The Chalet School Triplets

The Chalet School #49

by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer

This story features the adventures of a set of triplets, Margot, Len and Con, at the Chalet School. Amongst other happenings they are trapped by a ferocious blizzard after a skiing excursion, Con is catapulted into a starring role, and Len is accused of shoplifting.

Genres: Childrens, School Stories, Fiction, School, Historical, Classics, Young Adult

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

Elinor M. Brent-Dyer was born as Gladys Eleanor May Dyer on 6th April 1894, in South Shields in the industrial northeast of England, and grew up in a terraced house which had no garden or inside toilet. She was the only daughter of Eleanor Watson Rutherford and Charles Morris Brent Dyer. Her father, who had been married before, left home when she was three years old. In 1912, her brother Henzell died at age 17 of cerebro-spinal fever. After her father died, her mother remarried in 1913.

Elinor was educated at a small local private school in South Shields and returned there to teach when she was eighteen after spending two years at the City of Leeds Training College. Her teaching career spanned 36 years, during which she taught in a wide variety of state and private schools in the northeast, in Middlesex, Bedfordshire, Hampshire, and finally in Hereford.

In the early 1920s she adopted the name Elinor Mary Brent-Dyer. A holiday she spent in the Austrian Tyrol at Pertisau-am-Achensee gave her the inspiration for the first location in the Chalet School series. However, her first book, 'Gerry Goes to School', was published in 1922 and was written for the child actress Hazel Bainbridge. Her first 'Chalet' story, 'The School at the Chalet', was originally published in 1925.

In 1930, the same year that 'Jean of Storms' was serialised, she converted to Roman Catholicism.

In 1933 the Brent-Dyer household (she lived with her mother and stepfather until her mother's death in 1957) moved to Hereford. She travelled daily to Peterchurch as a governess.

When her stepfather died she started her own school in Hereford, The Margaret Roper School. It was non-denominational but with a strong religious tradition. Many Chalet School customs were followed, the girls even wore a similar uniform made in the Chalet School's colours of brown and flame. Elinor was rather untidy, erratic and flamboyant and not really suited to being a headmistress. After her school closed in 1948 she devoted most of her time to writing.

Elinor's mother died in 1957 and in 1964 she moved to Redhill, where she lived in a joint establishment with fellow school story author Phyllis Matthewman and her husband, until her death on 20th September 1969.

During her lifetime Elinor M. Brent-Dyer published 101 books but she is remembered mainly for her Chalet School series. The series numbers 58 books and is the longest-surviving series of girls' school-stories ever known, having been continuously in print for more than 70 years. One hundred thousand paperback copies are still being sold each year.

Among her published books are other school stories; family, historical, adventure and animal stories; a cookery book, and four educational geography-readers. She also wrote plays and numerous unpublished poems and was a keen musician.

In 1994, the year of the centenary of her Elinor Brent-Dyer's birth, Friends of the Chalet School put up plaques in Pertisau, South Shields and Hereford, and a headstone was erected on her grave in Redstone Cemetery, since there was not one previously. They also put flowers on her grave on the anniversaries of her birth and death and on other special occasions.

Reviews

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover picture is OK but where is the crimson honeycombing at the waist and shoulders? And the touches of white on the revers? I mean, I've no idea what any of that means, but it's described very clearly and it's completely absent from those all-blue dresses in the picture. Golden opportunity to show us what EBD's on about, totally missed.

Oh, yes, the book. It's entirely devoted to the ghastly Maynard triplets. So a good book for those who don't think they are ghastly, but not much fun for the rest of us. It also suffers from a line by line description of a pantomime we've seen before - I mean it's bad enough first time round, really do we have to do it twice?

As this book has three heroines, we get three times the usual number of adventures. Adventures in the snow! Criminal accusations! Sleepwalking! Kidnapping! Lost in the woods! Attempted murder! (but she still doesn't get expelled) And yet still the pages are hard to turn... If this wasn't part of a complete re-read I would have given up.

The triplets (along with the rest of VIb, ie the lower sixth) are preparing for 'matric' this summer. Last summer they did their GCE. If memory serves, matric (or matriculation) was what you had to do to get to university - two Es at A level sufficed. So maybe they do do it all in a year. It doesn't quite explain why some in VIa and St Mildred's do A levels but I'm starting to lose hope of ever understanding the public exam system in Chaletland.

[Daisy May Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's the one where, well, things happen? You know, that thing? And the other one? And that other onezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz sorry where was I? Ah yes, I was recounting the tales of the Chalet School Triplets, immortalised forever in their distinctly sack-like blue dresses. This is the book where they do things, one 'thing' per triplet, and highjinks ensue and everything ends welllzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

That's this book. There are moments in it, such as the Margot Moment which is BONKERS and involve her getting away with something she really should never have gotten away with, but that's dulled and deadened by the Len saga ... and the Con saga .. and the bit with the drippy French girl .. and the play .... zzzzzzz....

The thing is, The Chalet School Triplets has bits which are all sort of done before. Syrup is given to bears, people pilfer babies and even flipping Clem pops up in the flipping school play again. It is so very zzz worthy.

(But oh, that Margot thing? Do you all Know Of What I Speak? Was it just me who still can't quite fathom out how she got away with it?)

[Celia · Rating 3 out of 5]

As advertised, it's all about the Maynard triplets, with a large amount of ludicrous adventures (shoplifting! Baby theft! Blizzards!). There is also an insane incident where Margot gets into a temper, and throws a heavy bookend at another girl, hitting her in the head hard enough to knock her unconscious. Margot is actually sort-of threatened with expulsion by the Head (in a "well if you ever brutally attack anyone ever again..." way), but then when the other girl rouses from her stupor she "confesses her part in it" (that is, that she spoke to Margot slightly brusquely), and is assigned half the blame! For being hit in the head! Meanwhile Margot feels bad for about a minute and then merrily trots onward with no consequences. What a delightful child she is.

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really really don't like Margot and why is it never considered that she should be expelled?

[Tria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nope, I *still* think Margot Maynard got off far too lightly for what she did. If I'd been the other girl's parents, I'd have demanded a hell of a lot more than an apology, and one tactless comment doesn't come *close* to justifying an outright physical assault by a young person who would be of an age to be prosecuted for such behaviour in most European countries! Ye gods, it does make me cringe sometimes how much the Maynard/Bettany/Russell clan get away with just because of who they are. If not for that, this would have been one of the better books of the series (I'm speaking of the unabridged version, of course, since I'm lucky enough to have the Chambers hardback edition of it).

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, this isn't my favourite. I've never felt that Len, Con and Margot are particularly compelling characters, so a whole book focused on them has never really been destined to make my top five. However, there's more than enough of the Chalet School I find so charming in here - I found the interaction of the teachers particularly interesting, and there's a lot of Joey (always a plus!) It's still a good read, was well worth the cost of getting it posted to me, and would be perfect for fans of the triplets.

[Sarah A · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun chalet book focusing on adventures and misadventures of the triplets.
This is an enjoyable book but I am disappointed that Margot has yet another set back moment. I enjoy her progression but wanted to see ongoing improvement not great leaps back. Otherwise some reminiscences and some fun stories and adventures!

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover-art on this one is just dreadful, I'm sorry! And yes I am shallow and judge both books and schoolgirls by their appearances ;) I was never a huge fan of the triplets anyway. Bride Bettany and co. were my favourites.

[wychwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was my Christmas present! One of the handful I've never read, so that was pretty exciting. It's prone to the usual EBD flaws, but generally enjoyable, and doesn't have the classic "new girl comes to school" plotline either. Huzzah.

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun but a lot of loose ends.

[Helen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Len, Con and Margot Maynard are now responsible sixth-formers. But Margot still has a temper, Con is still the retiring one and Len is still the over-responsible older sister. Will that change by the end of term?

This is one of EBD’s more episodic books, loosely linked by a series of incidents involving the triplets. Len starts off with a couple of moments where she needs to learn to tone down her responsibility, and is the most unlikely person to be accused of shoplifting. Margot of course has the famous incident where she loses her temper and lets fly with a heavy object that could cause serious damage. Quiet Con has to step up and start taking responsibility in school, including a leading role in the pantomime. Much as I like the triplets, this book feels a little unbalanced in the focus on their stories. Margot’s temper has too serious consequences, Con’s pantomime is a bit too random. The bits that work best are the ones that are more everyday: Con having a boring time teaching a new girl to ski, recalling her stepping up a few books earlier with homesick Odette; Len getting a ticking off from Miss Annersley for her habit of blaming herself for other people’s problems. The book ends with the triplets pulling together to help out during a family crisis. Maybe the problem with this book is that although the triplets and their friends are a strong group, by now EBD doesn’t have good strong other characters to balance them out, apart from the slightly tedious mischief of Jack Lambert & Co. Thankfully this will be somewhat remedied as the series moves to its final flourish.

[Christine Brealey · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

The one where Margot should have been expelled.

The Abbess is ON ONE this term. And I thoroughly enjoyed her use of the word “scrupulosity”.

[Veena · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a long time reader of the Chalet School stories, I was really happy I was able to get a copy of this book at long last. The story focuses primarily on the triplets, Len, Con, and Margot. As usual, Len acts like a martyr taking on the world's burdens on her shoulders, Con is drafted into doing... something. Con is such a forgettable character, and this story is not different. Still, they're not as bad as Margot.

***Mild spoilers***Margot manages to lose her temper, and this time, she actually hurts a classmate. But instead of calling out Margot's behavior and expelling her, which is what she truly deserved, the school as usual comforts her and instead gaslights the victim into apologizing to Margot!!! If they were not Joey Maynard's kids, none of these three would at all stand out. The amount of nepotistic promotion of the Russell and Maynard girls is not at all interesting. ***End spoiler***

Overall, this book is ok, nothing special.

[Margaret Conmey · Rating 4 out of 5]

2.5
One of the few remaining Chalet School books that I had never before read.
Started well as the term had already started and no new girls to be introduced to her ‘cubey’ and the roles of the dormitory.
No clear story but one of the Chalet School books which is mainly a series a separate episodes ( almost like individual short stories) and very little happens within the school itself.
It is ok as it is part of the series and the characters are well known but certainly not one to be read by those new to the series.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am glad to read yet another in this series but the storyline in this was pretty thin.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story, 49th in the original editions, is one of the better ones, in my view. Len, Con and Margot Maynard are now sixteen. The book is about them primarily, in the context of a term that's filled with dramatic situations, mostly featuring one or more of the triplets.

Each incident makes interesting reading, and I liked seeing the different characters of the three. They’re realistically flawed; but all, in their different ways, likeable. Perhaps there is too much drama for one term; chapter after chapter gives more excitement. There’s very little about ordinary Chalet School life; it’s a background to the triplets’ lives, but I like the change of pace. However, those who are not fans of the Maynards may find it dull.

As a piece of mid-century social history I think this series has tremendous value, even though it focuses on the upper middle classes, and an idealised school system. Still, Brent-Dyer doesn't hide the tragedies that struck all too often, and there's one particularly sad story that develops towards the end.

Best read as part of the series, although it could stand alone. Probably appeals most to voracious readers aged around 12-14, and their parents and grandparents who remember the series with fondness from their youth.