Books: The Chalet Girls in Camp
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#1: Books: The Chalet Girls in Camp Author: RóisínLocation: Ireland PostPosted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 8:58 pm
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There is a synopsis here. Elisaveta is staying with the Die Rosen crowd as her doctor has prescribed her fresh air. The book opens with her father the King’s visit to Die Rosen. Then the story moves onto thirty Guides and three Guiders having a Camp in the Baumersee area of the Tyrol. Major incidents include the ‘body’ in the lake, firewood gathering and pit-falling and a hornets’ nest being disturbed.

So how did you like this book, and why? What do you think about the way Grizel called Joey ‘child’? How did you like the part played by the Quintette? Do you like the friendship between Joey and Elisaveta? What about Jack’s visit to the Camp and the way he treats Joey?

And anything else you like to bring up about The Chalet Girls in Camp, please go ahead and post below Very Happy

#2:  Author: Alison HLocation: Manchester PostPosted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 9:18 pm
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I really like this book - some of the incidents (especially the one with Evvy & co starching all the washing) are a bit silly, but because it's a holiday book it all just seems like good fun. I always wished that I'd been able to go on a Guide camp that was like that! Plus I like seeing Elisaveta again, and seeing the little ones at Die Rosen.

Grizel shouldn't have called Joey "child" in front of the others given that Joey was Head Girl, but I don't think she meant any harm by it.

I also find it interesting that, when Jem and Jack visit (seems a slightly weird thing for them to've done, especially Jack, but anyway!), Jem says something to Joey about "Haven't you got anything pretty to say to Jack?" ... that to me is the first hint that Jack is interested in Joey, even though he doesn't intend to do anything about it yet, and also strongly suggests that Jem both knows about it and approves of it Wink .

#3:  Author: RóisínLocation: Ireland PostPosted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 9:23 pm
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My favourite thing about this book (and it is one of my absolute favourite Chalet books of the whole series!) is the scenery and atmosphere. EBD had a real talent for describing landscapes and the summer holiday at the Baumersee is made to sound extremely alluring. I read this book every summer time to get that feeling of vacation. You can really smell the smoke of the campfire and feel Joey's relief at being permitted to go swimming in the lake after a hot day that finished in falling into the insecty pit Very Happy

#4:  Author: claireLocation: South Wales PostPosted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 9:25 pm
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but Joey shouldn't have called Grizel (a member of staff) child FIRST. But that doesn't get commented on

#5:  Author: jenniferLocation: Taiwan PostPosted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 2:50 am
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I think this is my favorite of the holiday books. EBD does scenery aand atmosophere descriptions so well in the Tyrol books, something that is lacking in the Swiss excursions.

The girls are just having so much fun - the camp routine, various mishaps (I love the dead body), and there is a smaller set of girls than in the school term books.

The Joey/Grizel dynamic is an odd one. Joey calls Grizel child earlier, and I think having the head girl refer to a mistress as 'child' is much more of an offence than vice-versa. Given the two personalities, a talk with each of them about appropriate mistress/student interaction while on school time would have been appropriate, but chastising Grizel but not Joey is rank favoritism.

#6:  Author: KBLocation: Melbourne, Australia PostPosted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 4:21 am
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claire wrote:
but Joey shouldn't have called Grizel (a member of staff) child FIRST. But that doesn't get commented on


Actually, being pedantic, Joey calls Grizel 'my child'. She also says the same thing to Juliet, which brings no response. She says that to numerous other people, older and younger than she is. There is a great difference in tone between the main two comments and other similar ones:

To Elsie Carr:
Quote:
Elsie turned scarlet, and Joey smiled in a superior way. ‘You’ll like it all right when you get there, my child. Going errands when you’re camping and going errands ordinarily are two very different things.’


To Juliet:
Quote:
‘Lazy object!’ laughed Jo, as she got to her feet. ‘Being engaged is not improving you, my child. It will be my painful duty to write to Donal and lecture him on spoiling you—I can see that!’


To Grizel:
Quote:
Jo filled her mug and set down the big enamelled jug, in which the coffee had been put, before replying. Then she fixed Grizel with her eyes, and grinned as she said, ‘Example is better than precept, my child. Likewise, practise what you preach. It’s up to you!’


And to Joey:
Quote:
She got no satisfaction, however. Grizel merely hunched herself into a more comfortable position before she murmured, ‘It’s too hot to argue. Go and sit down, child, before you spill that coffee.’


There is definitely a nastier tone in the last example to my way of thinking; for more belittling and negative.

#7:  Author: KarryLocation: Stoke on Trent PostPosted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 6:18 am
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I agree that there is a difference in the way it is used, I see Joey using the phrase in the same way as "mon enfant", an affectionate term, where as grizzle uses it very much as a term of put down!

#8:  Author: Fiona McLocation: Bendigo, Australia PostPosted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 8:00 am
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Karry wrote:
I agree that there is a difference in the way it is used, I see Joey using the phrase in the same way as "mon enfant", an affectionate term, where as grizzle uses it very much as a term of put down!


But I always saw it as Grizel's refusal to rise to Joey's eternal teasing and just after Joey had been teasing Juliet about Donal. She had been defending Juliet before saying that. It does say Juliet was upset by Joey's teasing. In fact I was impressed that neither Juliet or Grizel lost their temper with her because she was being cheeky.
Quite frankly I don't see the difference between the two. Joey's comments to Elsie earlier on are just plain rude and obnoxious. It wasn't so much what she said but her superior manner. She does upset Elsie and the rest of the Quinette by calling them babes and children so often and she would have loathed being refered to like that herself.

I liked this book much more when I first read it. It was one of the first books I ever read but now it has lost a lot of it's charm. Miss Stwert's favouritism of Joey is disgusting. She is quite happy not to pull Joey up for being rude to two new mistresses but oh you can't be rude to Joey Bettany the Head Girl.

I found Joey extremely obnoxious in this book, firstly with her constant tormenting of the quinette and yet she pulls them up if they retaliate to her and her expectation that people wait on her. They're having lunch and she asks if anyone thinks the rolls would come if she whistled and Marie apologizes for not passing them over earlier. I could have taken it as a light hearted comment until Marie apologized like that.

Aside from that I loved the scene where Joey calls Bill an idiot. It was hilarious though I was never impressed by her coments to Vanna, who had gone to get help even if she could have checked to see if she was okay first. I was glad no one ever let he forget it

#9:  Author: JennieLocation: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 11:38 am
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I think that 'Camp' would have been immensely better without Jo. Yes, I know I'm one of her greatest critics, but it's here in this book that she really begins to irritate by her attitudes. She's lofty and overbearing with the younger ones, speaking to them as if they're idiotic young children and generally assuming an air of wisdom that she doesn't possess.

She is irritating in her manner to the older people, especially Juliet and Grizel, whose status as members of staff as well as their seniority in the Guides meant that she should have watched what she said to them and how she said it. She went so far that Juliet was practically forced to tell her to be quiet, as she was being positively vulgar.

When she fell into the pit, what did she expect Vanna to do? Leave her there? It would have served her right if she had been left there overnight, and perhaps she might have come out of the pit a changed person. Insted of this, she calls up, is rude to Nell Wilson, when she ight have realised that Vanna had gone for help, and that the help would have been provided by the most senior person there.

All in all, though there were some silly episodes in the book, it was enjoyable enough.

#10:  Author: MelLocation: UP NORTH PostPosted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 9:37 pm
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It's surprisingly good considering the limited characters and locale. She does make the place sound idyllic. Jo doesn't show up too well, with her usual idiotic fainting. Perhaps on that trip Jo bonded with Con and Nell who became her triplets' Godmothers. Was Grace there as well?

#11:  Author: RosalinLocation: Swansea PostPosted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 10:41 pm
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I haven't read this one for ages, but I remember it as being enjoyable. Sort of like a holiday you look back on, so I must have got quite in to it when I was reading it. Idyllic sounds about right.

I like having fewer characters, it feels more like the first few books, which are among my favourites. I like having Elisaveta back, and spending a bit of time on the Sonnalpe at the begining.

I don't remember Joey being too annoying, but having been reminded of some of her behaviour, I now want to thump her.

In fact if Joey could just have broken her leg at the start, it would probably turn into one of my favourites.

#12:  Author: Fiona McLocation: Bendigo, Australia PostPosted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 11:25 pm
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Mel wrote:
Was Grace there as well?


All three future godmothers were there.

#13:  Author: LesleyLocation: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 5:47 am
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My theory about the godparents is that those three were responsible for educating Joey about Catholicism when she was considering converting - therefore they were the automatic choices for Godmothers.

#14:  Author: Laura VLocation: Merseyside PostPosted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 11:56 am
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hmmm, I could never really get into this story. Maybe it's because it's not set at school, or because I don't know a lot about guiding or because of Elisaveta (I never really took to her properly) Confused . Having said that I do love the whole nostalgic atmosphere of the trip and a glimpse of rural Austrian life between the wars Smile .

#15:  Author: jenniferLocation: Taiwan PostPosted: Wed Aug 15, 2007 1:54 am
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Jennie wrote:
She's lofty and overbearing with the younger ones, speaking to them as if they're idiotic young children and generally assuming an air of wisdom that she doesn't possess.

She is irritating in her manner to the older people, especially Juliet and Grizel, whose status as members of staff as well as their seniority in the Guides meant that she should have watched what she said to them and how she said it.


I think that sums up Jo's lack of maturity at this stage very well. She manages to be condecending and overbearing to those beneath her in status, but stands on her dignity if they try to respond in kind, which is a type of bullying. At the same time, she's cheeky towards those above her in rank, and has to be pulled up pretty sharply when she oversteps her bounds - her teasing of Juliet is prime example, as she's basically harassing a mistress about her romantic life, in front of other students.

I don;t think she;s malicious about it, she just lacks the judgement to put herself in someone else's shoes and realise how she would feel if the juniors were sassing her, or the mistresses were treating her like an inexperienced idiot. She sees the events from only her own perspective, and is too irrepresible and not perceptive enough to pick up readily on subtle clues that her actions are not appreciated.

It's ironic that these are the exact opposite traits the adult Joey is revered for.

#16:  Author: JennieLocation: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Wed Aug 15, 2007 11:45 am
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And are precisely the traits which we see in her as Head Girl and make her unsuited to he position.



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