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#1: Book: A Headgirl's Difficulties Author: Róisín, Location: Ireland

Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 10:59 pm
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Sorry this is a couple of days late. There is a publishing history of this book here and a fine synopsis here.

This is the second book in the La Rochelle series and the fourth in the CS-world read-through list. The main character, Rosamund, is the mother of Blossom and Judy Willoughby later on. Plus Cesca is the mother of Nita Eltringham, who also appears later on (in the Chalet School). It was written in 1923 (it was the second ever book that EBD wrote at all!) and was last published by GGB seven years ago - copies of it in that edition are very hard to get now. It was last published by Chambers in 1957 after several reprints.

Rosamund Atherton is the youngest ever headgirl of the school and is nervous enough about that, when matters are made worse by the headmistress' accident on a train. Miss Catcheside will be missing all term and Rosamund will have to survive as a new leader in these worsened circumstances. There is misbehaviour from the lower forms, there is illness, there is family argument and finally, the school closes early because of a devastating epidemic. The book doesn't end there but carries over to the new term after Christmas. There is Rosamund's essay fiasco - which could possibly be compared to Jo's writing efforts in Jo Returns. An interesting episode is described when the Prefects tackle an outbreak of soppy sentimentality. This book covers a whole year, so there is lots of detail and plot covered in all.

Please join in with anything at all you would like to say about this book Very Happy

#2: Author: brie, Location: Glasgow, aka the land of boredom

Posted: Wed May 16, 2007 2:00 pm
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I haven't read it yet, but I have read Gerry goes to school and Heather leaves school, is it available on the transcripts site?

Thanks,
Brie

#3: Author: Róisín, Location: Ireland

Posted: Wed May 16, 2007 5:08 pm
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I had a look, in case I could post the link to it here, but no, it's not yet a transcript Sad

and neither is it being undertaken by anyone at the moment either.

It's fairly costly to buy either as a HB reprint (I paid around €50 for mine) or as a GGB reprint (cheapest on on ABE at the moment is around €40). There doesn't seem to be any on eBay at the moment.

#4: Author: catherine, Location: Newcastle upon Tyne

Posted: Wed May 16, 2007 5:47 pm
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I have a feeling that GGBP will be reprinting this book this year ... I may have made that up, of course, but I don't think so!

It's a long time since I read it so my comments are a bit sparse but ...

I think one of the things that stood out for me was the amount of slang in the book - it seemed far more than in the CS.

I really liked the family and the mix of school and home. Also, I liked the way we didn't just see one term but saw different terms and the difficulties Rosamund had to face both at home and at school.

#5: Author: Mel, Location: UP NORTH

Posted: Wed May 16, 2007 6:50 pm
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I enjoyed this, which I read quite recently thanks to FOCS library. Rosamund is a strong attractive heroine. The family is a bit too large to take in, which happened in Gerry too, but EBD was still learning! Another period piece, especially over the epidemic, which is quite disturbing and certainly would be to a child reader. And EBD trying out unusual names. Query: why did Rosamund call her daughter Blossom, when the Blossom in this story is so awful?

#6: Author: Cath V-P, Location: Newcastle NSW

Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 1:09 am
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According to the Topsy-Turvy Books site, GGBP are indeed reprinting Head Girl's Difficulties later this year.

Thinking about it, this book is packed with incident isn't it? I find that it leaves me a bit breathless and I have to work hard to sort out just who is who. It almost seemed as if EBD was trying out a number of ideas and seeing what worked best.

Like Gerry (in fact like most of the La Rochelles) the context of the book seems to be much more pronounced. There's the mention of the War, with its effects on Mr Atherton, and the diphtheria epidemic is so very of its time, especially with the consequent fatalities. And there's that throwaway line about the mortality being much higher among the poorer districts of the town which really brings home the social conditions.
And that reminds me that one thing that really annoys me is the way Rosamund's doctor uncle (presumably a close relative of Jem!) scolds her for being sad when that small child dies. She doesn't strike me as being overly emotional here, but he gets very stroppy with her, and even her mother tells him he's out of line.

#7: Author: Caroline, Location: Manchester

Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 9:01 am
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Mel wrote:

I enjoyed this, which I read quite recently thanks to FOCS library. Rosamund is a strong attractive heroine. The family is a bit too large to take in, which happened in Gerry too, but EBD was still learning!

I think I made that point about Gerry, but I actually find the Athertons much easier to handle than the Trevennors. Rose, Con, Lal and Josie all have nice distinctive characters, as does Cesca (although I think we see her less than the others) - I don't find I get them mixed up at all.

I really like this book, BTW. It competes with Heather Leaves School as my fave La Rochelle, probably for the amount of action set in a school...

catherine wrote:

I think one of the things that stood out for me was the amount of slang in the book - it seemed far more than in the CS.

I don;t remember the slang particularly, but it's a while since I read HGD, so... But I am reading School at the Chalet at the moment, and was struck by the huge amount of slang in that one. So, I'm guessing EBD was following the norms of the period - e.g. Angela Brazil, with her idiosyncratic use of slang - in her early books, and then thought better of it, bringing in Miss Bettany's crusade against slang in Jo of the CS. Or something.

Very Happy

#8: Author: Róisín, Location: Ireland

Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 11:06 am
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Cesca's relationship with the others *always* gives me a headache to sort out. Rolling Eyes

#9: Author: Caroline, Location: Manchester

Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 11:24 am
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Yes, it's a wacky one. I have the same problem with Nigel Willoughby's relationship to Sir Piers.....

EBD liked that very-much-younger-step-sibling / half-sibling thing, didn't she?

#10: Author: Róisín, Location: Ireland

Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 11:27 am
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Am I right in thinking that Cesca was actually Mrs Atherton's younger half sister? Or was she the daughter of her younger half sister? Confused

And you will have to explain the Nigel one to me again please Laughing

#11: Author: Caroline, Location: Manchester

Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 11:39 am
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You're right the first time, I think - she is Mrs Atherton's very much younger half-sister (or possibly step-sister). IIRC, Mrs A has brought Cesca up almost from being a baby, as she is so close in age to Rosamund, and half the time Cesca calls Mrs A 'Mother' even though she is actually her sister.

Can't remember if Cesca has always known this from babyhood, or finds out later...

I think that's the way it works, anyway...

Nigel is Sir Piers' very much younger half-brother, I think. And thus Uncle to the Seven Scamps themselves - he's in his 20s during that book, when they are teenagers and Sir Piers must be over 40.

#12: Author: catherine, Location: Newcastle upon Tyne

Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 4:05 pm
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Thinking about Rosamund, I felt she was a strong character in this and definitely a leader, yet I never feel EBD does her justice in the CS series. And Cesca never strikes me as particularly delicate yet she seems to be in the CS series.

One of the other things that struck me was when Allegra got involved in the sentimentality thing and how difficult both she and Rosamund found it to live with each other at home. Neither could really be 'sisterly' towards each other when each knew what was going on - in a boarding school they could probably have avoided each other.

#13: Author: Mel, Location: UP NORTH

Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 9:26 pm
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I also liked the way Rosamund is going to Oxford for its own sake as there is no mention of teaching or needing to earn her living.

#14: Author: Loryat,

Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 3:42 pm
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I haven't read this book and I would love to! It sounds great!

#15: Author: Caroline, Location: Manchester

Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 11:17 am
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To go back to the relationship between Cesca and Mrs Atherton, I looked it up yesterday to check I hadn't got it wrong.

EBD says that Cesca is Mrs Atherton's step-sister, but I think she actually means half-sister - i.e. Cesca is the daughter of Mrs A's father and his second wife (presumably). Cesca is 18 years younger than Mrs A, and the second wife died when Cesca was about 1. Mrs A has brought her up since then, and Cesca didn't know about her real parentage until she was 15 (although, as there appears to be less than the requisite nine months age difference between herself and Rosamund, you might have thought she would twig that something was up!).

What struck me was that Cesca is 17.5 at this point. So, Mrs A is actually only about 36. My age. With six children to bring up. Gulp. Rather her than me!

Laughing

#16: Author: Róisín, Location: Ireland

Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 1:33 pm
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Really? I always thought she was a couple of years older than Rosamund. I'm not sure why. Maybe because she marries first. Confused

#17: Author: Caroline, Location: Manchester

Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 2:32 pm
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She is older than Rosamund, but not by much (in this book at least!).

IIRC, Cesca is 17.5 now (this is September), and is to leave school to become a student teacher in the kindergarten after one more term (?), as she's no academic powerhouse and they can't afford for her to stay on any longer.

Rosamund is to be 17 during the autumn term, and will only stay on at school for another year, when she is to combine being the youngest ever head girl with studying for her scholarship to Somerville college Oxford.

So I reckon that means there is, what, 6-8 months between them. 9 months absolute tops.

Of course, the family are very poor due to Mr A's ill health following the Great War, and the failure of some shares they hold in a Mexican copper mine ( Rolling Eyes

), so only have six children at private school and several servents... Wink

Edited because I can't spell Rolling Eyes

#18: Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent

Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 2:37 pm
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Wish I was that poor! Wink

#19: Author: Caroline, Location: Manchester

Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 3:04 pm
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Me, too.... Very Happy

#20: Author: Tamzin, Location: Edinburgh

Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2007 12:43 am
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I read this yesterday for the first tme in years. My Gran had it in her bookcase along with "Gerry goes to School" and all the CS books and I read them all as a kid. When my Gran died the CS books were all still there but "Gerry", "Head Girl's Difficulties" and the first edition "A Thrilling Term at Janeways" had all disappeared alomg with quite a few other school stories by other writers. Anyway I found a copy of "A Head-Girl's Difficulties" in the Old Children's Bookshelf yesterday (along with "Away from the Vicarage" by Noel Streatfeild and "Secret Letters at Trebizon"!!!) and I read it in one evening.

I always liked this book and I enjoyed re-acquainting myself with it. The diptheria epidemic was horrible and I remember well being disturbed by the children "sleeping" in the churchyard after it was all over. I had no idea what diptheria was but the idea that there were illnesses that could kill children like me was horrifying.

I had forgotten about Adelicia aka Blossom and now I am amazed that Rosamund could ever have contemplated naming her daughter Blossom after meeting the forerunner. However at the time I first read this book I had no idea that Rosamund was Blossom Willoughby's mother so the unlikelihood of the name didn't arise as an issue. I also remember being surprised that they were all so down on sentimentality and "pashes". On reading it as an adult it strikes me that they were rather nasty to poor Adelicia who was not deliberately trying to be a nuisance - the trick presents are a nasty tease that come close to bullying. There is a general lack of tolerance shown when the poor girl breaks down and confronts them about the tricks. She is clearly distressed and all they can do is repeat that this is her punishment for not being like them. Not nice!

Terribly amused that the Atherton's think themselves poor!

Finally - was anyone else irritated beyond belief by Dr Farringford? He's Mrs Atherton's brother and younger than her but he is so bossy and presumptuous with her. He is definitely a prototype Dr Jem - his word is law and must be obeyed without question. I particularly disliked him for being nasty to Rosamund when she was grew upset over the toll the diptheria was exacting on the town. Dear old Uncle Ralph told her off for her "over-sensitivity" and "sentimentalism". Afterwards in private Mrs Atherton rebuked him for this and was told basically that Rosamund was over-emotional and needed to curb it for her own sake. What a sanctimonious, arrogant git! He really annoyed me.

#21: Author: Mel, Location: UP NORTH

Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2007 1:48 pm
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Yes he annoyed me too Tamzin. What on earth did he expect from a girl? Possible he was over-worked and exhausted after the epidemic, but he was far too brutal.

#22: Author: macyrose, Location: Great White North (Canada)

Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2007 3:33 pm
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I also found the child deaths from diptheria (as well as Jose's kitten having to be put down) extremely sad. And I think the doctor was way too harsh towards Rosamund. That was taking the "stiff upper lip" attitude much to far. I found that attitude towards grief a far contrast from The Chalet School Reunion where Mary-Lou is encouraged to cry out her sadness after her mother's death.

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