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#1: Books: The Chalet School and Jo Author: jennifer, Location: Taiwan

Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2007 3:49 pm
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This is the first term than Joey is headgirl, and she isn't happy about it, but agrees to take it on after a talk with Gisela, who has just had Natalie. We have the usual start of term prefects meeting, some mischief among the middles at prep, and some Guiding.

The Robin is poorly and undergoing tests, and Joey blames Stacie for it. Plans for the Annexe, and the intention of keeping the Robin there, are announced, as are the Juliet and Grizel coming back to teach. The Robin turns out to be okay, and Joey is manic in relief. The school goes to Oberammergau for half term, and the Quintet paints themselves and acts like Red Indians. They then go on to adopt the orphaned Biddy O'Ryan.

Juliet returns, having been jilted by Donal O'Hara on the advice of his sister, after she found out about Juliet's family. Joey intervenes, and they become re-engaged. The term finishes off with boat races, in spite of the fact that St Scholastica's didn't have boats at half term, and Marie encounters her future husband.

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How does Joey do in her first term as headgirl? How does she compare to the previous headgirls (Gisela, Juliet, Bette, Grizel, Mary)? What do you think of her reaction to Robin's potential illness? Does the introduction of the Annexe make sense, or is it a plot device to shoehorn Grizel and Juliet back into the scene?

What are your opinions on the two other main stories - the Adoption of Biddy O'Ryan, and the Jilting of Juliet - good stories or overly melodramatic and implausable?

Any other thoughts or reflections on this book?

#2: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2007 4:05 pm
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I love the Oberammergau scenes: I really wanted to go in 2000 but couldn't, but am hoping to go in 2010. The Biddy adoption story is very silly really - adopted by a Guide pack Rolling Eyes

? - but for some reason I never mind it because I like this book and I like Biddy.

EBD so rarely writes about relationship traumas that the Juliet storyline made an interesting change. Donal comes across as a bit of a wuss and I hope Juliet really made him beg before taking him back - I'd love to see that scene - but I'm glad that Juliet gets her happy ending. I'm not quite sure what EBD intended by opening the Annexe, but it's not an unreasonable development.

The Joey-Robin relationship gets too much sometimes, but in this book it's very touching to see Joey's concern for Robin, although she shouldn't have blamed Stacie for Robin's health problems.

I think she does OK as Head Girl, and overall this is one of my favourite books - summer in the Tyrol, lots going on, and it's lovely.

#3: Author: Mrs Redboots, Location: London, UK

Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2007 5:43 pm
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It's an age since I read it, but it's one of my favourites, too. I do think Joey begins to grow up in this book - at the start, she is fighting against having to be head girl, but by the end she is reconciled and doing a good job.

I think everything is too inclined to come out "happily ever after" - all the traumas end well, with Robin not having TB, Juliet and Donal reconciled and Biddy well and truly adopted. What if they hadn't....?

I love the Oberammagau scenes; I went myself in 1970 on a school trip, and it was seriously wonderful. Like Jo, I couldn't write about it....

#4: Author: Lisa A., Location: North Yorkshire

Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2007 8:41 pm
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I don't like Joey in this one. Although she does not want to be Head Girl, she seems to be loving the status and attention that come with it and makes many nasty, flippant comments to her supposed friends. One one hand she is revelling in being all deep and spiritual and sensitive to Juliet, and on the other she is absolutely horrible to Eustacia. In the end it is Eustacia who apologises to her, and even then Joey lets her know, in her gentle way, that she still thinks Eustacia was responsible for getting the Robin into a state in the first place. I think Joey uses her power over others in a bullying way - if you please Joey, you are admitted to her inner circle; if you displease her in any way, you are cast out. Not nice, although I must say that the other girls don't seem to follow her lead with this. But I think they do tolerate a lot of bad behaviour from her.

#5: Author: jennifer, Location: Taiwan

Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 5:15 am
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I think Joey is very true to form in this book, and we see one of the best portrayals of her strengths and weaknesses. She's passionate and impulsive and not very tactful, and doesn't have much self control or emotional maturity. On one hand, she feels deeply for the Robin and Juliet and is affected by the Passion Play. On the other, her worry for the Robin leads to her unfair behavior towards Stacie, and an inability to understand or forgive her. She's in the depths of despair and ignores her duties when Robin is poorly, and acts out like a middle for the week after she finds out she's better. On the other hand, she reacts very well to Biddy's plight. She hates the idea of responsiblity and growing up, but loves being the centre of attention, and the importance it brings. She does a good job of being headgirl, when she's not distracted by other matters. I would, however rank her as a good headgirl but not a great one,. and certainly not in Gisela's class.

Juliet's romance is interesting, in part because it is one of the few cases where we actually see some of the pre engagement interactions. Donal seems a bit of a twit - if he's that tied to his sister's apron strings Juliet should take it as a warning. If a guy dumped me unceremoniously because his sister told him to, I'd count myself lucky to have escaped. Although, when Juliet describes it, it's mainly the relationship between her and Kay that is emphasised - he seems a bit of an afterthought.

#6: Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US

Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 3:26 pm
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In terms of the "big stories," I think I've mentioned before that the adoption scenario seems more realistic than Elsie Oxenham's version of Guides adopting an orphan (Camp Mystery, 1932, compared to CS and Jo, 1931). In that case, the girls are camped in Switzerland when they decide. "We must ask Miss Curtis, of course; but we’ve been thinking perhaps our school Company of Guides could adopt Cecily and send her to school in England." Cecily is indeed spirited out of the country, with no mention of paperwork or other difficulties, and presumably sent off to the village high school, as planned. In the American equivalent, The Mysterious Camper, by Virginia Fairfax (1933), the girls also come home with an orphan, but arrange for her to be adopted by the wealthy Miss Lamar (at least until the next volume, when the girls track down Jacqueline's missing grandmother).

I enjoyed Jo's telling off of Donal, who does sound nicer at that point than I'd have expected from the circumstances. Good thing, since Juliet marries him.

I agree that Jo does seem to do some growing in this book. Even with the Stacie situation, her "I'll never forgive her" speech is bracketed by the good impulse to make Stacie co-editor in the face of opposition, and by the "Never say that again" moment. At least Joey doesn't say anything nasty to Stacie herself this time around, unless you count ‘Oh, going, are you?’ she said carelessly. ‘Good-night, then.’ rather than a more affectionate send-off. For Stacie, the guilt-inducing damage has been done in the previous volume. I still find Jo's tendency to go off the emotional deep end, as about Robin, or fainting at the end of the Passion Play, rather extreme, but it's consistent with her portrayal throughout the series.

Possibly my biggest disappointment in this book is that we never see the weekend camps, about which there was such excitement at the beginning. They must have happened, as they're pronounced "topping" in the round-up at the end of the book, but if they were really going on every fine weekend as planned (which seemed a bit much to ask of poor Charlie, however much she enjoys it!), surely something noteworthy could have happened in that setting.

#7: Author: Ray, Location: Bristol, England

Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 5:41 pm
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This book, for me, is possibly one of the worst books during the early part of the series. There's a real dis-focus to it, partly because the main storyline (The Robin and her illness) is basically happening off-screen, but that's not the only reason I don't like it.

It's the general suspension of disbelief I have to try and employ to believe a group of 14/15 year olds are going to go and "play at being red Indians" or are going to try and stick their heads through the back of a pair of chairs, or are going to think they can keep a seven year old themselves.

It's just silly.

Ironically enough, the one thing I *do* buy is Joey's behaviour in the book. It's on the OTT side, but so is Joey. It's wrong and awful that she was blaming Stacie for The Robin's situation but it's also incredibly human to flail out and blame anyone even extremely tangentially connected to the situation.

The Donal/Juliet situation is the one really high point (for me) in the book. It's probably the first and only time EBD actually touches that side of adult relationships and given how badly she fails at romantic relationships, it's handled very sympathetically.

Overall, it's not a book I reread with any fondness.

Ray *will admit it's not her least favourite CS book though...*

#8: Author: KB, Location: Melbourne, Australia

Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:22 pm
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Kathy_S wrote:

Possibly my biggest disappointment in this book is that we never see the weekend camps, about which there was such excitement at the beginning. They must have happened, as they're pronounced "topping" in the round-up at the end of the book, but if they were really going on every fine weekend as planned (which seemed a bit much to ask of poor Charlie, however much she enjoys it!), surely something noteworthy could have happened in that setting.

We also know they happen because EBD makes mention of them in Chalet Girls at Camp:

Quote:

We camped a good many weekends last term, you know, and you’ve got to have the whole place as neat—as—as—a hospital,’ she added

and

Quote:

All the elder girls knew, and most of the younger ones had helped during the little week-end camps they had had during the previous term.

I always thought these were excellent signs of the way EBD made her early books intertwine, with the various storylines feeding off each other. It's a strong contrast to her later books, which are far more stand-alone stories.

#9: Author: Caroline, Location: Manchester

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 7:37 am
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I would agree with Ray that this is just about the poorest of the Tyrol books (although New CS comes close, for me, in terms of disjointedness. If that's a word Laughing

).

The whole book is quite short - 55,000 words compared to e.g. Eustacia at 75,000 - and it doesn't seem to have any real focus. You would think, from the title and the initial set up, that it really ought to be about Joey struggling to become the kind of Head Girl everyone else expects her to be. But we actually see very little of Jo's struggle or inner turmoil, just a few random giddy / emotionally erratic episodes viewed from the outside.

I really think EBD missed a trick here. This could so have been the big Jo-steps-up-to-the-plate book, in the way that e.g. Grizel does in Head Girl or Peggy does in Peggy or Bride has to in Bride Leads - all thrust into the Head Girls position either early or unexpectedly - but it just isn't. Jo grumbles a bit at the beginning, says yes, does an OK (but not great) job without really trying very hard, doesn't worry about the school much, and then admits at the end that actually she's quite proud to be HG after all. Big yawns all round.

OK, maybe that was a bit harsh! I do still enjoy the book, I just think Joey's journey could have been portrayed better!

I agree also that the Quartette are portrayed more as 12-13 year olds in this book, rather than 14-15 year olds. But you could say that about most of this period of books. I see it as EBD has created this great group of mischeivous teens and doesn't want to let them go - if you think about it, she has no one to follow them until she brings in Betty and Elizabeth, more or less fully formed in New CS.

Even when the oldest of the Quartette are prefects, in New House, EBD is still telling us of the badness of Evvy and Corney - who are now 16 going on 17!

Robin's illness: I can completely buy this, and Joey's reaction, although I'm surprised the school let her get away with being so slack for a week - I can't see them allowing any other girl (let alone Head Girl) such license. I'm also sorry (in a way) that it's the Abbess who is the one to notice and think of Jo and ring up for news - where was Mademoiselle, who has known Joey since she was about 10? I can see EBD's efforts to bring Hilda more to the fore, though - she may well have already decided at this point to move Mlle LePattre out of the frame...

Jo blaming Stacie - well, it's not Stacie's fault, and EBD makes this really clear. But such irrational blame in those circumstances is quite natural, and it doesn't suprise me. It's also part of Jo growing up - learning the lesson that sometimes bad things aren't anyone's fault, they just happen.

No one has mentionned the whole keeping Simone in the dark about the Robin's illness thing. If I were Simone, I'd be devastated at that...

#10: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 7:56 am
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I thought keeping Simone in the dark was weird too - IIRC Madge told Frieda, who was with Joey that weekend, and said something about telling Marie, and then said that Evvy was too young and "the others don't feel about her as we do" Rolling Eyes

. Why were Frieda and Marie, not to mention Evvy, any closer to Robin than Simone was?

#11: Author: jennifer, Location: Taiwan

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 9:22 am
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Alison H wrote:

I thought keeping Simone in the dark was weird too - IIRC Madge told Frieda, who was with Joey that weekend, and said something about telling Marie, and then said that Evvy was too young and "the others don't feel about her as we do" Rolling Eyes

. Why were Frieda and Marie, not to mention Evvy, any closer to Robin than Simone was?

Possibly they thought that Simone, being so emotional and all, wouldn't be able to help Joey.

At one point in the book, Joey wants to get Juliet alone to talk to her on the train and Simone is hideously jealous.

#12: Author: Caroline, Location: Manchester

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 9:26 am
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'Twas the other way around with Frieda and Marie, but otherwise, I agree entirely.

Thing is, even if you accept that Frieda and Marie have been told becuase they love the Robin, and that Simone's devotion is actually to Jo rather than to the Robin particularly, surely she should still be told - it's going to be pretty obvious to her that Jo is upset during the waiting period, and she's going to wonder why and possibly fret about it herself, thinking maybe she's done something wrong or wonder what's going on and why hasn't she been told. And Jo needs her friends around her, not to have to remember to hide things from one of them. Really, there's no valid reason that I can think of that Simone shouldn't be told.

#13: Author: Rosalin, Location: Swansea

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 9:34 am
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Keeping Simone in the dark always bothered me too. Given how much store she put by her friendship with Joey she'd have been devastated at being left out of something so important when Frieda and Marie were included. I could accept that as she was the most emotional of the four her reactions might have been an extra strain on Joey, but it was still unfair not to tell her. I don't see Marie as being any closer to the Robin than Simone, although Frieda could have been as the Bettany/Russells were good friends with the Mensches.

Jo is quite believable as Head Girl. although we're now firmly in the era when I find her majorly annoying. She spends enough time having extreme nervous reactions to things that the question of whether she is strong enough to be Head Girl occurs to me. And while she gets better as Head Girl over the next few books she still has a lot of her early faults, which I don't think she really starts losing until about Exile. She's at least as old as Gisela when she became Head Girl, and Gisela rarely put a foot wrong. Joey's faults make her a more believable person in a RL context but rather flawed in a CS one. She certainly doesn't strike me as having been the best ever Head Girl she is referred to as later, more one of the poorer ones. And pretty much every Head Girl is referred to as one of the best. Grizel, Juliet and Gisela are all portrayed as having been 'one of the best' (I can't remember if it's said, but it's certainly implied). Was Bette such a wash-out as Head Girl, which I can't imagine from the previous descriptions of her, or had someone got hold of a crystal ball and all Head Girls were compared with Marilyn Evans? That's been bugging me for a while Embarassed

Joey's reactions over the Robins illness were understandable, but I think someone ought to have tried harder to make her see that it wasn't Stacie's fault. And someone from Die Rosen ought to have phoned as soon as they had good news, they must have known how much Joey was worrying. Madge telling Miss Annersley that Joey should hear it first makes me quite angry. IIRC they've already got the good news and Madge more or less says "oh yes, we thought we might let Jo know at some point." Surely the important thing is that Joey's mind is put at rest, not who gets to do it. I don't like Joey much but I feel they needlessly prolonged her anxiety Evil or Very Mad

Juliet and Donal - when I first read this one, I think it was my second Chalet, I wasn't interested in people getting engaged so I found that bit very boring, and have never paid it much attention since.

The adoption of Biddy I thought was quite realistic in the way the middles acted, and it never occured to me to wonder how a Guide Company actually went about adopting a girl. The only thing I didn't like was them not realising how Biddy might feel stuck in the games shed. This bothered me when I first read it and I was quite a bit younger than the middles in question, so I thought it should have occured to them to.

There's not much more that stands out to me about this book, I can't think of many actual school happenings. I like the scenes with Gisela in them as she's a character I would like to have seen a lot more of.

#14: Author: Caroline, Location: Manchester

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 9:51 am
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Rosalin wrote:

Keeping Simone in the dark always bothered me too. Given how much store she put by her friendship with Joey she'd have been devastated at being left out of something so important when Frieda and Marie were included. I could accept that as she was the most emotional of the four her reactions might have been an extra strain on Joey, but it was still unfair not to tell her.

Yes, and not telling Simone and having to keep it a secret would probably have been as much of an emotional strain on Joey than telling Simone and dealing with the consequences would have been.

Rosalin wrote:

Was Bette such a wash-out as Head Girl, which I can't imagine from the previous descriptions of her, or had someone got hold of a crystal ball and all Head Girls were compared with Marilyn Evans? That's been bugging me for a while

Trouble with Bette is that (a) she was only HG for one term and (b) EBD never wrote that term. So, it does seem like she misses out on the plaudits, but I can kind of understand why. I suspect she'd be competant but not brilliant - she's got the popular touch, but doesn't seem to have much gravitas or evidence of thoughtfulness. I would say Gisela and Juliet are the best of the early bunch. Grizel tries hard, and is more successful than might have been expected, but it doesn't exactly come naturally to her the way it does to Gisela. If you think about it, all future HGs had a heck of a lot to live up to, being compared to Miss Perfect Marani Laughing

#15: Author: Lisa A., Location: North Yorkshire

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 12:13 pm
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I think other people's views of Joey are much more charitable than mine. You are right though - it does indeed make a difference to see a flawed character struggling with growing up and is much preferable to just being told at regular intervals that such-and-such a character is good / bad / a leader / a genius and giving the reader no credit for having their own opinions. I don't like her any better for it however! I think she always does struggle with her role and identity, even when she embraces marriage, motherhood and family, and this is laying the foundations of this.

#16: Author: Róisín, Location: Ireland

Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2007 10:07 pm
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I find the Juliet/Donal situation strange too, and he does come across as a wuss, as someone said. Surely he can reason things out for himself without having to believe his sister's lies? Incidentally, Kay comes across terribly in this book and Juliet still marries her twin - do we ever hear how Juliet and Kay got on after the marriage? I presume they would have the normal family interactions of visits, godparenting etc. Or did they stay away from each other like Joey and Lydia?

#17: Author: Loryat,

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 5:27 pm
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The weird thing about them not telling Simone is that in he next book she seems to be completely up to the mark!

I like this book - I like Joey's development in it.

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