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The Chalet School #7
The Chalet School and Jo
It's the beginning of Jo's last year at the Chalet School. She is to be head girl, but it is not a responsibility she is looking forward to.
The lively antics of the Middle School are enough to keep anyone busy but, on top of that, there is the terrible worry of the Robin's illness.
The lively antics of the Middle School are enough to keep anyone busy but, on top of that, there is the terrible worry of the Robin's illness.
172 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1930
13 people are currently reading
247 people want to read
About the author
Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
171 books113 followersElinor 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
December 11, 2021
Elinor Brent-Dyer is back on track with this one - Joey is (a reluctant) Head Girl for her final year; a new school annexe is planned at the Sonnalpe sanatorium and two old girls are returning to teach (Grizel and Juliet); the visit to Oberammergau to see the decennial Passion Play is extensively narrated and detailed ( interestingly, the iconic Anton Lang only delivered the Prologue twice in the play’s history, which sets this instalment in either 1930 or 1934 ).
A warm and cosy read.
A warm and cosy read.
December 6, 2012
Destined for head-girl ever since day one, she's finally done it. The Chalet School and Jo sees Joey assume the mantle of head girl. She's not happy at the prospect and goes off grumbling to the intensely serene now-married-and-making-of-the-babies former head Girl Gisela. Gisela puts Joey on the right track, and Joey sets about making her term a success.
However. There's worries about the Robin's health, there's a raven haired Irish orphaline with a begorrah-worthy accent wandering the Platz and those pesky Middles are being, well, pesky. Who knows how things are going to end up?
Well, to be frank, we all do, because we know how the system works by now. The middles, even at this early stage in the series, are tempestuous souls and their activities in this book are a bit amazing. We have the (soon to become legendary) Oberammergau incident, and also the Biddy-in-the-shed incident. It's sort of glorious and bonkers all at the same time (and if that's not a good way to describe the Chalet School series as a whole, then I'll hand in my book-nerd badge at the door).
Coupled with this though is the story of Robin. Brent-Dyer wrote life, when it dances on the edge of death, so very very well and this book sees some of her finest work. There are points in it, full of stillness and pain, that make me weep. And I imagine they'll always make me weep.
But then, in comparison with that, we have the odd little romance subplot between Juliet and A.N. Other. ("She's left school! Marry her off!") It's a constant fascination to me how Brent-Dyer kept these distinct tonal opposites in complete harmony. It's a skill that even she lost eventually (evidence a: "I take it we're engaged? Like it darling?")
However. There's worries about the Robin's health, there's a raven haired Irish orphaline with a begorrah-worthy accent wandering the Platz and those pesky Middles are being, well, pesky. Who knows how things are going to end up?
Well, to be frank, we all do, because we know how the system works by now. The middles, even at this early stage in the series, are tempestuous souls and their activities in this book are a bit amazing. We have the (soon to become legendary) Oberammergau incident, and also the Biddy-in-the-shed incident. It's sort of glorious and bonkers all at the same time (and if that's not a good way to describe the Chalet School series as a whole, then I'll hand in my book-nerd badge at the door).
Coupled with this though is the story of Robin. Brent-Dyer wrote life, when it dances on the edge of death, so very very well and this book sees some of her finest work. There are points in it, full of stillness and pain, that make me weep. And I imagine they'll always make me weep.
But then, in comparison with that, we have the odd little romance subplot between Juliet and A.N. Other. ("She's left school! Marry her off!") It's a constant fascination to me how Brent-Dyer kept these distinct tonal opposites in complete harmony. It's a skill that even she lost eventually (evidence a: "I take it we're engaged? Like it darling?")
August 29, 2017
This is one of the best books in this series, in my opinion. I generally prefer the Tyrol books to the later ones. In this book, Jo faces the fact that she is growing up, and must take on more responsibilities, beginning with being Head Girl. In addition, the Robin's health is giving the doctors concern, while Juliet is having problems of her own. In these circumstances, Jo has no choice but to grow up. But there are also always the Middles, and their misdeeds, as they think up exploits that no one else ever has. Good, believable characterization. The only drawback is that there are a few errors in continuity. Highly recommended.
April 24, 2024
The first book that has jo Bettany as head girl. This is a more emotional read due to the robin’s illness , it had me choked up .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 3, 2024
Some tense moments!
July 28, 2018
Back to my re-reading of the Chalet School. It opens on a grumpy Jo grumping about her impending head-girlship and adulthood (and, judging by most of the CS alumnas (alumnae?), engagement, marriage, and motherhood within three years of leaving school). Needless to say the grumpiness doesn't last long: after she's had the chance to percolate a gentle pep talk from Gisela, she slips seamlessly into the role of the sensible head girl, but (of course) without losing her essential Jo-ness.
In some ways this is quite a lighthearted instalment. I mean, apart from the worry over Robin's health (nothing new, but in this case it is an immediate concern for the grownups at the sanatorium; some of the writing as Jo reacts to learning this is EBD at her best, and really quite affecting) and the Middles' mischief-making, which is an ongoing theme throughout: despite apparently peaking when they cause havoc in Oberammagau the day before they attend the Passion Play, they manage to outdo themselves by sort-of kidnapping (with her full cooperation) an Irish orphan who has such an Oirish 'bedad bejabbers and begorrah' accent I'm surprised it wasn't printed in green ink.
The fact that this is a reprint doesn't mean that all of the problematic language has been removed - Jo's hair is compared to that of a [well known type of doll used to advertise Robinson's jam back in the day] on several occasions. (I've said in previous reviews that I don't get offended by language 'of the time' being used in books, and I don't, but that doesn't mean it doesn't occasionally bring me up short.)
A thoroughly enjoyable visit back to the Tiernsee - perfect for a slightly damp afternoon.
In some ways this is quite a lighthearted instalment. I mean, apart from the worry over Robin's health (nothing new, but in this case it is an immediate concern for the grownups at the sanatorium; some of the writing as Jo reacts to learning this is EBD at her best, and really quite affecting) and the Middles' mischief-making, which is an ongoing theme throughout: despite apparently peaking when they cause havoc in Oberammagau the day before they attend the Passion Play, they manage to outdo themselves by sort-of kidnapping (with her full cooperation) an Irish orphan who has such an Oirish 'bedad bejabbers and begorrah' accent I'm surprised it wasn't printed in green ink.
The fact that this is a reprint doesn't mean that all of the problematic language has been removed - Jo's hair is compared to that of a [well known type of doll used to advertise Robinson's jam back in the day] on several occasions. (I've said in previous reviews that I don't get offended by language 'of the time' being used in books, and I don't, but that doesn't mean it doesn't occasionally bring me up short.)
A thoroughly enjoyable visit back to the Tiernsee - perfect for a slightly damp afternoon.
January 21, 2026
As an adult reading a children's book, this brings a different perspective to it. I do appreciate that it was written 100 year ago, in the same year that the author converted to Catholicism, but I can't imagine any other school a) celebrating the headmistress's birthday then b) going to Oberammergau for a few days to see the play as part of the commemorations.
Other observations:
The Bettanys were supposed to be poor yet seem to have a lot of servants;
Most females are described as pretty with either long black hair or curly blonde hair;
Throughout the series, people are always having twins, or even triplets;
Joey was upset that Donal had stopped seeing Juliet because his sister didn't like her background, yet Joey suggested that Biddy, the lower class Irish child who was found wondering near the lake, leave school at 15 to become a maid!; in another book, it turns out she’s a history teacher starting at the school, still with an Irish accent though. Would have thought the school would have made her speak properly by now;
Everyone seems very immature e.g. how Robin aged 10 is still 'petted' as they say, and sits on people's laps, how 15 year old girls thought they could keep Biddy hidden, without thinking of the winter and school holidays, how Joey, nearly 17, doesn't want to grow up and for none of the others to too etc.;
How the girls that leave school very quickly get married and have children;
Still love the books though!
Other observations:
The Bettanys were supposed to be poor yet seem to have a lot of servants;
Most females are described as pretty with either long black hair or curly blonde hair;
Throughout the series, people are always having twins, or even triplets;
Joey was upset that Donal had stopped seeing Juliet because his sister didn't like her background, yet Joey suggested that Biddy, the lower class Irish child who was found wondering near the lake, leave school at 15 to become a maid!; in another book, it turns out she’s a history teacher starting at the school, still with an Irish accent though. Would have thought the school would have made her speak properly by now;
Everyone seems very immature e.g. how Robin aged 10 is still 'petted' as they say, and sits on people's laps, how 15 year old girls thought they could keep Biddy hidden, without thinking of the winter and school holidays, how Joey, nearly 17, doesn't want to grow up and for none of the others to too etc.;
How the girls that leave school very quickly get married and have children;
Still love the books though!
April 27, 2021
*disclaimer: I did not read this exact edition of the book*
This is book 7 in the 60 book series.
- strong language is used against an individual that Jo doesn't like - both the disliking and the language are condemned.
- sometimes not so innocent pranks played by the middles, also condemned as rude and disrespectful.
- an attempt at raising a child, which includes stealing, lying, and breaking into school property. This is also condemned and the girls are punished for it.
Apart from these things, it's a very wholesome book illustrating life as a schoolgirl in the 1930's, in the Austrian Tyrol. Please don't be like me and read the series out of order, it becomes very confusing!
Note: the use of several different languages, because of the girls coming from all over the world, might be annoying to some people.
This is book 7 in the 60 book series.
- strong language is used against an individual that Jo doesn't like - both the disliking and the language are condemned.
- sometimes not so innocent pranks played by the middles, also condemned as rude and disrespectful.
- an attempt at raising a child, which includes stealing, lying, and breaking into school property. This is also condemned and the girls are punished for it.
Apart from these things, it's a very wholesome book illustrating life as a schoolgirl in the 1930's, in the Austrian Tyrol. Please don't be like me and read the series out of order, it becomes very confusing!
Note: the use of several different languages, because of the girls coming from all over the world, might be annoying to some people.
January 31, 2020
It took me awhile to get back into the mindset to enjoy a plotless story that is just slices of life, but once I got past the first fifty pages I couldn't put it down.
August 30, 2019
Самая расслабленная книга серии so far: ни одного серьезного происшествия (правда, над происходящее бросают отблеск драматические события прошлой книги).
August 3, 2014
A girls' boarding school in the Alps, what more could you ask? It's like Heidi meets Mallory Towers!
This was my first experience with the Chalet School books, and the seventh book in a series was probably not the best place to start. Sadly, this was the one I happened to stumble across in a secondhand bookshop - I suppose I should be glad it wasn't one of the later books! I felt like I was missing out on a lot of inside information, mostly involving the characters' back stories, and the reasons why the school was started in the first place. One of the most frustrating of these was the threat to Robin's health. When it is discovered that "the Robin" might be in danger of contracting the same illness that killed(?) her mother, everyone exclaims, "No, not that for the Robin!", but nobody actually names the dreaded disease.*
However, that's to be expected. Overall I enjoyed this book. The setting is beautiful (and envy-inducing) and the various incidents and adventures were great fun to read about. The trip to Oberamergau was especially interesting, as I would love to go there to see the Passion Play one day too.
Although the book was first published in 1930 and is rather old-fashioned in some ways (not least of which, the rampant classism displayed by all characters), it is refreshingly progressive in terms of gender equality. Perhaps it is a benefit of a girls-only school, but activities that in other books might have been considered the sole domain of boys (such as boating and camping), are entered into with gusto by the Chalet School girls. There are no indications that the girls are incapable or "less than" because they are girls, or that they need men to teach them or help them in any way.
Another thing I really love about the school is that the girls are all casually multilingual! The writing is all in English, except for a lone word here and there, but we're told at times that the characters are speaking German, French or Italian to each other. How lovely! And what a great way to grow up!
I'm not sure that'll look out for other books in the series, but I did enjoy this one. And I'm happy to have in my mind the image of a cosy collection of chalets nestled next to a shining lake, with laughing, multilingual and independent girls rowing on the water or reading under the trees.
* Seriously, what's the deal here? If anyone reading this review actually knows what Robin is in danger of, please let me know!
This was my first experience with the Chalet School books, and the seventh book in a series was probably not the best place to start. Sadly, this was the one I happened to stumble across in a secondhand bookshop - I suppose I should be glad it wasn't one of the later books! I felt like I was missing out on a lot of inside information, mostly involving the characters' back stories, and the reasons why the school was started in the first place. One of the most frustrating of these was the threat to Robin's health. When it is discovered that "the Robin" might be in danger of contracting the same illness that killed(?) her mother, everyone exclaims, "No, not that for the Robin!", but nobody actually names the dreaded disease.*
However, that's to be expected. Overall I enjoyed this book. The setting is beautiful (and envy-inducing) and the various incidents and adventures were great fun to read about. The trip to Oberamergau was especially interesting, as I would love to go there to see the Passion Play one day too.
Although the book was first published in 1930 and is rather old-fashioned in some ways (not least of which, the rampant classism displayed by all characters), it is refreshingly progressive in terms of gender equality. Perhaps it is a benefit of a girls-only school, but activities that in other books might have been considered the sole domain of boys (such as boating and camping), are entered into with gusto by the Chalet School girls. There are no indications that the girls are incapable or "less than" because they are girls, or that they need men to teach them or help them in any way.
Another thing I really love about the school is that the girls are all casually multilingual! The writing is all in English, except for a lone word here and there, but we're told at times that the characters are speaking German, French or Italian to each other. How lovely! And what a great way to grow up!
I'm not sure that'll look out for other books in the series, but I did enjoy this one. And I'm happy to have in my mind the image of a cosy collection of chalets nestled next to a shining lake, with laughing, multilingual and independent girls rowing on the water or reading under the trees.
* Seriously, what's the deal here? If anyone reading this review actually knows what Robin is in danger of, please let me know!
June 13, 2015
One of the very best Chalets - it's the summer term, Jo is head-girl, Biddy O'Ryan makes her dramatic entrance to the series, there's a little light romance for Juliet, and they all go to see the Passion Play at Oberammergau.
But this is EBD. So, just because it's good stuff, that doesn't mean it actually makes sense. The Robin is displaying some worrying health symptoms, so Dr Jem gets a super top doktor over to spend a week (a week!) checking her out. There was no need for Joey to know about any of this until the super top doktor had given his verdict, but they tell her anyway, causing Joey a massive amount of stress. Why? Because if the Robin turned out to be really ill, Joey would never forgive them for not telling her sooner. Really? When she hadn't actually noticed for herself that anything was wrong?
And then there's the boats. When Miss Annersley tells Jo she has some good news, Jo immediately asks 'Are the Saints to have boats after all?' and EBD gives us a great spiel about how the headmistress of the Saints was very nervous about allowing her girls on the water etc etc. But lo! Just a few weeks later, there are the Saints, apparently experienced on the water because their previous location was next to a river, giving the Chaletians a run for their money in an exhausting boat race.
But don't let the EBDishness put you off, because on the whole this is a Chalet that sparkles. It's also, thanks mainly to Biddy and Juliet, a Chalet that gets a lot of references subsequently in the series, so it's one not to miss. Enjoy!
But this is EBD. So, just because it's good stuff, that doesn't mean it actually makes sense. The Robin is displaying some worrying health symptoms, so Dr Jem gets a super top doktor over to spend a week (a week!) checking her out. There was no need for Joey to know about any of this until the super top doktor had given his verdict, but they tell her anyway, causing Joey a massive amount of stress. Why? Because if the Robin turned out to be really ill, Joey would never forgive them for not telling her sooner. Really? When she hadn't actually noticed for herself that anything was wrong?
And then there's the boats. When Miss Annersley tells Jo she has some good news, Jo immediately asks 'Are the Saints to have boats after all?' and EBD gives us a great spiel about how the headmistress of the Saints was very nervous about allowing her girls on the water etc etc. But lo! Just a few weeks later, there are the Saints, apparently experienced on the water because their previous location was next to a river, giving the Chaletians a run for their money in an exhausting boat race.
But don't let the EBDishness put you off, because on the whole this is a Chalet that sparkles. It's also, thanks mainly to Biddy and Juliet, a Chalet that gets a lot of references subsequently in the series, so it's one not to miss. Enjoy!
September 3, 2020
In this, seventh in the lengthy series, Jo at 16 becomes Head Girl, although she would have preferred not to. She worries about the Robin's health, deals with difficult 'Middles', and has the chance of a lifetime to visit Oberammergau.
Pleasant light reading which I liked rather more than I did on earlier readings. There are some quite poignant sections, and one scene where I almost laughed aloud. There's a lot in this book, which covers Robin's health, a broken romance for Juliet, a boat race with the 'Saints', and the introduction of Biddy O'Ryan.
Definitely recommended to fans of the series. This is quite an important book in the Chalet School series. Although my version is paperback, it apparently hasn't been abridged, unlike many of the others.
Longer review here: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/...
Pleasant light reading which I liked rather more than I did on earlier readings. There are some quite poignant sections, and one scene where I almost laughed aloud. There's a lot in this book, which covers Robin's health, a broken romance for Juliet, a boat race with the 'Saints', and the introduction of Biddy O'Ryan.
Definitely recommended to fans of the series. This is quite an important book in the Chalet School series. Although my version is paperback, it apparently hasn't been abridged, unlike many of the others.
Longer review here: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/...
February 24, 2010
Jo is reluctant to be Headgirl of the Chalet School because she fears it will put an end to the fun she has had in her school days there. But there is some fun for her, notably a trip to Obergammerau for the famous Passion Play about the life of Jesus. Most of the girls, including Jo, are inspired by it, but Grizel resists. Jo manages to repair Juliet Carrick's broken romance (why, since the man in question has not been very kind to Juliet?). We also meet the Saints, competitors at a nearby school, and the shadow over the life of Robin, Joey's little adopted sister, is revealed. This is one of the last books to show Joey as an obstreperous, fun-loving schoolgirl: in later episodes she is competent, dignified, and nearly saintly. Entertaining entry in the series.
January 5, 2025
In my first reread of the series since going to Pertisau this is book 8. (I had a burning desire to read Exile and one finished needed to start at the beginning. Don’t @ at me). This was my first ever Chalet School book and still one of my favourites. There’s Middles causing mayhem, Biddy and Oberammergau. And Jo finally starting to grow up. Love this special to me book.
January 10, 2008
Whoa great book :D
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Own a copy but not willing to sell ;)
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Own a copy but not willing to sell ;)
May 1, 2022
This volume is a little heavy on the romance for my taste, but okay as a bedtime read. The school is growing by leaps and bounds with plans to build another centre. There's a nasty little bit of classism, when an Irish orphan is found and taken to the Petit Chalet to live--but she'll be educated at the local district school, which apparently is good enough for her as her mother was a servant! She can live among her "betters" to learn to speak nicely (ie without an Irish accent) but not be taught in the very building she lives in! She'll be trained as servant, and thrust out into the world at fifteen. Niiice.
Everyone is terrified once again about "the Robin"--several characters are moved to cry, "Oh, not that for the Robin!" when once again it is feared that she might have inherited TB from her long-dead mother. Which is not how TB works, but never mind. Stacie is still laid up; after months of lying flat on her back she's allowed to attend classes for an hour or two a day. How medical science has moved on! These days they'd have her in physiotherapy after a week and be telling her to "walk it off."
A large chunk of the narrative is dedicated to the Passion Play of Oberammergau, and the authoress even names the famous Anton Lang who played Jesus on three or four occasions. She speaks repeatedly of his "manly beauty" and "spiritual appearance". Well, I did a quick image search and perhaps he was more impressive when he was actually playing the part; in the stills that I found he looked chubby, pasty, unwell and half-asleep. After the eight hour long performance (with a two hour break for lunch) Jo becomes so overwrought that of course she loses consciousness, though Brent-Dyer resisted the temptation to put her to bed for a week this time; she's content to simply start a new chapter set several days later. She tried to make Jo much more spiritual in this instalment without actually achieving it, beyond mentioning the emotional fainting spell, a couple of times she prayed, and once she attends mass because apparently to her protestant services and the mass are all the same thing, which anyone who's ever attended both knows is untrue, especially in the 1930s.
I now realise that Brent-Dyer wrote these books to promote Girl Guides, just as the author of the Abbey Girls series was pushing folk-dancing.
The ending was as unsatisfying to me as the ending of Little Women, with all the married or about to be married Old Girls purring with satisfaction over their reproductive capacity and nodding wisely at the prefects to let them know what's coming to them. There are babies all over the place, which is nice if you like that sort of thing, but dull if you don't.
Everyone is terrified once again about "the Robin"--several characters are moved to cry, "Oh, not that for the Robin!" when once again it is feared that she might have inherited TB from her long-dead mother. Which is not how TB works, but never mind. Stacie is still laid up; after months of lying flat on her back she's allowed to attend classes for an hour or two a day. How medical science has moved on! These days they'd have her in physiotherapy after a week and be telling her to "walk it off."
A large chunk of the narrative is dedicated to the Passion Play of Oberammergau, and the authoress even names the famous Anton Lang who played Jesus on three or four occasions. She speaks repeatedly of his "manly beauty" and "spiritual appearance". Well, I did a quick image search and perhaps he was more impressive when he was actually playing the part; in the stills that I found he looked chubby, pasty, unwell and half-asleep. After the eight hour long performance (with a two hour break for lunch) Jo becomes so overwrought that of course she loses consciousness, though Brent-Dyer resisted the temptation to put her to bed for a week this time; she's content to simply start a new chapter set several days later. She tried to make Jo much more spiritual in this instalment without actually achieving it, beyond mentioning the emotional fainting spell, a couple of times she prayed, and once she attends mass because apparently to her protestant services and the mass are all the same thing, which anyone who's ever attended both knows is untrue, especially in the 1930s.
I now realise that Brent-Dyer wrote these books to promote Girl Guides, just as the author of the Abbey Girls series was pushing folk-dancing.
The ending was as unsatisfying to me as the ending of Little Women, with all the married or about to be married Old Girls purring with satisfaction over their reproductive capacity and nodding wisely at the prefects to let them know what's coming to them. There are babies all over the place, which is nice if you like that sort of thing, but dull if you don't.
January 24, 2018
This one's a real mixed bag. It got a bit slow in the middle but then livened up a good deal. The focus was on Jo's time as head girl yet it didn't really do that focus justice. I never really got a sense of what Jo was like as head - we really only saw what she was like as a sister.
August 7, 2018
Probably my least favourite in the series, and not one that I read as a kid. The characters just don't seem to be in-character to me - or maybe they just aren't as well-characterised as they are in other books.
December 26, 2018
Placeholder
F - SF
F - SF
April 2, 2019
in which biddy o'ryan makes an appearance
April 8, 2020
More plot errors (and typos) than usual. Might be a dodgy edition?
October 31, 2025
As a child I didn't really like this book, why where the girl's books so badly written compared to the boys??? Jo is a Chalet school is Austria and is set to be head girl. Very flat.
January 12, 2026
This was fine. Found all the passion play stuff a bit of a snoozer and the large amounts of babies everyone has started producing was also a bit boring.
July 28, 2023
Pure nostalgia :D
August 16, 2014
It's easy to forget what a lively, lovely creation Joey Bettany was in her youth - lost as she often gets in her future roles of mother-to-eleven and unofficial school adviser. But the irrepressible, warm-hearted, impulsive Joey we all first loved is very much on display in The Chalet School And Jo, as she assumes the position of head girl for her first term - fretting and complaining mightily at every step of the way.
That is, of course, testament to Elinor M. Brent-Dyer's skill with characterisation, as yet unchallenged by an ever-expanding, increasingly unwieldy universe. Joey grows up in this book, and very credibly too, as she's forced to deal with ordinary school happenings (the extreme naughtiness of the Middles) and hints of potential personal tragedy (the shadow of illness hanging over her beloved Robin).
Without the benefit of winter to plunge her girls into deathly danger, Brent-Dyer keeps the incidents in the book to three main events. The first, which forces Joey to confront her fears head-on, is Robin's aforementioned health issues. This is resolved in a way almost grimly real, as Joey wars with her inner demons as she prays for Robin's health.
The other two events revolve around former head girl Juliet Carrick's love life, and the Middles' odd yet utterly engaging adoption of Irish orphan Biddy O'Ryan. The former storyline can prove a little tedious at times (Joey is not wrong in lamenting how frightfully boring growing up is - certainly all her predecessors are becoming uncomfortably staid as they marry and have babies!), but it nonetheless deals with important ideas about discrimination and love.
The latter plot point is a positive hoot. Anyone familiar with the later books in the series will know how Biddy comes to feature in them, and it's safe to say that - for all the increasingly strange ways in which girls arrive at the Chalet School - the way in which she does so beats everyone else hollow. Biddy is an utterly delightful little creature; the only downside to this tale is Brent-Dyer's determination to underscore Biddy's working-class background by having her rescuers suggest that she be trained as a maid to the Robin (!!), as her mother was to Miss Honora.
All in all, this is another strong entry in the series, teeming with the rich details and characters that made the Tyrol era such an unqualified favourite for generations of fans.
That is, of course, testament to Elinor M. Brent-Dyer's skill with characterisation, as yet unchallenged by an ever-expanding, increasingly unwieldy universe. Joey grows up in this book, and very credibly too, as she's forced to deal with ordinary school happenings (the extreme naughtiness of the Middles) and hints of potential personal tragedy (the shadow of illness hanging over her beloved Robin).
Without the benefit of winter to plunge her girls into deathly danger, Brent-Dyer keeps the incidents in the book to three main events. The first, which forces Joey to confront her fears head-on, is Robin's aforementioned health issues. This is resolved in a way almost grimly real, as Joey wars with her inner demons as she prays for Robin's health.
The other two events revolve around former head girl Juliet Carrick's love life, and the Middles' odd yet utterly engaging adoption of Irish orphan Biddy O'Ryan. The former storyline can prove a little tedious at times (Joey is not wrong in lamenting how frightfully boring growing up is - certainly all her predecessors are becoming uncomfortably staid as they marry and have babies!), but it nonetheless deals with important ideas about discrimination and love.
The latter plot point is a positive hoot. Anyone familiar with the later books in the series will know how Biddy comes to feature in them, and it's safe to say that - for all the increasingly strange ways in which girls arrive at the Chalet School - the way in which she does so beats everyone else hollow. Biddy is an utterly delightful little creature; the only downside to this tale is Brent-Dyer's determination to underscore Biddy's working-class background by having her rescuers suggest that she be trained as a maid to the Robin (!!), as her mother was to Miss Honora.
All in all, this is another strong entry in the series, teeming with the rich details and characters that made the Tyrol era such an unqualified favourite for generations of fans.
March 13, 2008
I think this book (7 in the series) was possible the first Chalet School book that I read, or perhaps it was one I re-read many times - it's certainly the one that I have the clearest memories of.
Joey is now a fairly reluctant head girl, although they have an exciting term planned - there's a camp planned (which occurs in the next book, I think - The Chalet School in Camp), and the school is going to the Passion Play in Oberammergau (a full day of re-enactment of the life of Christ) for Madge's birthday celebration.
I think I found the description of the Passion Play quite affecting when I was younger - Joey's face "grey with strain", and her fainting at the end of the day. Now I found it all a bit silly, with all the mentions of the "simple" people of the area and their consequently more moving religious faith. And Grizel not being as deeply involved as the others because of her "hardness".
Joey also intervenes in order to encourage the engagement of Juliet and Donal (a young Irish man who has jilted her at the beginning of the story - although it appears that it is his sister Kay whom Juliet had a true affection for). I find this a bit irritating - Donal has dumped Juliet because his sister doesn't think Juliet's family is good enough for him, then after a talking to by Joey, he takes her back. Juliet is quite delighted over all this, of course, despite his previous behaviour - I think I found this more touching when I was younger too!
Oh, and then there's the ridiculous adoption of little Irish Biddy by the Guides company, and the musings that perhaps they could train her as a maid for the Robin, or maybe she could be trained as a hairdresser, "which would suit her well". Hello snobbery! I saw it pointed out that this is particularly ridiculous after Jo's outrage at Donal & co's snobbery towards Juliet, but this obviously doesn't occur to Brent-Dyer at all.
Despite all this, this is one of my favourite books in the series simply because of familiarity, I think. The next few books in the series are ones I haven't read, so I'm looking forward to those.
Joey is now a fairly reluctant head girl, although they have an exciting term planned - there's a camp planned (which occurs in the next book, I think - The Chalet School in Camp), and the school is going to the Passion Play in Oberammergau (a full day of re-enactment of the life of Christ) for Madge's birthday celebration.
I think I found the description of the Passion Play quite affecting when I was younger - Joey's face "grey with strain", and her fainting at the end of the day. Now I found it all a bit silly, with all the mentions of the "simple" people of the area and their consequently more moving religious faith. And Grizel not being as deeply involved as the others because of her "hardness".
Joey also intervenes in order to encourage the engagement of Juliet and Donal (a young Irish man who has jilted her at the beginning of the story - although it appears that it is his sister Kay whom Juliet had a true affection for). I find this a bit irritating - Donal has dumped Juliet because his sister doesn't think Juliet's family is good enough for him, then after a talking to by Joey, he takes her back. Juliet is quite delighted over all this, of course, despite his previous behaviour - I think I found this more touching when I was younger too!
Oh, and then there's the ridiculous adoption of little Irish Biddy by the Guides company, and the musings that perhaps they could train her as a maid for the Robin, or maybe she could be trained as a hairdresser, "which would suit her well". Hello snobbery! I saw it pointed out that this is particularly ridiculous after Jo's outrage at Donal & co's snobbery towards Juliet, but this obviously doesn't occur to Brent-Dyer at all.
Despite all this, this is one of my favourite books in the series simply because of familiarity, I think. The next few books in the series are ones I haven't read, so I'm looking forward to those.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2014
This has always been a favourite of mine in the Chalet series. I really appreciated the exploration of growing up and what it meant to Joey as a child and now again as an adult who wishes I was still young!
I especially love the descriptions of the Passion Play and all the thoughts that it inspired in everyone.
I especially love the descriptions of the Passion Play and all the thoughts that it inspired in everyone.
July 19, 2025
Re-reading the Chalet School has brought me comfort, nostalgia, and lots of happiness, but rarely tears. This one is guaranteed to make me cry though - Jo’s reaction to Miss Annersley’s news about the Robin is perfectly written. There is a lot that could be said about the uneven quality of EBD’s writing, but here, early in the series, she nails it.
January 17, 2008
Still that unpleasant totalitarian streak. Wives and mothers for the Fatherland!
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