The CBB :: View topic - The Bettanys of Taverton High

In a small town in the south west of England, a young woman named Madge Bettany is facing an impossible situation. Her little sister Joey’s poor health is a constant source of concern, and when her income mysteriously dwindles to almost nothing, the situation becomes acute since going out to work is not an option. How Madge and Joey pull together in the face of adversity is the theme of this much-awaited forerunner to the Chalet School series.

This delightful new story by Helen Barber ... follows the fortunes of the Bettany family in the run-up to the founding of the Chalet School. Meet the Bettanys’ old muddler of a guardian, find out what’s special about the Rector’s cat, discover why the Third Form and Remove are at loggerheads and visit Madge and Joey by their own fireside.

I wasn't sure about reading this because prequels written by someone other than the original author don't always work

haven't read this, but the hints of what the author has done with a pre-CS storyline sound interesting and plausible - so Madge, in this version of CS pre-history, has been a teacher (out of financial necessity?), and Mademoiselle has been a governess in Taverton? Do we know how their money was lost? Is Joey described as looking sickly and 'goblin-like' throughout? Is Dick wandering about being fair, boyish and not very useful?

One thing that jarred, and this is really picky, was the mention of GS as golden syrup. I'm sure it was authentic for the period and everything but it just didn't seem Chalet-like, somehow.
.

JS wrote:

One thing that jarred, and this is really picky, was the mention of GS as golden syrup. I'm sure it was authentic for the period and everything but it just didn't seem Chalet-like, somehow.
.

Why? What else would you call golden syrup?

Miss Di wrote:

Why? What else would you call golden syrup?

My mum calls it "treacle" for some reason. I wonder if it's a generational thing or a regional thing (born in the 50s in Yorkshire).

Is it used more in cooking or to pour over previously cooked things as maple syrup would be?

I'd describe it as lighter than molasses or treacle but thicker than molasses.

Thicker than molasses, wow! .

Apparently you can get it in squeezy bottles. Surely it isn't proper Golden Syrup if it's not in the green and gold tin?

My mum used to make a steamed sponge pudding with Golden Syrup instead of jam.

Author:	Lottie [ Sun Oct 18, 2009 5:31 pm ]
Post subject:	The Bettanys of Taverton High
The Bettanys of Taverton High was written by Helen Barber and published by GGBP in 2008. Copies are still available from them. The following is taken from the blurb on the back of the book. Quote: In a small town in the south west of England, a young woman named Madge Bettany is facing an impossible situation. Her little sister Joey’s poor health is a constant source of concern, and when her income mysteriously dwindles to almost nothing, the situation becomes acute since going out to work is not an option. How Madge and Joey pull together in the face of adversity is the theme of this much-awaited forerunner to the Chalet School series. This delightful new story by Helen Barber ... follows the fortunes of the Bettany family in the run-up to the founding of the Chalet School. Meet the Bettanys’ old muddler of a guardian, find out what’s special about the Rector’s cat, discover why the Third Form and Remove are at loggerheads and visit Madge and Joey by their own fireside. The book is set during the Easter term immediately preceding The School at the Chalet. We see Grizel Cochrane, Rosalie Dene and Mary Burnett at the High School, more of Grizel’s relationship with her step-mother and some of Mademoiselle’s life with the Withers family. We meet the Bettanys’ Guardian and also the Aunts and Uncles in London. We see Madge in two different teaching situations and Joey suffering with ill-health. We also see what led Madge and Mademoiselle to decide to start the School at Briesau. Has Helen portrayed EBD’s characters accurately? Do you like the new people who appear in the book? Has Helen described Taverton as you imagined it? Does she explain the anomaly of Mary being older than Joey but being in a lower form at the High satisfactorily? Is Joey’s ill-health believable? Do you think Madge was a good teacher? Do you like the party? Does the book fit into the CS series? Next week’s book will be The Chalet School in Exile.

Author:	Alison H [ Sun Oct 18, 2009 6:28 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
I thought this was excellent. Madge and Joey's lives in Taverton were very much as I'd imagined them, and Madge's temporary "school" at home made the idea of a young woman just deciding to set up a school much more believable than it was otherwise. It was good to meet the Bettanys' guardian, and the aunts and uncles (who get totally ignored after the first few CS books!), and to see more of Grizel and Mlle's lives in Taverton. I was very glad that Helen Barber included so much about Mary and Rosalie (and did her best to deal with the EBDism over Mary's age!) too: in the later CS books, the fact that Joey and Rosalie have known each other since pre-CS days is rarely referred to, and I'm not sure that EBD didn't forget that Rosalie was related to the Burnetts. The party dragged a bit - the xnihps/x-nigh-puss stuff went on too much! - but no more so than some of EBD's descriptions of school plays do. I wasn't sure about reading this because prequels written by someone other than the original author don't always work, but this one worked pretty well. IMHO!

Author:	Elle [ Sun Oct 18, 2009 7:02 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
Alison H wrote: I wasn't sure about reading this because prequels written by someone other than the original author don't always work It was for exactly this reasons that I nearly didn't buy this book! I didn't even ask Peakirk Books to save me a copy. In the end I bought it because I didn't want to miss out, and the comments on the CBB suggested it might be good! I really enjoyed it, it read like and EBD (I agree with Alison's comments about the party). I also liked the link between it and Heather Leaves School, although I didn't spot it until I found it mentioned in the bits at the back (front? cannot remember and my copy is upstairs). I have read it more than once now, and I will happily read it again.

Author:	Kathy_S [ Sun Oct 18, 2009 7:54 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
I think the author does an excellent job leading into the series. I like the idea of Madge as a prior and most memorable head girl, and find her excursions into teaching very convincing. Mlle. LePattre's experiences as a governess -- and Madge's clear disgust with the snobs -- build well towards both the future partnership and the likely tenor of any school they run. Grizel's home life, sadly, is just as we'd expect, and the future CS girls mesh well with the rest of the community. Guardian was a pleasant surprise, much more real than an abstract figure making a mess of things. I think my favorite new character is Mr. P. Cat! No wonder he inspires a poem.

Author:	Lesley [ Sun Oct 18, 2009 8:52 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
I've just recently read it - last week actually - and I really enjoyed it. Loved the background for Madge and also the teaching situations we see her in - it makes far more sense than her having no experience whatsoever. I liked Guardian though did wonder a little as it seemed to show a far closer relationship with Madge in particular than is shown at the beginning of School. Grizel's situation was shown faithfully though Madge was far more understanding of Mrs Cochrane than that nasty evil woman deserved! I also liked Joey and thought her very faithful to the original Joey in both character and temperament. Would definitely recommend it.

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Author:	Sunglass [ Mon Oct 19, 2009 8:45 am ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
I haven't read this, but the hints of what the author has done with a pre-CS storyline sound interesting and plausible - so Madge, in this version of CS pre-history, has been a teacher (out of financial necessity?), and Mademoiselle has been a governess in Taverton? Do we know how their money was lost? Is Joey described as looking sickly and 'goblin-like' throughout? Is Dick wandering about being fair, boyish and not very useful?

Author:	JB [ Mon Oct 19, 2009 9:16 am ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
I enjoyed the book very much. It also reminded me of the early La Rochelle books with their mix of family and school. I found everything believable. I liked the background given for the Bettany aunts and guardian, which explained why they had family in the background but also seemed pretty much on their own ie no close relatives who could object to Madge selling off and going to Austria. I was a little confused by Taverton but Helen’s explanation about why she described it in that way made sense. Madge’s school at home and her spell teaching at the High were a natural lead in to her decision to start a school. I particularly liked the committee meeting and tea party given by Madmoiselle’s employers and Madge’s handling of their snobby daughter. Sunglass wrote: I Quote: haven't read this, but the hints of what the author has done with a pre-CS storyline sound interesting and plausible - so Madge, in this version of CS pre-history, has been a teacher (out of financial necessity?), and Mademoiselle has been a governess in Taverton? Do we know how their money was lost? Is Joey described as looking sickly and 'goblin-like' throughout? Is Dick wandering about being fair, boyish and not very useful? She teaches temporarily at the High when one of the staff is called away suddenly – and she runs a school for the girls at home when the High is closed for a week or so after a flood. Madmoiselle is governess to the local gentry – and very snobby they are too. Bad investments by a their Guardian, a friend of the Bettany parents with no financial acumen. Sickly, can’t remember if there are goblin references. Yes.

Author:	Abi [ Mon Oct 19, 2009 3:05 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
I really enjoyed this. I thought Madge and Joey were both consistent with their characters as described by EBD, especially Joey's ill-health and Madge's ways of coping with it. The school-at-home part was fun and it did show how Madge really had a talent for teaching and made her decision to start a school quite plausible. It was also a good read and well-written!

Author:	JS [ Mon Oct 19, 2009 3:31 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
Most of the previous posters, esp JB really sum up what I thought of it, so I won't repeat. One thing that jarred, and this is really picky, was the mention of GS as golden syrup. I'm sure it was authentic for the period and everything but it just didn't seem Chalet-like, somehow. I did really enjoy it, though, and it sent me scurrying to re-read School At.

Author:	Miss Di [ Tue Oct 20, 2009 3:48 am ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
JS wrote: One thing that jarred, and this is really picky, was the mention of GS as golden syrup. I'm sure it was authentic for the period and everything but it just didn't seem Chalet-like, somehow. . Why? What else would you call golden syrup? I enjoyed The Bettanys and have shelved it with the real CS books (which I don't do with all fill ins).

Author:	JS [ Tue Oct 20, 2009 9:53 am ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
Sorry, didn't mean to offend anyone . I did really like the book.

Author:	Cat C [ Tue Oct 20, 2009 1:46 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
Miss Di wrote: JS wrote: One thing that jarred, and this is really picky, was the mention of GS as golden syrup. I'm sure it was authentic for the period and everything but it just didn't seem Chalet-like, somehow. . Why? What else would you call golden syrup? Well, I'd call it 'golden syrup'! It is referred to as GS in Gerry Goes to School, if that helps. I don't remember it being in any Chalet books at all, and it could plausibly have featured instead of the condensed milk that was fed to the bears in (?)Zurich, although whether anyone would have known the German for it is another question

Author:	LizzieC [ Tue Oct 20, 2009 2:48 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
Miss Di wrote: Why? What else would you call golden syrup? My mum calls it "treacle" for some reason. I wonder if it's a generational thing or a regional thing (born in the 50s in Yorkshire).

Author:	Sunglass [ Tue Oct 20, 2009 3:10 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
But there's not exactly the same thing, are they? What we tend to call golden syrup is a light-coloured variety of treacle, but you can also get dark or black treacle. Plus you'd usually say 'treacle tart', at least in my experience, even if what you were using to make one was actually in a jar labelled golden syrup...?

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Author:	judithR [ Tue Oct 20, 2009 3:28 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
LizzieC wrote: Miss Di wrote: Why? What else would you call golden syrup? My mum calls it "treacle" for some reason. I wonder if it's a generational thing or a regional thing (born in the 50s in Yorkshire). Similarly in Cumbria (I was born late 40s) and Tyne & Wear (mother born 1923 & grandmother born 1898). The black variety was called "black treacle".

Author:	JS [ Tue Oct 20, 2009 4:53 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
My husband (from the Midlands) brought back two tins of golden syrup when I'd asked for treacle (for making gingerbread). He informed me loftily that I should have specified 'black treacle'.

Author:	abbeybufo [ Tue Oct 20, 2009 5:10 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
I grew up in the 1950s with golden syrup being called 'treacle' and treacle being 'black treacle' - despite what it says on the tins That was the Dorset terminology for myself, my parents and my grandparents - so at least from the 1920s I'd surmise, since I learned it from their usage.

Author:	janetbrown23 [ Tue Oct 20, 2009 5:56 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
Agrees that Golden Syrup was always called treacle in our family. (Essex born 1948). I had never met black treacle until we had to make Christmas cakes in second year at senior school. In those days we really did make things from scratch in cookery lessons including the marzipan.

Author:	sealpuppy [ Tue Oct 20, 2009 6:32 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
Dorset bred, but a tad older than Abbey Bufo. Yes, Golden Syrup is treacle in my book, and the dark stuff is Black Treacle. My son used to love black treacle in his packed lunches: no butter, just bread and black treacle. I reasoned it was giving him iron and it seems to have worked. He's 6'3"

Author:	Mel [ Tue Oct 20, 2009 7:23 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
Didn't Jack and Co paint the doors with Golden Syrup? Not Black Treacle as they thought it was varnish for pine doors.

Author:	Kathy_S [ Tue Oct 20, 2009 7:31 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
GS is especially confusing if you don't know what golden syrup is to start with and GS normally means Girl Scouts! In my mind I think of golden syrup as similar to corn/karo syrup, and treacle as molasses, possibly at the more blackstrap end of the spectrum though I don't know of any molasses that could be described as golden. Is it used more in cooking or to pour over previously cooked things as maple syrup would be?

Author:	Nightwing [ Tue Oct 20, 2009 7:49 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
Kathy_S wrote: Is it used more in cooking or to pour over previously cooked things as maple syrup would be? Both! I'd describe it as lighter than molasses or treacle but thicker than molasses. I've mostly only seen it used in baking for biscuits (or cookies, if you prefer ), and I know some people use it as a topping on toast or waffles (especially young kids).

Author:	Mia [ Tue Oct 20, 2009 7:49 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
My family say GS but I thought it was just us... What irked me slightly and entirely unreasonably were the mentions of Corah as a place, rather than just the mine as I always thought it a (surname-based) company name when reading School At. Is there a place in Devon/Cornwall called Corah?

Author:	Kathy_S [ Tue Oct 20, 2009 7:58 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
Nightwing wrote: I'd describe it as lighter than molasses or treacle but thicker than molasses. Thicker than molasses, wow! I used the lightest possible molasses in the gingerbread this weekend and it still took forever to pour half a cup.* (It's true this was partly the "slow as molasses in January" effect of keeping it in the fridge, but it's slow at the best of times.) *Twice, since round 1 was the CS-esque cooking disaster in which I forgot the baking soda.

Author:	JayB [ Tue Oct 20, 2009 8:01 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
Website: http://www.lylesgoldensyrup.com/ Apparently you can get it in squeezy bottles. Surely it isn't proper Golden Syrup if it's not in the green and gold tin? My mum used to make a steamed sponge pudding with Golden Syrup instead of jam. Lovely with custard on a cold winter day. (I don't know how we managed to eat puddings on top of a meat course. I can't manage more than a yogurt or ice cream for dessert now without feeling stuffed!)

Author:	Nightwing [ Tue Oct 20, 2009 8:29 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
Kathy_S wrote: Thicker than molasses, wow! . Oops, I mean thicker than maple syrup JayB wrote: Apparently you can get it in squeezy bottles. Surely it isn't proper Golden Syrup if it's not in the green and gold tin? Squeezy bottles are great cos it means you can get out ever last drop! The only problem is that ants seem to find them easier to get into, which is kind of a pain! Quote: My mum used to make a steamed sponge pudding with Golden Syrup instead of jam. That sounds delicious... And I forgot to mention that golden syrup is A+ with porridge/oatmeal.

Author:	ChubbyMonkey [ Tue Oct 20, 2009 9:03 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
Google maps isn't coming up with anything, Mia, and I don't recognise it! I always assumed that it was just a surname based company name, too. Certainly if, as I always do assume, Taverton is actually Tiverton, I can't see a reason for their being a mine there at all.

Author:	Alison H [ Tue Oct 20, 2009 10:50 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
We used to have mines (until they all got closed down in the '80s ) round here (coal mines, whereas in Taverton I assume it would've been tin mines, but same general idea!), and they were referred to by the name of the place, but it might have been different before nationalisation and the way Madge talks about "the Corah Mines people" does make it sound more like a company than a place. I assume EBD just mentioned the mines because the owners wanting a house for their manager was a plausible way of enabling the Bettanys to sell up quickly. Please don't mention maple syrup. I'm sure it's part of the reason I somehow managed to put on 6lbs in 10 days whilst I was on holiday ! And all this talk about treacle is making me want to go out and buy all that treacle toffee etc that's in the shops ready for Bonfire Night ... Yes, it was golden syrup that Jack & co used to paint the doors with. Although how anyone can mistake golden syrup for varnish is beyond me entirely!! Did they have no sense of smell ?

Author:	trig [ Wed Oct 21, 2009 4:43 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
I have an Australian cookbook which says Golden Syrup but then in brackets for the American users light treacle so I suppose it's called that in the US but I've seen other multinational cookbooks refer to it as corn syrup. Any way it's delicious! Whoever mentioned the treacle sandwiches took me back a long way as that was what me and my sister always made of an evening when our parents left us to babysit for the younger children. The child's equivalent of alcohol!

Author:	Kathy_S [ Wed Oct 21, 2009 5:47 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
I've never heard the term "treacle" here -- at least not as a foodstuff. (It does show up among, say, drama critics.) I thought it was British....

Author:	Fiona Mc [ Thu Oct 22, 2009 2:08 am ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
I really enjoyed this book and loved the crossover with Heather leaves School and all the background information. I would have to say Helen Barber is one of my favourite fill in writers as she really does capture the essence of EBD well. I did like how she managed Joey and Grizel's relationship and the balance of close friends and being at odds with each other. Certainly was a fore taste of what their future relationship was like.

Author:	Pado [ Sun Oct 25, 2009 12:35 am ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
I really liked the book, also. Madge's teaching provided a little context for her decision to start a school, and I liked how it set up the relationship with Mademoiselle very believably. I particularly appreciated that Joey was NOT the center of attention at her previous school, but rather one of the crowd. And Helen Barber did a nice job of keeping Dick as sincere-yet-clueless. I'm a bit confused about the role of Guardians in that era...Gardy seems awfully pleasant, moving out and all so they can enjoy the house, but would they still require a legal guardian given that Madge and Dick are of age at the time? Wouldn't they take over the guardianship of Joey, or am I missing some fine point of legality here?

Author:	Alison H [ Sun Oct 25, 2009 9:25 am ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
I think it would have depended on how the Bettany parents' wills, or whatever other legal documents were involved, had been worded. I assume that whoever was appointed Joey's guardian when her parents died would have remained so until she was 21, unless they themselves died before then, but it does seem a bit strange that Madge and Dick at 24 were not in control of their own finances. For the sake of convenience , I'd assume that they weren't going to get control of their own money until they were, say, 25 (although in poor Grizel's case it was 35!), and that their guardian had no legal authority over Madge and Dick once they'd turned 21 but that they still called him/referred to him as "Guardian" partly out of habit and partly out of respect. & that he'd been given the authority to appoint Joey's new guardians should he die before she was 21, and had appointed Madge and Dick. That is, however, a lot of assumptions .

Author:	Sunglass [ Sun Oct 25, 2009 11:01 am ]
Post subject:	Re: The Bettanys of Taverton High
That's roughly what I thought - that he hadn't been their guardian in the 'in loco parentis' sense since Madge and Dick came of age, but had remained in charge of their money, either because their parents had set it up that way, or out of Madge and Dick's (mistaken, as it turns out!) respect for his financial acumen. Or maybe they didn't change the investments etc out of loyalty to him, and that's what landed them in trouble. Although I can't remember - or are we ever told precisely? - in School At how long before the start of the story the Guardian died...?