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Maggie Adair #1
Welcome to the School by the Sea
The first book of Jenny Colgan's delightful new four-part series, set at a charming English boarding school on the sea.
Maggie went to the window and opened it wide, inhaling the lovely salt air off the sea. Why had she never lived by the sea before? Why had she always looked out on housing estates and not the little white hulls of trawlers bobbing off in the distance?
It's gloriously sunny in Cornwall as the school year starts at the little boarding school by the sea. Maggie, the newest teacher at Downey House, is determined to make her mark. She's delighted by her new teaching job, but will it come at the expense of her relationship with her safe, dependable boyfriend Stan?
Simone is excited and nervous: she's won a scholarship to the prestigious boarding school and wants to make her parents proud. Forced to share a room with the glossy, posh girls of Downey House, she needs to find a friend, fast.
Fliss is furious. She's never wanted to go to boarding school and hates being sent away from her home. As Simone tries desperately to fit in, Fliss tries desperately to get out.
Over the course of one year, friendships will bloom and lives will be changed forever. Life at the Little School by the Sea is never dull...
Maggie went to the window and opened it wide, inhaling the lovely salt air off the sea. Why had she never lived by the sea before? Why had she always looked out on housing estates and not the little white hulls of trawlers bobbing off in the distance?
It's gloriously sunny in Cornwall as the school year starts at the little boarding school by the sea. Maggie, the newest teacher at Downey House, is determined to make her mark. She's delighted by her new teaching job, but will it come at the expense of her relationship with her safe, dependable boyfriend Stan?
Simone is excited and nervous: she's won a scholarship to the prestigious boarding school and wants to make her parents proud. Forced to share a room with the glossy, posh girls of Downey House, she needs to find a friend, fast.
Fliss is furious. She's never wanted to go to boarding school and hates being sent away from her home. As Simone tries desperately to fit in, Fliss tries desperately to get out.
Over the course of one year, friendships will bloom and lives will be changed forever. Life at the Little School by the Sea is never dull...
415 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,142 reviews
July 20, 2019
I picked this book up purely at a charity shop because it was written by Jenny Colgan (I bought the edition that had been republished under her name) but after reading the blurb I knew this would be a different style book than what she normally wrote.
This book follows the story of four different women; Maggie who has upped and moved to the posh boarding school to try a new role as a teacher, Simone who was desperate to escape her old school but is the only scholarship student at the Boarding school, Fliss who desperately didn't want to go and is desperate to get kicked out, and Veronica the headmistress who takes no prisoners. The way it is written is quite jarring for me because we constantly jump perspectives within one chapter and I think it would have been better to have separate chapters for each character.
In all honesty I didn't enjoy this book too much; it felt like every possible cliche was written into this book but not really in a good way...
One think I really didn't like in this book was how many times Simone's weight is referenced by almost every character. Even the teacher Maggie constantly thinks about Simone's weight and thinks that she would be very pretty if she lost weight. We're meant to lift other women up guys not shove them down. She' a child and she is scared and away from home with no friends, I think there's more important things than her weight. And the issue around the stealing also really irked me; there was not one bit of proof that Simone was stealing but everyone still accused her - purely because she came from a poorer background. Even Maggie thought she had done it but took no time to actually speak to Simone and make sure she was okay. She clearly recognise that she was lonely but did nothing. The focus on her weight really took away from the story for me.
I also didn't get the "romance" aspect of this book. I didn't see the romance between Maggie and David develop but suddenly he's telling her he likes her. And then we find out he has a fiance. Cheating storylines - whether it is purely emotional rather than physical, or physical cheating - really irks me. For me there could have been more interesting arcs for Maggie such as coping with being away from her family, adjusting to the different school, struggling to manage her pupils etc. would have been far more interesting than her cheating.
The conclusion between Simone - Fliss - Alice was done too quickly for me and honestly wasn't believable. And honestly I do not get the "prank" at all - Fliss commented that she is glad she got back at Maggie but like... how did she?? She literally just pretended that a rhino had traveled across the ground. I just do not understand and it definitely felt that I was missing something here.
I think this book tried to be too many things at once; romance, drama, boarding school story, and it just really didn't do any of them justice. It was just too cliche for me and not one I enjoyed. I will read the sequel because I own it but honestly I doubt I will keep either on my shelves!
This book follows the story of four different women; Maggie who has upped and moved to the posh boarding school to try a new role as a teacher, Simone who was desperate to escape her old school but is the only scholarship student at the Boarding school, Fliss who desperately didn't want to go and is desperate to get kicked out, and Veronica the headmistress who takes no prisoners. The way it is written is quite jarring for me because we constantly jump perspectives within one chapter and I think it would have been better to have separate chapters for each character.
In all honesty I didn't enjoy this book too much; it felt like every possible cliche was written into this book but not really in a good way...
One think I really didn't like in this book was how many times Simone's weight is referenced by almost every character. Even the teacher Maggie constantly thinks about Simone's weight and thinks that she would be very pretty if she lost weight. We're meant to lift other women up guys not shove them down. She' a child and she is scared and away from home with no friends, I think there's more important things than her weight. And the issue around the stealing also really irked me; there was not one bit of proof that Simone was stealing but everyone still accused her - purely because she came from a poorer background. Even Maggie thought she had done it but took no time to actually speak to Simone and make sure she was okay. She clearly recognise that she was lonely but did nothing. The focus on her weight really took away from the story for me.
I also didn't get the "romance" aspect of this book. I didn't see the romance between Maggie and David develop but suddenly he's telling her he likes her. And then we find out he has a fiance. Cheating storylines - whether it is purely emotional rather than physical, or physical cheating - really irks me. For me there could have been more interesting arcs for Maggie such as coping with being away from her family, adjusting to the different school, struggling to manage her pupils etc. would have been far more interesting than her cheating.
The conclusion between Simone - Fliss - Alice was done too quickly for me and honestly wasn't believable. And honestly I do not get the "prank" at all - Fliss commented that she is glad she got back at Maggie but like... how did she?? She literally just pretended that a rhino had traveled across the ground. I just do not understand and it definitely felt that I was missing something here.
I think this book tried to be too many things at once; romance, drama, boarding school story, and it just really didn't do any of them justice. It was just too cliche for me and not one I enjoyed. I will read the sequel because I own it but honestly I doubt I will keep either on my shelves!
April 2, 2022
DNF @ 40%. I know you can't truly judge a book before reading the whole thing but by 40% I still wasn't enjoying it. I didn't like the characters, or the storyline. There were so much bullying, emotional abuse and fat phobic comments.
A few things that bothered me:
"You're frighted of horses, for one. And you'd probably crush one if you keep on eating bacon sandwiches like that."
"Fewer cakes, bit more sport, you'd look better in no time, with your lovely teenage metabolism."
"And fat from too many sweets and biscuits.. she needed lots of fresh air, exercise."
"She's ours! The hippopotamus!"
This is my first book by this author and it was not for me. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A few things that bothered me:
"You're frighted of horses, for one. And you'd probably crush one if you keep on eating bacon sandwiches like that."
"Fewer cakes, bit more sport, you'd look better in no time, with your lovely teenage metabolism."
"And fat from too many sweets and biscuits.. she needed lots of fresh air, exercise."
"She's ours! The hippopotamus!"
This is my first book by this author and it was not for me. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
March 1, 2022
Class by Jenny Colgan is a fast, fun, frivolous read that stirred up nostalgic feels for all the boarding school books of my childhood. And just to clear up any confusion, they were originally published under the pen name Jane Beaton, but later under the author's real name - Jenny Colgan.
First Line of Class by Jenny Colgan
My thoughts on Class by Jenny Colgan
I devoured boarding school books when I was younger, and to this very day I snap up every single one I come across. So when I discovered this series, I was in book heaven. If ever a series was written just for me, it's this one.
It features Maggie from Glasgow who gets a teaching job in a posh boarding school in Cornwall. She upends and throws herself in to a life that is different to anything she has ever know. I loved everything about Maggie; she is unpolished, quick to temper, but keeps a loving watch over all her new pupils. Her students are a mixed bag, and I loved that their various voices added colour and tension to the plot.
All the usual boarding school clichés are present. But that's not a complaint, that's what I want in a boarding school setting. I want new girls struggling to find their feet, tricks, a potential tragedy, people being wrongly accused and I got all that and more. Even a french Mam'selle in a glorious hat raise to those in The St Clare's and Mallory Towers books. I appreciated too that the clichés were all given a fresh, modern twist.
There is also a cute romance to swoon over. A maybe romance, as it didn't really come to anything but I'm hoping for more in book 2. I know I crushed a little on David, the English teacher at the boys school who tramped around the clifftops with his dog, spouting poetry. The chemistry between Maggie and David simmered tantalisingly and I want it to boil!
BUT
The only thing that slightly irked me was the annoying fat shaming. It felt unnecessary. I understand it as a plot device to show how new girl Simone felt different. But being overweight was portrayed as being unsavoury, and occurred more than once. Basically, that just didn't sit right with me.
Apart from that jarring note, I adored the books. I can't emphasise enough just how much fun they are. And I jumped straight on to Rules which is book 2 in the series.
Who should read Class by Jenny Colgan?
I highly recommend Class to you if you love boarding school settings or a if you want a light-hearted fun read with lots of laughs. Fans of authors such as Sophie Kinsella or Lisa Jewell should also enjoy.
First Line of Class by Jenny Colgan
"Purple skirt no"
My thoughts on Class by Jenny Colgan
I devoured boarding school books when I was younger, and to this very day I snap up every single one I come across. So when I discovered this series, I was in book heaven. If ever a series was written just for me, it's this one.
It features Maggie from Glasgow who gets a teaching job in a posh boarding school in Cornwall. She upends and throws herself in to a life that is different to anything she has ever know. I loved everything about Maggie; she is unpolished, quick to temper, but keeps a loving watch over all her new pupils. Her students are a mixed bag, and I loved that their various voices added colour and tension to the plot.
All the usual boarding school clichés are present. But that's not a complaint, that's what I want in a boarding school setting. I want new girls struggling to find their feet, tricks, a potential tragedy, people being wrongly accused and I got all that and more. Even a french Mam'selle in a glorious hat raise to those in The St Clare's and Mallory Towers books. I appreciated too that the clichés were all given a fresh, modern twist.
There is also a cute romance to swoon over. A maybe romance, as it didn't really come to anything but I'm hoping for more in book 2. I know I crushed a little on David, the English teacher at the boys school who tramped around the clifftops with his dog, spouting poetry. The chemistry between Maggie and David simmered tantalisingly and I want it to boil!
BUT
The only thing that slightly irked me was the annoying fat shaming. It felt unnecessary. I understand it as a plot device to show how new girl Simone felt different. But being overweight was portrayed as being unsavoury, and occurred more than once. Basically, that just didn't sit right with me.
Apart from that jarring note, I adored the books. I can't emphasise enough just how much fun they are. And I jumped straight on to Rules which is book 2 in the series.
Who should read Class by Jenny Colgan?
I highly recommend Class to you if you love boarding school settings or a if you want a light-hearted fun read with lots of laughs. Fans of authors such as Sophie Kinsella or Lisa Jewell should also enjoy.
January 18, 2021
I’ve never read a Jenny Colgan novel before but this one was a Christmas gift and I thought I’d give it a try.
It is a feel-good-book about a boarding school in Cornwall with a rather predictable plot, but I’m still intrigued to read the other books in this series because I was well entertained for two afternoons and I love books about boarding schools.
But still I can’t give this book more than three stars, it’s very shallow, predictable and some plot elements feel a bit forced. At first it seems like there’s a larger set of characters, but the story evolves around three or four students and four or five teachers.
It is a feel-good-book about a boarding school in Cornwall with a rather predictable plot, but I’m still intrigued to read the other books in this series because I was well entertained for two afternoons and I love books about boarding schools.
But still I can’t give this book more than three stars, it’s very shallow, predictable and some plot elements feel a bit forced. At first it seems like there’s a larger set of characters, but the story evolves around three or four students and four or five teachers.
April 6, 2022
Please note that I received this book via NetGalley, this did not affect my rating or review.
I was already not pleased about getting this book to review last week when it was already published. However, I decided to move this book up my review chain and get to it this week. I really regret reading this book. This is a series that Jenny Colgan wrote back in 2008 under the name Jane Beaton. I can see why William Morrow & Company decided to re-issue this. They probably said well fans of Jenny Colgan will eat this up. I was one of this supposed fans and have real regret at even attempting this. This book is 'clunky'. There transitions from characters is pretty awful. The character development is a joke. And there's a love triangle with some 'soft cheating' which I don't see a lot of romance fans being down for honestly. I can say this isn't really a romance for anyone out there thinking it will be. There's no happily ever after (HEA) and the next book in the series seems to keep dwelling on the same messed up triangle that popped up in this one. Also, the fatphobia in this book was off the charts. I loathed so many characters while reading this book and just wished that Colgan had updated this for 2022. Looking at older reviews of this book when it was out under another name it seems like people had the same problems with it that I did. Also comparing this book to her other book I finished this week, it's like night and day in terms of writing, skill, character development, etc.
"Welcome to the School by the Sea" follows Maggie Adair as she interviews for a position as English teacher at the Downey House which is a school for girls in Cornwall. Maggie has a long term boyfriend Stan who is unsure about her being so far away for most of the year. And Maggie is worried that she may not fit in at Downey House. The book also follows the Headmistress, Veronica Deveral, and three other students, Fliss; Simone; and Alice.
Maggie is pretty bad tempered I thought. I know I was supposed to be rooting for her, but found her entire character to be charmless. It didn't help that she had some comments to Simone about her weight. In fact everyone did which was a reason I pretty much hated everyone but that character as I was reading. Maggie's torn between Stan and someone else and I rolled my eyes. Honestly, I just didn't care. The book was too stuffed with things for me to care anything about her tedious relationship.
Veronica Deveral had an interesting storyline, but of course there's a whole plot point that does not revolve itself by the end of the book. This book included some pages from the next book in the series along with a synopsis, so I do know that at least the plot holes that were not tied off will be surfacing again in that book.
Fliss was exhausting. I still don't know why her parents were adamant about sending her to Downey House. But she's intentionally cruel along with another girl, Alice to their suitemate, Simone. I just didn't want to keep reading about how angry she was being there and how nasty she was being to Maggie and Simone. I actively rooted against her and Alice as I was reading.
Simone. Sigh. There are so many cultural stereotypes for this character along with the fat shaming that even teachers do to her. I was disgusted. There's a whole plot point about her being good at field hockey as a goalie and people being stunned she can move around so easily.
The writing was very stilted. We just follow everyone of these characters through the first year at Downey House and of course way too many things except for a handful get wrapped up way too quickly. I also called BS on how the whole thing with Simone was resolved. I just sighed a bit. This book did remind me that adults and teen girls can be very cruel.
Some of the dialogue killed me though, and most of it always swirled around Simone.
There's even a cruddy plot point about stealing that had me grumbling that I won't even get into.
The flow of this book was awful. As I said above, the transitions between characters/chapters was not very good.
The setting of Downey House felt blah.
The ending left so many things unfinished. I am never one of those people that like to read a series that does not do a beginning, middle, and end to a book. Cliffhangers for series also drive me up the wall. I don't think I will be reading the other books as part of this series. I sneak peeked some reviews and the fatphobia gets bad and there's also an eating disorder (or two) in the next one. And the love triangle keeps trudging along and will make me hate these characters even more than I thought.
I was already not pleased about getting this book to review last week when it was already published. However, I decided to move this book up my review chain and get to it this week. I really regret reading this book. This is a series that Jenny Colgan wrote back in 2008 under the name Jane Beaton. I can see why William Morrow & Company decided to re-issue this. They probably said well fans of Jenny Colgan will eat this up. I was one of this supposed fans and have real regret at even attempting this. This book is 'clunky'. There transitions from characters is pretty awful. The character development is a joke. And there's a love triangle with some 'soft cheating' which I don't see a lot of romance fans being down for honestly. I can say this isn't really a romance for anyone out there thinking it will be. There's no happily ever after (HEA) and the next book in the series seems to keep dwelling on the same messed up triangle that popped up in this one. Also, the fatphobia in this book was off the charts. I loathed so many characters while reading this book and just wished that Colgan had updated this for 2022. Looking at older reviews of this book when it was out under another name it seems like people had the same problems with it that I did. Also comparing this book to her other book I finished this week, it's like night and day in terms of writing, skill, character development, etc.
"Welcome to the School by the Sea" follows Maggie Adair as she interviews for a position as English teacher at the Downey House which is a school for girls in Cornwall. Maggie has a long term boyfriend Stan who is unsure about her being so far away for most of the year. And Maggie is worried that she may not fit in at Downey House. The book also follows the Headmistress, Veronica Deveral, and three other students, Fliss; Simone; and Alice.
Maggie is pretty bad tempered I thought. I know I was supposed to be rooting for her, but found her entire character to be charmless. It didn't help that she had some comments to Simone about her weight. In fact everyone did which was a reason I pretty much hated everyone but that character as I was reading. Maggie's torn between Stan and someone else and I rolled my eyes. Honestly, I just didn't care. The book was too stuffed with things for me to care anything about her tedious relationship.
Veronica Deveral had an interesting storyline, but of course there's a whole plot point that does not revolve itself by the end of the book. This book included some pages from the next book in the series along with a synopsis, so I do know that at least the plot holes that were not tied off will be surfacing again in that book.
Fliss was exhausting. I still don't know why her parents were adamant about sending her to Downey House. But she's intentionally cruel along with another girl, Alice to their suitemate, Simone. I just didn't want to keep reading about how angry she was being there and how nasty she was being to Maggie and Simone. I actively rooted against her and Alice as I was reading.
Simone. Sigh. There are so many cultural stereotypes for this character along with the fat shaming that even teachers do to her. I was disgusted. There's a whole plot point about her being good at field hockey as a goalie and people being stunned she can move around so easily.
The writing was very stilted. We just follow everyone of these characters through the first year at Downey House and of course way too many things except for a handful get wrapped up way too quickly. I also called BS on how the whole thing with Simone was resolved. I just sighed a bit. This book did remind me that adults and teen girls can be very cruel.
Some of the dialogue killed me though, and most of it always swirled around Simone.
"Fewer cakes, bit more sport, you'd look better in no time, with your lovely teenage metabolism."
"And fat from too many sweets and biscuits.. she needed lots of fresh air, exercise."
There's even a cruddy plot point about stealing that had me grumbling that I won't even get into.
The flow of this book was awful. As I said above, the transitions between characters/chapters was not very good.
The setting of Downey House felt blah.
The ending left so many things unfinished. I am never one of those people that like to read a series that does not do a beginning, middle, and end to a book. Cliffhangers for series also drive me up the wall. I don't think I will be reading the other books as part of this series. I sneak peeked some reviews and the fatphobia gets bad and there's also an eating disorder (or two) in the next one. And the love triangle keeps trudging along and will make me hate these characters even more than I thought.
February 23, 2022
Welcome to the School by the Sea by Jenny Colgan was previously published using a pen name, Jane Beaton. It is her first book in her Maggie Adair series. I really enjoyed this book set in a boarding school on the coast of Cornwall.
Maggie Adair is a schoolteacher, working in an inner-city school in Glasgow where she grew up. She’s increasingly frustrated with the school, and her boyfriend she’s had since they were both in school together. She decides that it might be her last chance to get out of there and she applies to an elite boarding school in Cornwall to be an English teacher for girls.
When she is accepted at the school, she’s eager for a change, but her family and her boyfriend are not so enthusiastic. She’s in charge of a bunch of girls who test her limits, but nothing as unruly as the children in her previous school.
We also see the school through the eyes of Fliss, Simone, and Alice all get up to some trouble as they navigate their first year at boarding school.
I enjoyed this sweet story about the boarding school and I liked that it was from the perspective of a new teacher, two of the students, and the headmistress. The book covered one school year and finished when everyone left for summer break. I can’t wait to read the next book and see what happens to these characters in their next year at the school
The author does a fabulous job of describing the school and the grounds and I felt like I was there with the students. The characters are interesting and realistic, each with enough flaws to make them feel real without making them unappealing.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys women's fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Maggie Adair is a schoolteacher, working in an inner-city school in Glasgow where she grew up. She’s increasingly frustrated with the school, and her boyfriend she’s had since they were both in school together. She decides that it might be her last chance to get out of there and she applies to an elite boarding school in Cornwall to be an English teacher for girls.
When she is accepted at the school, she’s eager for a change, but her family and her boyfriend are not so enthusiastic. She’s in charge of a bunch of girls who test her limits, but nothing as unruly as the children in her previous school.
We also see the school through the eyes of Fliss, Simone, and Alice all get up to some trouble as they navigate their first year at boarding school.
I enjoyed this sweet story about the boarding school and I liked that it was from the perspective of a new teacher, two of the students, and the headmistress. The book covered one school year and finished when everyone left for summer break. I can’t wait to read the next book and see what happens to these characters in their next year at the school
The author does a fabulous job of describing the school and the grounds and I felt like I was there with the students. The characters are interesting and realistic, each with enough flaws to make them feel real without making them unappealing.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys women's fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
did-not-finish
October 17, 2021DNF at 20%. First of all this is NOT a new novel. It’s the US publication of a 2016 title that was originally written under a pseudonym. But that’s not why I quit it. The fat-shaming and classism in this book is breathtaking and ruthless and I was shocked. There is some race-related content too that bugged me but I was too focused on the fat shaming. I’ve read Colgan books that I ADORED and others that I was shocked to see published by her. This is one of the latter.
Free review copy from Edelweiss.
Free review copy from Edelweiss.
March 29, 2022
Pub date: 3/29/2022
Maggie Adair was a good teacher, but she spent more than half her classroom time on discipline than on teaching. She enjoyed her students but wanted them to learn but was frustrated with the school and its limited budget plus its location in an economically depressed area of Glasgow.
She endured the same challenges when she attended this same school not so long ago but had little hope the school and its surrounding neighborhood would change anytime soon. So, when she found the ad for an English teacher at the posh boarding school in Cornwall, Downey House, she was thrilled. The fact that it was a mere four hundred miles from Glasgow and would take half a day to drive there, had trivial effect on her enthusiasm. She applied straight-away!
Then the feeling of panic set in, how would she fit in to their environment and what would she wear to the interview! Also complicating this career change was her longtime, live-in boyfriend, Stan. They’ve been together since high school; how would he take this news? Well, she reasoned, she’s not permanently moving there, just teaching for a few months, for two semesters.
Although Stan was not pleased, Maggie did succeed in convincing the Headmistress, Veronica Deveral, that she was the perfect candidate. Maggie would clearly need to update her wardrobe, but she was confident in her teaching skills, and her ability to relate to her female students. Downey House was an all-girls boarding school with the all-boys Downey House conveniently located not far away.
Her students come from all areas, but most come from wealthy families. One standout student, Simone, is there on scholarship and feels she doesn’t fit in. Then there’s Fliss, short for Felicity, who’s older sister is an outgoing student there, but Fliss doesn’t want to leave her old school and all her friends. Simone is set on succeeding while Fliss is set on escaping, or worse, flunking out. Mixed in with these two are average, fairly happy students with the exception of Alice, who’s attitude of privilege and snark leaves chaos wherever she goes.
Can Maggie make it through her first year successfully? Will Stan deal with the change well? Plus, will Maggie’s collaboration with David, the English teacher at the boy’s school turn into something more? All these questions and more are answered in this lively, fun account of Jenny Colgan’s, ‘Welcome to the School by the Sea.’
Anyone who enjoys books about boarding schools will enjoy this one. Jenny actually wrote this several years ago under the pen name, ‘Jane Beaton’ but is reintroducing the series under her own name. This fan of Jenny Colgan’s writing is here for all of it.
Thank you Netgalley and William Morrow & Co.
Maggie Adair was a good teacher, but she spent more than half her classroom time on discipline than on teaching. She enjoyed her students but wanted them to learn but was frustrated with the school and its limited budget plus its location in an economically depressed area of Glasgow.
She endured the same challenges when she attended this same school not so long ago but had little hope the school and its surrounding neighborhood would change anytime soon. So, when she found the ad for an English teacher at the posh boarding school in Cornwall, Downey House, she was thrilled. The fact that it was a mere four hundred miles from Glasgow and would take half a day to drive there, had trivial effect on her enthusiasm. She applied straight-away!
Then the feeling of panic set in, how would she fit in to their environment and what would she wear to the interview! Also complicating this career change was her longtime, live-in boyfriend, Stan. They’ve been together since high school; how would he take this news? Well, she reasoned, she’s not permanently moving there, just teaching for a few months, for two semesters.
Although Stan was not pleased, Maggie did succeed in convincing the Headmistress, Veronica Deveral, that she was the perfect candidate. Maggie would clearly need to update her wardrobe, but she was confident in her teaching skills, and her ability to relate to her female students. Downey House was an all-girls boarding school with the all-boys Downey House conveniently located not far away.
Her students come from all areas, but most come from wealthy families. One standout student, Simone, is there on scholarship and feels she doesn’t fit in. Then there’s Fliss, short for Felicity, who’s older sister is an outgoing student there, but Fliss doesn’t want to leave her old school and all her friends. Simone is set on succeeding while Fliss is set on escaping, or worse, flunking out. Mixed in with these two are average, fairly happy students with the exception of Alice, who’s attitude of privilege and snark leaves chaos wherever she goes.
Can Maggie make it through her first year successfully? Will Stan deal with the change well? Plus, will Maggie’s collaboration with David, the English teacher at the boy’s school turn into something more? All these questions and more are answered in this lively, fun account of Jenny Colgan’s, ‘Welcome to the School by the Sea.’
Anyone who enjoys books about boarding schools will enjoy this one. Jenny actually wrote this several years ago under the pen name, ‘Jane Beaton’ but is reintroducing the series under her own name. This fan of Jenny Colgan’s writing is here for all of it.
Thank you Netgalley and William Morrow & Co.
April 2, 2022
Oof.
I was excited to recommend this book to my library for purchase and dive into the new release from Jenny Colgan. My bad. This is a re-release of her original 2008 book, titled “Class.”
All I can say is…let’s all celebrate how far she has come as a storyteller!!
I was excited to recommend this book to my library for purchase and dive into the new release from Jenny Colgan. My bad. This is a re-release of her original 2008 book, titled “Class.”
All I can say is…let’s all celebrate how far she has come as a storyteller!!
April 3, 2024
For my full review, visit me at https://mrsbrownsbooks.wordpress.com/...
I love the idea that Colgan has written a series of school books aimed at adults. Readers of my blog know the fondness I hold for Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers series, so I was incredibly excited that this would reignite those childhood feelings. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite work out that way.
I love the idea that Colgan has written a series of school books aimed at adults. Readers of my blog know the fondness I hold for Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers series, so I was incredibly excited that this would reignite those childhood feelings. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite work out that way.
April 16, 2022
This is painful for me. I love this author. But her writing has gotten a lot better through her career, I enjoy her current books but wouldn’t necessarily hit the back catalog. I feel like I was almost tricked into buying this book because I would not have pre-ordered it, paid full price, and waited months to get a book that came out in 2008 under a pen name! And then, it gets worse. Because of it came out in 2008 and I loved it we wouldn’t have a problem here. I’d maybe have laughed and bought the rest of the series but that’s not what happened. What happened was fat shaming. A whole lot of fat shaming. Multiple characters fat shaming each other.
When it first happened, it was a group of awful teenagers being mean to another teenager. I thought, well I hate reading this but the author has shown me that these girls are awful and maybe that was her goal. I didn’t like reading it, as it went on with the teenagers I really disliked it and hoped it stopped. I thought, isn’t this supposed to be a fun, sweet book about boarding school? Cause these girls are just making me think of actual middle school, and actually being picked on myself and I don’t like it.
Then it got worse. The adults started doing it too. Someone from the school was judging the degrees of “fat”. Some girls are just “round” but others had gross “rolls” and how could their parents let them get like that? How could their parents feed them greasy food?
Oh my goodness! So now we have adults fat shaming. And, what, poor shaming? Cause they were definitely saying the rich girls were a healthier looking round and the poor girls were sloppy.
:(
I almost stopped reading when an adult talked to the teenager that was being fat shamed. The mean girls told the teachers they were “worried” about the girl and her “problem with food” because she was always eating food her mom sent from home. They were just trying to be mean and the teacher believed them! She went to the girl and had a little talk with her about it. She said she’d tell her mom to stop sending food, and that hopefully if she ate less and kept playing sports she’d have no trouble losing weight.
I was already close to 200 pages into this book so I thought I’d just finish it.
Today I picked the book back up and got to this line, one adult referring to another adult: “Veronica had wondered whether it wasn’t the seat of Liz’s trousers that had suffered from all the stress, and whether the amount of chocolate biscuits Liz ate had anything to do with it.”
I’m done. I throw in the towel!
I am mad at this book.
I am moving on to another.
I am not someone who ever tries to convince someone else not to read a book and I hate leaving a bad review for an author I love. So that tells you how upset I am. If this book came out in 2008, why didn’t the author sit down and take out all the fat shaming before re-releasing it under her real name?
When it first happened, it was a group of awful teenagers being mean to another teenager. I thought, well I hate reading this but the author has shown me that these girls are awful and maybe that was her goal. I didn’t like reading it, as it went on with the teenagers I really disliked it and hoped it stopped. I thought, isn’t this supposed to be a fun, sweet book about boarding school? Cause these girls are just making me think of actual middle school, and actually being picked on myself and I don’t like it.
Then it got worse. The adults started doing it too. Someone from the school was judging the degrees of “fat”. Some girls are just “round” but others had gross “rolls” and how could their parents let them get like that? How could their parents feed them greasy food?
Oh my goodness! So now we have adults fat shaming. And, what, poor shaming? Cause they were definitely saying the rich girls were a healthier looking round and the poor girls were sloppy.
:(
I almost stopped reading when an adult talked to the teenager that was being fat shamed. The mean girls told the teachers they were “worried” about the girl and her “problem with food” because she was always eating food her mom sent from home. They were just trying to be mean and the teacher believed them! She went to the girl and had a little talk with her about it. She said she’d tell her mom to stop sending food, and that hopefully if she ate less and kept playing sports she’d have no trouble losing weight.
I was already close to 200 pages into this book so I thought I’d just finish it.
Today I picked the book back up and got to this line, one adult referring to another adult: “Veronica had wondered whether it wasn’t the seat of Liz’s trousers that had suffered from all the stress, and whether the amount of chocolate biscuits Liz ate had anything to do with it.”
I’m done. I throw in the towel!
I am mad at this book.
I am moving on to another.
I am not someone who ever tries to convince someone else not to read a book and I hate leaving a bad review for an author I love. So that tells you how upset I am. If this book came out in 2008, why didn’t the author sit down and take out all the fat shaming before re-releasing it under her real name?
March 30, 2022
This is the first book in the Maggie Adair series that takes place in a boarding school on the coast of Cornwall. The book was previously released under Jenny’s pen name, Jane Beaton, and the note at the front of the book tells that Jenny had decided to re release the books under her real name in the hopes that more people would read and love the series as much as she enjoyed writing them.
Maggie is a schoolteacher working in a Glasgow inner city school that she herself attended as a child. It had the roughest and toughest kids and she found it quite frustrating at times be a the kids were hard to reach. She has a steady long term boyfriend, Stan, who she’s been with since they were in school. So when she gets offered a position at a posh boarding school in Cornwall, she decides to take a chance and is eager for a change, despite those around her not being fully supportive of her choice. As she meets her students, she finds that they too test her limits, but they are far more manageable than her previous students. There’s also the viewpoints of some of her first year students, Fliss, Alice and Simone as well as the headmistress of the school, who is desperate to keep things top notch so that no one would look too closely at her past.
Jenny does an amazing job in her description of the students and the school grounds and the characters had depth and fun and I can’t wait for the next book in the series.
Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.
Maggie is a schoolteacher working in a Glasgow inner city school that she herself attended as a child. It had the roughest and toughest kids and she found it quite frustrating at times be a the kids were hard to reach. She has a steady long term boyfriend, Stan, who she’s been with since they were in school. So when she gets offered a position at a posh boarding school in Cornwall, she decides to take a chance and is eager for a change, despite those around her not being fully supportive of her choice. As she meets her students, she finds that they too test her limits, but they are far more manageable than her previous students. There’s also the viewpoints of some of her first year students, Fliss, Alice and Simone as well as the headmistress of the school, who is desperate to keep things top notch so that no one would look too closely at her past.
Jenny does an amazing job in her description of the students and the school grounds and the characters had depth and fun and I can’t wait for the next book in the series.
Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.
April 20, 2022
Loved it read it in a day! Can't wait for next 5 books. Simply charming story about a girls boarding school
May 13, 2022
Welcome to the School by the Sea by Jenny Colgan is the first book in Little School by the Sea series. I later discovered that this is a reprint. It was originally released under the author’s pen name Jane Beaton. The book comes across more as a young adult novel than women’s fiction. I started reading this story and was quickly confused, frustrated, and upset. I thought Welcome to the School by the Sea would be warm, upbeat story based on the description. I was very wrong. In the beginning, we are introduced to character after character without getting much detail. I wish so many characters had not been introduced in one chapter. The transitions are choppy. The main focus is on Maggie Adair who decides to interview for a job at the posh Downey House, a boarding school for girls. She gets the position as an English instructor. Maggie leaves her boyfriend, Stan behind (I really do not know what she sees in him) to take the teaching position. We meet Veronica
Deveral, Fliss, Alice, and Simone. Fliss is a new student at the school and is going against her will. She wishes to stay at home with her parents and attend the local school. Fliss (aka Felicity) will do whatever it takes to get back home. I wish we had been told why her parents were so adamant about sending her to Downey House. Alice is a legacy student. Her siblings have attended, and they have not endeared themselves to the headmistress. Alice, unfortunately, is just like them. She acts innocent, but she is usually at the center of the mischief. Simone is a girl lucky enough to win a scholarship to the school (she may be bullied but she will get a first class education). The girl is a little overweight from all the cakes, pies, and sweets in her home. Simone’s weight is mentioned repeatedly throughout the book. I was not a fan of the fat shaming. There is more to a person than their weight. There is too much bullying in this book. Anyone who has endured bullying should not read this story (it will give you bad flashbacks). There are also numerous references to class differences. Maggie and Simone are picked on because they do not come from wealthy backgrounds like the majority of the students or staff. I had a difficult time finishing Welcome to the School by the Sea. I wish there had been a warning on the book about the bullying, emotional abuse, and fat shaming. I felt bad for Simone. I found the story to be shallow, cliched, and predictable. I was disappointed with the ending. There is also foul language in the book and talk about intimate situations. There were too many storylines stuffed into this one book along the stilted writing. There is a preview of the next book in the Little School by the Sea series at the end, but I will not be reading it. Welcome to the School by the Sea was a disappointment from beginning to end.
Deveral, Fliss, Alice, and Simone. Fliss is a new student at the school and is going against her will. She wishes to stay at home with her parents and attend the local school. Fliss (aka Felicity) will do whatever it takes to get back home. I wish we had been told why her parents were so adamant about sending her to Downey House. Alice is a legacy student. Her siblings have attended, and they have not endeared themselves to the headmistress. Alice, unfortunately, is just like them. She acts innocent, but she is usually at the center of the mischief. Simone is a girl lucky enough to win a scholarship to the school (she may be bullied but she will get a first class education). The girl is a little overweight from all the cakes, pies, and sweets in her home. Simone’s weight is mentioned repeatedly throughout the book. I was not a fan of the fat shaming. There is more to a person than their weight. There is too much bullying in this book. Anyone who has endured bullying should not read this story (it will give you bad flashbacks). There are also numerous references to class differences. Maggie and Simone are picked on because they do not come from wealthy backgrounds like the majority of the students or staff. I had a difficult time finishing Welcome to the School by the Sea. I wish there had been a warning on the book about the bullying, emotional abuse, and fat shaming. I felt bad for Simone. I found the story to be shallow, cliched, and predictable. I was disappointed with the ending. There is also foul language in the book and talk about intimate situations. There were too many storylines stuffed into this one book along the stilted writing. There is a preview of the next book in the Little School by the Sea series at the end, but I will not be reading it. Welcome to the School by the Sea was a disappointment from beginning to end.
September 21, 2018
Jenny Colgan is a thoroughly great human, judging by her social media presence. And I've read other Jenny Colgan books (from the Little Beach Street bakery series) and they were so lovely! But this one has a strange focus on the weight and shape of female bodies. I found it so distracting and depressing. It's a shame because some of the characters (Simone and Fliss in particular) are quite believable and I'd like to know how things turn out for them... but I can't stomach all the references to Simone's body and its apparent failings.
May 12, 2022
This is a rerelease originally written under the author's pen name of Jane Beaton.
I have enjoyed many books by this author, always so upbeat and warm.
Unfortunately this one did not do it for me.
This one is more of a ya novel than adult with a lot of drama at a boarding school plus fat shaming. This was very off putting. I will not be continuing with this series.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.
I have enjoyed many books by this author, always so upbeat and warm.
Unfortunately this one did not do it for me.
This one is more of a ya novel than adult with a lot of drama at a boarding school plus fat shaming. This was very off putting. I will not be continuing with this series.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.
October 5, 2016
Very disappointed in this book. I usually love Jenny colgan books but this one not so much. It didn't have the same writing feel as the other books where I'm hocked from the start.
February 16, 2023
WELCOME TO THE SCHOOL BY THE SEA
Jenny Colgan
When I finished this book my first thought was "what was the point" I mean nobody was murdered. No child was kidnapped, and no teacher was fired, so where was it going? What was the point?
And then I thought I had enjoyed the read, it was entertaining, had some warm fuzzy parts, and was a glimpse of a life that I have no experience with. Maybe that was the point?
So, the boarding school by the sea hires a new teacher, Maggie and she ends up loving it. She has to leave her home and boyfriend, but everything is worth ii, isn't it? I mean the school is in "gloriously sunny" in Cornwall. But as the season changes it is cold and snowy.
There are the new students, the poorer girl that is overweight and longs for home and friends.
Simone won a scholarship but has to live with the posh girls who don't accept her. And then there are the posh girls that don't want to be there stirring trouble.
There is also the cute English teacher from the boy's school... OMG.
3.5 stars
Happy Reading!
Jenny Colgan
When I finished this book my first thought was "what was the point" I mean nobody was murdered. No child was kidnapped, and no teacher was fired, so where was it going? What was the point?
And then I thought I had enjoyed the read, it was entertaining, had some warm fuzzy parts, and was a glimpse of a life that I have no experience with. Maybe that was the point?
So, the boarding school by the sea hires a new teacher, Maggie and she ends up loving it. She has to leave her home and boyfriend, but everything is worth ii, isn't it? I mean the school is in "gloriously sunny" in Cornwall. But as the season changes it is cold and snowy.
There are the new students, the poorer girl that is overweight and longs for home and friends.
Simone won a scholarship but has to live with the posh girls who don't accept her. And then there are the posh girls that don't want to be there stirring trouble.
There is also the cute English teacher from the boy's school... OMG.
3.5 stars
Happy Reading!
June 26, 2022
2.5 stars 🌟
May 9, 2022
This was a delightful story very reminiscent of Mallory Towers but, more up to date and without the innocence of that era. This was similar in lots of ways the tricks, the friendships between the girls and the teachers. But, nothing will ever beat the original.
November 20, 2016
I remember reading the Mallory Towers books when I was in junior school? This is the adult version.
April 11, 2022
4.25 stars
Welcome to the School by the Sea, by Jenny Colgan, is the first book in a new English boarding school series. The story is quintessential Colgan-style with its laugh-out-loud humor, quirkiness, acerbic, and often times cutting commentary, but ultimately heartwarming, feel-good conclusions.
Maggie needs a break from her teaching career in the underprivileged, rather rough area of London. When she unexpectedly receives an opportunity to teach at a girl’s boarding school on the shores of Cornwall, she hesitantly, but eagerly seizes the opportunity. The potential downside is that it means time away from her long time boyfriend, Stan…but perhaps a break would serve them well.
It’s not easy fitting into a school where you are clearly the outsider, in more ways than one, and Maggie is not the only one to feel the discrepancy. As Maggie attempts to settle in, Simone, the scholarship winner, also struggles to find her place in the exclusive Downey House. This cast of characters have all kinds of issues to overcome, many lessons to learn, and antics to pull.
As with many boarding school stories, this one is ripe with girl bullying, elitism, pranks and punks, and more than a fair amount of weight issues and fat shaming. Be warned, it’s hard to read at times. I definitely struggled with some of the issues and the way that they were portrayed. But there’s also Jenny‘s unique style of humor that is truly delightful. And her conclusions are undoubtedly like no other.
I don’t know how she does it, but I always end up adoring her stories by their end, even if I find some aspects off-putting. This story had its cringe-worthy and questionable moments, but I loved it, laughed aloud, and was entranced by the charm she imbues all of her stories with. I eagerly look forward to the next installment in the series.
Welcome to the School by the Sea, by Jenny Colgan, is the first book in a new English boarding school series. The story is quintessential Colgan-style with its laugh-out-loud humor, quirkiness, acerbic, and often times cutting commentary, but ultimately heartwarming, feel-good conclusions.
Maggie needs a break from her teaching career in the underprivileged, rather rough area of London. When she unexpectedly receives an opportunity to teach at a girl’s boarding school on the shores of Cornwall, she hesitantly, but eagerly seizes the opportunity. The potential downside is that it means time away from her long time boyfriend, Stan…but perhaps a break would serve them well.
It’s not easy fitting into a school where you are clearly the outsider, in more ways than one, and Maggie is not the only one to feel the discrepancy. As Maggie attempts to settle in, Simone, the scholarship winner, also struggles to find her place in the exclusive Downey House. This cast of characters have all kinds of issues to overcome, many lessons to learn, and antics to pull.
As with many boarding school stories, this one is ripe with girl bullying, elitism, pranks and punks, and more than a fair amount of weight issues and fat shaming. Be warned, it’s hard to read at times. I definitely struggled with some of the issues and the way that they were portrayed. But there’s also Jenny‘s unique style of humor that is truly delightful. And her conclusions are undoubtedly like no other.
I don’t know how she does it, but I always end up adoring her stories by their end, even if I find some aspects off-putting. This story had its cringe-worthy and questionable moments, but I loved it, laughed aloud, and was entranced by the charm she imbues all of her stories with. I eagerly look forward to the next installment in the series.
December 6, 2024
DNF. I tried the audiobook and the narrator does not match the voices. I'm having a tough time trying to figure out what time period this is? modern? you'd never know.
Also it jumps from one character to the next and the narration makes it hard to figure the voice.
Also it jumps from one character to the next and the narration makes it hard to figure the voice.
May 29, 2024
Ik voelde mij eigenlijk een beetje te oud voor een verhaal over een jonge lerares en haar leerlingen van ongeveer 13 jaar oud , die best een groot gedeelte van het verhaal voor hun rekening namen . Ik ga de volgende delen zeker wel lezen maar ik leen de boeken wel bij de bibliotheek .
October 19, 2025
This will be a fun series. I do plan to read Colgan's latest Christmas book this year. I guess I was a boarding school teacher in another life. I may need to re-watch Mona Lisa Smile. Swoon. Loved getting to know these characters. The female focus.
November 29, 2022
A girls boarding school story for adults!
August 8, 2020
I was hooked when I saw the blurb, like Malory Towers for grown-ups, and it really is.
Maggie Adair is a schoolteacher from Glasgow. She teaches at the rough school where she herself was taught and is living with her high school sweetheart, but when her sister starts making plans about Maggie teaching her two sons Maggie feels stifled by the inevitability of her life and on a whim applies for a position at an exclusive girls' boarding school called Downey House in Cornwall. But how will a bolshie, left-wing, inner city school teacher cope with the rarefied atmosphere of a school in a castle (with real turrets), pupils whose parents are diplomats and rock stars and snooty teachers?
Maggie gets the job and is appointed form teacher for an unruly bunch of girls that includes the usual Malory Towers mismatch of girls, a scholarship girl from an Armenian family, a girl who doesn't want to be there, a girl who is out to cause trouble etc. There's a chain-smoking, glamorous French teacher and a boy's school just over the hill with a charming English teacher (who has a lovely dog) who may just be Maggie's soul-mate.
I have to confess I binge-read all three books in a few days so my recollection of the events of individual books is a little hazy - I think this is the one with the scavenger hunt - but I know I loved them.
So if you wished that Enid Blyton had written books for adults then this lovely series could be the one for you.
Maggie Adair is a schoolteacher from Glasgow. She teaches at the rough school where she herself was taught and is living with her high school sweetheart, but when her sister starts making plans about Maggie teaching her two sons Maggie feels stifled by the inevitability of her life and on a whim applies for a position at an exclusive girls' boarding school called Downey House in Cornwall. But how will a bolshie, left-wing, inner city school teacher cope with the rarefied atmosphere of a school in a castle (with real turrets), pupils whose parents are diplomats and rock stars and snooty teachers?
Maggie gets the job and is appointed form teacher for an unruly bunch of girls that includes the usual Malory Towers mismatch of girls, a scholarship girl from an Armenian family, a girl who doesn't want to be there, a girl who is out to cause trouble etc. There's a chain-smoking, glamorous French teacher and a boy's school just over the hill with a charming English teacher (who has a lovely dog) who may just be Maggie's soul-mate.
I have to confess I binge-read all three books in a few days so my recollection of the events of individual books is a little hazy - I think this is the one with the scavenger hunt - but I know I loved them.
So if you wished that Enid Blyton had written books for adults then this lovely series could be the one for you.
July 5, 2023
I debated on the rating for awhile. I enjoyed the plot and most of the characters. The setting of an all-girls boarding school in Cornwall was beautiful and made me envious of the students who were enrolled there. The writing is well done. It kept my interest. But the main character Maggie often tempted me to want to smack her upside her head. And I don’t see myself as a particularly violent person 😊
David or Stan. Make up your mind, silly woman.
David or Stan. Make up your mind, silly woman.
January 24, 2022
This was pretty cute. Jenny Colgan published a couple of these under the pseudonym Jane Beaton, but recently decided to re-release them under her name and make it a 6 book series. I would give these to even a slightly younger reader as they are set in a boarding school. An introductory Jenny Colgan series.
August 13, 2016
Very disappointed in this book. I usually love Jenny Colgan but this wasn't her best. Won't be bothering to read the next one.
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