Two Chalet School Girls in India

Chalet School - Complete

by Priyadarshini Narendra

Two Chalet School Girls in India details the time spent by Joey and the Robin in India. Elinor M. Brent-Dyer's original manuscript for this title was never published but it has been faithfully reimagined by Priyadarshini Narendra. It covers some of the time between The New Chalet School and The Chalet School in Exile.

Genres: School Stories, Fiction, India

238 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2006

About the author

Priyadarshini Narendra is a marketing, communications and strategy expert. She has worked for close to three decades across advertising, marketing, consumer research and consulting with organizations such as Lintas, Kantar, HT Media, Iconoculture, CK Birla Group and more. A TedX speaker, she is passionate about the cause of Women at the Workplace. She now consults with multiple brands on strategy, trendspotting and research.

She is a fiction writer of two books, Two Chalet School Girls in India, and You Never Know When You’ll Get Lucky! She has also been a contributor to an anthology of short stories inspired by the pandemic, titled Here Today, Here Tomorrow. This is her first non-fiction book.

Reviews

[Hettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this a lot more that I expected. It is the fill in that I have put off reading though it has been sitting on my shelf for some time.

Does it completely fit in the EM Brent-Dyers writing style. Not quite but it still has the same flavor and it is not a jarring difference as parts of Cornelia are.

I really enjoyed the descriptions of the British in colonial India. I am not sure how accurate it is as this is the first information I have read on it. It was a great aspect of the books.

My favorite part was probable the last couple of pages and how it showed how much Joey had grown up and changed on her trip but kept her very much in character. I will not say more so that I do not spoil it for anyone else.

If you enjoy the chalet school series you will definitely enjoy this book

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Joey, Robin, Dick and Molly in India. The author really evoked the environment, the elephant safari they took to see the wild, the forests, the appalling heat in the early chapters and how it affects the British contingent and how they scheduled their routine. I mean we all know the tropics. This book also shows Jo growing and maturing into womanhood, her anxieties on who she’s becoming and comparisons to other young women from a different outlook. I felt this was shown very well, I mean Jo has led a very sheltered life and this came through and was thoughtfully handled. Also we see Robin showing growing pains too, her feelings of being left out of things and Jo growing away from her, quite natural feelings, too. Those who wonder at Jo’s religious changes in future annals of the series should read this book; there is signs of her change here as she finds the rituals of a catholic service she attends resonates to her and she goes to other services later on in the story after this. It continues the record of the change in her, so there’s quite a growth spurt emotionally for Jo.
Dick and Molly’s life in India, the social mixing in the British community and the way they behaved is fascinating to read. The British really kept a very high society form of attitude in India amongst themselves, strange in a foreign country but sameness makes for feelings of comfort I suppose. Especially when you’re a long way from home.
This novel is an excellent addition to the Chalet tome and fans should read this one.

[Trish at Between My Lines · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fill in book featuring two of my favourite characters- Jo and Robin - and both characters felt very authentic. The descriptions of India fascinated me, especially the wildlife elements. Typically we had sickness, Jo being careless and causing all kinds of mishaps and lots of lovely family scenes.

An entertaining nostalgic read. Perfect for these unnerving times.

[Muff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read all the chalet school books, many more than once, it's fun to have a new story with events that are legendary at the CS. True to Brent-Dyer's style.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best Chalet School "fill-in" title I've read. A well-written book that has the "feel" of an EBD without reading like a pastiche, and that answered lots of my questions about Joey's time in India.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Joey and Robin are given the chance to visit Jo’s brother in India, it seems the perfect opportunity for Jo to escape the unwelcome attentions of a doctor and for Robin to recover after her father’s death. Knowing Jo, adventures and accidents are bound to happen, but no-one could anticipate all the ways India is going to change her...

This book is a masterly blend of storytelling in the true EBD manner and some challenges to the cosy Chalet world. While never saying anything that would be outside Jo’s perspective as the sister of one of India’s colonial rulers, the book doesn’t let colonialism off the hook. The diverse Indian locations, customs, languages and food are all described evocatively, down to some authentic EBD history lessons. Joey and Robin have some adventures that are quintessentially Chalet, from family reunions to expeditions full of incident, all with an Indian twist. But being away from home also gives them the opportunity to change and grow in ways that could not have happened under Madge’s watchful eye, from Jo’s fashion experiments to Robin’s teenage rebellion, in ways that resonate with the books EBD wrote about their later lives. Altogether a thoughtful and enjoyable fill-in, and definitely one of the must-reads among them.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

A snapshot glimpse of AngloIndia

I enjoyed this, especially the late colonial picture of India (even though this feels uncomfortable to our 21st century sensibilities). It had rather a lot of events packed in but was winsome overall.

[Irwin H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evocative, entertaining , touching

It deals with adolescent changes as well as adventure in India. An awareness of the time of Britain ruling India ending surprised this reader...A little gem...

[Helen Stanton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved these books when I was in school. This is true to the voice ....but with a slightly tongue in cheek approach to the tub thumping imperialism if the originals . Great fun !!

[Peter /Gemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Go and read it.

Loved this book and it was totally in keeping with the style of Brent-Dyer. A fab fill in book. 5 star

[Penelope Polins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great fill in

This book certainly fills in on the trip that Joey and Robin make to India and the beautiful details about life towards the end of the British Raj were fascinating.

[brian williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great fill in book of chalet school series

I loved reading this book, amd was interested at how the class system was handled, especially at a time when India was heading towards independance

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not the book EBD would have written, as it’s too authentic! The writer is Indian and describes the area as someone who had been there, which EBD wouldn’t have.

Yet, it does fit with the spirit of the stories, and puts across the class system of late 1930’s India in a realistic but not too grating way. After all, this is a story not a political debate over the rights and wrongs of whether Britain should have occupied India. It realistically describes a way of life many did live but that is long gone now.

[Keren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good chalet school fill-in.
Keeps the atmosphere and language of EBD. I really enjoyed this and recommend if you can get hold of it. Has many EBD elements, lost in a storm, far fetched relatives, and a very interesting plot showing the bridge from Joey as a school girl in Jo Returns, to the adult Jo that we find Exile. This also closes off various plot points that pop up later in the series.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this a great deal, although I wish subsequent fill-ins were consistent with it. I was also hoping to bump into Lavender and Lilimani when the story took us to Kashmir, but it was not to be. I liked the development of both Robin and Jo's characters, and overall it was atmospheric with a nice sense of place and lots of detail. Recommended.

[Farah Mendlesohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good delivery of fan fic with the twist that the author is Indian and adds a decent portion of Raj critique as she goes along. I liked it a lot.

[Betsy A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having immersed myself in Chalet books for the last couple of months, I was initially hesitant to try this one, as not being "official" but boy was I wrong! An amazing book from start to finish, it fills in some wonderful back story, and gives some plausible background to the Jack Maynard-Joey love story, which EBD gave very vague hints about in the book leading up to Jo's engagement and marriage.

The language is wonderfully done, the descriptions beautiful, and all in all the events make fascinating reading.

My favorite part? The time in Kashmir and the homage to MM Kaye, the girl Joey supposedly met (Mollie Kaye). MM Kaye is my favorite author, and if you liked this book at all, read "Death in Kashmir" (romantic murder mystery set in post WWII) by her and you will recognize the scenes so beautifully written about in this book.