#1: Relationships: Anne & Peter Author: Róisín, Location: IrelandPosted: Thu Aug 30, 2007 7:05 pm — Anne Temple and Peter Chester meet while Peter
is attending to the family who live next door. Peter is a doctor,
spending time covering on Guernsey, while Anne is a burgeoning artist
who has had favourable write-ups in important journals. Peter is
immediately taken with her - Anne finds him a comfort to have around in
times of stress. Peter is jokey and forward, telling Anne that Janie
will recover from her illness "and then she and Pauline Ozanne can be
bridesmaids at our wedding" before there is ever an understanding
between them! They keep their relationship completely secret because
Anne won't leave Elizabeth and Janie alone in La Rochelle - they only
become engaged in the end when Elizabeth announces her engagement. Anne and Peter go on to produce lots of Chalet girls, including Beth, Nancy, Barbara and Janice.
So, do you like the relationship between Anne and Peter? Do you think
that Peter was too pushy, or was it romantic the way he seemed to take
charge. Did Anne completely lose her artistic aspirations once she
married? What about the way she felt she had to wait until Elizabeth
married before she could marry herself.
Please join in and post your opinions below
#2: Author: Jennie, Location: CambridgeshirePosted: Fri Aug 31, 2007 6:57 am — It's not a bad relationship, and in 'Janie Steps In' they are seen as being very much in love.
Anne refused to leave Elizabeth and Janie because it was too soon after
their father's death for the three Temple girls to be split up, and
Anne knew that Peter's proposed solution, that Eliz. and Janie lived in
a wing of their home would never suit Elizabeth. And Anne also knew
that Paul and Elizabeth loved each other.
By 'Janie Steps In', Barbara has been born, is still ill, and the
Chesters are living in what is poverty for them, and thanks to Anne's
stiff-necked pride are refusing to see what damage they are doing to
Beth, their oldest daughter.
But, apart from the Bad Bill episode, David Chester is still
cheerful and joking, especially in the apple riot, and we see that he
loves his wife deeply, and that she loves him, in return. Anne seems to
be the more difficult of the two, especially when Janie tackles her
about Beth after the paintbox episode, refusing to see that Beth has
been damaged by her parents apparant lack of care for her. As a
corollary to that, Anne's treatment of Barbara is also seen as wrong,
as she has insisted that her other children give in to Barbara
immediately, which is bad for Barbara and causes a huge amount of
resentment.
But whatever they go through, and their financial situation has
improved by the end of the book, they still apear to be very much in
love. Until Barbara's birth, which is surely EBD's strongest example of
pre-natal stress, Anne had kept up her painting, as we are told that
there are paintings which she had done in all three of the hosues.
#3: Author: Róisín, Location: IrelandPosted: Fri Aug 31, 2007 1:15 pm — I hadn't remembered Anne's paintings being all over their house - that is good to hear!
I think Peter Chester is very smooth and charming. I do think that Anne
is slow to come to like him, almost reluctant. Before the proposal I
almost think she is settling for him because well, how many other
suitable men were there on Guernsey for her? But the proposal and
after, they seem to get on much better.
