EJO's mother was Scottish, too, so she probably had a better 'feel' for the cadences of that speech than EBD, as a north-easterner [can't say 'Geordie' for S Shields
], would have done.
Ruth
| The CBB http://www.the-cbb.co.uk/ | |
| Books: Highland Twins at the Chalet School http://www.the-cbb.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3754 |
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| Author: | jennifer [ Sun Dec 16, 2007 4:09 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Books: Highland Twins at the Chalet School |
The book starts with Joey and family relaxing at home before the term begins. Letters arrive, including one from an acquaintance of Joey, who begs her to take in two girls, shy, sheltered Scottish twins Flora and Fiona, whose parents are dead and older sister and guardian has been called up. The twins and their sister have an eventful train journey, finally meeting up with Joey and her family. The twins get on well when they first go to the Chalet school, chumming up with Bride Bettany, Julie Lucy and their crowd, although they run afoul of Betty-Wynne Davies, who is prone to bully the juniors. The twins tells their friends about the Chart of Erisay, a secret document from their home Island. Betty overhears and is intruigued. While discussing it with her friends, she is overheard by a suspicious man, who wants the chart for himself. Emmie and Joanna Linders rejoin the school, after a harrowing escape from Germany. Soon thereafter, Elisaveta and her children descend apon Joey, having fled Belsornia ahead of the Nazis. Veta is determined to live under her husband's name, and settle in England. The school is burgled, and Flora and Fiona are convinced that the burglar was a spy after their chart. Rosalie is attacked by a mysterious man, who knocks her out. Betty sends a threatening anonymous letter to the twins, demanding the chart, after which the twins turn the chart over to Joey.Fiona has a bout of the second sight, and sees her brother Hugh's death at sea. Jack is reported lost at sea, devestating Joey. Fiona tries to 'see' him, and determines that he is still alive. The spy is eventually caught, and fingers Betty as the one who was helping him. She is expelled as a result, and turned to the care of an old family friend, as her official guardian doesn't want her. Jack returns just in time for the annual Christmas pagaent. ---- A lot happens in this book. What do you think of the MacDonalds and their 'Highland Ways'. The Betty/Elizabeth story line, which has spread over several books, comes to an end - what do you think of the way Betty turns out? Was her expulsion fair? Is the second sight story line logical, or totally out of the blue? Other topics for discussion - Elisaveta and the Linders experiences fleeing Europe, and Joey's reaction to Jack's temporary death. |
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| Author: | Miss Di [ Mon Dec 17, 2007 12:57 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
I weep along with Joey when Jack is dead, it's up there with Auntie's letter as one of EBDs most moving scenes. I only had the badly cut paperback growing up - the book is So Much Better when unabridged. Realistically, what headmistress would say to a child "yes, go look into your crystal ball and tell me what you see" But I only quibble about this with my grown up hat on, not my enthusuastic fan hat (do you think Fiona could get me next week's lotto numbers?) You do feel sorry for Betty, but it was carefully set up over a number of books so you could see what a nasty piece of work she was developing into. |
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| Author: | Lolly [ Mon Dec 17, 2007 9:46 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
This is my absolute favourite! I don't think EBD ever again managed to write such good characters |
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| Author: | Alison H [ Mon Dec 17, 2007 10:06 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
I think this one's probably the worst cut of the lot in pb - it's one of very few that I've got in both hb and pb and the pb just isn't a patch on the uncut version - *pokes Armada*. It's lovely to see Elisaveta again - and I think she deserves a lot of credit for the way she copes with her nightmare journey from Belsornia to England. Hearing the Linders' story of their experiences in Nazi-occupied Austria is very moving - especially bearing in mind that people would've been reading it during the War. And the Betty story had been developing for a while, as Di said; and she had to be expelled after what she'd done. And the scenes when Jack was feared drowned are very moving - not just Joey's reaction but the reaction of Madge and Jem as well. I like Flora and Fiona, but I'm not sure that showing them pronouncing bs as ps and so on works very well in prose - we don't get all Simone's speech written with a French accent or Frieda's with an Austrian accent and so on, so why just do it with Flora and Fiona? EJO does the same thing in her Scottish books. Also, why were they travelling in Highland male dress?!! And although I'm not saying for a minute that second sight doesn't exist I don't find it realistic that Hilda, with her very strong Christian beliefs, would encourage Fiona to use it. I could understand Joey in her desperate situation wanting to believe anything that might give her hope, but not Hilda - especially given how fragile Joey's emotional state was. Having said which, all three war books are really very strong, especially reading them as a (supposed!) adult. |
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| Author: | Ciorstaidh [ Mon Dec 17, 2007 7:59 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
Highland Twins is one of my favourite Chalets by a long way -- Jack being 'missing presumed' was completely heart-wrenching and realistic (if Fiona's second sight was rather more farfetched, even to my 11yo mind on first read, then it was placated by many other good plots and subplots). As an adult, I appreciate that the way Joey reacts is entirely plausible and indeed likely -- it makes me wonder if EBD was drawing from a real-life experience with a friend, because it's exactly the way a nervous breakdown (or even a near-miss) can happen. In my experience, anyway. For me, the book's strongpoint is Elizabeth and Betty -- it's quite horrible to see how two girls who were once such close friends (albeit hellraisers) have come to have nothing in common and be at opposite ends of the spectrum. But it does seem that there is redemption for Betty, even though she cannot continue at the Chalet School for obvious reasons. The twins' accents and wearing male dress (not even traditional for Islanders) does grate, but only to the extent that one acknowledges that EBD didn't know everything, and was writing to a schedule...and that hindsight makes things much clearer. I tear up at Jo's complete emotional shut-down, but my tears spill over when Jo is late for the play, the car arrives, and out steps -- Jack. Perfect writing, and almost certainly one of EBD's high points. |
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| Author: | Lolly [ Wed Dec 19, 2007 2:02 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
In defence of EBD the device of Highlanders having second sight was very much of the period. Angela Brazil also uses it as do so many of their peers in various short stories (see who spends far too much of her time and money buying Girls Own annuals!). It is as much a cliché of the time as the stereotyped 'wild Irish scamp', over-emotional French or stoic, honest English character. After all it was not written all that long after the 1920's when, apparently, spiritualism was more popular than Christianity. I quite like it - but then I enjoy the books as much for their reflection of their time as I do for the story and characters.... as for the twin's accents, again that seems to be as such accents were represented at the time ( I can't help feeling that the representation of Biddy's 'creamy Kerry brogue' is just as ludicrous) - I've seen it in Jane Shaw, EJO and again in the short stories. It just seems to be an accepted way of transliterating the way someone from the Highlands would speak. In the same way that you'll often find a Welsh character saying 'iss' for is and repeating 'indeed to goodness' over and over again in many of the short stories of the time. It almost seems to be a device for reminding the reader of the character's nationality. I find it quite interesting that although EBD often causes her 'foreign' characters to speak incorrect English, she never attempts to represent a German or French accent in the way that many of her peers do. I do love this book though! |
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| Author: | Róisín [ Wed Dec 19, 2007 2:28 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
About the accents of the twins - EJO does 'Scottish' much, much better than EBD, IMHO. When you read an EJO sentence aloud, there *is* a vague sense of what the Scottish accent is, whereas when I read an EBD sentence aloud, there is none - just an awful lot of hissing that makes me sound like I'm trying to speak Parseltongue. |
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| Author: | JayB [ Wed Dec 19, 2007 2:29 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
Lolly said: Quote: as
for the twin's accents, again that seems to be as such accents were
represented at the time.... - I've seen it in Jane Shaw, EJO and again
in the short stories.
Probably schoolgirl readers in the '20s and '30s were less familiar with accents beyond their own home areas than they would be today. People travelled less, and they didn't have all the tv soaps and dramas set in different regions, to familiarise them with other accents. In one of the Abbey Books (the Cheltenham one) EJO makes a point of saying that the Newcastle accent of one character (an educated young woman) is unfamiliar to the others, who are from the south of England. Nowadays it's possible to say someone speaks with a strong Welsh accent (or sounds like whoever is the current best known Welsh celebrity/tv character) and most readers will have some idea of what that sounds like. Back then, a writer would probably feel it necessary to try to show it on the page. |
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| Author: | abbeybufo [ Wed Dec 19, 2007 9:23 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
EJO's mother was Scottish, too, so she probably had a better 'feel' for the cadences of that speech than EBD, as a north-easterner [can't say 'Geordie' for S Shields ], would have done.
Ruth |
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| Author: | jennifer [ Thu Dec 20, 2007 2:33 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
Hey, I can now sometimes distinguish between a northern England accent vs Southern England, and I've never even been to the country! I've pieced it together from various British friends. I really like this book, and agree that it is much, much better in the unabridged form. It's actually not so much for the twins, as it is for the other storylines - the war details that permeate the book, the resolution of the Betty/Elizabeth storyline, which is pretty unique in the series, the reappearance of Elisaveta, Jack's disappearance. It's interesting to contrast Elisaveta and Joey. Both had to flee Austria under less than ideal circumstances. Elisaveta comes across as much stronger - she does it immediately post partum, with three small children and her maid, and comes from a much more sheltered life than Joey. She also makes it all the way to England and safety before she collapses. Joey has much more trouble coping with heavy stress, and fundamentally needs someone else to be in charge and look after her. Jack's disappearance is touching, and we see something of how utterly dependent Joey has become on him. They got engaged and married during what was a very stressful time for her (trouble with the Nazis, the breakup of the school (her home), the flight from Austria) and he has been her primary source of emotional support. |
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| Author: | Billie [ Thu Dec 20, 2007 4:20 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
I've only read this in paperback and was most miffed when I found out whole chunks of story had been chopped out, and especially about Elizaveta, whose story seemed annoyingly left dangling. It wasn't until recently when I found a copy of Jane that I realised that she had a whole lot more story in the series after all. This is one of my favourites; the second sight thing is a little unlikely but I enjoy that because it's different from anything you'd find elsewhere in the series and a bit spooky. Jack being missing presumed dead is a real tear-jerker but I'm glad it turned out all right. And I liked to see some more of the Chalet School in relation to the real world and coping with war. One of my favourites. |
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| Author: | tiernsee [ Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:40 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
I only have the paperback copy of this and after reading this thread realise I'm going to have to look out either for a hardback version or for a GGB version (when they do it). Maybe because it was so abridged I never really liked this book that much. I remember being really pleased when I finally got hold of it (as I knew Betty was expelled during the story and wanted to find out what happened). I took the book on holiday to the Isle of Wight and much to the annoyance of family kept disappearing to read chapters! The scenes with Joey didn't affect me that much, the only time I have really howled during a Chalet School book was when Jacynth's aunt died during the Gay Lambert story. It was New Year's Eve and I saw the New Year in, in floods of tears! Is there any information on how much the Armada paperbacks are abridged? Most of my collection are Armadas and I think I may need to replace some of these! |
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| Author: | Mona [ Tue Jan 22, 2008 9:17 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
tiernsee, you can find some information here |
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| Author: | Kirsty [ Tue Jan 22, 2008 9:32 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
tiernsee wrote: I
only have the paperback copy of this and after reading this thread
realise I'm going to have to look out either for a hardback version or
for a GGB version (when they do it).
GGB have already done Highland Twins, and I don't think they;ve got any copies left (it was done a while ago), so you may have to check with some of the book-sellers - or eBay - to get a copy. It's well-worth it thouhg, even with the books Armada didn't hack-and-slash, to try & get the unabridged version. You get so much more of the "flavour" of the books/times. And to keep this on topic, I enjoyed this one, like the other around it. The reason for Betty being expelled was not common to shcool-stories, and I liked the culmination of her & Elizabeth Arnett's growing-up-and-apart. The second-sight storyline interested me as a kid, it seems to be a bit more unreal now though. |
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| Author: | Lolly [ Tue Jan 22, 2008 11:32 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
Ha! I've just noticed that this thread was started on my birthday...very appropriate since Highland Twins is my favourite CS by far! Just wanted to add that while Joey's reaction to Jack's disappearance left me cold, the part where Emmie and Joanna Linders speak to the school brings tears to my eyes every time I read it...I find it very moving. EBD's descriptive passages often make me wince (sorry 
), but I really love the early part of the book - the contrast of the
McDonald's nightmare journey to Armiford, and then arriving to a lovely
summers morning in the country, bath and bed. Obviously I've never been
in an air raid, but it kind of reminds me of the hideous overnight
journey I used to have to take to get from Dublin back home for the
summer holidays. |
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| Author: | Grizel [ Thu Jan 24, 2008 10:10 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
I have just finished reading the highland twins, and I must say like everyone else it is a firm favorite of mine. When Joey got the orange letter, I didn't know what to think, actually if you want to know I thought. I thought it was Betty Wyn Davies who had sent it to spite Robin and Daisy, for talking about her. Thank goodness that was not her, and thank goodness it wasn't even true I breathed a sigh of relief at that. It must have been so hard for Flora and Fauna to keep the Ericay chart, Then towards the end when the criminal with a German accent comes in to the school with Colonel Black, and goes from row to row to seek out the girl that gave him information about the chart, I'm not surprised she fainted. About the second sight Fiona had, left me wondering how on earth does a person posses such a thing. I wish I had it! I read on Wikipedia that only the Celts and Gaelic people have it more in Scotland and less in Ireland, it did mention something about America. |
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| Author: | Cazo3788 [ Sat Aug 02, 2008 5:20 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
I see I've been missing out - this books sounds fantastic! Any possibilities of a transcript anyone? |
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| Author: | Sunglass [ Wed Aug 06, 2008 1:07 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
What I liked about this one is how it manages to address the war without being jingoistic. So many children's books of the period don't see beyond the Home Front, and don't distinguish between Nazism and its victims/unwilling fellow travellers/resisters. I've sometimes wondered whether EBD would have been likely to feel pressurised to write from a more conventionally patriotic perspective during the war, in a way that would have contravened everything her school series stood for in terms of international cooperation and communication - if she did feel such pressure, she resisted it admirably in her portrayals of people in flight from Hitler, whether it's Elizaveta or the Linders and the CS's explicit feeling that it's still a scattered community with members in Germany and the occupied countries. I roll my eyes less at the second sight than Miss Annersley's encouraging it, and I have to say I find the attempt to convey Scottish accents unbearable, even worse than Biddy's! - even if, as others have said, it's a convention of the time in GO stories. If I'd been her editor, I'd have sat her down and said, 'Elinor, either you stop that Brigadoon nonsense with the twins, or you have to write every French character as Inspector Clouseau throughout, every German sounding like a war film baddie ('Ve haff vays of making you talk' und so weiter) etc etc. Even with characters she tells us have a non-English accent - like the Americans - she's capable of writing their speech in standard English for quite long stretches, before throwing in a 'gum-swizzled'. |
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| Author: | Alison H [ Wed Aug 06, 2008 1:11 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
Elsie J Oxenham does the same with Scottish accents in some of her books. |
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| Author: | Kathy_S [ Wed Aug 06, 2008 9:08 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
In terms of the Scottish accents, I don't think EBD's come across that differently from Jane Duncan's portrayals of George & Tom (highlanders, closely based on the author's relations) imitating their Hebridean minister. To me, that suggests that she was trying hard for a regional accent for the twins rather than generic Scottish, though of course it is true that GO books seem to have had a set of stock accents to help differentiate characters. |
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| Author: | Mrs Redboots [ Thu Aug 07, 2008 5:38 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
Ooooh - another Jane Duncan fan! I wish they were still in print.... |
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| Author: | abbeybufo [ Thu Aug 07, 2008 6:54 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
Mrs Redboots wrote: Ooooh - another Jane Duncan fan! I wish they were still in print....
Me too 
I managed to build up a complete set over a number of years, including the children's books and the 'Jean' series - got the last one about 10 years ago [sorry to brag ]
They are perfect 'comfort reading' 
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| Author: | Jennie [ Fri Aug 08, 2008 11:43 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
I love the Jane Duncan books as well. I don't own any, but wish I did. I found Jo's response to the telegram completely OTT. She was surrounded by family and friends, left everything to Anna, Daisy and Robin, and was self-indulgent in shutting herself away from everyone. Her behaviour was a far cry from what she advocates other people should do, and ignored the fact that other people were having to face up to far worse losses and deprivation. As for the second sight, it can happen, mostly in people of Celtic genetic heritage, and apparently, it ha somethig to do with the gene for red hair, so I find it plausible, but cannot understand that Hilda Annersley would accept it and agree to take the twins down to Jo's. |
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| Author: | JayB [ Fri Aug 08, 2008 11:49 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
It does seem out of character for Hilda. I do like the conversation between her and Nell, though, where Nell states her objections to the idea. |
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| Author: | LizzieC [ Fri Aug 08, 2008 12:26 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
Jennie wrote: She
was surrounded by family and friends, left everything to Anna, Daisy
and Robin, and was self-indulgent in shutting herself away from
everyone. Her behaviour was a far cry from what she advocates other
people should do, and ignored the fact that other people were having to
face up to far worse losses and deprivation.
I think that's one of the reasons why she collapsed as she did - she had the luxury of being able to do so. All the people around her picked up the slack and allowed her to be able to shut herself away from the world. I'm not sure how true this would have been in real life though - my father died when I was 8 and my brother 4, and there was no one around to look after us if our mother didn't, so she didn't completely collapse as Jo did, due to a large part I believe, because she didn't have the luxury of doing so. |
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| Author: | Fiona Mc [ Fri Aug 08, 2008 2:27 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
Plus Joey wasn't particularly emotionally strong. But then I was thinking about it the other day and realised that Joey was only 24 when she got this telegram, which is reasonably youngish for this however I do think she could have held it together for the kids better than she did. It was a lot to put on Daisy and Robin both of whom had lost their parents and weren't particularly old themselves. That said I do like this book and feel it's one of the better ones. I loved reading more about Elisaveta and think perhaps she held things together better probably in part because she would have been taught to put others first and stand up to what happens in life more with being a royal. Country first and self second sort of thing. Anyway was glad Emmie and Joanna managed to escape Austria/Germany and we got to hear their story |
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| Author: | Kate [ Fri Aug 08, 2008 2:49 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
Jennie wrote: I
found Jo's response to the telegram completely OTT. She was surrounded
by family and friends, left everything to Anna, Daisy and Robin, and
was self-indulgent in shutting herself away from everyone. Her
behaviour was a far cry from what she advocates other people should do,
and ignored the fact that other people were having to face up to far
worse losses and deprivation.
I don't think logic plays a part in grief though. |
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| Author: | Abi [ Fri Aug 08, 2008 2:52 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
And when something like that happens you don't necessarily think about how your reaction is going to affect other people, especially if you've never had to consider that before, which Joey hasn't. |
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| Author: | Sunglass [ Fri Aug 08, 2008 3:13 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
EBD does genuinely appear to think the stiff upper lip is profoundly unnatural and unhealthy, doesn't she? Even people like Maria Marani who are presented as getting on with things, terribly unhappy, but coping, after a trauma, are seen as absolutely needing to break down before they recover. Which feels in some ways like a rather more modern notion - needing to get in touch with your emotions/pain/talk it through - than I would have thought was the norm during WWII, with the general expectation that people be stoical and keep going in the face of repeated bereavement or bombing. Joey doesn't do Blitz spirit. |
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| Author: | JS [ Fri Aug 08, 2008 3:53 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
Quote: Joey doesn't do Blitz spirit
Urgh, filthy stuff........ |
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| Author: | Jennie [ Fri Aug 08, 2008 3:53 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
But expects other people to. That's my point. |
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| Author: | Cel [ Fri Aug 08, 2008 5:31 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
In fairness to Joey (in case she's lurking on the board somewhere
), she's usually fairly tender and sympathetic when dealing with others
who are grieving; there is a bit of the "accept the will of God" tone,
but she doesn't seem to expect unreasonable stoicism from other
characters. There's Maria Marani, as someone mentioned; also 'making'
Mary-Lou cry after her mother dies, looking after Matey when she loses
her sister, and I'm sure there are other instances.
Her reaction to the telegram always seemed perfectly natural to me... |
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| Author: | Kate [ Sat Aug 09, 2008 12:30 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
It's very easy to know how one *should* react when not in that situation and not actually react that way oneself. It's human and totally understandable. I'm sure I'm constantly giving advice that I don't actually follow in my own crises! |
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| Author: | jennifer [ Sat Aug 09, 2008 3:55 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
I think Joey's response to Jack's death is totally in line with her personality and her responses to other stresses. She doesn't handle emotional stress, either positive or negative, at all well, and does have a history of collapsing completely and needing to be cared for by others. I wonder what would have happened if she hadn't had the luxury of collapsing and recuperating in bed while others looked after her and the triplets? Say it had just been her and the triplets, would she have been able to pull herself up for their sake, or not? That, and how she would have managed if Jack *had* been dead, rather than quickly finding out he was only injured. Would she have managed to raise the triplets, and write her books, and become more emotionally independent? Would she have leaned even harder on Madge and the school? Would she have found someone else to depend on emotionally? |
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| Author: | Alison H [ Sat Aug 09, 2008 6:49 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
Joey does tend to collapse all over the show - during the journey away from Tyrol she kept clinging to Jack and getting hysterical, instead of helping Nell (who was struggling to walk) and the younger girls (who included Robin, whom she was supposedly devoted to), and during/after the journey from Guernsey to England she collapsed and Nell and Frieda were quite literally left holding the babies. She seems to cope when she has to, though, such as when she and Grizel are stranded up the Tiernjoch. |
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| Author: | Emma A [ Sat Aug 09, 2008 10:36 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
Ray's drabble, A Woman Alone, is exploring what might have happened had Jack actually died. Had EBD been writing for adults, she may well have done so also, but I think she probably baulked at writing the death (even off-stage) of a central character (inasmuch as a man could be a main character in the series): Herr Marani was a much more peripheral character, and therefore his death would have had less impact on her readers. I did think it was out of character for Hilda to have taken the story of second sight seriously, and to have actually brought the twins to Jo seemed all wrong, inconsistent with her beliefs. I appreciate that EBD did it for reasons of plot (though it isn't a necessary bit of plot, after all, given that a telegram could have arrived shortly to reassure), and what is odd is that it worked. Why should Jo have believed Fiona? She may have wanted to so badly that she probably would have disbelieved, since the picture EBD paints of Joey's reaction to the news is face to the wall despair. Anyway, although it's a while since I read this, it's one of my favourites: even if the nicknaming of Fiona as Fauna by Joey herself grates on me! If I'd been Fiona I would have been very annoyed and irritated. If they just remembered to say the names the other way round - Fiona and Flora - there'd be none of that Fauna nonsense! |
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| Author: | Fiona Mc [ Sat Aug 09, 2008 1:33 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
I actually thought the second sight thing was handled/written badly. I had read L M Montgomery's Emily of New Moon and thought that was always written/handled better. It always came accross as being a bit contrived especially in the Armada copy which despite it being better in the original form never had the same impact as the episodes of second sight did in Emily of New Moon |
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| Author: | Sarah_K [ Sat Aug 09, 2008 5:30 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
It's been a while since I've read Highland Twins but I'm trying to remember how much we hear about how Joey actually copes after those first awful days. She collapses at first of course and has to have Jem come in to her and let others look after the Triplets but there's quite a gap between the news and Jack's eventual return and presumeably during that time she was managing to keep going (or did the news come through that he was only injured very quickly?) I'm always rather sad we don't hear more of Flora and Fiona when they're older, or Shiena for that matter, they're nice characters and I'm not really sure what happens to them. |
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| Author: | macyrose [ Sat Aug 09, 2008 5:51 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
It's in Reunion that we hear what happened to Shiena and the twins. Quote: Later
on, Shiena was drafted out to Canada where she met her husband and when
the girls finished school, they joined her in Quebec. Shiena’s still
there, but I believe Fiona married someone in Winnipeg and Flora, I
know, is living in Prince Edward Island.
I don't have my books with me but I have a feeling that part may have been cut from the paperbacks. |
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| Author: | Fleury [ Sun Aug 10, 2008 1:29 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
The second sight was i think handled both well and badly in different parts of the book, the slight revulsion which the other twin (sorry brain fuzzy today) feels for it seems to be true of the normal reaction, my mother said some members of her first husband's family (all highland scots) had the second sight and it was certaintly seen as vaguely dangerous. But allowing her to 'look' for Jack seemed unlike the normal reaction for the characters involved. I do like this book very much, especially references to things which were seen as normal in my childhood but are not now (and i'm only 24!) such as children being allowed guns, my oldest brother was given a gun at about 12 but by the time my younger brother got there it was seen as inappropriate. I wonder what today's children would thing about Flora and Fiona having their own guns and shooting rabbits with them? |
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| Author: | jennifer [ Mon Aug 11, 2008 1:52 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
Sarah_K wrote: It's
been a while since I've read Highland Twins but I'm trying to remember
how much we hear about how Joey actually copes after those first awful
days. She collapses at first of course and has to have Jem come in to
her and let others look after the Triplets but there's quite a gap
between the news and Jack's eventual return and presumeably during that
time she was managing to keep going (or did the news come through that
he was only injured very quickly?) Quote: When
she came out of that deep drug-induced sleep, Jo was feverish and ill,
and for the next few days Jem Russell and Gottfried Mensch, the two
doctors, were very anxious about her. Then a wiry constitution and her
quiet, regular life turned the scale and Jo began to recover. A week to
the day when the wire had come, she was sitting up in her room, very
wan and sad, but more like herself than she had been since she had read
the wire. So a few days of being in bed, fever, ill and ministered to by two doctors, and a week afterwards, she's recuperated to the point of sitting up in in her room. When Flora and Fiona visit a few days later, she's still in her room, and said she's restricted to bed by the doctors for the next few days. Two weeks of complete bed rest then, ended by finding out Jack was alive. During that time she was being hovered over by doctors, and the triplets and rest of the household were looked after by Anna. |
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| Author: | Miriam [ Mon Aug 11, 2008 10:25 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
[quote="jennifer Quote: When
she came out of that deep drug-induced sleep, Jo was feverish and ill,
and for the next few days Jem Russell and Gottfried Mensch, the two
doctors, were very anxious about her. Then a wiry constitution and
her quiet, regular life turned the scale and Jo began to recover. A
week to the day when the wire had come, she was sitting up in her room,
very wan and sad, but more like herself than she had been since she had
read the wire. .[/quote] This has to be the only time Jo is ever described as having a wirey constitution! 
When did it develop? And where is the other evidence of it? Was it a result of giving borth to triplets? 
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| Author: | Sunglass [ Mon Aug 11, 2008 10:35 am ] |
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Like those atheletes who perform better after having a child? But what I want to know is how come the wiry constitution evaporates again by the time Joey needs sedation after falling into a packing crate, or going unconscious for several hours after Mike almost falls over a cliff? |
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| Author: | Mel [ Mon Aug 11, 2008 11:27 am ] |
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I think that the sensitive/creative/fragile Joey nonsense is supposed to make the readers admire her, but EBD shoots herself in the foot, because I and many others on the board find her exasperating, selfish and - yes - a spineless jellyfish! |
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| Author: | Alison H [ Mon Aug 11, 2008 11:51 am ] |
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Although it really annoys me that Joey collapses during the journeys from Tyrol to Switzerland and Guernsey to England, when other people a) are relying on her and b) have enough problems of their own without having to look after her, I think it makes her a more interesting person than, for example, Len, who is depicted as being too perfect to be true. The same with Mary-Lou, who is a bit too bossy and officious but because of that is a more realistic character than someone like Len. What doesn't work for me is the way that EBD then makes out that Joey is so wonderful and so admirable. For example, people are always going on about how Joey was the best Head Girl the school ever had, even though Gisela and others did a far better job. Joey as a character is more interesting than Gisela, but in the later books - earlier on, people acknowledge that Joey has her faults, which is fair enough - EBD seems to want Joey to be both interesting/multi-dimensional and perfect, and it doesn't quite work. |
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| Author: | Sunglass [ Mon Aug 11, 2008 12:02 pm ] |
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I agree with this. Joey as a schoolgirl - impulsive, tactless, the precocious outcome of unconventional parenting by siblings, very central to the young CS as sister of the Head and the most prominent English pupil in an Anglophile school - is waaaay more interesting than St Joey as Schoolgirl Paragon, as remembered later in the series by other people. |
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