Kathie Ferrars
The CBB -> Book Discussions
#1: Kathie Ferrars Author: Josie, Location: London PostPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2005 9:17 am

Please discuss Kathie here...

 

#2:  Author: Amanda M, Location: Wakefield PostPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2005 3:08 pm

'New Mistress' was the first Chalet School book I ever read and is responsible for my obsession with the series Very Happy Consequently, Kathie Ferrars is one of my favourite characters in the series. I like the way she evolves from shy new teacher trying to stand on her diginity, to a relaxed teacher much loved by the girls and the other staff. She's a well rounded character compared to many of the other staff members.

I also like the way that when she first met OOAO she didn't really like her and thought her a bit pushy. I thought this was realistic for a new staff member coming into the school, not knowing "It's only Mary-Lou". Unfortunately that soon changes Wink

She's one of the few staff members that we know a bit about - we know she was orphaned, that she has a car, that she's good friends with Nancy and I think this makes it more easy for me to know the character and to like her.

Star Wars

 

#3:  Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester PostPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2005 8:14 pm

I really like "New Mistress" because it's good to see things from a new staff member's point of view for once, especially given that Kathie's very young and new to teaching when we first meet her. Apart from Madge, we see next to nothing of the other teachers' home lives, so New Mistress makes a refreshing change. She seems to turn into a really good teacher - someone who can keep order but is still popular with the girls. It would be interesting to know how her life would've turned out if EBD'd lived long enough to write more books...

I really like all those books with Kathie and the Len/Con/Margot/Ros/Ted etc group!

 

#4:  Author: Bess, Location: Cambridge UK PostPosted: Tue Sep 20, 2005 12:24 am

EBD seemed very fond of Kathie, I'm sure she would've been rewarded with a nice Doctor in due course. Razz Then sent her children to the Chalet School - of which Nancy Wilmott would now be head and godmother to said children - can you be godmother to more than one?! Or maybe Miss Ferrars was lined up for Co-Head, if she was that smashing.

I read this book first on a very cold and wet holiday at Dornoch in Scotland. The holiday cottage was freezing but had a fabulous book-cupboard stuffed with old books. I did try and accidentally take New Mistress home with me, but my conscience poked me so I couldn't. Sad

 

#5:  Author: Steph, Location: Blackpool, Lancashire PostPosted: Tue Sep 20, 2005 2:35 pm

I'm another one who likes Kathie. I liked New Mistress because we get to see what it's like for a new teacher starting at an established school with it's own peculiar traditions- it couldn't have been easy for Kathie at first, especially because so many of the staff are Old Girls or have been there for years. However they did try to make her feel welcome and I love the meeting between Kathie and Biddy- Biddy just come across as really warm and welcoming and it makes me smile when she goes all shy when talking about her upcoming marriage and how Kathie felt disappointed when she realised Biddy wouldn't be staying for long.
I also liked the way EBD portrays the way Kathie is in the first couple of weeks- it's realistic that she would have some problems and nice to see she doesn't just slip straight into place. It's also nice to see ML taken down a peg or two and begin to realise that not everyone responds well to her 'treat everyone the same' attitude.

Kathie's one of my favourite mistresses and is a clear favourite in the school and love the friendship between her and Nancy- especially after the drabbles on here Laughing !

 

#6:  Author: Nicci, Location: UK PostPosted: Thu Sep 29, 2005 12:05 am

When I first read New Mistress I was still a huge fan of OOAOML, so I kind of took offence to Kathie's reaction and thought she was a bit silly. Later on I realised that actually it was a reasonable reaction, and was surprised that other people hadn't found Mary-Lou similarily frustrating.
I like how we see Kathie even before she starts the CS, although in some ways its a shame that EBD uses Kathie's Aunt's warning as a reason for her behaviour to OOAO, because I would (now) expect anyone to react like that, regardless of warnings about keeping your dignity etc. Does that make sense?

After New Mistress I love Kathie to bits, I love her friendship with Nancy (which I understood from THAT moment in Challenge to be more of a romantic affair than a friendship) and I envisaged her having a long and successful career at the school, with her and Nancy taking over from Hilda when she retired.

 

#7:  Author: Guest,  PostPosted: Wed Oct 05, 2005 8:23 pm

What moment? Please answer this cos I'm really curious now!

 

#8:  Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Wed Oct 05, 2005 8:38 pm

Guest,

It's the moment in Challenge when Kathie Ferrars collapses with appendicitis, Nancy Wilmot discovers her and, while waiting for Matey etc to arrive ...

"Kathy - Kathy darling!" she said. "It's all right. Matey will be here in a sec,and the doctor, too."

Page 99 of paperback.

 

#9:  Author: Changnoi, Location: New Mexico, USA PostPosted: Thu Oct 13, 2005 3:08 am

I love Kathie! I think New Mistress was the second CS book I read, after Three Go, so consequently I was a bit surprised that everyone was making so much of OOAO,

Ever since I read the Alternative Romance drabble, it has completely become canon and I see Kathie and Nancy's relationship SO obviously even from Kathie's start at the school.

Chang

 

#10:  Author: Eilidh, Location: Macclesfield PostPosted: Thu Oct 13, 2005 7:57 am

I like New Mistress. It's good to see everything from the point of view of a new staff member rather than a new girl. At this point in the series I think the books get slightly repetative, and New Mistress makes a nice change.

I like Kathy as well. It's good to see a bit of her home life at the beginning of the book, it makes me feel like we know her a bit better than the other mistresses.

 

#11:  Author: Gem, Location: Saltash/Aberystwyth PostPosted: Thu Oct 13, 2005 10:09 pm

I think it's fairly obvious from my avatar that Kathie's a favourite of mine Wink New Mistress was one of the first books I read - by the way, Topsy-Turvy have announced on their website that GGBP will be publishing it in early 2006! - and for that reason it's always been my favourite 'comfort' book. Excitements comes next, purely because that one features Kathie rather a lot as well Wink

OOAO's relationship with Kathie earlier on didn't bother me all that much - I have a feeling I read the end before the beginning and knew that they ended up friends. I've always liked the friendship that they seemed to have afterwards, though - I could see them becoming very close. I always liked that we knew that little bit more about her, and, unlike Miss A with her lack of failings (sorry, Lesley, but in the books it's true!), she seemed all the more human for her difficulties.

It's a real shame that EBD didn't focus more on the mistresses - half the time I preferred hearing about the staff to the girls!

 

#12:  Author: Changnoi, Location: New Mexico, USA PostPosted: Fri Oct 14, 2005 1:29 am

The other thing about Kathie being in New Mistress and having a book devoted to her is that I always identify her as the 'new mistress', the staff baby. the one who's just starting out. So as the series concludes and we have people like Miss Stone and Miss Smith teaching at the CS, I always think, "Who ARE these people? Where did they come from?" I never really realize that Kathie is well on her way to becoming a fairly old mistress. And although EBD seemed to like Kathie a lot, I never thought that she'd get a doctor. I thought that Kathie and Nancy might become the Bill and Miss Annersley of the next generation.

Chang

 

The CBB -> Book Discussions


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

Page 1 of 1

Powered by phpBB 2.0.6 © 2001,2002 phpBB Group