Climbing a Monkey Puzzle Tree

by Karen Wallace

Nancy Cameron is a new arrival, not just to Woodmaston House for Girls, but to England. She's rolled up from the backwoods of Canada, eager for a new life brimming with adventure. But boarding school isn't the fantasy that Nancy had imagined. It is an austere, loveless world where budding relationships are soon put to the test. Nancy wins friends and finds solace by telling stories, but still feels horribly alone inside. And when she leads her dorm in a special fund-raising event that goes tragically wrong, things go from bad to worse. Nancy longs to meet the glamorous brother of her friend, Caroline, and as her troubles build it's an encounter that can't come soon enough—until a shocking revelation comes to light.

Genres: Young Adult, School Stories, Fiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published October 7, 2002

Reviews

[Deanna Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found it was a little difficult to understand what was happening at the beginning of some chapters. The flow was confusing, but it was an enjoyable read, with an interesting storyline.

[Liralen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah yes, 60s/70s English girls' boarding schools, where even the contents of one's pencil case were subject to inspection to make sure the girls had brought the right writing instruments. I suspect the choice of time frame reflects the author's own experience in boarding school (and cripes, but the emphasis on Elvis)—feels in line with every other grim grey rule-bound English boarding school book I've read from the period, but at this point I'd prefer something a bit more modern. The plot gets a bit twisty—a wicked adult with no redeeming qualities who is eventually punished; a potentially complex schoolgirl who is also punished and never given the chance to develop those complexities; a girl with a Big Secret that is revealed but not dealt with at the end of the book.

[Sophie Snowden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very intriguing but I’m still struggling to get my head around the story!

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A moving and enjoyable companion story to Raspberries on the Yangtze.

[Daisy May Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The trope of a new girl experiencing her first term at school is not a new trope. It is a conceit that pretty much forms the backbone of the school story genre.

Climbing A Monkey Puzzle Tree by Karen Wallace has something I can't quite put my finger on. It's a strange, near-shapeless, story upon story set in the 1960s and told by Canadian Nancy Cameron, new girl to the terribly British and austere Woodmaston House For Girls.

Nancy's first term does not go simply. There's a lot of darkness in this novel and there's an edge to it that gives it a palpable sense of discomfort. It is not an easy read. And yet there's also some very beautiful, brilliant touches that speak of the sparsely elegant story-teller Nancy (Wallace?) is destined to become.

I find it revealing that Wallace refers to herself having "lasted about eighteen month[s]" at boarding school on her official website. The phrasing of that statement suggests it was a somewhat difficult time. Climbing A Monkey Puzzle Tree is not a run of the mill school story.
What it is is a complicated, dark, sardonic, wry, psychological, (painful) account of growing up in the 1960s at boarding school. But it is also, I think, an important addition to a genre that is all too prone to the easy ("I'm a real Chalet School Girl now!") conclusion.

[Ali Chambers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such an intriguing book, and I feel like I can't quite get my head around it at the moment. I still feel like I don't really understand the true depths of this story, and it's made me feel elated and confused at the same time... All in all though, it was a good book and definitely worth the read.

[Hally · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the biggest plot-twist of my childhood.

Really enjoyed re-reading it as an adult too and took away different things from it this time. Can't beat a boarding school book!

(My edition has a lovely cover but loads of typos inside-annoying)

[Elaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a great read...right up until the end. It fell apart and was very confusing,mainly because you couldn't tell what was real and what she was imagining. It was also a little depressing.

[Liz Yardley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-written. The story was good although it did get a little predictable. Also, because of the period, the plot tended to play towards a parent's mores, but on the whole, well-written and enjoyable.

[Noor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me glued to my seat until the very last page! In the beginning I was unsure if I should continue reading or just ditch it... Though I wish it was longer. A must read!

[Caitriona · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weirdly disturbing for a book that looks so whimsical and whatnot.