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#1: Book: The School at the Chalet Author: Róisín, Location: Ireland

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 12:29 am
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There is a summary here and page detailing all the different dustwrappers here.

We all know the story! Laughing

This is the first time we meet the Bettanys - Dick is leaving for India, Joey is frail and Madge informs them both that she is going to start A School. The main features are the mixing of the English pupils with the continental girls, and the growing pains of the School itself as Madge deals with various problems. Simone gets That Haircut. Juliet is a new pupil and brings trouble with her. Gisela is appointed an elegant and mature first head girl. Grizel runs away up the Tiernjoch - Joey almost dies saving her. And we have that beautiful ending, when Madge is saved by a certain doctor ...

So! What did you think of Juliet's parents' actions? Could Madge have gone any other way about trying to find them or should she have checked up on Juliet's references more thoroughly? Should Grizel have been expelled for climbing the Tiernjoch? Do you think the School was trying to be very deliberately English in this book, or do you find it continental-flavoured in spite of itself? What about the birth of the Chaletian and its 12-year-old editress?

These are just what I was wondering about - please do bring in your own issues and questions, and we can all thrash them about together Very Happy

#2: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 7:57 am
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Róisín wrote:

What did you think of Juliet's parents' actions? Could Madge have gone any other way about trying to find them or should she have checked up on Juliet's references more thoroughly?

I should imagine that Madge felt slightly reassured that the Carricks were Anglo-Indian - they would have felt almost like extended family since they came from the place where she was born. Juliet was a day girl to start with, so there shouldn't have been too many problems and I don't suppose Madge would have thought to take up references from every day girl before they started; I don't supppose anybody would have taken up references like that in those days. And I can't see soft-hearted Madge refusing to let Juliet board while her parents were away for a few weeks, particularly given what we had seen of their attitude towards their daughter.

Róisín wrote:

Should Grizel have been expelled for climbing the Tiernjoch?

Again, I think Madge's soft-heartedness comes into play here. Grizel didn't set out to try and harm Joey, or even herself; and Joey shouldn't have rushed off by herself to try and rescue Grizel - there must have been some responsible adult she could have told. What about Herr Marani or Herr Mensch? But I couldn't see Madge sending Grizel back to Devon and her step-mother again.

#3: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 10:33 am
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I love the intimacy of School At: we know all the pupils, all their family backgrounds, all the teaching staff, all the domestic staff and also various other people around the Tiernsee, and it's lovely Very Happy

. So are the descriptions of the local area. I love the "growing pains" too - the pranks and the formation of friendships all seem very realistic, more so than some of the ones in the later books do.

The English/Continental thing is interesting - in the first 2 books there's this theme of trying to be typically English and to do things "the English way", both from the girls (of all nationalities) and from Madge, and then suddenly it all changes and they're using 3 languages and there's all this talk about adopting local customs like curtseying to the Head. I like the international idea better, but there's never any explanation for the change in outlook.

Early Madge is lovely (although the references to wanting male advice are slightly annoying from a modern viewpoint), and I really wish that we'd seen more of her in the later books, and the same with Gisela who IMO was the best Head Girl ever. Some of the later Tyrol books seem to focus on Joey to the exclusion of other people, but this one doesn't so much.

Joey going after Grizel seems slightly daft to me now - a "delicate" 12-year-old girl haring up a dangerous mountain - but I still think that Grizel got off very lightly.

As for the ending, this wasn't the first book I read so I knew that Madge was going to end up with Jem ... I wonder if EBD had already decided at this stage to set up the San and bring in a load of doctors if the book proved to be a success and she was asked to write more in the series, though ...

#4: Author: Lexi, Location: Liverpool

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 12:10 pm
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Can somone with the HB confirm that Jem actually says he's a doctor in this book? I seem to remember from reading the paperback that he introduces himself by name after the rescue but doesn't say that he's a doctor. It got me to wondering whether EBD just wrote him as a nice male character and then invented a reason to keep him in the Tyrol in the second book.

#5: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 12:31 pm
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Lexi wrote:

Can somone with the HB confirm that Jem actually says he's a doctor in this book? I seem to remember from reading the paperback that he introduces himself by name after the rescue but doesn't say that he's a doctor. It got me to wondering whether EBD just wrote him as a nice male character and then invented a reason to keep him in the Tyrol in the second book.

She doesn't say anything about him being a doctor.

Quote:

... Madge sprang down beside her, and then she felt the world turning black, and she fainted. When she came to herself she was lying on a coat in a field. Joey was kneeling beside her, crying vehemently, and a big fair man whom she did not know was holding something to her lips. With an effort she pulled herself together and pushed it away.

'No, no,' she said.

'Oh Madge!' sobbed Joey, 'O-ooh! I thought you - you w-were dead!'

'Hush!' said the man. 'She'll be all right in a minute, kiddy. It's only whisky-and-water I'm giving you, Madam. Better take a little to buck you up!' ...

Quote:

... 'My name's Russell - James Russell, at your service. Well, as I was going to say, Miss Bettany, you had better get somewhere where you can lie down for a bit. There's a main road goes past here somewhere, and, with luck, we ought to get a lift in something. If you will take my arm, I think we can get there all right, and we can't do anything here.'

There was common sense in what he said, so they set off, Madge beginning to realise how very shaky she still felt. The girls were upset too, and it took them some time to make the high-road. Luckily, just as they reached it, a peasant came past with an empty hay-cart. Mr. Russell quickly came to an arrangement with him, and a couple of hours later they were safely in the Gasthaus of a tiny village, ....

I'd say from that she definitely didn't think he was a doctor, although a surgeon would be addressed as "Mr." not "Dr.", I don't see EBD making that distinction for her schoolgirl readers.

#6: Author: Maeve, Location: Romania

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 12:58 pm
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This is a great first book -- so many attractive characters -- it's no wonder EBD keeps most of them active in the series for a long time. The emphasis on Englishness does seem a bit odd when one thinks of how they emphasize their Tyrolean roots later, and yet it makes sense to me that the Englishness would have been a selling point at the beginning, and the continentalness a selling point later.

I love the smallness of the school at this stage -- almost every one gets to be center stage to some extent. I like how Madge, the head, can be found buttering Amy's breakfast roll -- it's so cosy, like they are all playing house.

I never really understood why Madge got SO angry over the vaseline incident. She enters the classroom

Quote:

...white with anger. ..Everyone was staring with fascinated eyes at the headmistress, whom they seemed to be seeing for the first time. Miss Bettany suddenly struck the desk with her hand. Everyone jumped.
‘Who did it?’ she demanded. ‘Is there a coward in the school?’
On the word, Grizel sprang to her feet, head up, eyes blazing defiance.
‘I did it!’ she said, as insolently as she dared. ‘I——’
‘Hush!’

I can understand her being angry at Grizel's defiant refusal to apologise, but if Madge hadn't been so angry here, maybe Grizel wouldn't have acted as she did.

I also don't see that Grizel is really any ruder to Frau Berlin than Joey is, yet it is Grizel's rudeness that is emphasized. Compare

Quote:

‘Engländerin!’ she snorted in guttural tones.
‘Rather!’ responded the irrepressible one. ‘And proud of it too!’
‘Joey! Be quiet!’ said Gisela firmly.
‘Why should I? She spoke first!’
‘It makes no matter. She is much, much older than you!’
Gisela had not intended her remarks to be overheard, but her voice was of the clear, carrying order, and the lady from Berlin not only heard, but understood.
‘Schweine!’ she said, and then heaved her bulk round, nearly upsetting her opposite neighbour, an inoffensive little Tyrolean who was going to market in Spärtz.
‘Isn’t she rude?’ observed Joey.

with

Quote:

‘I will mit English pig-dogs not eat!’ she announced in thunderous tones.
‘Well, we don’t want to eat with you!’ retorted Grizel before Gisela could stop her.

Yet it is Grizel's rudeness that is brought up later, never Joey's. Sheer favouritism Confused

#7: Author: Loryat,

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 1:12 pm
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Love it. It's great! Like Maeve, I like the intimacy. Juliet bathing Amy and so on. (God that sounded slightly wrong).

I personally could never understand why Madge was so annoyed about the vaseline thing, either. Maybe because it was a direct attack on the teacher rather than a prank on another girl? In EB that sort of thing would have been run of the mill, but CS girls don't seem to play jokes on the teachers, more on each other.

When I was younger I really didn't get why Grizel got accused of being rude while Joey didn't, but when I did a reread recently I did see a difference in the way Grizel and Joey behaved. Joey is more cheeky - sticking up for her country, but not attacking FB. On the other hand Grizel is rude - telling FB that they didn't want to eat with her, and something else to IIRC.

#8: Author: jennifer, Location: Taiwan

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 1:52 pm
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I suspect Vaseline is really hard to get off a blackboard - it's the most destructive of the pranks.

I like this as well. There is a family sort of atmosphere to the school, and we see more of the Joey/Madge sisterly relation that in the other books. Gisela makes a lovely headgirl, particularly coming from such a different background. The girls mix together by age a lot more, too, and haven't really separated into distinct friendship groups. Simone's a bit annoying, though.

The emphasis on making things as 'English' as possible seems sort of like play acting. The girls have found something novel to do and are having fun with it.

Juliet - I can see how it snowballed on Madge. If she had been asked to take a new girl as a border on short notice with no references and the parents about to take off, she might have been a bit more wary (although the Stevens adn the Merciers start boarding with little notice as well), although I can't see her anticipating that the Carricks would dump Juliet on her. I do find her transformation from cheeky rebel to helpful leader a bit abrupt, unless she was deliberately misbehaving to force Madge to refuse to take her as a boarder.

Can anyone tell me what Brain Fever is, though, and how you catch it on a mountain?

#9: Author: Loryat,

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 1:57 pm
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Interesting point about Juliet's bahviour jennifer!

I think Joey was supposed to have possibly caught brain fever (if you catch it) through shock. No idea what it is though.

#10: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 2:02 pm
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AFAIK brain fever is an old-fashioned term for meningitis, although I may be wrong. I think this one of the examples of EBD's medical knowledge being somewhat limited ...

#11: Author: Caroline, Location: Manchester

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 2:59 pm
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jennifer wrote:

I do find [Juliet's] transformation from cheeky rebel to helpful leader a bit abrupt, unless she was deliberately misbehaving to force Madge to refuse to take her as a boarder.

That's basically the explanation I came up with for Juliet, although I ended up toning it down (or rather vagueing it up) for the final version - that Juliet (a) had started behaving badly as an attention seeking thing, because her parents ignored her most of the time, (b) was desperately unhappy all the time, which doesn't help with the behaving thing, and (c) behaved badly at the school (or at least didn't much care how she behaved at the school) because she didn't want to get abandoned there like she was in her Indian school.

Not that I think she necessarily did it consciously. It's just that she pretty much must have always been a decent girl underneath to be able to reform so quickly when shown a bit of love and decency, which suggests that the badness was put on / acquired for some specific reason.

#12: Author: Hannah-Lou, Location: Glasgow

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 3:27 pm
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I just wrote a lovely long post for this thread, but the computer ate it Sad

So now I'm going to sulk.

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

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 6:39 pm
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I think this is one of my favourites. The idea of setting up a school and organising everything just as you like it has always seemed exciting. I agree that it evolves realistically and each new development is interesting and moves the story forward - I prefer this to Oberland where everyone seems to muddle along in the new school, waiting to see how things pan out. The travelogue sections also seem fresh and snappily written compared with later books that trudge dutifully through descriptions of school trips to various locations.

This is my most re-read book and I think the freshness of the writing is probably the reason. I also like thinking about each new character and plot development and thinking, "ah-ha - I know what is going to happen there!"

#14: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 8:21 pm
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What attracted me to this first book is that it is vibrant and fun, the school is small enough for the reader to get to know all the characters, yet we see it growing and developing.

Madge is dignified, yet motherly to her pupils, and obviously gains their respect. She is far too kind to even think about sending Grizel home, but I think she is far too lenient with Jo, and we see EBD's favouritism even in the first book.

As for Juliet, she has immense potential which would never have emerged if her parents had taken her with them.

I enjoy the Tyrol books more than any of the others, because they aren't so predictable.

#15: Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 10:33 pm
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I love the book. The smallness and intimacy of the school is very attractive, and Madge is delightful, a mixture of the motherly 'dame school' Head and the innovative, energetic, progressive young woman. Such a shame she met Jem!!!!!

Grizel: I think she did get off too lightly, and the dashing off on mad enterprises did become a bit of a motif in her life. Perhaps that wouldn't have happened if she'd been squashed more thoroughly. There is some lack of 'fit' with our presentday perceptions of naughtiness. Madge makes far more fuss over the vaselined blackboard than she does about climbing the Tiernjoch, though I can imagine it being a nightmare to get off (and I did like the recent drabble about her getting it all over her hand/clothes!)

Juliet: This is, of course, the second time she's been abandoned at school by her parents . I imagine much of her initial bad behaviour stems from fear of it happening again, and it is Madge's reaction, so loving and so different from her previous Head, that makes her want to give back all she can in gratitude.

Brain fever: Not meningitis, I think, because I have older friends who had it, too, in their youth. Strange how these things disappear. My friend's mother (who is no longer alive, but would be almost 100 if she were) had it as a schoolgirl and couldn't take her school exams because of it, but, to be honest, it sounded more like a stress reaction to me. Not a clue what it was. My own Dad had the same experience (not being able to take important exams)with St Vitus' Dance - and what the heck was that???

#16: Author: Maeve, Location: Romania

Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 9:45 am
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I'd never really thought about Juliet's reformation, but concur with the analysis put forth by several people here that, as Caroline says, she was

Quote:

a decent girl underneath

I think this is borne out by her immediate reaction to the news of what her parents have done. If she'd been a really bad 'un, I would think she might have reacted defiantly and cheeky, with a certain bravado, but instead she is quite sad and scared.

I wonder if both Carrick parents were equally at fault, or if Captain Carrick was the prime mover? We hear so little from Mrs. Carrick, just her rebuke to Juliet when the girls first see the Carrick family. Was Mrs. Carrick as much a victim of abuse as Juliet?

#17: Author: jennifer, Location: Taiwan

Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 10:24 am
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It does say that Mrs Carrick has a 'vicious temper' so I'd guess she wasn't particularly nice either.

#18: Author: Caroline, Location: Manchester

Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 10:27 am
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Maeve wrote:

I wonder if both Carrick parents were equally at fault, or if Captain Carrick was the prime mover? We hear so little from Mrs. Carrick, just her rebuke to Juliet when the girls first see the Carrick family. Was Mrs. Carrick as much a victim of abuse as Juliet?

I suspect there might be an element of the victim about Mrs Carrick. But I think the only description we get of her is in School at, where she is:

Quote:

a small, slight woman, sallow of skin and fashionable of dress

She's then described as talking "sharply" to Juliet, who ignores her.

Not much to go on, is it? For some reason, the fact that she is described as "fashionable" and evidently chooses following her husband around the casinos of Europe over making a home for her daughter, makes me think she at least colludes with her husband in the mis-treatment of Juliet. But whether she does this with a spring in her step, or because she is cowed and scared of thwarting him, who can say...

For me, I probably lean towards the former rather than the latter.
Very Happy

#19: Author: Maeve, Location: Romania

Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 10:37 am
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I'd forgotten about her bad temper. I guess husband and wife were pretty well-suited. And as Mrs. Cochrane comes off as being slightly more the heavy concerning Grizel, but her husband is also clearly at fault, maybe EBD portrayed the Carricks as a sort of mirror image, with Captain Carrick coming off as slightly worse than his wife, but only slightly. Does that make any kind of worthwhile sense? Embarassed

#20: Author: RoseCloke, Location: Camping in my housemate's room. Don't ask.

Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 2:56 pm
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I agree with the idea that they're 'playing house' in this one, which is what makes it so attractive. I think also it's the small size of the school (although is the rapid growth really that likely?) - Maeve's right: the image of Madge buttering Amy's roll is a very sweet one. I haven't by any means read all of the stories, but of the ones I have read, you don't get that sort of mealtime intimacy with staff/students until CS in the Oberland, and by then all the girls are grown up so it's not really the same Sad

I also like the closeness between Joey and Madge, which really doesn't show in the later novels. They're still close, but their bond has changed - they seem more like friends than family.

I do think Joey has a lot of responsibility for a twelve year old, but having said that my middle school had a magazine with year eights (12/13 years old) as editors. Maybe it wouldn't seem so odd if there weren't older girls who could have taken the post.

Anyway, that's my two pennies worth Very Happy

#21: Author: Clare, Location: Liverpool

Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 3:06 pm
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Tara wrote:

Grizel: I think she did get off too lightly, and the dashing off on mad enterprises did become a bit of a motif in her life. Perhaps that wouldn't have happened if she'd been squashed more thoroughly.

Didn't Madge feel that the enforced bed rest until she recovered and her illness punishment enough? Also, I think it was Frau Marani who rubbed it in thoroughly what was feared for Joey in thise few days. But I do get what you mean, no formal punishment was enforced e.g. interview with head, made to apologise to school for upset etc.

#22: Author: jennifer, Location: Taiwan

Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 4:46 pm
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I think with both Joey and Grizel the punishments don't stick. They're both strong willed, and pretty impervious to criticism.

Joey runs off or does something mad without telling anyone, and is genuinely sorry afterwards, but then runs off again the next time something comes up - there's going after Grizel, going after Rufus, running off to the Ice festival, running after Elisaveta, etc. She's impulsive, and tends to act without thinking of the consequences.

Grizel's a little more unapologetic, and her run-aways are more thought out, but she's been subject to fairly harsh discipline at home, so she'd be used to more severe punishments than Madge would dish out, for less cause.

I do think Joey is a bit spoiled in the early books, probably inevitably. Her sister is the headmistress and Joey is privy to decision making and discussion about the school that the others don't get. She's the only one who is told the truth about Juliet, for example. She also lives at the school in vacations as well - she and Madge don't have another home. She naturally ends up in a privileged position in the school.

Madge, on the other hand has to balance her sister/mother relationship with Joey with her authority as headmistress, and Joey can't be an easy child to raise. I think the family dynamic tends to win out, even though Joey has to call her Madame. The other girls don't get to sneak up to the headmistress's rooms in the morning for a chat, and aren't consulted about new students or arrangements in the school.

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

Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 5:37 pm
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Yes, I think the Joey favouritism is inevitable, especially as she has always been involved in family discussions before the school started. She also has some recognition from other pupils as Madame's sister, eg the prefects asking her what they think Madge would like for her birthday. Madge does try to keep a level of formality in front of other pupils, and Joey seems genuinely in awe of her at times - I think this is lost later on when she really begins to do as she likes.

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

Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 5:59 pm
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I suspect that one of the things we don't see, because our culture is so radically different, is just what an adventure this was!

Granted, the book is set just after the First World War, in which many women had, for the first time, to take jobs outside the home - but for young women of Madge's social standing, this may well have been rolling bandages for the Red Cross, or just possibly nursing - many women opened their homes for use as convalescent hospitals for the wounded; some of them insisted that only officers be billeted there (the better ones didn't, of course, only the insecure ones). But once the War was over, women were expected to settle down inside the home and arrange the flowers until they married.

Snag was, most of the potential husbands were dead.

There were lots of little schools started up by the "surplus women" (and other ventures, too - look at Lord Peter Wimsey and Miss Climpson); they lasted until the late 1950s/early 1960s when said women died or retired.

But to go abroad and start a school, in an age when "a gently-brought up young lady" didn't travel on her own (see "Head Girl" re local people's reactions to Grizel's jaunt).... that was a serious adventure. Feminism rules!

I know Madge doesn't seem able to lift a finger without asking advice from someone in trousers, but for her era, she was an enormously independent and successful young woman. The kind who, today, would be hitting her head so hard on a glass ceiling that it shattered into little tiny pieces.....

#25: Author: LizzieC, Location: Canterbury, UK

Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 6:51 pm
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RoseCloke wrote:

I think also it's the small size of the school (although is the rapid growth really that likely?) - Maeve's right: the image of Madge buttering Amy's roll is a very sweet one.

I think one of the things I really liked about this book was the small size of the school. Because of its small size it's the only book in which we really see all age groups really mixing, for better or for worse (the protectiveness of the big girls over the little ones for an example of the good, Grizel's teasing of Amy for example of the bad). I really like seeing the mixed age relationships and think it a great pity that EBD moved the juniors to Le Petit chalet so early on. From that point the school starts to lose its family feel and it becomes only a short hop to proper forms and everyone referring to "the babies" without us ever seeing them.

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

Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 6:53 pm
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I agree with Mrs Redboots - and I think that the sense of adventure does come across in this book. Even though there is a lot of male influence around, Madge still comes across as being in charge. Does she ever take advice that goes against her inclinations? I can think of examples where a man is involved, but Madge has control:

- Madge makes the decision about going to Austria in the first place
- Dick is on hand to help in Innsbruck on arrival, but Madge knows exactly what to do and Dick is relegated to booking rooms and carrying cases
- Herr Mensch resolves to advise Madge to write to Dick about the Carricks, but Madge has already done it and made the decision to take Juliet herself
- Madge sees off the cinema men in good style
- Madge cries to Herr Marani that she needs "a man's advice" about Captain Carrick's letter. Herr Marani sympathises, rows her home and says he will "think what is best to do," but by the time she is back at school, Madge has decided to keep Juliet and decides for herself how she will deal with the situation in school.

The only person who bosses her around is Jem - the beginning of the end!

(This is based on my paperback version - does the hardback have anything that gives another angle?)

#27: Author: JayB, Location: SE England

Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 7:26 pm
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From our perspective it does look as if Madge was always running to the men for advice, but she really had no-one else to turn to. Dick was a long way away, and they had no other family other than the vaguely mentioned aunts whom they didn't seem to be close to. Mdlle had no more business experience than Madge. Frau Marani and Frau Mensch had probably never worked or had much experience outside the home. I think it's inevitable that Madge would turn to Herr Braun, Herr Marani and Herr Mensch, especially as they knew the local area. She was fortunate to meet three good men who genuinely had her best interests at heart.

Looking at Madge's situation from an adult perspective, she must often have been lonely and wanting someone she could confide in as an equal. Mdlle was her friend and business partner, but one doesn't have the sense that they were really intimate. Frau Mensch and Frau Marani were very fond of her, but they were older and had very different life experiences. To everyone else Madge had to be 'Madame' and keep a little distance. The favour she showed to Joey was perhaps as much for Madge's own benefit as it was for Joey's - there was no-one else with whom she could be on such intimate terms.

One of the things I thnk EBD does so well in School At is creating a sense of place. I don't think she ever does it quite so successfully again after the school leaves the Tyrol. This is one of my favourite passages, and it seems to me that EBD was describing something she herself had done:

Quote:

Good Herr Braun, the proprietor of the hotel, met them with a beaming face, and escorted them to three of the tables with their huge scarlet umbrellas nearest the Tzigane. How they all enjoyed that afternoon—even Juliet, and Simone, who was suffering from pangs of jealousy because Joey and Grizel had foregathered at another table! Many of their friends were there—Herr Marani, who brought over Frau von Eschenau for a chat with Madge; the Mensches, who had a table nearby; Monsieur and Madame Mercier with Suzanne and Yvette; and many others.

As Grizel said afterwards, it was so unlike England. There were the gaily dressed Tzigane playing as though they were music-possessed; the merry cosmopolitan crowd seated at the umbrella-shaded tables; the vivid blue lake-waters before them; and, surrounding all, the great mountains, beautiful in the bright July sunshine.

Also in School At we get a sense of the School being part of a community, which again we don't really get after the Tyrol books. All the non-school characters are well drawn and believable, and EBD showed that she could write male characters when they weren't there just to be a romantic interest.

All this really bears fruit in Exile, when we really care about the Tyrolean people who are left behind under Nazi domination. Exile wouldn't have been nearly so good if EBD hadn't built up this sense of community over several books.

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

Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 7:52 pm
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JayB wrote:

Exile wouldn't have been nearly so good if EBD hadn't built up this sense of community over several books.

I think this is true of the whole series - the knowledge of and sympathy with the CS world and its inhabitants built up in the early books carry the story much later on, even when the quality of writing has declined.

#29: Author: Tamzin, Location: Edinburgh

Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 10:10 pm
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I was lucky enough as a child to read the series in the correct order so this was the first CS book I read.

I always liked Madge in this book and I got the impression right from the start that she was in charge of her own destiny. Yes, she asked Dick and Herr Braun, Herr Marani and Herr Mensch for advice but she arrived at the final decisions herself. Unfortunately she also tended to confide in Jo, even at this point, and ask her for her opinion!

Mademoiselle seems a bit of a cipher even in this first book and she continued in this vein until she died. She doesn't do or say much at all - I think I hardly noticed she was there as a child reading the book.

I love the "family" atmosphere of the emerging school and I think EBD maintained this pretty well until the school left the Tyrol. After that it seemed more like a normal school e.g I could easily imagine "Three Go" happening in my school but could never have done so with "School at". I absolutely loved reading about the first day and meeting those charming, polite Tyrolean girls with their earnest wish to be as "English" as possible. I identified most with Maria Marani oddly enough, probably because I was 8 myself! She has remained one of my all time favourite characters along with Con Maynard. Despite their universal "well-brocht uptedness" and instant obedience EBD still manages to create distinct personalties for each of the Austrian girls - elegant, serene Gisela, lively Bette who picks up English slang so quickly, steady, stolid Gertrud, shy, polite Frieda, bright, vivacious Maria and friendly, kind Bernhilda.

I agree that EBD does the travel and descriptions far better in the early books and would hold up "School at" as proof of this theory. I really felt as though I were making that journey to the school with Madge, Joey and Grizel. Also the depictions of the lake, the people and the way of life were really interesting - she clearly knew what she was on about. The trip down to Innsbruck to get Madge's present was also good - I referred back to it when I first visited Innsbruck myself and was thrilled as anything when I saw the "Golden Roof" for myself. I also liked the snippets of French and German - again years late when learning both those languages at school I would have a secret smile to myself if one of the CS phrases turned up.

There are also a host of minor yet interesting background characters - James Kettlewell, Cookie, Frau Berlin, Herr Alphen, Mr & Mrs Carrick to name but a few. Ok so they veer dangerously close to caricature in some cases but I would say that for the most part they enrich the story and add humour.

I think that "School at" exemplifies what were to become the best points of the CS series whilst avoiding the worst of the cliches/stock storytelling that were later to emerge. Still some of the plot is a little unlikely. For example why would going after Grizel leave Joey fighting for her life? I can understand complete exhaustion and even shock/nervous collapse but nothing that would actually result in permanent brain damage as EBD alleges as a possibility. I do think she enjoyed making Jo loiter near death's door but I personally became inured to it fairly early on and tended to skip all the pages of Madge's mental agony while waiting to see if Jo would survive her reaction to "yet another over-thrilling adventure" .

And of course we cannot ignore the first of the many accidents, in this case the train crash. This incident, again like so many others in the CS world, leads to a first meeting with a future romantic interest. I think EBD was just a little too fond of this device but at least this was the first time she used it in the CS world. And at least a little humour was added although I always felt a little distressed for poor Frau Berlin wandering about in her voluminous knickers! Still I wish that Madge had never met that blinking Jem.....

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

Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 12:59 am
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Like Tamzin, this was the first title I read as well (it said 'start of a series' on the back and that was enough for me!), and the freshness and was the thing that really struck me.

It's been interesting later to compare it with say, something like Katherine Oldmeadow's 'Princess Charming' written at approximately the same time and having essentially the same plot - family of four sisters left in financial difficulties, so they start a school in their home..... but how different it is. The Oldmeadow school seems to stagger along with no clear sense of direction, dependent very much on exterior events, whereas Madge always seems to me to know exactly what she wants and how to achieve it. The CS is her school and she has a clear plan for its development, even while the comparatively small number of pupils and staff allows the reader to see the working of the school at a very intimate level. Plus as others have said, there is a terrifically strong sense of place; I've always found it easy to visualise the school in its Tyrolean setting, and the main characters are very clearly delineated as well.

#31: Author: Bee, Location: Canberra, Australia

Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 2:48 am
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There are so many things I love about The School at the Chalet - it's hard to think where to begin!

I suppose one of the nicest things about this book is how new and fresh it all seems. The girls are so proud and excited of their new school; it's contagious! Very Happy

And as so many people have mentioned before, there's a feeling of intimacy about it that is lovely.

I really like the students. Gisela was the perfect character for the first Head Girl - she was calm, capable, eager and friendly, and befriended every student, no matter how old they were. In the later books the Head Girls tend to keep to their own age groups; I can't ever imagine Jo, for instance, seeking advice from a twelve-year-old, even if she was related to a teacher! But Gisela was genuinely interested in learning from everyone, and that made her no less capable. I just wish she was a student for more than two books!

Jo was my favourite character when I was younger. I suppose I adored her almost to the point of Simone (I was about nine or ten when I first read this book), although Simone's behaviour annoyed me intensely. I just wanted to be Jo Bettany! She is obviously the leader, and while she might be a little spoiled, she is eager to befriend every student and do everything she can for the school. At this point I think Jo is highly realistic; she is enthusiastic, energetic and outgoing, and it's easy to see why she was so popular. Her relationship with Madge is beautiful. She truly loves and admires Madge, as well as being very respectful. I wish this relationship had continued more like this throughout the series, because it doesn't last this way much longer! The only thing that bothers me is that I think Madge takes her in her confidence too much - I know they're close, but it's pretty inappropriate to discuss the other girls to Jo. I never really thought about the favouritism in this book until reading the other posts, but I suppose it is already starting to show for Jo....

Madge is simply amazing. I find her really courageous and independent here, starting her own school - and in a foreign country! She quickly establishes a rapport with the girls, remaining friendly and warm and also commanding respect. The school really does seem like one enormous family! I like how she takes a genuine interest in each girl individually. However, it did seem ridiculous that she was so angry with Grizel for putting vaseline on the boards, and then she and Jo get off so lightly for running away (although in Jo's case it was to go after Grizel... but still!) It was serious disobedience and carelessness, and they never seem to grow out of it.

It did bother me how Madge sought out so much advice from the men, but never really talked to Mlle. Also, she seemed to discuss the girls' situations with Jo more than to Mlle! However, at the same time she established relationships and friendships with various parents, making them an active part of the school. I think this is one of the reasons the school was more a part of the community in Tyrol than anywhere else! So in that sense it was important - but I do wish she'd consulted with Mlle more. I liked Mlle, but she should have played more of a part. Miss Maynard was considered as important as she was, and while I like Miss Maynard a lot, she was loads less experienced (or at least that was the impression I got).

Juliet was another favourite character. Madge probably should have looked into the family more thoroughly before aceppting Juliet, but I can see why they would have been keen to take yet another pupil. And I think they had paid the term's fees (I can't remember Embarassed

). Her transformation from rebel to saint was pretty sudden, but still believable. And I certainly can't blame her for being grateful to Madge, who was far kinder than anyone else in her past.

What haven't I covered? Hmmm... I think expelling Grizel for climbing the Tiernjoch would have been too harsh, particularly since Madge knew all about Grizel's home life and was an important part of her life. However, I also think she should have had some form of punishment, rather than just relying on her own guilt.

I felt really sorry for Simone, and her treatment bothered me. She was only twelve, and had never been away from home! Once Simone grew that attatched to Jo, I think Jo should have talked to both Madge and Grizel about it (there is mention of Grizel feeling left out because of Jo's sudden closeness with Simone, and that was why she was so eager to befriend Juliet). Simone was clearly homesick and despertely unhappy, and I think something should have been done about it, rather than the girls trying to tease her about it. I don't see why Mlle never stepped in - weren't they cousins?

As for the girls being so eager to be English - I thought this was really sweet, and there were some funny episodes as a result, but I'm glad in the later books it switched and the school took on many continental customs. The emphasis in this book seems to be on the Chalet School being a very English school, then later on there's a complete turnaround. I'm not sure exactly why, although I find the second more interesting. I wonder how the series would have differed, had the school stayed so English...?

Finally, I loved the descriptions of the travels at the beginning of the book, and of the Tiernsee. I think EBD clearly knew was she was talking about, and her love of the place was translated into the book. I just wish the Chalet School could have returned to the Tiernsee...

Sorry, this is really long!!!

#32: Author: Loryat,

Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 11:08 am
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The CS tradition of girls punishing themselves is begun in School At. Grizel runs away to climb a mountain but she gets traumatised and ill and really that was punishment enough! Personally I find the treatment of the girl who locks Blossom in the art room and then lies about it a lot harder to understand. I know she gives herself nightmares but she should still have been disciplined in some way, yet we never see it. And Deira, in Head Girl, doesn't appear to receive any punishment for nearly killing Grizel. Similarly with Margot. Incidentally, why do people perceive the failure to expel Betty as favouritism and not Deira's treatment?

I always like Mlle and do get a strong sense of her in the books. I think she and Madge do discuss the girls, we just don't see it. After all they do it in later books. I think EBD was trying to set up the Madge/Joey relationship which is why there are so many discussions between the two.

Also, I can understand Madge discussing things with Joey. She doesn't want to wreck the relationship they have by suddenly coming over all Headmistressy, and since they are both so absorbed in the school naturally they talk about it. The only example (that I can think of) of Joey and Madge discussing a pupil here is with Juliet, and Madge would have had to explain why Juliet was living with them in holidays so I think it's acceptable.

#33: Author: Lorna, Location: Birmingham, England

Posted: Thu May 03, 2007 9:10 pm
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I love the details of their journey to the Tyrol and watching the school grow.

Are we ever actually told any background information on the Bettany's parents. Obviously we know Joey is left in the care of her much older brother and sister following their death. Do we know how long they have been looking after her? Or how they died? Hmm just thinking the chalet school companion book that I have would probably tell me this.

I really need to reread my chalet school books!

#34: Author: Róisín, Location: Ireland

Posted: Thu May 03, 2007 10:24 pm
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They died of either typhoid or cholera (I think different books say different things) and Madge and Dick had Joey to look after since the age of 12. There is more about it here. Very Happy

#35: Author: Caroline, Location: Manchester

Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 7:37 am
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LizzieC wrote:

I really like seeing the mixed age relationships and think it a great pity that EBD moved the juniors to Le Petit chalet so early on. From that point the school starts to lose its family feel and it becomes only a short hop to proper forms and everyone referring to "the babies" without us ever seeing them.

That's a really good point. For all the family feel of the school in the early years (and personally, I think it's maintained pretty well until the end of Joey's tenure in New House), we see remarkably little of the Juniors once they move to Le Petit Chalet.

If you think about it, in the English years we have several entire books focussing on juniors forms - Highland Twins, Lavender and Three Go, for instance (and Tom and Rosalie, too, I suppose). And even in Switzerland, where we don't technically have juniors for a while, the younger girls are always cropping up here and there, and are the focus of e.g. Leader and Feud.

I'm guessing, over at Le Petit Chalet, it was rather out of sight, out of mind (for EBD at least). Shame, because that bunch of Juniors were a very attractive crowd - Amy, Robin, Inga, Yvette, Peggy Burnett, Renee Lecoutier... It would have been nice to visit them occasionally...

#36: Author: Lorna, Location: Birmingham, England

Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 5:07 pm
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Róisín wrote:

They died of either typhoid or cholera (I think different books say different things) and Madge and Dick had Joey to look after since the age of 12. There is more about it here. Very Happy

Thank you very much Very Happy

#37: Author: dorian, Location: Dublin

Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 6:56 pm
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Oddly enough, I find "The School at the Chalet" is one I don't re-read nearly as often as some of the others. And yet, it is a very lovely book.

Even when I first read it, aged 9 or so, I thought it was incredibly brave of Madge to start a school out of nowhere like that. With the much greater knowledge I now have of the time, I'm even more in awe of her courage - and impressed by her success!

On Grizel...I've always had the impression that Madge (and the later school authorities) didn't quite dare punish her too harshly, because she'd been subjected to so much harsh treatment from her stepmother. I think they feared that any kind of severe punishment would throw her back into that sort of "crushed" mindset, and they were trying to "tame her with kindness" and make her want to be nice and well-behaved. Of course, this didn't entirely work (witness the frequent comments (in later years) about the "hard streak in her character"). Severe punishments when deserved might have been more helpful to her.

Someone suggested (I paraphrase) that Madge went a bit over the top over the blackboard-vaselining incident. I'm not so sure - given the behavioural standards of the time and place, and Grizel's failure to own up immediately, and particularly given that this was Madge's first time at having and using authority, I'm inclined to think that though she may have over-reacted a bit, this was a major test of her authority, and she could not let it slide without losing her power altogether.

#38: Author: Tamzin, Location: Edinburgh

Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 10:06 pm
—

Caroline wrote:

I'm guessing, over at Le Petit Chalet, it was rather out of sight, out of mind (for EBD at least). Shame, because that bunch of Juniors were a very attractive crowd - Amy, Robin, Inga, Yvette, Peggy Burnett, Renee Lecoutier... It would have been nice to visit them occasionally...

I agree. In particular I always wanted to know Renee Lecoutier better - she is really hardly mentioned in the books and has no "lines" at all if I remember correctly? I always thought it odd that Simone didn't speak to her little sister more often or even speak about her much. And it would have been interesting to see the others in that age group too - we see them when they are older or get a hearsay tale or two about them but we never actually see them as a class or as a peer group. It would have been nice to see how Robin acted around and talked to her friends as opposed to her adopted relations. I get the impresion she wasn't really the little "angel" some of the older ones made her out to be Twisted Evil

#39: Author: Kate, Location: Ireland

Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 10:18 pm
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*cough*DRABBLE*cough*

Twisted Evil

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

Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 2:48 am
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Caroline wrote:

Actually that is not as easy as it seems because of the Annexe. The interesting Juniors are rather neatly divided between there and Le Petit Chalet - Amy, Signa, Robin, Irma and possibly Renee are at the Annexe while people like Yvette, Peggy Burnett and Daisy Venables are at Le Petit Chalet.

#41: Author: Clare, Location: Liverpool

Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 11:25 am
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Loryat wrote:

And Deira, in Head Girl, doesn't appear to receive any punishment for nearly killing Grizel. Similarly with Margot. Incidentally, why do people perceive the failure to expel Betty as favouritism and not Deira's treatment?

Do you mean the failure to expel Margot?

I think there is a clear distinction - in Head Girl the whole school are out having a snowball fight, and remember some of the girls (led by Joey) hypothesised that Grizel was hit by ice. Yes Deira confesses that she just picked up the nearest thing and lobbed it, but the point is, everyone is out throwing something - there was potential for someone else to have thrown a stone which has got churned up in the fight.

Margot on the other hand is in a dormitory when she throws the bookend. Both were wilful acts, but I think you have to look at the contexts for the incidents.

#42: Author: Caroline, Location: Manchester

Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 4:19 pm
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KB wrote:

Caroline wrote:

Well, that's very true - and think what angst for e.g. Peggy and Inga to be at the Chalet when their frailer friends get sent to the Annexe (but EBD never tells us about that).

But the thing is, the Annexe doesn't come into being until Exploits (I think - it's after all the worries about Robin's health in And Jo, anyway). Most of those Juniors (not Daisy, of course) are at the school and at Le Petit Chalet from Jo of or shortly after - a whole three years (and, what, five or six books) earlier. So, they should be featuring a lot more IMO - and particularly in the summer term books, Princess, Head Girl and And Jo.

How about Robin's friends being worried about her in And Jo? Very Happy

#43: Author: Loryat,

Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 7:34 pm
—

Tamzin wrote:

I agree about Renee - the only major scene she gets is the one in Goes to It where she is re-united with Simone.

As regards Robin not being a little angel, there's a lovely scene in Rivals where Amy and Robin discuss the Saints. Amy repeats one of Corney's eptitaphs and Robin responds with something like 'That is true. Me, I shall tell them so when I meet them." Margia overhears and comes over all older sister, and when the little girls argue back she agrees with them but reminds them they shouldn't be rude. It's one of my favourite CS scenes ever!

#44: Author: Mel, Location: UP NORTH

Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 10:29 pm
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I think EBD was inspired when she wrote this book. After a lovely holiday in Tyrol she must have day-dreamed about starting a school there and the book just flowed. She creates interesting characters - Madge, Jo and Grizel to start off with and the school just develops. Madge doesn't seem to have a master-plan, she just wants to be able to live somewhere healthy and cheap for Jo's sake. I think the school flourished, because it filled a need. The locals wanted a school for their girls. The alternative was a goveness, which was dull, or the Austrian schools which might be too rigorous. The girls need a general education, languages, some accompishments and culture at that time. The school seemed home-like, Madge is obviously a 'lady' so the Austrians like it. Madge is wise enough to make it 'English' but also to keep local customs of chaperones and food etc. Also for parents like the Stevens it must have been perfect. Who wouldn't want to go to a school in a chalet by a beautiful lake, ringed by mountains, flower-filled meadows, close to a lovely city, drink coffee, eat fancy twists and go for picnics up the Barenbad? Compare with the GO type schools at the time - lumpy gym-slips, 'crocs', suet puddings, muddy hockey and dastardly girls who stole money and cribbed exam papers!

#45: Author: LizzieC, Location: Canterbury, UK

Posted: Mon May 07, 2007 7:44 am
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What I love about this book is how generally well rounded all the characters are. Later on EBD tends to make her characters rather one dimensional and unbelievable (even Joey becomes this way in late books) but in School at they all seem like live people.

The eagerness to be "English" is so understandable, even at Gisela's age you can get wild enthusiasms about something and with everything so new it seemed infectious.

I really enjoy reading this book, moreso since I read the transcript and found all those little items that were cut in PB that make the story and the characters so much richer. For a book that's over 80 years old it's a real treat to read.

I've yet to work out what a Shantung top is though and how it would go with a school tunic Confused

#46: Author: white_hart, Location: Oxford

Posted: Mon May 07, 2007 9:37 am
—

Quote:

I've yet to work out what a Shantung top is though and how it would go with a school tunic

I think 'shantung' is a particular type of fabric, usually silk - quite heavily-textured. So a 'shantung top' just describes the fabric of the blouses!

When I was younger I didn't like the early books so much, I preferred the later ones when the School felt like a 'real' school, with separate forms for each year group, but now I love School at. I think the sense of adventure comes across really strongly, and there are few enough characters that they all seem really well-drawn.

#47: Author: Dawn, Location: Leeds, West Yorks

Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 6:09 pm
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Coming to this discussion rather late Embarassed

- I too loved this book as a child and re-read it numerous times while day-dreaming myself into it Laughing

I love the freshness of it - EBD is clearly writing about an area she knows and loves and it really shows. The family atmoshphere is lovely and it all just flows so well.

Re the vaselining incident - I can remember checking this out before, but in the previous few days, Madge had been sorely tried by pranks and tricks.
Grizel has already been in trouble over the Frau Berlin and film studio incidents

Day 1 morning - Joey, Berta, Simone & a n other powder the washbasins with sherbert - Bette & Bernhilda react
Day 1 evening - Amy, Margia, Suzanne & Yvette sew up the night things of Jo & Simone
Day 2 afternoon - Amy french chalks the piano keys for Grizel's practice
Day 3 evening - Joey makes an effigy in Juliet's cubicle
Day 3 evening - Simone puts brushes in Grizel's bed
Day 6/7 Joey & Grizel persuade Gisela to offer water to foreign staff for St Swithen's Day
Madame not impressed with this at all and makes comments about their sense of humour
Day 7 Grizel vaselines the boards

Grizel doesn't own up immediately and is then insolent - and she is a senior not a middle or junior

#48: Author: Mel, Location: UP NORTH

Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 6:25 pm
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Also re the vaselining she is annoyed because the joke is against a member of staff and not a pupil.

#49: Author: JayB, Location: SE England

Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 6:28 pm
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And it's damage to school property. None of the other pranks caused damage.

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