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A Patriotic Schoolgirl
Angela Brazil (1868-1947) was the first of the British writers of "modern" School Girls' Stories genre - written from the characters' point of view. Along with her sister Amy, Angela studied at Heatherley School of Fine Art in London, but she was quite late in taking up writing, developing a strong interest in Welsh mythology, and at first wrote a few magazine articles on mythology and nature. It was possibly thanks to her sister Amy that she finally began work on a novel at the age of 35. Exceptionally with respect to many of her contemporaries writing in this vein, Brazil did not write any books in a series - each stood on its own with different characters every time. These were considered to deal accurately and sympathetically with the highs and lows in the lives of middle-class schoolgirls, including the tangle of emotional friendships. Her works include: The New Girl at St. Chad's (1911), For the Sake of the School (1915), The Luckiest Girl in the School (1916) and The Jolliest School of All (1922).
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1918
About the author
Angela Brazil
119 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 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 14, 2019
A Patriotic Schoolgirl begins just as Marjorie Anderson, 15, and her sister Dona, 13, are about to be sent off to boarding school. Marjorie is an energetic, outgoing girl but one who is prone to acting impulsively. She's already been to boarding school before, so she's looking forward to being at Brackenfield College, playing hockey and making friends. Dona is much shyer and reserved, content to live in Marjorie's shadow, has no interest in sports, doesn't make friends easily, and would much rather continue to be home schooled. As for the rest of the family, they are described as "a large and rambling family." Father is a soldier serving in France; older sister Nora is already married; Bevis is in the Navy on board the HMS Relentless; Leonard is serving in the trenches somewhere in France; Larry has just been conscripted and is going into training; Peter, 11, has been away at boarding school for three years and is returning there again; Cyril is also off to boarding school, and only youngest Joan will stay at home.
Due to her own work, Mrs. Anderson must send the girls to Brackenfield alone on the train. After missing their connecting train to London, making them 2 hours late, they meet a kind soldier who helps them with their unwieldily belongings. Unluckily, when they part at Euston Station and the teacher meeting them sees them speaking with a soldier, Miss Norton takes an immediate dislike to both girls.
Put into separate houses at school, at first "life seemed a breathless and confusing whirl of classes, meals, and calisthenic exercises, with a continual ringing of bells and marching from one room to another." Eventually, however, Marjorie and Dona find their way. Marjorie makes friends with the other girls in her dormitory, even convincing them to pull a few pranks, while Dona finds herself attracted to the more solitary study of Natural History and Photography.
A Patriotic Schoolgirl is basically the story of Marjorie's overcoming her impulsive nature and assimilating into boarding school life. She really loves a good prank, which usually gets her into trouble. But one episode involving a letter she impulsively writes to a soldier has some serious consequences, including a near expulsion. She is told that she has broken school rules and "transgressed against the spirit of the school" with her 'vulgar correspondence." Marjorie has always been extremely patriotic, she "followed every event of the war keenly, and was thrilled by the experiences of her soldier father and brothers. She was burning to do something to help - to nurse the wounded [as her older cousin Elaine does], drive a transport wagon, act as secretary to a staff-officer, or even be telephone operator over in France." Marjorie just wants more than anything to do her bit for her country, which is why she wrote the letter to a soldier in the first place, never dreaming he would write back.
When a new girl, Chrissie Lang, arrives after the Christmas break, Marjorie finds a new best friend in her. Chrissie is overly interested in hearing about the soldiers in Marjorie's family, as well as learning about the nearby P.O.W. camp. When suspicious happenings in school are noticed, it appears there might a spy in the school. But is it Miss Norton, aka the Acid Drop, who has her own secret, or could it be someone else. And Marjorie is determined to find out just who it is.
I really love a good boarding school story and, for the most part, this one really suited me. A Patriotic Schoolgirl is a marvelous window into the requirements, customs, and rituals that surround boarding schools at that time. Brazil goes into great detail about these things and, I have to be honest, just reading the requirements of what each girl was expected to bring with her boggled my mind.
And Brackenfield College is a strict school with a hard-nosed headmistress, one that for most of the book feels like a good fit for Dona, but definitely not for Marjorie. In the end, though, Marjorie learns to adhere to school values and principles, to comport herself accordingly, and to find a more gentlewomanly outlet for her patriotism. I do wonder at this message, however.
It was fun to revisit A Patriotic Schoolgirl and if you would like to read it, too, you can download a copy at Project Gutenberg, along with 27 other books by Angela Brazil.
This book is recommended for readers age 11+
This book was purchased for my personal library
Due to her own work, Mrs. Anderson must send the girls to Brackenfield alone on the train. After missing their connecting train to London, making them 2 hours late, they meet a kind soldier who helps them with their unwieldily belongings. Unluckily, when they part at Euston Station and the teacher meeting them sees them speaking with a soldier, Miss Norton takes an immediate dislike to both girls.
Put into separate houses at school, at first "life seemed a breathless and confusing whirl of classes, meals, and calisthenic exercises, with a continual ringing of bells and marching from one room to another." Eventually, however, Marjorie and Dona find their way. Marjorie makes friends with the other girls in her dormitory, even convincing them to pull a few pranks, while Dona finds herself attracted to the more solitary study of Natural History and Photography.
A Patriotic Schoolgirl is basically the story of Marjorie's overcoming her impulsive nature and assimilating into boarding school life. She really loves a good prank, which usually gets her into trouble. But one episode involving a letter she impulsively writes to a soldier has some serious consequences, including a near expulsion. She is told that she has broken school rules and "transgressed against the spirit of the school" with her 'vulgar correspondence." Marjorie has always been extremely patriotic, she "followed every event of the war keenly, and was thrilled by the experiences of her soldier father and brothers. She was burning to do something to help - to nurse the wounded [as her older cousin Elaine does], drive a transport wagon, act as secretary to a staff-officer, or even be telephone operator over in France." Marjorie just wants more than anything to do her bit for her country, which is why she wrote the letter to a soldier in the first place, never dreaming he would write back.
When a new girl, Chrissie Lang, arrives after the Christmas break, Marjorie finds a new best friend in her. Chrissie is overly interested in hearing about the soldiers in Marjorie's family, as well as learning about the nearby P.O.W. camp. When suspicious happenings in school are noticed, it appears there might a spy in the school. But is it Miss Norton, aka the Acid Drop, who has her own secret, or could it be someone else. And Marjorie is determined to find out just who it is.
I really love a good boarding school story and, for the most part, this one really suited me. A Patriotic Schoolgirl is a marvelous window into the requirements, customs, and rituals that surround boarding schools at that time. Brazil goes into great detail about these things and, I have to be honest, just reading the requirements of what each girl was expected to bring with her boggled my mind.
And Brackenfield College is a strict school with a hard-nosed headmistress, one that for most of the book feels like a good fit for Dona, but definitely not for Marjorie. In the end, though, Marjorie learns to adhere to school values and principles, to comport herself accordingly, and to find a more gentlewomanly outlet for her patriotism. I do wonder at this message, however.
It was fun to revisit A Patriotic Schoolgirl and if you would like to read it, too, you can download a copy at Project Gutenberg, along with 27 other books by Angela Brazil.
This book is recommended for readers age 11+
This book was purchased for my personal library
August 6, 2013
While it is set during my favorite war, this book really takes the patriotism to a high level. I don't mind patriotism one bit, but this takes patriotism to a level that I have never seen before in my life. One of the characters, named Chrissie Lang happens to be a German girl whose brother is a German POW in the local POW camp. She wants to smuggle a uniform that belongs to the protagonists brother into the camp so that he may escape. There is a character in this book that I could guess to be about six years of age. He has this "fascination" with fairies. I find it a little odd. Hell, he calls the headmistress of the school, the one the pupils call the "Acid Drop" "Titania." She didn't know the main character was friends with the child, and goes from being the "Acid Drop" to a friendly, kind person.
More about Chrissie Lang: I knew from the get go she was a Deutsch Mädchen. Hell, she even hints at it, but yet the others don't get it.
Had I been there, we would've had a big Scooby Doo moment.
But I wasn't around in 1918 obviously.
All the girls needed to do was wait a few days for 11 O'clock to roll around.
Overall, this book is decent but could have been better.
More about Chrissie Lang: I knew from the get go she was a Deutsch Mädchen. Hell, she even hints at it, but yet the others don't get it.
Had I been there, we would've had a big Scooby Doo moment.
But I wasn't around in 1918 obviously.
All the girls needed to do was wait a few days for 11 O'clock to roll around.
Overall, this book is decent but could have been better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2013
Oh wow, that line at the end, it'll have you shaking your head, even if you do take the context into account. Read it yourself and find it, towards the end somewhere. I liked this one still, so I'll stick with the five stars even if that line made me shudder. A great example of Brazil's work, a definite five star effort.
February 6, 2021
I'm going through a Angela Brazil phase at the moment. This is a particularly interesting book because of the details of the life and interests of the school girls during the war. I was really intrigued by the lists of older siblings and how they were contributing and the demands brought about by rationing etc. An intriguing piece of social history.
July 18, 2016
The story takes place during WWI in England. Dona, the younger sister, and Marjorie are going to attend Brackenfield boarding school. The school is run very strictly and Marjorie tends to get into a good bit of trouble. For example, the girls can't bring any of their own books to the school except for the Bible and a prayer book.
A lot of the book is about the ordinary things the girls go through at the school, which is quite interesting, but a good bit of the book is related to the times. There is a food shortage, for example. Worse, it's possible that someone at the school is actually spying for the Germans. It could even be a teacher!
There's also an ill, young boy that becomes the center of attention.
The girls do a lot things that are very good such as sewing socks for the soldiers. The trouble they do get in is incredibly mild compared to what goes on in today's schools. It's an enjoyable book.
A lot of the book is about the ordinary things the girls go through at the school, which is quite interesting, but a good bit of the book is related to the times. There is a food shortage, for example. Worse, it's possible that someone at the school is actually spying for the Germans. It could even be a teacher!
There's also an ill, young boy that becomes the center of attention.
The girls do a lot things that are very good such as sewing socks for the soldiers. The trouble they do get in is incredibly mild compared to what goes on in today's schools. It's an enjoyable book.
July 11, 2015
Marjorie and Dona are being sent to boarding school. Marjorie is excited — she is the elder, and has already attended a smaller boarding school — while Dona would rather remain home. The two girls are the middle of a large family, with one older, married, sister, several older brothers, a couple of younger brothers, and a younger sister. At school they are placed in separate houses, where each make their own friends. With their older brothers and father, as well as several cousins, serving their country, they can't help but be patriotic, and both wonder just how they will be able to help when their turn comes.
November 24, 2013
This was a more complex view of the war - perhaps due to it being published long after the 'it'll be over by Christmas' fanfare. However, as other reviewers have noted, when the author really had the opportunity to do something big hearted, she failed utterly at the end.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews