The Bettany Twins and the Chalet School

Chalet School - Complete

by Helen Barber

It’s 1944. A world war is raging and the girls of the Chalet School are determined to play their part. But for Peggy and Bride Bettany, there is exciting news: their father Dick, twin brother of the School’s founder, is on his way back from India in spite of the war, and with him will be their mother and the young brother and sister they have never met. How will they adjust to living together as a family under one roof – First Twins Peggy and Rix, singletons Bride and Jackie, and Second Twins Maeve and Maurice? How will Maeve settle in at the Chalet School, so different from anything she has ever known? And what is the reason for the mysterious burglaries at the new Bettany home, The Quadrant?

Helen’s latest contribution to the annals of the Chalet School is a typical EBD mix of school, family and adventure. It answers many of the questions fans have been asking years. How could Dick resign his job in India in Tom but still have it in Three Go? How did eight-year-old Maeve react to being given woolly reins as a welcome-home gift? Did Peggy really ‘come the eldest sister’ over Maeve, as suggested in The Wrong Chalet School, or was Maeve simply reacting to having an elder sister at all? And why, oh why, was Dick returning to England when clearly it is still the middle of the Second World War?

Three sets of Bettany twins: Madge and Dick, Peggy and Rix, Maeve and Maurice. One Chalet School, the pivot around which their lives revolve. And a most intriguing quest!

Genres: Childrens, School Stories

302 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2020

Reviews

[Keren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every time a new fill-in comes out, Chalet School fans ask themselves whether this really fits in with the series, has the author caught the style of EBD and is it worth buying.

My answer to all of these is Yes.

Helen Barber has already written a few Chalet School fill-in books, and created her own Chalet School world. She mentions events she has written in this book (so familiarity with them add to the appreciation).

The book answered questions I asked myself, how did the whole Bettany family react when reunited? Even Dick makes mistakes, when saying that he will "Take the twins", and each set think it is they.

There is also a war time adventure here, but it worked for me. Although the plot was a little far-fetched, it is in fact typical of the sort of far-fetched plots that you find in Blyton, Brent-Dyer and even in Agatha Christie, so it actually does work, and what works more is that it is typical of the forties, which in the end a fill-in at this time must be. A major challenge of such a writer is to have no anachronisms, neither of the language or the events, and Helen Barber succeeds here.

The writing is smooth and not clunky, I liked the comparison of Mauve to Mary Crewe.

I enjoyed this book, with its view of both home and school life and can recommend it to those who are interested in this series.

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good fill-in from Helen Barber. The plot and writing style match EBD's well and a few possible EBDisms are explained away!

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This filler book in Elinor M. Brent-Dyer's Chalet School series, is set in 1944. Madge's twin brother, Dick, is returning to England with his wife and their Second Twins, Maeve and Maurice — the older children had been left with Madge before the war broke out. But how will the younger twins fit as the youngest members of a family? And Maeve, especially, worries about being separated from Maurice when they are sent to school. A little adventure and a little adventure are combined with the school story quite seamlessly. The author even provides explanations for some of Brent-Dyer's continuity errors in the original series. Recommended.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a competent fill-in, which doesn’t jar because of obvious anachronisms or inaccuracies. So why am I disappointed? In the Chalet books the return of Dick and Mollie Bettany, their youngest two children in tow, after many years’ absence is dealt with largely off-stage. We get some glimpses of the reunion, and some hints that it took a while for the reunited Bettany family to shake down into a happy family, and of course we can imagine that on all sides it must have been a complicated situation where the expectation of joyous meetingust have come up against some difficult moments in practice. The stage is set therefore for a rich and satisfying treatment of the story. Instead what we get is a completely new war/spy/thriller plot, and a deliberate ignoring of one of the hints that EBD does drop - that the biggest difficulties were between Peggy, used to being the eldest and wanting to help her mother, and Maeve, used to being the only girl at her mother’s side. That’s the story I wanted to read - so much potential for interesting character development, for building on EBD’s portrayal of all the characters, and for filling a gap. It’s all ignored. Mollie Bettany is a very different character from Madge, in whose household the elder girls have lived for years - we’re not given any exploration of any problems that could come from all sides adjusting to the new relationship. I’d far much more have read about that than about the convoluted attempts to link Devon, Armiford and India in some spy story. I’m frustrated that this is the direction the GGBP-sponsored fill-in has gone in and I hope someone out there is writing fanfic that will give us a more character-driven story, and one which is more true to the hints EBD gave us of how the Bettany family reunion unfolded.

[BJ Hal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Helen Barber's contributions to the Chalet School world as I think she gets the tone right. But I was rather disappointed in this story, although I gave this 4 stars that is because of her skill in adopting the right style rather than the actual story itself. I love Peggy and thought this would be a book about her reunion with her family when they returned to England from India, which it is but there's something missing. As Helen Barber points out in her notes there are hints in a couple of later Chalet School books that the family experienced difficulties when they were united, the second twins being used to being the only children in the family and therefore the centre of their parents attention, and the first twins having a sense of responsibility (at least in Peggy's case) no doubt because they were not just the eldest in the Bettany family but also the eldest children in the combined Russell/Bettany family. Unfortunately, whilst this conflict is shown in this book, in places it seems to be overshadowed by the spy plot. I can see that there needed to be a compelling reason for the Bettanys returning from India with two seven year old children whilst the Second World War with the danger of U boats, was still ongoing but I think I would have prefered it if the book less of the spy and more of the family dynamics.

[Readsandeats · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another good fill in of the Chalet School Series.
Dick Bettany and hsi wife Mollie are coming back to England from India with their youngest twins Maurice and Maeve. This is a quick move during the 2nd World War. There is a mystery as to why they are coming home but for their other children, they are excited to be havign their family together.
This story follows the family as they settle into their new home, see how Maeve gets on at the Chalet School, how she interacts with her sisters Peggy and Bride.
We also fidn out the secret of why they are home early which was a nice addition to the story.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story, especially the interesting scenes in the early chapters with Dick and Molly Bettany in India and on their leaving India. I liked the inferences to the war and Dick's secret work for the government and his peers that he undertook, I enjoyed that the entire Bettany family and Madge became involved.
Our young character Maeve proved herself to be an adventurous young thing, and feisty with it, while still remaining a mischievous young girl. She shows spirit and courage in all her endeavors. I have a real appreciation for Maeve now.

[Celia · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the Chalet School books written by a different author to fit into an existing gap in the chronology, or to answer a question not answered by the original books (eg why did Dick Bettany travel back from India to England in the middle of a war). The comfortable way Brent-Dyer's style is adopted is excellently done, and this is a very enjoyable read, with a typical over the top adventure tale running alongside the school parts of the story.

[Trish at Between My Lines · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Interesting fill in, especially as I’ve always wanted to know more about the family dynamics of The Bettanys. I much preferred the part of the book that was set at school and the adventure side didn’t grip me as much.

Loved seeing more of Peggy, Bride and Maeve though. It really rounded out their characters for me.

[Margaret Conmey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably 3.5
A good fill-in, providing some of background to Maeve’s story
Peggy Bethany has always been one of my favourite Chalet character
Good mix of family story, school and adventure story

[Katharine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very very good

[Christine Brealey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent example. Not quite as school focused but enjoyable all the same.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

More Bettany than Chalet School but a pretty good fill in.