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The Fortunes of Philippa
Philippa loves her beautiful South American home, where she lives with her father. An only child, and motherless, it is hard for Philippa to face the idea of leaving her father and her pleasant life for England and school, Aunt Agatha and her cousins. Of course Philippa must go to school and make friends of her own age, but will she be happy in England? Will she find it hard to adapt herself to a different way of life, a different climate?
For the first two years in England Philippa studies at home with her cousins; then she goes to school at The Hollies and it is there that she finds a wonderful friend in Cathy Winstanley. School life and holidays with the Winstanley family help Philippa to grow up into a warm and delightful person, with an ever increasing love of England.
For the first two years in England Philippa studies at home with her cousins; then she goes to school at The Hollies and it is there that she finds a wonderful friend in Cathy Winstanley. School life and holidays with the Winstanley family help Philippa to grow up into a warm and delightful person, with an ever increasing love of England.
206 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1906
3 people are currently reading
143 people want to read
About the author
Angela Brazil
236 books36 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Born in Preston, Lancashire in 1868, Angela Brazil (pronounced "brazzle") was the youngest child of cotton mill manager Clarence Brazil, and his wife, Angelica McKinnel. She was educated at the Turrets - a small private school in Wallasey - and then, when the Brazils were living in Manchester, at the preparatory department of the Manchester High School, and (as a boarder) at Ellerslie, an exclusive girls’ school near Victoria Park. She subsequently attended Heatherley's Art School, in London, with her sister Amy, and sketching remained a life-long interest.
With the death of Clarence Brazil in 1899, the family left the North-West of England for Llanbedr, Wales, where they took up residence in their former summer house. It is believed that, at some point during this period (1899-1911), Brazil worked as a governess, although she does not mention it in her autobiography, My Own Schooldays (1925). In 1911, she moved to Coventry, where she kept house for her doctor brother, living in that city until her death, in 1947.
Brazil's first children's novel, A Terrible Tomboy, was published in 1904, and is believed to have been autobiographical, featuring the adventures of a young Angela (Peggy), and her friend Leila Langdale (Lilian). It was only with the 1907 publication of her second novel, The Fortunes of Philippa, that she turned to the genre in which she would become so influential: the Girls' School Story.
Brazil is often described by readers as "the first author of modern girls' school stories," and her publisher Blackie once claimed, in a bit of promotional hyperbole, that she had originated the genre! While not actually true - the genre predates her by some time, and other authors of modern girls school stories, such as May Baldwin, were publishing before she was - Brazil was certainly immensely influential, in the genre's move away from a didactic, moralistic model, towards one aimed more at entertainment. Her books are told from the perspective of her girl characters themselves, and were immensely popular with young readers, both in her own lifetime, and afterward. All told, she published close to sixty children's novels, most of them girls' school stories.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Born in Preston, Lancashire in 1868, Angela Brazil (pronounced "brazzle") was the youngest child of cotton mill manager Clarence Brazil, and his wife, Angelica McKinnel. She was educated at the Turrets - a small private school in Wallasey - and then, when the Brazils were living in Manchester, at the preparatory department of the Manchester High School, and (as a boarder) at Ellerslie, an exclusive girls’ school near Victoria Park. She subsequently attended Heatherley's Art School, in London, with her sister Amy, and sketching remained a life-long interest.
With the death of Clarence Brazil in 1899, the family left the North-West of England for Llanbedr, Wales, where they took up residence in their former summer house. It is believed that, at some point during this period (1899-1911), Brazil worked as a governess, although she does not mention it in her autobiography, My Own Schooldays (1925). In 1911, she moved to Coventry, where she kept house for her doctor brother, living in that city until her death, in 1947.
Brazil's first children's novel, A Terrible Tomboy, was published in 1904, and is believed to have been autobiographical, featuring the adventures of a young Angela (Peggy), and her friend Leila Langdale (Lilian). It was only with the 1907 publication of her second novel, The Fortunes of Philippa, that she turned to the genre in which she would become so influential: the Girls' School Story.
Brazil is often described by readers as "the first author of modern girls' school stories," and her publisher Blackie once claimed, in a bit of promotional hyperbole, that she had originated the genre! While not actually true - the genre predates her by some time, and other authors of modern girls school stories, such as May Baldwin, were publishing before she was - Brazil was certainly immensely influential, in the genre's move away from a didactic, moralistic model, towards one aimed more at entertainment. Her books are told from the perspective of her girl characters themselves, and were immensely popular with young readers, both in her own lifetime, and afterward. All told, she published close to sixty children's novels, most of them girls' school stories.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 3, 2020
Free on Librivox and Project Gutenberg.
I’ve been meaning to try Brazil’s work for a few years now and this one was a cute introduction to her work. It’s a typical English girls’ school story and a pleasant little tale about a young girl leaving all she’s ever known behind to cross the ocean for her education. Her new best friend, Kathy, is a pleasant girl and the two of them have a number of pleasant adventures together.
Best for middle school ages.
I’ve been meaning to try Brazil’s work for a few years now and this one was a cute introduction to her work. It’s a typical English girls’ school story and a pleasant little tale about a young girl leaving all she’s ever known behind to cross the ocean for her education. Her new best friend, Kathy, is a pleasant girl and the two of them have a number of pleasant adventures together.
Best for middle school ages.
April 2, 2020
Philippa lives happily in South America with her father but her father decides she needs a different sort of education and sends her to England to go to school. She is sent to a boarding school where she learns languages and manners and the art of conversation and music. Her experiences are mixed; she quickly befriends Cathy, but also makes an enemy in Ernestine, and she loves most of her teachers but one teacher seems to constantly berate her. It's a nice little picture of what life must have been like for affluent girls in the early 1900s.
A 1001 Children's Book You Must Read Before You Grow Up.
A 1001 Children's Book You Must Read Before You Grow Up.
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March 18, 2018Jejku, jaka to dziwna książka! Angela Brazil napisała wiele książek o dziewczętach uczących się w szkołach z internatem. „Losy Philippy” były jedną z pierwszych i przyniosły jej sporą popularność. Czytając tę książkę po ponad stu latach od pierwszego wydania (1906) można sobie jednak zadać pytanie: jak to się stało? Cały tekst: http://pierogipruskie.pl/2018/03/the-...
January 15, 2016
Another good book from Angela Brazil. The story starts out with a ten-year-old Philippa living in South America with her father. He decides to send her to England to get a good education to learn things he thinks a girl should know including languages, dancing, music and sewing. The school is called The Hollies and has about thirty girls in it.
The girls have to get up at 6:30 and are required to attend prayer sessions. Before long she ends up with an enemy, a girl named Ernistine, who is really nasty. Cricket is also required of the girls.
One really funny part of the novel is two boys who insist on playing pranks on an adult they don't like. What they don't expect is that the guy is better than they are and he upstages them every time.
Although Philippa makes a lot of friends, she has one teacher who, for some reason, is extremely nasty to her and even results in causing Philippa to have a nervous breakdown. Once this is brought out into the open major changes are made in the school.
The book is like her others in that the focus is on the interactions of the girls. The descriptions of the places and things are also, as usual, extremely well done.
The girls have to get up at 6:30 and are required to attend prayer sessions. Before long she ends up with an enemy, a girl named Ernistine, who is really nasty. Cricket is also required of the girls.
One really funny part of the novel is two boys who insist on playing pranks on an adult they don't like. What they don't expect is that the guy is better than they are and he upstages them every time.
Although Philippa makes a lot of friends, she has one teacher who, for some reason, is extremely nasty to her and even results in causing Philippa to have a nervous breakdown. Once this is brought out into the open major changes are made in the school.
The book is like her others in that the focus is on the interactions of the girls. The descriptions of the places and things are also, as usual, extremely well done.
April 19, 2011
Quite a fun little story, though not my favourite Angela Brazil. The first person narration was very surprising, and I never quite grew used to it! It sounded very dry and Philippa's voice was far too grown up - which made sense when the end showed her to be in her 20s and looking back on her early teenage years.
Lots of high jinks with a horrid rival, and a nice dose of adventure to have them kiss and make up (lol, literally!) thanks to a mad bull... Also, this was one of the few boarding school stories where the holiday at home chapter was just as good as the in school ones - Cathy's brothers were loads of fun!
Lots of high jinks with a horrid rival, and a nice dose of adventure to have them kiss and make up (lol, literally!) thanks to a mad bull... Also, this was one of the few boarding school stories where the holiday at home chapter was just as good as the in school ones - Cathy's brothers were loads of fun!
January 14, 2013
The 1st person narrative was a bit of a surprise, and not a good one. I don't usually enjoy books from that perspective, and would have much preferred to read about Philippa, and not through her. I wondered the whole book why she seemed so much older than she was, and then at the end it is revealed she is looking back at her life. Still, the story itself is well worth the four stars, so I'll go with that for now.
April 30, 2013
True rating: 4.5 stars.
If this book reads a little more maturely than her other schoolgirl novels, it's because it was based in large part on the early life of Brazil's mother. Nevertheless, I found it very entertaining, and actually thought it better written -- a more adult-sounding prose -- than the previous book of hers that I read. But no matter what, Brazil is always a treat.
If this book reads a little more maturely than her other schoolgirl novels, it's because it was based in large part on the early life of Brazil's mother. Nevertheless, I found it very entertaining, and actually thought it better written -- a more adult-sounding prose -- than the previous book of hers that I read. But no matter what, Brazil is always a treat.
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October 29, 2017Someone I follow on #bookstagram posted a pic of The Fortunes of Philippa and, because I am always intrigued by "vintage" reads, I tracked down an almost-free ebook edition. It was a sweet, old-fashioned story about a boarding school girl in Britain -- innocent but a little bit boring (true for the girl and for the story).
December 2, 2017
A pretty standard English boarding school / childhood mischief story, amusing enough, though it feels a bit rushed, especially the sequence between Philippa’s father’s “death” and the reveal that he isn’t actually dead. There was barely any time for either characters or reader to feel emotional about it
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December 31, 2015Kind of dull, definitely not one I will re-read.
November 30, 2016
I was glad to read this, one of the first English boarding school stories. Sweet book. Not a lot happens. Minor scrapes and happy endings. All the girls become friends.
March 26, 2017
Probably one of Angela Brazil's best books, based on the experience of her mother.
September 26, 2019
I listened to an audio recording by Librivox with the same cover. It is not listed on Goodreads.
This was an excellent book. Knowing it is based on a true story helps one to realise these were real experiences and real emotions. It was quite easy to imagine yourself in the place of the main character.
It must have been so difficult to adjust to England after growing up in South America. As well as the climate, the idea of coming to a family with so many children and having one’s days limited to a nursery rather than having the run of the house. And being without anyone who loves you and treats you as a very special person. Very hard. But rather than the hardships, the author shows how Philippa grows and matures through her boarding school years and the wonderful holidays spent with her school friend.
The story ends well.
The reader was very good. She managed the few different accents, too, in a way that didn’t detract.
This was an excellent book. Knowing it is based on a true story helps one to realise these were real experiences and real emotions. It was quite easy to imagine yourself in the place of the main character.
It must have been so difficult to adjust to England after growing up in South America. As well as the climate, the idea of coming to a family with so many children and having one’s days limited to a nursery rather than having the run of the house. And being without anyone who loves you and treats you as a very special person. Very hard. But rather than the hardships, the author shows how Philippa grows and matures through her boarding school years and the wonderful holidays spent with her school friend.
The story ends well.
The reader was very good. She managed the few different accents, too, in a way that didn’t detract.
June 2, 2023
i feel so sad about giving this book two stars!
it is a lovely book, a lovely, lovely book!!!!
but i should not have read it when i did. and by that i don't only mean this past week, i mean that i should have read it when i was 13.
i thought i would love this book even though i have been steering further and further away from YA literature in the last 5, 10 years... and i see that i am no longer able to read it. i just do not enjoy it as much, especially when it is lacking in substance, when it is mere entertainment.
i just can't...
it is a lovely book, a lovely, lovely book!!!!
but i should not have read it when i did. and by that i don't only mean this past week, i mean that i should have read it when i was 13.
i thought i would love this book even though i have been steering further and further away from YA literature in the last 5, 10 years... and i see that i am no longer able to read it. i just do not enjoy it as much, especially when it is lacking in substance, when it is mere entertainment.
i just can't...
January 30, 2015
Until she is ten years old, Philippa lives an ideal life with her father in Argentina, spoiled by the native servants. Then her sends her home to England, to stay with his brother's family. She quickly becomes friends with her cousin Lucy, and two years later the two girls are sent to boarding school together. There Philippa meets Cathy, whose mother is an old family friend. The two bond, and Philippa visits Cathy's family during school vacation.
October 14, 2014
this author wrote a whole series of English schoolgirl stories in the early 20th century. A little stilted for girls of today. I found it reminiscent of Anee of Green Gables and The Little Princess. Itt did hold my attention through the whole book.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews