am

Sorry - no summary to link to ... Starting points for discussion: What are your favourite / worst scenes? What are your impressions of the Gang? How well does the school adjust to Switzerland in its first term? Do you like Barbara? What price Mary Woodley?

#2: Author: Ruth, Location: Lincolnshire, England

Posted: Mon Apr 05, 2004 9:01 am

My favourite scene would have to be the staff party. And there are no scenes that I really dislike. I like the gang and I think the school adjusts well to its first term in Switzerland. I like Barbara - she so obviously is looking forward to school, being her own person instead of being petted. Mary Woodley is a nasty piece of work - she reminds me of a girl I went to school with (and Mary needs what I did to this girl - I threw her overbackwards on to the school steps and after that she was a different and a nicer person!!)

#3: Author: Nicci forgot to log in,

Posted: Mon Apr 05, 2004 9:07 am

Sadly this book left next to no impression on me whatsoever. I vaguely remember Barbara not wanting to be called Babs, but thats it. I would go off and re-read it, but its mysteriously disappeared somewhere. Confused

#4: Author: catherine, Location: Newcastle upon Tyne

Posted: Mon Apr 05, 2004 9:19 am

There was something in Barbara which bemused me - I think it was the whole business over Caroline Sanders book and the fact that even once they knew it wasn't Barbara, nobody seemed to go to any lengths to find out who it was so Mary got off scot free more or less.

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

Posted: Mon Apr 05, 2004 9:55 am

I like Barbara, and was glad that she could start at the school straight off, and not have to stay with Joey for part of the term, as this helped her more than anything overcome her problems. Im glad to have read Steps In so understand the Barbara situation, and one of my fave scenes has to be Barbara's attempts at hairbrushing ~ just because of Matey's reaction!! I also like Vi in this book, she does her best to help her cousin, and they become good friends. It's sad we see less of this relationship as the books go on. Mary Woodley was rather horrid and should have been punished more.

#6: Author: Mandy, Location: Derry, N.Ireland

Posted: Mon Apr 05, 2004 8:43 pm

I always enjoyed Barbara - I think it was the first Swiss book I read. I loved the staff party (slidy floor races!). I always liked the mention of the gang, you feel like you really knew their whole class. They reminded me of Bride and her gang (even though they weren't called The Gang). I didn't like Mary Woodley at all, but that scene did seem to fit into what I remember of school life. I'm only going on what I remember as I haven't read the book in a while.

#7: Author: pim, Location: St Andrews (right next to the beach)

Posted: Mon Apr 05, 2004 10:02 pm

As a very silly aside, Barbara is one of the few my mother can remember buying for me as a child and when I was re-reading it last summer asked me if ALL the CS books were called '& Barbara' or at least had Barbara in the title. I can only hope she was winding me up... *g* Back on topic, like Nicci I dont remember this one leaving much of an impression on me. It was the first Swiss one I read and I think that confused me somewhat and may have caused me to just skim over most of it, and may be why I still have some trouble reading it now. I don't think the fact that Barbara didn't really grow on me as a character helped, I always found her a bit of a drip to be quite honest. One bit I did like though was the fact that she got to jump straight into the school rather than being a day girl from Freudesheim, it was probably better for her.

#8: Author: Nicki, Location: New Zealand

Posted: Tue Apr 06, 2004 3:06 pm

I like this one and I like Barbara. It's great they're back in the Alps again with the same good old winter scenes (lost in a blizzard once more). Fav scene would be the staff party (is this the one with the slidey mat races? I think it is!) Least fav would probably be when everyone's having a go at Barbara for what she supposed did with the library book. And that leads on to Mary Woodley - what a nasty piece of work! Doesn't she go off abroad after this and we don't see her again? Reading Janie Steps In probably helps a fair bit for a Barbara background.

#9: Author: Pat, Location: Doncaster

Posted: Tue Apr 06, 2004 3:11 pm

I've laways wondered why she wasn't better prepared - like knowing how to clear up the bathroom!!!

#10: Author: claire, Location: South Wales

Posted: Tue Apr 06, 2004 7:17 pm

I always imagined that as she had never done it and the maid (or an elder sister) had tidied up after her it wouldn't have even occured to her mother that she didn't know how to leave the bathroom - as Ally said Janie Steps In really does help

#11: Author: Sugarplum, Location: second star to the right!

Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2004 1:03 am

Like some people have said having Janie Steps In does put some of "Barbara" in context so it makes more understanable reactions. I always thought the book thing and Mary Woolley were a bit far fetched although must admit Mary was a bit of a cat. Also liked Vi Lucy in this and how she was helping and easing the way for Barbara and also seeing the staff at ease as well before term.

#12: Author: LL, Location: Tottenham to Camberwell - The London Rollercoaster!

Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2004 1:21 pm

I like Barbara, but the book didn't leave a big impression on me - just another nice CS book.

#13: Author: Sarah_L, Location: Leeds

Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2004 11:06 pm

I just bought Barbara for less than £2 on Amazon. I'll let you know my opinions when I get it.

#14: Author: catherine, Location: Newcastle upon Tyne

Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2004 8:18 pm

I think the difference is that in Barbara, nothing major happens. Apart from the snowstorm which is really neither here nor there, it's a book detailing the average events of an average term, I suppose. I liked it though.

#15: Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent

Posted: Sun Apr 11, 2004 9:30 am

I liked Barbara the book and Barbara the character. Glad she had the opportunity to start at the Schoolas a boarder - I think if she had started as a day girl it would have made it more difficult for her to settle in. I always felt she was quite a strong character despite her shyness - she wouldn't give in to the accusations for example. Also feel it was a pity that EBD seemed to regard her as weaker - she was in the Prefects the year after the Gang despite being older than Vi. A good introduction for the School to Switzerland. - anyone else surprised that Joey and Co got German measles? They were fine at the end of Joey goes to the Oberland!

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

Posted: Sun Apr 11, 2004 2:40 pm

I thought there would be more about the school adjusting to the Oberland in this book. I liked Vi, I thought she came across well but I didn't like the way the Gang always got to be together when other groups of friends were split up, I thought it showed favourtism to OOAOML! I liked the prefects in this book too, although wasn't one of them a bit strange?

#17: Author: Susan, Location: Carlisle

Posted: Sun Apr 11, 2004 11:38 pm

I have never read Barbara in the HB just PB. Quite like the book, though the German Measles plot is a bit farfetched. Glad Barbara made good. Would have liked to have seen more of her as she went through the school.

#18: Author: Laura, Location: London (ish)

Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2004 5:19 pm

Having read it today the only thing that really annoyed me was the Mary Woodley gets off completely scot free! Why do they not try and find out who did it afterwards? Grr. Equally, after this book Barbara essentially disappears...ok, well she gets a few lines every so often, but that's it! Another grr.

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