REVIEW: Two Joans At The Abbey
Apr. 6th, 2024 12:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
feather_ghyllTwo Joans At The Abbey: Elsie J. Oxenham Collins. This reprint 1949.
The two Joans are of different generations, and I will say that one of the strengths of this book is that it has time for all the generations of ‘Abbey girls’, from one of the original ones, Joan, to Joy’s twins, Elizabeth and Margaret. I suppose that I should also note that I’ve read books in the series set after this one (as you can see if you click on the tags), and will reference some events from the latter in this review.
Joan is now married and has only recently given birth to her fourth child, who old friend Janice ‘Jandy Mac’ Fraser and her daughter come to see at the start of the book. Said daughter is also called Joan, but has been called Littlejan at home in Australia and Samoa. Now that she’s in the UK and a teenager, she doesn’t like to use the nickname, but if she’s to be living with the original Joan while she’s educated, what is she going to be called? ‘Joan-Two’ or Joan the second seems to be the answer.
Of course, Joan called her eldest daughter Janice after the original Janice, so she can talk. But that Janice goes by Jansy, so she’s less confusing. Actually, as all of Joan and Jack Raymond’s children’s names start with J (and you have mention of Joy, while Jen and Maidlin’s Jock turn up) it IS rather confusing as a reader! (At least Rosamund hasn’t started having her little Roses yet.) I found myself thinking that Joan and Janice (or EJO) could have honoured their friends by giving their daughters their names as second names.
It's not just the names that are confusing, characters have to explain things several times over to each other in this book, so the reader should have no excuse for having taken in what’s happened. For one thing, very few people are where you’d expect them to be. Janice and her daughter are away from home, although England and Scotland feel like home to Janice in a way. Joan and Jack have decided that now is the time to expand their house for their growing family, so they move into Abinger Hall because Joy is in New York with her second husband and newborn son. This frees up recently engaged Maidlin to go stay with Rosamund to prepare for her trousseau, for Joan will take over responsibility for Joy’s twins.
Janice Fraser’s plans had already been changed, but are further complicated by the news that the aunt who was like a mother to her is ill up in Scotland. She decides to leave Littlejan under Joan’s care. Littlejan is about four years older than the twins, and about three years older than Jansy, and mature for her age. Fortunately for her, she finds Belinda ‘Lindy’ Bellanne, who has just left school and is the twins’ nursery governess, minder of their grammar, and an understanding sort.
Honestly, two thirds of the book is explaining who some of the characters are (to Janice and Littlejan) and why they aren’t where you’d expect (Jen cameos, but is not at the Manor, because of…you’ve guessed it…sickness. Jansy’s school term ends early because there is mumps in her form too. Overdoing it a tad, EJO!)
The twins’ desire to help Littlejan find somewhere nearby where she can stable her new pony Chestnut, who they want to ride, and propensity to keep secrets gets them, Jansy and Littlejan into a scrape. But it also leads to a find or two for Joan’s Abbey. Although Joan gets a fright, with her own daughter injured as well as one of the other girls in her care, she has to admit to the adults that she’d have likely done what the youngsters did out of curiosity too. Jen, Ros and Maidlin say that things were bound to happen when Joan returned to her Abbey.
Much is made of ‘the Abbey folk’ (including husbands and future husbands) being kind and welcoming to traveling Janice and her daughter, which they see as part of the tradition of the Abbey and the Hamlet Club. There are continuing developments for the ever-growing cast, as Maidlin and Jock find the perfect site for their marital home, while Janice meets dancer Damaris and her sister Rachel in London. Oh, but I should note that the depiction of the twins was heavy-handed: Margaret is always the worst, be it the more rebellious, the more easily frightened or the one who is most likely to make mistakes while dancing, though I thought she was older than Elizabeth. (If we’re talking names, they call each other Peggy and Betty in private.)
The two Joans are of different generations, and I will say that one of the strengths of this book is that it has time for all the generations of ‘Abbey girls’, from one of the original ones, Joan, to Joy’s twins, Elizabeth and Margaret. I suppose that I should also note that I’ve read books in the series set after this one (as you can see if you click on the tags), and will reference some events from the latter in this review.
Joan is now married and has only recently given birth to her fourth child, who old friend Janice ‘Jandy Mac’ Fraser and her daughter come to see at the start of the book. Said daughter is also called Joan, but has been called Littlejan at home in Australia and Samoa. Now that she’s in the UK and a teenager, she doesn’t like to use the nickname, but if she’s to be living with the original Joan while she’s educated, what is she going to be called? ‘Joan-Two’ or Joan the second seems to be the answer.
Of course, Joan called her eldest daughter Janice after the original Janice, so she can talk. But that Janice goes by Jansy, so she’s less confusing. Actually, as all of Joan and Jack Raymond’s children’s names start with J (and you have mention of Joy, while Jen and Maidlin’s Jock turn up) it IS rather confusing as a reader! (At least Rosamund hasn’t started having her little Roses yet.) I found myself thinking that Joan and Janice (or EJO) could have honoured their friends by giving their daughters their names as second names.
It's not just the names that are confusing, characters have to explain things several times over to each other in this book, so the reader should have no excuse for having taken in what’s happened. For one thing, very few people are where you’d expect them to be. Janice and her daughter are away from home, although England and Scotland feel like home to Janice in a way. Joan and Jack have decided that now is the time to expand their house for their growing family, so they move into Abinger Hall because Joy is in New York with her second husband and newborn son. This frees up recently engaged Maidlin to go stay with Rosamund to prepare for her trousseau, for Joan will take over responsibility for Joy’s twins.
Janice Fraser’s plans had already been changed, but are further complicated by the news that the aunt who was like a mother to her is ill up in Scotland. She decides to leave Littlejan under Joan’s care. Littlejan is about four years older than the twins, and about three years older than Jansy, and mature for her age. Fortunately for her, she finds Belinda ‘Lindy’ Bellanne, who has just left school and is the twins’ nursery governess, minder of their grammar, and an understanding sort.
Honestly, two thirds of the book is explaining who some of the characters are (to Janice and Littlejan) and why they aren’t where you’d expect (Jen cameos, but is not at the Manor, because of…you’ve guessed it…sickness. Jansy’s school term ends early because there is mumps in her form too. Overdoing it a tad, EJO!)
The twins’ desire to help Littlejan find somewhere nearby where she can stable her new pony Chestnut, who they want to ride, and propensity to keep secrets gets them, Jansy and Littlejan into a scrape. But it also leads to a find or two for Joan’s Abbey. Although Joan gets a fright, with her own daughter injured as well as one of the other girls in her care, she has to admit to the adults that she’d have likely done what the youngsters did out of curiosity too. Jen, Ros and Maidlin say that things were bound to happen when Joan returned to her Abbey.
Much is made of ‘the Abbey folk’ (including husbands and future husbands) being kind and welcoming to traveling Janice and her daughter, which they see as part of the tradition of the Abbey and the Hamlet Club. There are continuing developments for the ever-growing cast, as Maidlin and Jock find the perfect site for their marital home, while Janice meets dancer Damaris and her sister Rachel in London. Oh, but I should note that the depiction of the twins was heavy-handed: Margaret is always the worst, be it the more rebellious, the more easily frightened or the one who is most likely to make mistakes while dancing, though I thought she was older than Elizabeth. (If we’re talking names, they call each other Peggy and Betty in private.)
