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#1: Books: Gillian of the Chalet School Author: Róisín, Location: Ireland

Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 10:50 pm
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Published in 2001 by Girls Gone By, this is a filler written by Carol Allan.

Gillian Linton is now Head Girl and has problems to face with the new House system. The Middles are up to their tricks as usual and a massive storm ensures that this is not the peaceful term for which she had hoped. Then there is worry over Mrs Linton's declining health.

Do you like this filler? Is it suitably EBDish? What do you think of how Carol Allan solves the Hilary/Gillian headgirl problem? Or how she deals with Joey's suitor on the Sonnalpe, or the early start of Jack's relationship with Joey? Do you (like me!) always cry when Mrs Linton is dying?

Please join in and post your opinions of this book below Very Happy

Next Sunday: Janie Steps In

#2: Author: Liz K, Location: Bedfordshire

Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 6:45 am
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Haven't had the pleasure of reading this book yet but will be extremely interested to hear what others have to say about it.

#3: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 7:48 am
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I've only read this one once, but I quite liked the way it filled in some of the "missing" bits - how they first came across the cave which played a big part in Exile, the Gillian/Hilary Head Girl thing, Jo's "admirer", etc. I don't think it's the best of the fill-ins, but it helps to cover an important gap in the series. Possibly if the War hadn't happened then EBD wouldn't have left such a big gap between New/United and Exile, but as it is there are a lot of unanswered questions and this answered some of them.

I do wish she'd written about Elisaveta's wedding, though, but that's just me because I like royal weddings Laughing

#4: Author: Karry, Location: Stoke on Trent

Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 10:32 am
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Gillian is on Raya's transcript site. You have to register to get access.

#5: Author: Laura V, Location: Merseyside

Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 9:33 am
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overall I think its a successful fill in (though not my favourite). The one thing that does annoy my though is the way the head girl issue is solved. Would it really have been as easy as that for Hilary to contact her father from the Austrian Alps in the depths of winter? And isn't it a bit presumptious of Hilary to think that she will automatically be head girl next year when there could be other possible candidates? Very un-Hilary in my opinion.

#6: Author: Mia, Location: London

Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 10:17 am
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I agree. Although it works sometimes, generally I'm not a fan of having EBDisms "explained".

#7: Author: Fiona Mc, Location: Bendigo, Australia

Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 11:11 am
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The way she explained Hilary staying annoyed me too especially since Ilonka was meant to take over after Gillian and Hilary shared a year. It would also mean Hilary was in the Sixth for three years as well.

The other thing that annoyed me was the name she gave Mrs Linton. Joyce said she was named for her mother so why on earth did Carol Allen name Mrs Linton, Winifred. I could understand the logic behind Hilary but not the logic of giving Mrs Linton a completely different name.

Other than those two things I did enjoy the book overall. I like how she developed Ivy Norman as a mistress and how you could start to see the splintering within the group of Liz Arnett and Betty Wynne Davies. I thought it interesting Emmie Linders and Biddy O'Ryan weren't as keen on her and very realistic

#8: Author: Elbee, Location: Surrey

Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 1:11 pm
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I enjoyed this book, it is always a treat to read more about the school in Tyrol. I thought Joyce's growing maturity was realistically portrayed and I liked Gillian too. The middles were fun, especially the developing characters of Elizabeth and Betty. It was good to read about happenings which are mentioned in future books, such as the use of Morse Code in prep.

However, I am in agreement with those who found the Hilary/extra year situation annoying. It just didn't work for me and spoilt the end of the book.

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

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 9:19 pm
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Fiona Mc wrote:

The other thing that annoyed me was the name she gave Mrs Linton. Joyce said she was named for her mother so why on earth did Carol Allen name Mrs Linton, Winifred. I could understand the logic behind Hilary but not the logic of giving Mrs Linton a completely different name.

After the book initially came out there was quite a bit of talk about this point. In the end, Carol admitted that she had simply missed that point in Lintons, and A&C, who edited Gillian, said the same. They also said that, obviously, Mrs Linton's name was Winifred Joyce. Wink

#10: Author: Sugar, Location: second star to the right!

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 9:26 pm
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KB wrote:

In the end, Carol admitted that she had simply missed that point in Lintons, and A&C, who edited Gillian, said the same. They also said that, obviously, Mrs Linton's name was Winifred Joyce. Wink

Interesting that A&C missed it ...

#11: Author: Caroline, Location: Manchester

Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 12:27 pm
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Yes, I think it was at this point that A&C realised they just didn't have the time to edit the CS fill ins to the level demanded by the readership, and they brought Ruth on board. She and I started working on Robin shortly after Gillian was published...

Thing is, this was more or less the first fill in, and with every book the level of editing required has gone up - nothing to do with the skills of the author, and a lot to do with the readership - GGBP get inundated with emails and letters spotting errors / anachronisms, and as they are desperate not to disappoint people, we all just have to work harder every time to avoid perpetrating Fill-In-Author-isms and explain the choices we have made with EBDisms etc.

On the subject of this book, I quite like the idea of Gillian and many of the plot lines in it, but I'm rather afraid the execution leaves me a little cold. And it rather reads like a book of two halves rather than a coherant entity...

#12: Author: meerium, Location: belfast, northern ireland

Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 2:32 pm
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Caroline wrote:

On the subject of this book, I quite like the idea of Gillian and many of the plot lines in it, but I'm rather afraid the execution leaves me a little cold. And it rather reads like a book of two halves rather than a coherant entity...

I'd agree with this - I've just finished reading the transcript and it felt to me that the writer grew into the book. The beginning, there were points where I felt like I was reading a drabble, but by the end I was totally involved in the story being told and felt all sniffly at Gillian's struggle to get through the Christmas play.

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

Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 9:19 pm
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For me, there are two reasons why Gillian is a slightly uncomfortable read. The first is that every chapter has many breaks and abrupts changes in perspective. The second, which is associated with the first, is that there are great big blocks of description broken up by small sections of conversation.

I had a good look at this for my next fill in and noticed the following:

EBD's best books are made up of mostly conversation - 'show, don't tell', which is one of Ruth's favourite mottos. Where EBD does use description, it is to shift perspective on a scene. For instance, at the very beginning of New Chalet School, the mistresses are gathered in the staff room. Several of them have the following conversation:

Quote:

‘HELLO, everyone! Had good holidays?'
'Splendid, thank you. And you?'
'Rather! My family greeted me with open arms, and I was quite the pet of the house. Pity it lasts such a short while!' And Miss Edwards, youngest member of the Chalet School Staff, sank into her chair at the far end of the big Staff table, and beamed round on everyone. 'Why this solemn conclave?' she continued. 'Is anything wrong?'
Miss Wilson, science and geography mistress, shook her head. 'No; at least not so far as I am aware. But I came up only this morning, and haven't had much chance to discuss anything with anyone yet.'
'Well, we shall all know soon,' said her great chum, Miss Stewart, who, as she was wont to say plaintively, spent her life trying to drive some history home to the brains of the Chalet School girls. 'Here comes Hilda at last! Come in, my child. What an age you have been!'

So we know that at least three mistresses are present - Miss Edwards, Miss Wilson and Miss Stewart. We can gather that others are present because of Miss Edwards 'beaming round at everyone'. The scene is more from Miss Edwards' perspective than anyone elses. But then a change is needed.

Quote:

The door had opened to admit the senior mistress, Miss Annersley. She closed it behind her and came quietly to take her seat at the head of the table. The mistresses sitting round it looked at her, and then glanced at each other. Something was clearly wrong - and badly wrong, too, Miss Wilson to the contrary. Miss Annersley's pleasant, clean-cut face wore a look they had rarely seen there. This meeting had been convened for more serious purposes than the usual Staff arrangements at the beginning of term.

Now the focus of the scene is Miss Annersley. The next few comments are mostly directed to or regarding her. This is the way EBD writes at her strongest. There's no unnecessary description - we know nothing about the appearance of any of the mistresses or of the room, we are told nothing about the school itself. Yet the scene has enough strength and interest to set up the quite complicated storylines that will follow of the two schools merging and Miss Annersley taking on the Headship.

Part of the problem with Gillian IMHO is that there is far too much description. For instance, this is very early in the book:

Quote:

Gillian shook her head in despair and presently resumed her promenade around the flowerbeds of Die Rosen with a troubled expression on her face. The late-summer sun was beaming down on the Sonnalpe from a cloudless sky and she was glad of the cooling breeze which played with her shady hat, gently lifting its large floppy brim now and then to reveal the waves of silky-black hair, blue eyes and rose-petal complexion underneath. Having at last collected sufficient blooms to make a decent-sized arrangement, she paused by the garden wall for a few moments to admire the splendid mountainous landscape that stretched far away to the horizon. Below lay the shimmering sapphire-blue water of the Tiernsee, the most beautiful lake in all Tyrol, bounded by magnificent limestone mountains with jagged peaks. Gillian’s countenance relaxed as she took in the enchanting scenery and, turning her head slightly to the right, she gazed down on a small verdant triangular valley nestling on the western shore. Briesau, where she resided for much of the year, was the home of the Chalet School. Tomorrow she would be returning to the valley once more for the start of the Autumn Term to take up her duties as Head Girl. Gillian regarded her new position of responsibility with a degree of natural apprehension, but being a dutiful young person she was quietly determined not to disappoint those in authority who had placed their trust in her ability to lead the school. Presently, with a glance at her watch and a little sigh, she turned her back on the view and made her way across the garden towards the entrance to the road.

It's lovely description, if a bit guide-book-y, but goes into more detail than EBD would probably have deemed necessary. EBD doesn't tend to describe much of what will happen 'tomorrow', particularly when the reader is going to 'see' it anyway. For my book, that is what sets Gillian apart from the EBD books around it.

#14: Author: jennifer, Location: Taiwan

Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2007 2:35 am
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As a general rule, I'm not a big fan of fill-ins, or basically most continuations of long established series by other authors.

One of the reasons I enjoyed older kidlit (generally the first half of the twentieth century or before) when I was a kid was the different flavour to it. The setting, the society, the implicit assumptions and the historical and cultural place the author was writing from gave a view into a different world.

Book that were set in earlier times but written in a modern epoch didn't have the same appeal. The setting was different, but the author is writing from a late twentieth century viewpoint, with all the modern assumptions about things like corporal punishment, smoking, women's rights, political correctness, racism, ladylike behaviour, religious diversity and so on. Even if they try to stay in period, the end result is very different.

As a result, I tend to find the fill-ins generally competently done, but rather bland. I also tend to find the need to fit the stories in with the EBD canon (such as it is) results in plot elements that tend to be contrived - Hilary's headgirlship is a good example, and there are similar elements involving Robin's appointment and subsequent de-pointment in Robin.

Actually, my drabble reading reflects this - I tend to totally ignore St Agnes' house, and generally read from St Therese (the extrapolations into the modern world) or St Scholastica's (totally irreverent and off the wall), plus any Joey bashing that happens to be going on, but the more EBDlike the drabble, the less interested I am.

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