REVIEW: Seven Sisters at Queen Anne's
Aug. 22nd, 2024 10:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
feather_ghyllSeven Sisters at Queen Anne’s: Evelyn Smith. Blackie, my copy is inscribed 1933
Seven sisters? Yes, the scenario set out in the book’s title is a lot, but Evelyn Smith writes write with acuity about the emotional undercurrents of group dynamics, individuality and collectivism and seems to question the idea of public school spirit, although she ultimately affirms it. I loved that she presented this slice of the main character’s life as an important part of a greater whole, important because she’d carry the emotional growth she had here into adulthood. But there were some parts that weren’t as coherent as they could have been. I didn’t appreciate having to pause to clarify what was going on, specifically who was talking and who was experiencing which emotion.
The setting, then, is summer term at Queen Anne’s, where, because the previous head girl left school early to travel, Thea Tennant will be head girl during her last term at school. She has a mixture of emotions about the promotion. On the very first day, she’s been asked to keep new girls off the grass as they make their way in and go to see the headmistress Miss Lefroy. Joining her is her oldest friend, Trix, who is in charge of sports at the school. The two prefects are dumbfounded when two new girls, who are obviously sisters, are followed by two others, two more and then one last. These seven sisters are the Shortts and they all step on the grass, but all respond in markedly different ways to the admonition to keep off it, which is delivered in slightly different ways. Thea soon grasps that the Shortts, all full of personality, are going to cause challenges.
We learn that they have three brothers, meaning that they’re a family of ten children. They had been taught by a good governess at home, but she left to marry, so even Pamela the eldest sister, who will be put in the Sixth to study for her exams for one term, will be attending a boarding school for the first time ever. Although we meet them all, two others make the greatest impression along with Pamela, Septima (not the seventh daughter and thus the youngest, but the seventh child.) However, she’s not the one with the most unfortunate name, that would be Tony who was mistakenly christened Antony Edgar (and her twin brother was called Antonia Rawlston, known as Rawley, which struck me as rather daft.) Both Septima and Tony feel things deeply, while Pamela seems very cool and removed if you aren’t observing her closely. Septima is often close to tears, or is at the start of the term, while Tony does mad things when ‘frit’. We see more of the youngest sisters, Pyillida and Gerry, mainly because they are always close to fighting, while Sylvie and Gwen are a bunch of attributes.
The Shortts, all very different individuals, don’t know the first thing about school life, the rules written and unwritten. This rather riles up the more established girls, and Thea, herself new to her post, is often on the scene when there are scenes. But in the first few weeks, as she’s getting to know the sisters, isn’t very adept at handling these situations, putting her own position at risk. Sensitive Thea hates this, but she also rather hates the way that the sixth form don’t take to Pamela, who is brainy and confident with it, and inadvertently shows up the other girls. The headmistress is planning to make Pamela a prefect, which makes her an important person in school life. It becomes increasingly clear that Trix is particularly set against her. On the other hand, Thea is attracted to Pamela, suspecting that her above-it-all front is assumed.
When Tony gets into a scene and decides to run away, Thea gets confirmation that her suspicions are correct, and learns that Pamela had come to school determined to cast away the burden of being the oldest sister she’d carried all her life. After that, she’s willing to use her influence on her sisters for good.
Gradually, with Tony and Septima being early fans of Thea’s, the sisters start to absorb the school spirit, although their attempts to show it are eccentric. They’re too new to be part of the performance of scenes from ‘As You Like It’ or to be made members of the school’s tennis team, although they are used to performing, Tony harbours literary ambitions, and Pamela is certainly as good a tennis player as anyone at the school. But Trix is a continual obstacle, and as Thea starts building a friendship with Pamela, she’s miserably aware that Trix is behaving unreasonably and unfairly. It did occur to me that it was likely that someone would have noticed that Trix was carrying an injury acquired in an earlier match during the week where she was practicing with a new partner before a vital match.
But it’s in the emotional truths that Smith shines as the Shortts get the chance to show that they are made of ‘the right stuff’ and can come through for the greater community and be rewarded for it. She has fun with would-be author Tony’s novel ‘The Bittersweet of Life’ and shows that even sixth formers have a few lessons. Few books feature as many as SEVEN sisters at a school together and it is mad (I felt sorry for Mrs Shortt, but she seems to be a happy, busy, well-educated mother.) A new head girl learning how to use her authority and extraordinary new girls settling down are more familiar, but better written here than usual in boarding school stories. But I wouldn’t say that it’s thoroughly good a book as I expected it to be.
Having said that, I’ve just taken a look through most of my posts about Evelyn Smith’s books here, and I’ve tended to write something like this about all of them, and Smith also seems to use this dynamic of a new friendship threatening an old one quite a lot. I’d forgotten, but it turns out I’ve read a sequel to this book, ‘Phyllida in Form III’, reviewed here. Fortunately, ‘Septima at School’, the sequel to this book and prequel to ‘Phyllida’ is among my ‘to be read’ pile.
Seven sisters? Yes, the scenario set out in the book’s title is a lot, but Evelyn Smith writes write with acuity about the emotional undercurrents of group dynamics, individuality and collectivism and seems to question the idea of public school spirit, although she ultimately affirms it. I loved that she presented this slice of the main character’s life as an important part of a greater whole, important because she’d carry the emotional growth she had here into adulthood. But there were some parts that weren’t as coherent as they could have been. I didn’t appreciate having to pause to clarify what was going on, specifically who was talking and who was experiencing which emotion.
The setting, then, is summer term at Queen Anne’s, where, because the previous head girl left school early to travel, Thea Tennant will be head girl during her last term at school. She has a mixture of emotions about the promotion. On the very first day, she’s been asked to keep new girls off the grass as they make their way in and go to see the headmistress Miss Lefroy. Joining her is her oldest friend, Trix, who is in charge of sports at the school. The two prefects are dumbfounded when two new girls, who are obviously sisters, are followed by two others, two more and then one last. These seven sisters are the Shortts and they all step on the grass, but all respond in markedly different ways to the admonition to keep off it, which is delivered in slightly different ways. Thea soon grasps that the Shortts, all full of personality, are going to cause challenges.
We learn that they have three brothers, meaning that they’re a family of ten children. They had been taught by a good governess at home, but she left to marry, so even Pamela the eldest sister, who will be put in the Sixth to study for her exams for one term, will be attending a boarding school for the first time ever. Although we meet them all, two others make the greatest impression along with Pamela, Septima (not the seventh daughter and thus the youngest, but the seventh child.) However, she’s not the one with the most unfortunate name, that would be Tony who was mistakenly christened Antony Edgar (and her twin brother was called Antonia Rawlston, known as Rawley, which struck me as rather daft.) Both Septima and Tony feel things deeply, while Pamela seems very cool and removed if you aren’t observing her closely. Septima is often close to tears, or is at the start of the term, while Tony does mad things when ‘frit’. We see more of the youngest sisters, Pyillida and Gerry, mainly because they are always close to fighting, while Sylvie and Gwen are a bunch of attributes.
The Shortts, all very different individuals, don’t know the first thing about school life, the rules written and unwritten. This rather riles up the more established girls, and Thea, herself new to her post, is often on the scene when there are scenes. But in the first few weeks, as she’s getting to know the sisters, isn’t very adept at handling these situations, putting her own position at risk. Sensitive Thea hates this, but she also rather hates the way that the sixth form don’t take to Pamela, who is brainy and confident with it, and inadvertently shows up the other girls. The headmistress is planning to make Pamela a prefect, which makes her an important person in school life. It becomes increasingly clear that Trix is particularly set against her. On the other hand, Thea is attracted to Pamela, suspecting that her above-it-all front is assumed.
When Tony gets into a scene and decides to run away, Thea gets confirmation that her suspicions are correct, and learns that Pamela had come to school determined to cast away the burden of being the oldest sister she’d carried all her life. After that, she’s willing to use her influence on her sisters for good.
Gradually, with Tony and Septima being early fans of Thea’s, the sisters start to absorb the school spirit, although their attempts to show it are eccentric. They’re too new to be part of the performance of scenes from ‘As You Like It’ or to be made members of the school’s tennis team, although they are used to performing, Tony harbours literary ambitions, and Pamela is certainly as good a tennis player as anyone at the school. But Trix is a continual obstacle, and as Thea starts building a friendship with Pamela, she’s miserably aware that Trix is behaving unreasonably and unfairly. It did occur to me that it was likely that someone would have noticed that Trix was carrying an injury acquired in an earlier match during the week where she was practicing with a new partner before a vital match.
But it’s in the emotional truths that Smith shines as the Shortts get the chance to show that they are made of ‘the right stuff’ and can come through for the greater community and be rewarded for it. She has fun with would-be author Tony’s novel ‘The Bittersweet of Life’ and shows that even sixth formers have a few lessons. Few books feature as many as SEVEN sisters at a school together and it is mad (I felt sorry for Mrs Shortt, but she seems to be a happy, busy, well-educated mother.) A new head girl learning how to use her authority and extraordinary new girls settling down are more familiar, but better written here than usual in boarding school stories. But I wouldn’t say that it’s thoroughly good a book as I expected it to be.
Having said that, I’ve just taken a look through most of my posts about Evelyn Smith’s books here, and I’ve tended to write something like this about all of them, and Smith also seems to use this dynamic of a new friendship threatening an old one quite a lot. I’d forgotten, but it turns out I’ve read a sequel to this book, ‘Phyllida in Form III’, reviewed here. Fortunately, ‘Septima at School’, the sequel to this book and prequel to ‘Phyllida’ is among my ‘to be read’ pile.
