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The Chalet School #41
Trials for the Chalet School
It is not the fact that Naomi Elton "has been left slightly deformed as a result of an accident some years before" that worries the staff at the Chalet School; it is more the warning note from her guardian that her disability "has warped her mind".
After some discussion the mistresses decide they can do no better than to turn Naomi over to head girl Mary-Lou Trelawney for guidance.
After some discussion the mistresses decide they can do no better than to turn Naomi over to head girl Mary-Lou Trelawney for guidance.
218 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1959
112 people want to read
About the author
Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
171 books112 followersElinor M. Brent-Dyer was born as Gladys Eleanor May Dyer on 6th April 1894, in South Shields in the industrial northeast of England, and grew up in a terraced house which had no garden or inside toilet. She was the only daughter of Eleanor Watson Rutherford and Charles Morris Brent Dyer. Her father, who had been married before, left home when she was three years old. In 1912, her brother Henzell died at age 17 of cerebro-spinal fever. After her father died, her mother remarried in 1913.
Elinor was educated at a small local private school in South Shields and returned there to teach when she was eighteen after spending two years at the City of Leeds Training College. Her teaching career spanned 36 years, during which she taught in a wide variety of state and private schools in the northeast, in Middlesex, Bedfordshire, Hampshire, and finally in Hereford.
In the early 1920s she adopted the name Elinor Mary Brent-Dyer. A holiday she spent in the Austrian Tyrol at Pertisau-am-Achensee gave her the inspiration for the first location in the Chalet School series. However, her first book, 'Gerry Goes to School', was published in 1922 and was written for the child actress Hazel Bainbridge. Her first 'Chalet' story, 'The School at the Chalet', was originally published in 1925.
In 1930, the same year that 'Jean of Storms' was serialised, she converted to Roman Catholicism.
In 1933 the Brent-Dyer household (she lived with her mother and stepfather until her mother's death in 1957) moved to Hereford. She travelled daily to Peterchurch as a governess.
When her stepfather died she started her own school in Hereford, The Margaret Roper School. It was non-denominational but with a strong religious tradition. Many Chalet School customs were followed, the girls even wore a similar uniform made in the Chalet School's colours of brown and flame. Elinor was rather untidy, erratic and flamboyant and not really suited to being a headmistress. After her school closed in 1948 she devoted most of her time to writing.
Elinor's mother died in 1957 and in 1964 she moved to Redhill, where she lived in a joint establishment with fellow school story author Phyllis Matthewman and her husband, until her death on 20th September 1969.
During her lifetime Elinor M. Brent-Dyer published 101 books but she is remembered mainly for her Chalet School series. The series numbers 58 books and is the longest-surviving series of girls' school-stories ever known, having been continuously in print for more than 70 years. One hundred thousand paperback copies are still being sold each year.
Among her published books are other school stories; family, historical, adventure and animal stories; a cookery book, and four educational geography-readers. She also wrote plays and numerous unpublished poems and was a keen musician.
In 1994, the year of the centenary of her Elinor Brent-Dyer's birth, Friends of the Chalet School put up plaques in Pertisau, South Shields and Hereford, and a headstone was erected on her grave in Redstone Cemetery, since there was not one previously. They also put flowers on her grave on the anniversaries of her birth and death and on other special occasions.
Elinor was educated at a small local private school in South Shields and returned there to teach when she was eighteen after spending two years at the City of Leeds Training College. Her teaching career spanned 36 years, during which she taught in a wide variety of state and private schools in the northeast, in Middlesex, Bedfordshire, Hampshire, and finally in Hereford.
In the early 1920s she adopted the name Elinor Mary Brent-Dyer. A holiday she spent in the Austrian Tyrol at Pertisau-am-Achensee gave her the inspiration for the first location in the Chalet School series. However, her first book, 'Gerry Goes to School', was published in 1922 and was written for the child actress Hazel Bainbridge. Her first 'Chalet' story, 'The School at the Chalet', was originally published in 1925.
In 1930, the same year that 'Jean of Storms' was serialised, she converted to Roman Catholicism.
In 1933 the Brent-Dyer household (she lived with her mother and stepfather until her mother's death in 1957) moved to Hereford. She travelled daily to Peterchurch as a governess.
When her stepfather died she started her own school in Hereford, The Margaret Roper School. It was non-denominational but with a strong religious tradition. Many Chalet School customs were followed, the girls even wore a similar uniform made in the Chalet School's colours of brown and flame. Elinor was rather untidy, erratic and flamboyant and not really suited to being a headmistress. After her school closed in 1948 she devoted most of her time to writing.
Elinor's mother died in 1957 and in 1964 she moved to Redhill, where she lived in a joint establishment with fellow school story author Phyllis Matthewman and her husband, until her death on 20th September 1969.
During her lifetime Elinor M. Brent-Dyer published 101 books but she is remembered mainly for her Chalet School series. The series numbers 58 books and is the longest-surviving series of girls' school-stories ever known, having been continuously in print for more than 70 years. One hundred thousand paperback copies are still being sold each year.
Among her published books are other school stories; family, historical, adventure and animal stories; a cookery book, and four educational geography-readers. She also wrote plays and numerous unpublished poems and was a keen musician.
In 1994, the year of the centenary of her Elinor Brent-Dyer's birth, Friends of the Chalet School put up plaques in Pertisau, South Shields and Hereford, and a headstone was erected on her grave in Redstone Cemetery, since there was not one previously. They also put flowers on her grave on the anniversaries of her birth and death and on other special occasions.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 4, 2017
Willing to give 5 stars for old times' sake but actually I think this is one of the better Swiss stories. It makes a change for almost the whole focus to be on the top two forms and Naomi, with her bitter spirit and lack of religion, makes a very different new girl. Best of all, the drawing-out of Naomi and her conversion to being a 'nicer' character happens before she's involved in a dramatic mountainside incident (cf Eustacia), before she accepts religion, and before her near death experience (which will also, eventually, cure her 'physical deformity', although this isn't clear straight away). So Naomi is brought round to Chaletishness not by high drama but by ordinary school life combined with Mary-Lou's relentless 'be nice to Naomi' campaign. Well, and maybe by Miss Dene falling ill, but even that's not hugely dramatic. It's a much more believable conversion than most of the ones EBD gives us, anyway (easily her worst being that awful girl in Stepsisters for Lorna).
The book could have been marred by the almost line-by-line depiction of St Mildred's pantomime, but even this is avoided, firstly by the pantomime being punctuated by cameos from various Old Girls (and not all former stars - Nancy Canton? Should I remember her? I mean, she clearly made an impression on Maeve Bettany but I'm struggling to place her), and secondly by the pantomime being punctuated by power cuts, which eventually bring the show to a premature end. St Mildred's have a pretty poor record at actually finishing their shows, thinking about it.
I'm starting to get curious about how Mary-Lou ends up at Oxford University, though. She didn't have any public exams in Coming-of-Age (none of the prefects did), she doesn't have any this year (we're told that at least three times), and they don't do public exams at St Mildred's. So presumably she gets into University by virtue of her Former Head Girl status.
I'm also somewhat intrigued as to how an exceptionally early Easter means they are able to have a longer half term. Using the Easter weekend itself doesn't make sense, because Easter doesn't get much earlier than the back end of March and that's late, for a term finishing in early April; and surely there would have been more Easter stuff going on if this was when the sixth formers were away in St Moritz - I can't believe EBD would have omitted all the churchgoing and talk of re-birth when she had a mentally warped character hanging around not believing in God.
And how on earth do you cobble together a Mittagessen for 200 people? I mean, if Karen's that good she's not going to have massive quantities of fresh food left over when the school closes for the holidays, is she? I'm thinking tinned sardines on toast all round, the bread of course being home-made (assuming she had enough fresh yeast and assuming the electricity came back on in time); I suppose that might qualify as a 'somewhat scrappy' Mittagessen. Well, hopefully they all had the chance to top up with cream cakes and luscious coffee with positive featherbeds of cream on top when they got down to Interlaken, otherwise they would all have been very hungry indeed during the journey home.
But these are quibbles. It's great to see Verity doing something useful for a change, and being obstinate again, instead of 'mooning' (no, not like that). Herr Laubach's retirement is well overdue and I can't feel resentful towards Naomi for prompting it. And nobody wakes up anybody else by the simple expedient of sitting on their legs. Perhaps somebody has had a Quiet Word with Joey (Excitements) and Mary-Lou (Coming-of-Age) about this wholly inappropriate method for waking people up. The hand drawn down the cheek is much kinder.
Update March 2017 after reading the Girls Gone By edition: As usual, it was mostly innate Chaletishness which was cut from the Armada paperback, so the GGB edition is a much more satisfying read. There are also some EBDisms (mainly regarding which language is the language of the day), but to offset these, we find out what happens with Easter (ie, they get a second long weekend off, towards the end of term), if not how Karen managed to throw together Mitagessen for 200+ people.
Also cut from the Armada edition was an entire 'trial' (the deluge) and quite a lot of the half term fun at St Moritz. Mlle Lachenais rocks - it turns out she has been down the Cresta Run a couple of times. Who knew?
And the extra, Lisa Townsend's short story, is superb. It quietly shows us how, when and why we should offer help to those that might need it, and how, when and why someone might want us to back off. I suppose my own current circumstances have made me more aware of the issue, but I did feel this was the best explanation I've ever read of why the 'Does she take sugar?' approach is so flawed. Further kudos for keeping EBD's outdated terminology ('cripple'), because this gave the story period authenticity, but was used in such a way that it enhanced the crucial message rather than obscured it. Very, very well done indeed - an excellent short story.
The book could have been marred by the almost line-by-line depiction of St Mildred's pantomime, but even this is avoided, firstly by the pantomime being punctuated by cameos from various Old Girls (and not all former stars - Nancy Canton? Should I remember her? I mean, she clearly made an impression on Maeve Bettany but I'm struggling to place her), and secondly by the pantomime being punctuated by power cuts, which eventually bring the show to a premature end. St Mildred's have a pretty poor record at actually finishing their shows, thinking about it.
I'm starting to get curious about how Mary-Lou ends up at Oxford University, though. She didn't have any public exams in Coming-of-Age (none of the prefects did), she doesn't have any this year (we're told that at least three times), and they don't do public exams at St Mildred's. So presumably she gets into University by virtue of her Former Head Girl status.
I'm also somewhat intrigued as to how an exceptionally early Easter means they are able to have a longer half term. Using the Easter weekend itself doesn't make sense, because Easter doesn't get much earlier than the back end of March and that's late, for a term finishing in early April; and surely there would have been more Easter stuff going on if this was when the sixth formers were away in St Moritz - I can't believe EBD would have omitted all the churchgoing and talk of re-birth when she had a mentally warped character hanging around not believing in God.
And how on earth do you cobble together a Mittagessen for 200 people? I mean, if Karen's that good she's not going to have massive quantities of fresh food left over when the school closes for the holidays, is she? I'm thinking tinned sardines on toast all round, the bread of course being home-made (assuming she had enough fresh yeast and assuming the electricity came back on in time); I suppose that might qualify as a 'somewhat scrappy' Mittagessen. Well, hopefully they all had the chance to top up with cream cakes and luscious coffee with positive featherbeds of cream on top when they got down to Interlaken, otherwise they would all have been very hungry indeed during the journey home.
But these are quibbles. It's great to see Verity doing something useful for a change, and being obstinate again, instead of 'mooning' (no, not like that). Herr Laubach's retirement is well overdue and I can't feel resentful towards Naomi for prompting it. And nobody wakes up anybody else by the simple expedient of sitting on their legs. Perhaps somebody has had a Quiet Word with Joey (Excitements) and Mary-Lou (Coming-of-Age) about this wholly inappropriate method for waking people up. The hand drawn down the cheek is much kinder.
Update March 2017 after reading the Girls Gone By edition: As usual, it was mostly innate Chaletishness which was cut from the Armada paperback, so the GGB edition is a much more satisfying read. There are also some EBDisms (mainly regarding which language is the language of the day), but to offset these, we find out what happens with Easter (ie, they get a second long weekend off, towards the end of term), if not how Karen managed to throw together Mitagessen for 200+ people.
Also cut from the Armada edition was an entire 'trial' (the deluge) and quite a lot of the half term fun at St Moritz. Mlle Lachenais rocks - it turns out she has been down the Cresta Run a couple of times. Who knew?
And the extra, Lisa Townsend's short story, is superb. It quietly shows us how, when and why we should offer help to those that might need it, and how, when and why someone might want us to back off. I suppose my own current circumstances have made me more aware of the issue, but I did feel this was the best explanation I've ever read of why the 'Does she take sugar?' approach is so flawed. Further kudos for keeping EBD's outdated terminology ('cripple'), because this gave the story period authenticity, but was used in such a way that it enhanced the crucial message rather than obscured it. Very, very well done indeed - an excellent short story.
March 3, 2011
Funny, I'd read this before but just did NOT recognise it at all, until we came to the Lost Property Prank of Ailie Russell and co.!
July 13, 2015
SPOILER WARNINGS APPLY TO THIS REVIEW. (I can't seem to get the spoiler tags working from the app D:)
Rating 3 stars for the unabridged version - and it's a rarity for me to rate an Armada-abridged version higher than the original, I can tell you!
In the case of "Trials", I think a lot of the edits that took place improved the book. They certainly made Mary-Lou Trelawney appear less of a self-righteous being who thinks religious prejudice and ableism are *right* - which is very much how her unedited diatribes about God make her seem to me!
As a disabled person brought up Anglican who decided on agnosticism at age 11, some of Mary-Lou's views on Naomi's disability and her agnosticism made me furious and disgusted. It's a pity EBD felt it necessary to shove her own religious views into the mouth of her character (for those who don't know, this is a fairly obvious thing - EBD was raised Church of England and converted to Roman Catholicism as an adult, and was very passionate on the subject).
It takes away from Mary-Lou as a person, I feel, because we are given no way in which young, religion-careless Mary-Lou might have become so vehement about her faith as to cram it down the throat of someone not definitely Christian - and from my viewpoint that is very much what she does to Naomi.
How Mary-Lou can say she's not pious, all her behaviour considered, is utterly beyond me!
As an *abridged* book, this story is surprisingly better, though still includes some painfully contrived plot points like Naomi taking out the stick with the wrong ferrule and not realising all through her journey through the house and out to the field that she had the wrong one. Anyone with a cane knows that would be very, very unlikely - if you're putting your weight on a metal spike on an indoor floor, and you have no perception disability (as Naomi does not), believe me, you'd notice! Likewise the rubber ferrule on snow or ice - even on a little bit of ground, you notice this stuff.
Not a bad CS book, but definitely not the best, with some very frustrating and prejudiced ideas surrounding the "A" plot.
Rating 3 stars for the unabridged version - and it's a rarity for me to rate an Armada-abridged version higher than the original, I can tell you!
In the case of "Trials", I think a lot of the edits that took place improved the book. They certainly made Mary-Lou Trelawney appear less of a self-righteous being who thinks religious prejudice and ableism are *right* - which is very much how her unedited diatribes about God make her seem to me!
As a disabled person brought up Anglican who decided on agnosticism at age 11, some of Mary-Lou's views on Naomi's disability and her agnosticism made me furious and disgusted. It's a pity EBD felt it necessary to shove her own religious views into the mouth of her character (for those who don't know, this is a fairly obvious thing - EBD was raised Church of England and converted to Roman Catholicism as an adult, and was very passionate on the subject).
It takes away from Mary-Lou as a person, I feel, because we are given no way in which young, religion-careless Mary-Lou might have become so vehement about her faith as to cram it down the throat of someone not definitely Christian - and from my viewpoint that is very much what she does to Naomi.
How Mary-Lou can say she's not pious, all her behaviour considered, is utterly beyond me!
As an *abridged* book, this story is surprisingly better, though still includes some painfully contrived plot points like Naomi taking out the stick with the wrong ferrule and not realising all through her journey through the house and out to the field that she had the wrong one. Anyone with a cane knows that would be very, very unlikely - if you're putting your weight on a metal spike on an indoor floor, and you have no perception disability (as Naomi does not), believe me, you'd notice! Likewise the rubber ferrule on snow or ice - even on a little bit of ground, you notice this stuff.
Not a bad CS book, but definitely not the best, with some very frustrating and prejudiced ideas surrounding the "A" plot.
May 30, 2016
This gets 4 stars for ludicrousness - the "trials" consist of a "deformed" new student, scarlet fever, an avalanche, a flood, a terrible car accident... I rather admire the inventiveness.
Most hilarious bit - when the students are trapped in a hut by an avalanche, the mistresses decide to rally their spirits by concocting "a hot drink of sorts" from melted snow, chocolate and condensed milk, heated in a first aid box and "skimming" the mud from the snow off the resultant mixture. Delightful, I'm sure their spirits were rallied like anything.
Most hilarious bit - when the students are trapped in a hut by an avalanche, the mistresses decide to rally their spirits by concocting "a hot drink of sorts" from melted snow, chocolate and condensed milk, heated in a first aid box and "skimming" the mud from the snow off the resultant mixture. Delightful, I'm sure their spirits were rallied like anything.
October 14, 2025
‘Trials for the Chalet School’ is mostly about Naomi Elton, a girl with some quite serious physical disabilities who feels embittered and angry, determined not to be friendly with anyone. The head girl, Mary-Lou, who hoped for an easy term, is asked to keep an eye out and befriend Naomi.
‘Theodora and the Chalet School’ features another girl starting the school rather older than is normal, and at an unusual time of the year. Theodora, abbreviated to Ted, has a bad record from her previous schools and an unsympathetic mother. But she’s given a chance to start afresh.
Naturally there’s a lot that seems old-fashioned now; vague mentions of ‘operations’, lengthy isolation for infectious illnesses, and Matey’s infamous doses. But then the books were original written at the end of the 1950s, and for the time were quite radical as far as education went.
Best read as part of the series rather than stand-alones, since there's so much character development in the lengthy series as a whole. Overall I thought both of these books - which I last read at least twenty years previously - were interesting and also quite thought-provoking in places, handling tricky subjects that could still be relevant today.
2025 update: since I now have an unabridged version of 'Theodora...', I reread just 'Trials...' in October 2025, and was surprised at how much I liked it. Perhaps one day I'll read the full version, but even this abridged one is well worth reading, in my view.
Longer review (of Trials only): https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/...
‘Theodora and the Chalet School’ features another girl starting the school rather older than is normal, and at an unusual time of the year. Theodora, abbreviated to Ted, has a bad record from her previous schools and an unsympathetic mother. But she’s given a chance to start afresh.
Naturally there’s a lot that seems old-fashioned now; vague mentions of ‘operations’, lengthy isolation for infectious illnesses, and Matey’s infamous doses. But then the books were original written at the end of the 1950s, and for the time were quite radical as far as education went.
Best read as part of the series rather than stand-alones, since there's so much character development in the lengthy series as a whole. Overall I thought both of these books - which I last read at least twenty years previously - were interesting and also quite thought-provoking in places, handling tricky subjects that could still be relevant today.
2025 update: since I now have an unabridged version of 'Theodora...', I reread just 'Trials...' in October 2025, and was surprised at how much I liked it. Perhaps one day I'll read the full version, but even this abridged one is well worth reading, in my view.
Longer review (of Trials only): https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/...
April 27, 2010
Naomi comes to the Chalet School, she walks with a limp due to an accident a few years ago. She's also very bitter, because she had plans to be a dancer before the accident happened, and now it's hard for her to walk! The mistresses in the Chalet School decide that the best thing to do is to get the Head Girl Mary-Lou to straighten her out.
September 29, 2009
Spoiled, lame Naomi feels sorry for herself until her experiences at the Chalet School heal her, body and soul.
July 16, 2015
Fun read with a fair amount of random events to keep me entertained.
On a passing note: Joey so complacently expanding her brood makes me laugh out loud.
On a passing note: Joey so complacently expanding her brood makes me laugh out loud.
April 18, 2016
Usual hilarity and fantastic vocabulary! "I nearly ate her without salt!"
April 2, 2023
Two and a half stars.
The "foreshadowing" in this book rattles and bangs, as in the very first lines a teacher announces "This is a sickness term!" before the students are even in class. How does she know? Because it's the Chalet School! I can't imagine any parent who knew anything of their history of hair breadth 'scapes actually sending their daughters to such a dangerous institution. One character in particular is sent there to gain in health, and ends up the victim of several unfortunate events.
Published in 1959, this series has become rather a parody of itself, repeating accidents, epidemics and avalanches in the most laughable way. Joey Bettany is now a mother of nine and expecting again--and hoping for twins, to bring the total of her progeny up to 11! No news in this volume as to how that worked out, but I hope her doctor husband can afford to fill all those hungry mouths and dress all those little bodies decently. The authoress drags in several Old Girls to fill up the gaps, and at least the much-mentioned Pantomime is described in full instead of being built up to through the book to be glossed over in two sentences.
The "foreshadowing" in this book rattles and bangs, as in the very first lines a teacher announces "This is a sickness term!" before the students are even in class. How does she know? Because it's the Chalet School! I can't imagine any parent who knew anything of their history of hair breadth 'scapes actually sending their daughters to such a dangerous institution. One character in particular is sent there to gain in health, and ends up the victim of several unfortunate events.
Published in 1959, this series has become rather a parody of itself, repeating accidents, epidemics and avalanches in the most laughable way. Joey Bettany is now a mother of nine and expecting again--and hoping for twins, to bring the total of her progeny up to 11! No news in this volume as to how that worked out, but I hope her doctor husband can afford to fill all those hungry mouths and dress all those little bodies decently. The authoress drags in several Old Girls to fill up the gaps, and at least the much-mentioned Pantomime is described in full instead of being built up to through the book to be glossed over in two sentences.
August 19, 2025
This book was first published in 1959 and was therefore very old-fashioned! It was nice to see how times had changed. Interesting and innocent story. Also included German words which was good to see.
Really liked how at the end the school had to contact the parents “urgently” and sent a postcard!
More a children’s book but still enjoyed it.
Really liked how at the end the school had to contact the parents “urgently” and sent a postcard!
More a children’s book but still enjoyed it.
December 26, 2025
One of the CS books that I know less well, and actually I was pleasantly surprised. It’s one of the better Swiss books. I liked the nod to the heavy burden of responsibility endured by Miss Annersley. And it was kind of reassuring to see Joey not sail through a pregnancy for once. It’s about as relatable as the adult Joey ever gets.
September 19, 2019
Not sure about this one - too many things all on top of each other, topped off by an accident that really isn't elaborated on in the Armada version .......
February 15, 2021
As eventful as ever. The ending gave me the giggles, as I've said before the medicine in these books is quite amazing.
July 26, 2021
This has to be my least favourite - what happened to Mary Lou going from a interesting normal child to a smug entitled adolescent. And don't talk to me about her conversion of Naomi
March 11, 2017
The Easter term starts with a new pupil arriving at the Chalet School. Naomi was injured several years ago in a fire that caused the death of her parents, and left her crippled. This has also had an effect on her attitude towards life, making her tend to repulse help or friendship. But even Naomi finds it difficult to resist Mary-Lou, the Head Girl. As the term continues Naomi, perhaps subconsciously, is absorbing the attitudes of those around her. But she is not the only trial to face the school this term. Once again Elinor M. Brent-Dyer has continued this excellent series with believably written characters who make you want to pull for them to overcome their obstacles. Highly recommended.
July 28, 2017
One of the better 'late' books in the series, this doesn't quite reach the heights of the Tyrol instalments but there are some beautifully written moments and there's certainly enough plot! EBD returns to form but doesn't overdo it in terms of the dance between life and death, this time focusing most on the impact of those anxiously awaiting even a scrap of news; and the traditional transformation (is there anyone BUT Thelma whom this hasn't worked on?) is a slow build, and more effective for it.
February 7, 2025
Re- read in the unabridged GGBP edition, 3.5-4
Reading the series in order does mean that the stories are more repetitive
Yet another new girl with a problem who arrives at The Chalet School angry and embittered but by the end of the term the good influence of most of the girls at the Chalet School and it’s ethos is beginning to work it’s magic
Back toMary-Lou as the main agent of change
The ending feels rushed - the annual St Mildred’s pantomime is being described in detail plus a couple of Old Girls from the Tirol years are at the pantomime
I felt that EBD meant to do more with these characters, especially Evadne Lannis but there is suddenly a power cut and the panto is ended prematurely
SPOILER ALERT
The accident on the way back from the panto means that Naomi has to have emergency surgery at the San , which specialises in TB , and also while under anaesthetic the doctors ( hopefully surgeons) manage to correct some musculoskeletal damage which caused the ‘twisted’ body and mind of Naomi
The moral being that you should not read EBD for medical advice!
Reading the series in order does mean that the stories are more repetitive
Yet another new girl with a problem who arrives at The Chalet School angry and embittered but by the end of the term the good influence of most of the girls at the Chalet School and it’s ethos is beginning to work it’s magic
Back toMary-Lou as the main agent of change
The ending feels rushed - the annual St Mildred’s pantomime is being described in detail plus a couple of Old Girls from the Tirol years are at the pantomime
I felt that EBD meant to do more with these characters, especially Evadne Lannis but there is suddenly a power cut and the panto is ended prematurely
SPOILER ALERT
The accident on the way back from the panto means that Naomi has to have emergency surgery at the San , which specialises in TB , and also while under anaesthetic the doctors ( hopefully surgeons) manage to correct some musculoskeletal damage which caused the ‘twisted’ body and mind of Naomi
The moral being that you should not read EBD for medical advice!
September 13, 2011
Another ripping yarn about the Chalet School.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews