The CBB :: View topic - Challenge for the Chalet School

#1: Challenge for the Chalet School Author: Rachael,

Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2004 8:56 am

A summary for this book may be found here Starters for discussion: Views on Nancy being appointed as Acting Head? The relationship between Nancy & Kathie? What do you think of Evelyn and Jocelyn? Mary-Lou again - is this realistic? How does Stacie cope when pressed into teaching? Likewise, Margot as Games Pree?

#2: Author: Kate, Location: Ireland

Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2004 9:27 am

I am not a huge fan of this book. When I read it first, from the opening scene I thought it was going to be all triplet-y, which I love, so it was disappointing that it wasn't. Evelyn is very annoying. But at least we've a relatively original plot in the Nancy being head. Views on Nancy being appointed as Acting Head? I thought this was quite random actually, I would have thought an older staff member should have been head. (Didn't they have a vice-head?) Very much inforced that she was the "obvious choice" in the conversation with Len, Con and Margot, which i think convinces us that it was the right decision. The relationship between Nancy & Kathie? I think that's lovely, makes me feel all squishy. Serisously! It's gerat that they are such good friends and it really rings true. (Actually think Kathy would be a better head - and think EBD may have been heading that way, shejust wasn't there long enough.) What do you think of Evelyn and Jocelyn? Ugh. Spare me. Mary-Lou again - is this realistic? I actually like her in this book. *hides from rampaging masses* How does Stacie cope when pressed into teaching? She seems to do very well... all the stuff about a "capable prefect" though... when was she a prefect, capable or otherwise? Don't remember that... Likewise, Margot as Games Pree? She reminds me a lot of Grizel as Games Captain (but can't remember if that is canon or just from reading Guides....) Can't for the life of me figure out why anyone made either girl a prefect - head girl in Grizel's case. (Yes, I know she was misunderstood. But she was not cut out for a head girl.) Gosh, I'm very opinionated in the morning.

#3: Author: patmac, Location: Yorkshire England

Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2004 9:33 am

I always thought this was an odd book! There seem to be more plot lines than usual. Normally we get one 'new girl with a problem', one 'staff problem/insight' and one 'trusted old girl/Maynard offspring' insight/problem/saviour of the school. In this one we get rather more and so we lose some of the depth of character. Views on Nancy being appointed as Acting Head? Agree she was the right choice but was amazed it all happened so quickly. Headmistresses can't normally just up and go at short notice! The relationship between Nancy & Kathie? When I first read this I was touched by the friendship. I had always wondered how the staff managed to have a social life as they don't seem to get much time off and it seemed nice to see how 2 of the staff got on so well - since then I've been corrupted by drabbles Shocked

What do you think of Evelyn and Jocelyn? Evelyn, I can see where she is coming from and I'm still amazed that so many girls with seriously ill mothers didn't seem to realise how ill they were. Jocelyn needed a seriously non PC slap! Mary-Lou again - is this realistic? I suppose if she was visiting, she would be a bit nearer the ages of the girls and could help without being 'official'. In any case, OOAOML couldn't have done otherwise. How does Stacie cope when pressed into teaching? I did wonder who Miss Benson was in the summary Rolling Eyes

as I had forgotten it was this book where she taught. I thought she did well on the whole and was definitely 'Stacie' rather than 'Eustacia'. Likewise, Margot as Games Pree? Oh, that devil!!!! It got her again!

#4: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2004 4:59 pm

I thought Nancy was a good choice for Acting Headmistress as it gave her a little more prominence and developed her character rather etter. And of course, Jeanne de Lachennais couldn't be spared from her coffee-making duties, could she? I liked the development of the relationship between Nancy and Kathie, I always felt rather sorry for the staff being so isolated and being expected to take the girls out with them at weekends and over half-terms, they needed a rest more than supervisory duties, so it was good to see some shared interests. Evelyn and Jocelyn were too much for one book. Either/or. I groaned when I saw OOAO heaving to on the horizon. she wasn't needed, so her return was a creaking plot-device. I though t Stacie Benson handled herself well when she was teaching, she certainly defeated the Middles.

#5: Author: jennifer, Location: Sunny California

Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2004 6:54 pm

PatMac wrote:

The later books seem to tend in this direction - several plot lines with different forms, rather than concentrating on on group girls. I actually found Evelyn fairly sympathetic. She's gone from being a fairly important person at her school to being nobody much, and is pulled into a very well established environment, with inviolate traditions, and is expected to conform easily. Plus, the school rarely accepts girls of her age, so she's also coming into a fairly fixed social structure, and is upset because her only close relative is deathly ill. And I agree with the comments about Grizel and Margot. They're both competent but touchy people with a temper and not a lot of patience with others. As prefects they'd be better off in positions where they don't have direct supervision over the other girls, or should at the very least be carefully monitored by the staff, and have appropriate behaviour discussed with them.

#6: Author: Mihiri, Location: surrey england

Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2004 6:54 pm

I thought that ancy and Kathie's relationship was great in this book. As far as new girls wenr I think we would ahve been better with just Evelyn. It rang true her being jealous of not being one of the important ones whereas I thought Jocelyn was just another typical troublemaker that EBD likes to introduce. Overall I did enjoy the book as it provided a slightly different plot to the normal style.

#7: Author: claire, Location: South Wales

Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2004 7:14 pm

Kate wrote:

She seems to do very well... all the stuff about a "capable prefect" though... when was she a prefect, capable or otherwise? Don't remember that...

I think it's said somewhere that she was a prefect at the annex (so presumably when the school moved to the Sonnalpe for the term or so in Exile she would have been counted in with the main body of prefects)

#8: Author: Miriam, Location: Jerusalem, Israel

Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2004 10:50 pm

She also held some post of resposibility at St Clares in New House. Not exactly a house prefect, but something along those lines... She is also a prefect in Gillian, but I don't know if that counts.

#9: Author: JackieJ, Location: Kingston upon Hull

Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2004 12:59 pm

Would the fact that she edited the Chaletian count as a prefect. I'm a little hazy as to when the editress became the magazine prefect Confused

JackieJ

#10: Author: Joey, Location: Cambridge

Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2004 6:13 pm

I share most people's mixed feelings about this book. The initial premise of Hilda being away was great. I loved Nancy & Kathie's relationship & thought it was super that it had some space given to it. Also liked Nancy being brought to the fore & thought she was a good choice for acting head. I object to OOAOML less in this book than in others. May be prejudiced cos this was only the 10th CS I read, so I hadn't had time to get jaded! I like Evelyn - I think her behaviour & reactions are realistic. Jocelyn was completely unnecessary though. EBD had plenty of plots already in that book with Hilda being away, Evelyn's probs and Margot's temper. I still think this is one of the better of the late Swiss books, but if I was marking it I'd probably say "Tries too hard". (No, I'm not a teacher!)

#11: Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire

Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2004 9:03 pm

It was an interesting twist for the school to have o do without Hilda, I think that EBD was probably paving the way for Nancy to take over after Hilda retired/died. I was bit surprised though, that Hilda discussed the capabilities of the staff (or lack of them) so openly with Len whilst Len was a pupil of those same teachers. I agree that Jocelyn was surplus to requirements, one new girl was enough to focus on, as it was, Evelyn was a fairly interesting character whilst Jocelyn was just an exaggerated 'wicked middle'. As for ML, since she was on the spot, I suppose she was the obvious person to help Evelyn - it was just a pity that EBD saw fit to bring her to the Platz at that particular moment. It was interesting to see Stacie struggling to know how to help, it would have been nice to have seen how she did cope.

#12: Author: Catherine_B, Location: Oxford, UK

Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2004 10:16 pm

I've only read this book about a hundred times Rolling Eyes

Nancy being appointed as Acting Head Unbiasedly, I'd have to say this makes no sense. She's younger and has less experience than Ruth Derwent or Jeanne de Lachenais, I can't see why EBD pitched on her other than to set her up to be Head later. But being caretaker Head for a term wouldn't need the same leadership as running it permanently (when I can imagine Nancy's more forceful nature might make her a better choice than Ruth or Jeanne). Relationship between Nancy & Kathie Not enough of it! Laughing

But I do love that one line about Nancy's face being a revelation - has given me the inspiration to write over 60,000 words Laughing

Evelyn and Jocelyn Yawn. Evelyn's a fairly believable character, though I felt like she wasn't that different from half a dozen other problem girls. I think the best part was EBD showing Evelyn's struggles between being a rather selfish teenager and realising how ill her mother was. Jocelyn? Fun character, good later with Jack Lambert, but not needed in this book. Mary-Lou again Can't anyone's mother get ill without ML turning up? I like the girl a lot when she's at school, but it does get on my nerves how frequently she appears once she's "left". I suppose Freudesheim was her home in many ways, but how come she always turns up at the exact moment when someone needs advice / rescue / comfort? Stacie cope when pressed into teaching Surprisingly well. Like the kids, I would have expected her to be much dryer & dustier. Can believe that she wouldn't be very good at consoling an emotional Evelyn, though. Margot as Games Pree Very believable! Have lots of other thoughts on this book (surprise Rolling Eyes

), the one part that annoys me most is where Nancy is apparently chastened by a talking-to from Joey because she hadn't handled Evelyn well. I foresee a substantial re-writing of that scene! ETA: Completely forgot to say my strongest feeling about this book. I really hate the way Nancy talks in this book! In the earlier books she's really quick-witted despite being so laid back. Here I find the way EBD writes her really bland - especially the opening speech. What was she thinking?

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

Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2004 11:19 pm

Looking forward to seeing your take on Nancy and Joey!!! Wink

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

Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2004 1:21 pm

I like this one. I love the triplets' reaction to the news that Miss Annersley is not going to be there next term.It is nice seeing Nancy Wilmot in an authoritive position and I just love what we see of the friendship between Nancy and Kathie Ferrars.Mary-Lou comes over quite nicely.Margot as Games Prefect is quite believable - as Kate says, she does remind one of Grizel.I think Stacie copes very well - she certainly deals well with those evil Middles!I do not like Jocelyn. She needs a jolly good thrashing!!!!!

#15: Author: Ann, Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, England

Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2004 10:18 pm

Catherine_B wrote:

Mary-Lou again Can't anyone's mother get ill without ML turning up?

Hmmm... *getting suspicious*

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

Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2004 5:15 pm

I felt the Educational Tour plotline was rather unrealistic - the way it was suddenly introduced, anyway. That kind of thing would take months if not at least a year to plan and the invites would be sent out well in advance! I think it would have been nice to see it being discussed in either Adrienne or ST and to see Hilda involving Nancy in decisions. Also Hilda was supposed to have picked up some ideas - what were they?! I think Nancy as Head was a good choice - she was always very well liked by the girls - yes they liked Ruth and Jeanne, but Nancy was seen as approachable and with the elder girls at least, was very friendly out of school. Also, her temperament must have helped - being easy going and calm meant that she was less likely to get stressed and blow her top for no good reason as Ruth might have done. I felt EBD lost two opportunities with Nancy - firstly, Evelyn. Nancy is always portrayed as being 'jolly understanding' so why was she so apparently useless when it came to breaking the news to Evelyn? I can see that at first, pure inexperience of this kind of situation might have meant that she thought Evelyn was OK about it. Hilda had a great ability to break down barriers and see through to what a girl really felt but Nancy, I think, lived far more on the surface and didn't go as deep. Evelyn had not got off to a great start at the CS and she was a proud girl. She was therefore not likely to show Nancy, who was virtually a complete stranger to her and to her mind Headmistress, since she'd never seen Hilda in that capacity - that she really was upset by the news. And sometimes, it takes a while to sink in. Nancy, who probably had never had to do that kind of job before, may have taken her outward calmness as a sign of acceptance - and after all, Evelyn was 16 and old enough to know her mother was seriously ill. But I fail to believe she would simply have left Evelyn to get on with it I think it more likely she'd have sent Evelyn to read a book or something in her common room and gone to check on her a bit later when she would have been able to help her. I do think Stacie was the wrong person to find Evelyn and I don't see why ML had to come into it at all - though I can see that similar experiences might have meant she would be able to help better. But what gave Joey the right to berate Nancy who had been thrown in at the deep end? The second thing I think EBD missed was the chance to give Nancy a more prominent role. Why wasn't she made Deputy Head instead of being allowed to be come 'just Head of Maths' again? I loved Nancy and Kathie in this, although I didn't read anything other than a very close friendship into it. I'm not quite sure what EBD's purpose was in leaving Kathie out of most of the book, either! Jocelyn is an utter brat - very like Cornelia in some ways, when she first came but I felt very sorry for Evelyn and I felt Va were a little babyish in 'sending her to coventry'. I'm sorry we didn't get to see a bit more of Hilda taking over again - it would have been nice to see her talking to the term's two new girls and getting to know them. I also thought Margot as Games Pree was believable and showed how human she was.

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

Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2004 5:31 pm

This book is the one I like the least of all the one's I have read. I don't like Evelyn, find her selfish and immature-she reminded me a lot of Joyce Linton. The Mary-Lou butting in device just bored me. Didn't like Nancy as head, she's distant and not like herself. The Phil in hospitol story confused me, she was ill in Adrienne, perfectly well in Summer Term and ill again in this.

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