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Books: They Both Liked Dogs
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Author:  JB [ Sun Sep 20, 2009 6:26 pm ]
Post subject:  Books: They Both Liked Dogs

“They Both Liked Dogs” was published by the Girls Own Paper Office in 1938. The only other book EBD published in that year was “The New Chalet School”.

This is the abridged synopsis from the New Chalet Club site. The full version, and one with spoilers, can be found here http://www.newchaletclub.co.uk/ncc_library/synopses/synop_likeddogs.htm

Mollie Thurstan is a concert pianist living in a small village in England. One morning her quiet life is interrupted by a letter from her brother Jim who lives in Burma. He asks if Mollie could possibly look after his daughter Erica, as she has lived too long in the unhealthy climate of Burma and he wishes her to spend some time in England. Shortly after this, Mollie hears from her brother Bill, asking her to have Freda to stay for a while. Freda lives in Tasmania at the moment, but her family is going to move to Brazil, which would not be healthy. Mollie agrees to have both of them.

The girls settle down in Mollie's house. Erica is slightly older, but has been spoilt, and is not as able to look after herself as Freda is. Freda soon assumes a role of mothering her, and helps her with her chores. Both girls make the acquaintance of Mollie's alsatian, Tal. Freda adores him but Erica is very frightened of him.

At the beginning of the new term the girls start school. Freda settles in easily and soon makes friends. Erica finds things much more difficult and is very jealous of Freda, telling her she should be satisfied with herself alone. Freda is sorry for her cousin but refuses to give up her friends.

One day at school a General Knowledge Prize is announced. The girls sit down to do the papers, and discuss them afterwards. There is a long discussion about where the quotation "All is lost save honour" comes from, Freda declaring strongly that she knows she is right. A muddle with the names causes problems when the result is announced.

The book ends with a very Happy Christmas for the family and a romance for Mollie.


It’s a long time since I read this so please add more questions and thoughts!

Have you read this? Did you enjoy it?
Are the characters of Erica and Frieda sufficiently three-dimensional?
Were you grabbed by the plot and Erica’s reformation?
What do you think of the book’s title? Does it give a fair impression of the book?

A personal thought, rather than a question. I found it interesting, given EBD's portrayals of dedicated musicians, that here she's painting one in a different light ie having to cope with unexpected domestic complications, rather than concentrating on her music.

There doesn’t seem to be a transcript available. If anyone knows of one, perhaps they could PM me?

Author:  Cosimo's Jackal [ Sun Sep 20, 2009 10:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Books: They Both Liked Dogs

JB wrote:

A personal thought, rather than a question. I found it interesting, given EBD's portrayals of dedicated musicians, that here she's painting one in a different light ie having to cope with unexpected domestic complications, rather than concentrating on her music.


I've never read this, but even reading the synopsis was making me think why on earth would a concert pianist's brothers even think of asking whether their children could come and live with someone who would spend half or more of her life on tour? Unless there's some plot-related reason why she spends most of her time in a small English village, I would have said that a professional musician who wasn't attached to, say, a particular opera house, would be the last person who would be able or willing to take in children, outside of some kind of family tragedy.

It makes one feel slight sympathy for the CS various aunts and cousins who get left for years on end with a child who often has parents, but who live somewhere unsuitable for her - even when the aunts aren't that nice. I always quite like that late CS book - can't remember which - where someone's aunt declares that, no, she won't be available at five minutes notice to look after her niece for the umpteenth time, she's getting married, thank you very much.

Author:  Alison H [ Sun Sep 20, 2009 10:55 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Books: They Both Liked Dogs

It's Althea's aunt - and she gets barked at by her brother (Althea's dad) for being so thoughtless, but tells him that it's time she had a life of her own and he'll just have to change his plans. Well done, love! It's often unmarried female relatives who get lumbered with nieces/cousins (Carola, Katharine, Annis) whose parents have gone off abroad without them, because (sad bitter old spinster? Me?) people seem to assume that single women have no lives of their own!

I haven't read this one either - does anyone know if there's a transcript? - but (apart from the silly title!) it sounds quite interesting. As JB said, we rarely see EBD's musical genius-type people having to cope with domestic problems.

Author:  Mel [ Sun Sep 20, 2009 11:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Books: They Both Liked Dogs

I read this a while ago and it has EBD's favourite themes. I wonder if she longed to have teenage girls foisted on her so that she could try out her pet theories on child-rearing? The spoilt one of course has had Bad Parenting while the other has had a strict upbringing, even caned by her mother as a punishment which seems harsh for EBD. If it was written in the same year as New, there are instances of violence to children in that book too, eg Jem whipping Mario and one of the M girls being caned by her aunt.

Author:  JB [ Mon Sep 21, 2009 9:31 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Books: They Both Liked Dogs

Alison H wrote:

Quote:
I haven't read this one either - does anyone know if there's a transcript?


Not that I know of, Alison. A little while ago, I made a list of what transcripts were around and Lottie appealed for any to plug the gaps, but i'm afraid this is still a gap.

Author:  JS [ Mon Sep 21, 2009 3:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Books: They Both Liked Dogs

Haven't read it, but alsatian dogs - and people being scared of them - seems to be an EBD theme. The Lost Staircase has her talking about 'that silly alsatian-phobia' - must say, I can sympathise with the feardies :oops:

Sounds quite a decent book, though - many GGB will do it at some point?

Author:  Cosimo's Jackal [ Mon Sep 21, 2009 4:12 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Books: They Both Liked Dogs

JS wrote:
Haven't read it, but alsatian dogs - and people being scared of them - seems to be an EBD theme. The Lost Staircase has her talking about 'that silly alsatian-phobia' - must say, I can sympathise with the feardies


I agree. I like dogs, and have no default fear of large ones, and have known and liked individual Alsatians - the only time I've ever been bitten was by a particularly vicious Jack Russell whose farm I was passing! But the fact is that Alsatians are big, strong dogs, which are over-represented in statistics about dog bites needing medical attention, and as such they're only as safe and socialised as their owners have trained them to be. That's the same as for any dog, obviously, but the potential for an attack is most serious if the badly-trained dog is big and strong, with an innate guard-dog instinct. I would have said that unless you know the owner and how well the dog has been socialised, you're actually wise to keep your distance!

And given EBD seems to find it all jolly that the Maynards' Bruno is completely untrained, massive, and liable to knock down Maynards or new girls at any point, I'd be avoiding her Alsatians particularly.... :shock:

Author:  Alison H [ Mon Sep 21, 2009 4:15 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Books: They Both Liked Dogs

My next door neighbour's vile barking dogs are Alsatians. I try not to have a grudge against the entire breed as a result.

Aren't Joey's dogs St Bernards? It amazes me that she's so obsessed with kids being obedient but lets Bruno jump all over people at will!

Author:  Cosimo's Jackal [ Mon Sep 21, 2009 4:29 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Books: They Both Liked Dogs

Yes, they are St Bernards - I just meant that she seems to have a slightly cavalier attitude towards big dogs. I know Joey is nice to one of the Sams who's afraid of Bruno, but to be honest, she really shouldn't have a large dog if she can't train it not to jump its sixteen stone (or whatever he turned out to weigh!) on people, whether or not they're actually shaking. Maybe he's chronically under-exercised or something?

I hear you on the barking - Alsatians have such a deep, penetrating manly bark...

Author:  JS [ Mon Sep 21, 2009 4:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Books: They Both Liked Dogs

That's the beauty of greyhounds - virtually no barking.

Back on topic, I wonder if a concert musician often on tour etc would have a dog at all; they're quite tying - in some ways, just as tying as looking after brothers' stray children.

I wonder - and of course, this wouldn't be like her :wink: - if EBD really thought it through...

Author:  JB [ Mon Sep 21, 2009 5:22 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Books: They Both Liked Dogs

JS wrote:

Quote:
I wonder - and of course, this wouldn't be like her - if EBD really thought it through...


Perish the thought!

I think she has combined two of her great interests in this book - music and dogs - without thinking too much of the practicalities.

EBD did own an Alsatian when she lived in South Shields (and according to BTSC was rarely without a cat or dog) and last week's discussion we touched on her love of music.

Author:  MJKB [ Tue Sep 22, 2009 12:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Books: They Both Liked Dogs

[quote="Cosimo's Jackal"]It makes one feel slight sympathy for the CS various aunts and cousins who get left for years on end with a child who often has parents, but who live somewhere unsuitable for her - even when the aunts aren't that nice. I always quite like that late CS book - can't remember which - where someone's aunt declares that, no, she won't be available at five minutes notice to look after her niece for the umpteenth time, she's getting married, thank you very much.
[quote="JB"]

I do so agree! I loved the fact that Althea's aunt answered her brother the way she did. Of course, if marriage hadn't been in the equation, she'd have taken the child on again because single women haven't nothing better to do than look after other people's children. It's a sad fact that that was certainly the case in EBD's time.

Author:  Lolly [ Tue Sep 29, 2009 3:48 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Books: They Both Liked Dogs

JS wrote:
Haven't read it, but alsatian dogs - and people being scared of them - seems to be an EBD theme. The Lost Staircase has her talking about 'that silly alsatian-phobia' - must say, I can sympathise with the feardies :oops:



I don't know if anyone else has read 'The Animals Came in One by One by Buster Lloyd-Jones? He was a 'society vet' (according to him; ie he was flown all over the world to deal with film stars' ailing pets) and a pioneer for naturopathic treatment for animals. His book describes how he took in people's pets during the Blitz. Anyway, just in case you think I've gone entirely off the subject, one of the things he notes in his book is that people became violently prejudiced to all things German including animals. He himself was swamped with daschunds because of it and he suggests that the name 'Alsatian' was given as people were put off by the traditional 'German Shepherd'.

Quite interesting I thought.

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