REVIEW: The School at Skelton Hall
Aug. 13th, 2020 04:58 pmThe School at Skelton Hall: Elinor M. Brent-Dyer, Girls Gone By Publishers, 2008
I almost feel unworthy of posting my reaction to ‘The School at Skelton Hall’, because after I read it, I went back to read Ruth Jolly’s considered introduction for this GGBP edition, which discusses the plot, setting and the creation of a new school by E B-D for the second time in a career that spawned the famous Chalet School. My mind had kept stumbling over the similarity between Skelton and Skeleton! So please read what follows with that in mind. ( Read more... )
I almost feel unworthy of posting my reaction to ‘The School at Skelton Hall’, because after I read it, I went back to read Ruth Jolly’s considered introduction for this GGBP edition, which discusses the plot, setting and the creation of a new school by E B-D for the second time in a career that spawned the famous Chalet School. My mind had kept stumbling over the similarity between Skelton and Skeleton! So please read what follows with that in mind. ( Read more... )
OVERVIEW: 2018 highlights
Jan. 2nd, 2019 09:24 amTags:
- adult books,
- angela brazil,
- annie barrows,
- authors: b,
- authors: d,
- authors: e,
- authors: f,
- authors: i,
- authors: s,
- carola dunn,
- comparison: books,
- dorita fairlie bruce,
- elinor m. brent-dyer,
- eva ibbotson,
- evelyn smith,
- links,
- links: reviews,
- mary ann shaffer,
- monica edwards,
- nicole burstein,
- overview: books,
- overview: films,
- pamela brown,
- series: chalet school,
- series: othergirl,
- series: springdale
REVIEW: A Head Girl's Difficulties
Aug. 30th, 2018 09:50 amA Head Girl’s Difficulties: Elinor M. Brent-Dyer Chambers, Reprint 1957
The passenger sitting next to me on a train observed that I was really enjoying this. I suppose I was, but I was a little frustrated with the book overall, because ( Read more... )
The passenger sitting next to me on a train observed that I was really enjoying this. I suppose I was, but I was a little frustrated with the book overall, because ( Read more... )
REVIEW: Challenge for the Chalet School
Jan. 13th, 2018 11:36 amChallenge for the Chalet School: Elinor M. Brent-Dyer, Armada, 1991
Oh, look, I’m quibbling about titles again, but perhaps ‘Challenges for the Chalet School’ would have been better, with ( Read more... )
Oh, look, I’m quibbling about titles again, but perhaps ‘Challenges for the Chalet School’ would have been better, with ( Read more... )
OVERVIEW: 2017 highlights
Jan. 2nd, 2018 08:19 pmHere is a round-up of some things I posted about last year. ( Read more... )
Tags:
- angela brazil,
- authors: a,
- authors: b,
- authors: d,
- authors: e,
- authors: f,
- authors: i,
- authors: l,
- authors: m,
- authors: o,
- authors: s,
- discussion: reading,
- dorita fairlie bruce,
- elinor m. brent-dyer,
- elsie j. oxenham,
- eva ibbotson,
- helen macinnes,
- joanna lloyd,
- josephine elder,
- katharine l. oldmeadow,
- links,
- links: reviews,
- louisa m. alcott,
- pamela dean,
- review: books,
- review: television,
- review: television adaptation,
- robin stevens,
- series: abbey girls,
- series: chalet school,
- series: dimsie,
- series: wells and wong mysteries
REVIEW: The Chalet School Does It Again
Jul. 23rd, 2017 04:39 pmThe Chalet School Does It Again: Elinor M. Brent-Dyer. Armada, 1990
I am excruciatingly slowly completing my Chalet School collection, and yes, with the aid of abridged Armada publications.
The title of this story always ( Read more... )
I am excruciatingly slowly completing my Chalet School collection, and yes, with the aid of abridged Armada publications.
The title of this story always ( Read more... )
LINKS: Various
May. 6th, 2017 12:33 pmHere are some links I have meant to post for a good long while:
The Chalet School at War review by Did You Ever Stop to Think
From the same blog, a thought-provoking analysis of the first page of ‘The School at the Chalet’.
Also, a review of Head Girl of the Chalet School
And her Chalet School tag
![[dreamwidth.org profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
el_staplador sings the praises of 'Ballet Shoes’ (from a feminist standpoint) here.
I couldn't see who whad written about coming to Anne Shirley for the first time as an adult at Vulpes Libris.
A review of Miss Buncle’s Book by Carrie S, which I found charming. My first D.E. Stevenson book was 'Amberwell', which I probably was too young for. I liked the idea of children growing up in a stately family home, but was quite upset that their lives turned out to be sad and full of strife. I find Stevenson variable in quality, but 'Miss Buncle’s Book' is one of my favourite books of hers,
The author of the recently reviewed Tam Lin can be found on Livejournal/Dreamwidth![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
pameladean/pameladean.
Finally, and this is relatively breaking news, the BBC is adapting 'Little Women'.
The Chalet School at War review by Did You Ever Stop to Think
From the same blog, a thought-provoking analysis of the first page of ‘The School at the Chalet’.
Also, a review of Head Girl of the Chalet School
And her Chalet School tag
el_staplador sings the praises of 'Ballet Shoes’ (from a feminist standpoint) here.I couldn't see who whad written about coming to Anne Shirley for the first time as an adult at Vulpes Libris.
A review of Miss Buncle’s Book by Carrie S, which I found charming. My first D.E. Stevenson book was 'Amberwell', which I probably was too young for. I liked the idea of children growing up in a stately family home, but was quite upset that their lives turned out to be sad and full of strife. I find Stevenson variable in quality, but 'Miss Buncle’s Book' is one of my favourite books of hers,
The author of the recently reviewed Tam Lin can be found on Livejournal/Dreamwidth
pameladean/pameladean.Finally, and this is relatively breaking news, the BBC is adapting 'Little Women'.
REVIEW: Gerry Goes to School
Feb. 20th, 2017 06:17 pmI haven't posted much about books so far this year, but I haven't read many books, or so it feels, but I tried to make up for it over the past weekend.
Gerry Goes to School: Elinor M. Brent-Dyer, Chambers, ‘latest reprint’ 1952.
( Read more... )
Gerry Goes to School: Elinor M. Brent-Dyer, Chambers, ‘latest reprint’ 1952.
( Read more... )
OVERVIEW: 2016 Highlights
Jan. 8th, 2017 03:59 pmAs I did last year, I thought I'd do a very subjective overview of things I posted about or should have posted about here. My favourite ( Read more... )
Tags:
- alan bradley,
- angela brazil,
- authors: a,
- authors: b,
- authors: h,
- authors: j,
- authors: m,
- authors: v,
- authors: w,
- discussion: personal,
- discussion: reading,
- elfrida vipont,
- elinor m. brent-dyer,
- elsie j. oxenham,
- irene hunt,
- jean webster,
- l. m. montgomery,
- links,
- links: reviews,
- mabel esther allan,
- mavis doriel hay,
- overview: books,
- overview: films,
- pauline m. james,
- series: dimsie,
- series: flavia de luce,
- series: wells and wong mysteries
REVIEW: A Thrilling Term at Janeways'
Jun. 26th, 2016 09:42 pmA Thrilling Term at Janeways': Elinor M. Brent-Dyer, Nelson
I found this 'School Story for Girls' ( Read more... )
I found this 'School Story for Girls' ( Read more... )
REVIEW: Fardingales
Mar. 26th, 2016 03:13 pmFardingales: Elinor M. Brent-Dyer, Girls Gone By 2015
(originally published 1950)
As this book is associated with Chudleigh Hold (I understand some of the characters in it will cross paths with Chudleighs), I was looking out for similarities as I read. It features a family of young people, living in a large family house, the eponymous Fardingales, by the sea, which means picnics, caves and adventure. ( Read more... )
(originally published 1950)
As this book is associated with Chudleigh Hold (I understand some of the characters in it will cross paths with Chudleighs), I was looking out for similarities as I read. It features a family of young people, living in a large family house, the eponymous Fardingales, by the sea, which means picnics, caves and adventure. ( Read more... )
GREETINGS: Happy New Year!
Jan. 3rd, 2016 10:13 pmI’ll post an overview of a few books I’ve read over the holidays eventually, but this post is a look back at 2015, following a tradition started by my first post of 2015 when I said I looked forward to the next adventures of Wells and Wong. Well, Arsenic for Tea by Robin Stevens (in which the 1930s schoolgirls investigate another mystery, this time in Daisy Wells’s country house home) lived up to my expectations. I enjoyed Kate Saunders’s Beswitched, originally published a few years ago, but taking the reader back to a 1930s boarding school, a fraction more, even. I loved reading Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery and Gail Carriger’s Etiquette & Espionage.
Turning to hadrbacks, I enjoyed The Little Betty Wilkinson by Evelyn Smith, even though I think she’s written better books. I did read a book each by the ‘big four’: Elinor M. Brent-Dyer’s Chudleigh Hold, Sally’s Summer Term by Dorita Fairlie Bruce, Tomboys at the Abbey by Elsie J. Oxenham, which I didn’t review, and For the School Colours by Angela Brazil.
(In the first paragraph, I build up to my favourite and do the opposite in the second.)
Perhaps the best book I read this year was ‘Rose Under Fire’ by Elizabeth Wein, which is wonderful and harrowing, and I feel incapable of writing about it. I also really loved Helena McEwen’s Invisible River.
I reread Katherine L. Oldmeadow’s The Fortunes of Jacky, which stands the test of time, and now I have no more Oldmeadows to reread. I am, obviously, looking out for more by her in all the shops that sell second-hand books! I hope to read the next case Hazel Wong writes up and the second in the Finishing School series, but I expect to read EBD's 'Fardingales' as I have a copy in the depths of my 'to read' pile.
Turning to hadrbacks, I enjoyed The Little Betty Wilkinson by Evelyn Smith, even though I think she’s written better books. I did read a book each by the ‘big four’: Elinor M. Brent-Dyer’s Chudleigh Hold, Sally’s Summer Term by Dorita Fairlie Bruce, Tomboys at the Abbey by Elsie J. Oxenham, which I didn’t review, and For the School Colours by Angela Brazil.
(In the first paragraph, I build up to my favourite and do the opposite in the second.)
Perhaps the best book I read this year was ‘Rose Under Fire’ by Elizabeth Wein, which is wonderful and harrowing, and I feel incapable of writing about it. I also really loved Helena McEwen’s Invisible River.
I reread Katherine L. Oldmeadow’s The Fortunes of Jacky, which stands the test of time, and now I have no more Oldmeadows to reread. I am, obviously, looking out for more by her in all the shops that sell second-hand books! I hope to read the next case Hazel Wong writes up and the second in the Finishing School series, but I expect to read EBD's 'Fardingales' as I have a copy in the depths of my 'to read' pile.
Tags:
- angela brazil,
- authors: b,
- authors: c,
- authors: f,
- authors: m,
- authors: o,
- authors: s,
- authors: w,
- discussion: personal,
- discussion: reading,
- dorita fairlie bruce,
- elinor m. brent-dyer,
- elizabeth wein,
- elsie j. oxenham,
- evelyn smith,
- gail carriger,
- helena mcewen,
- kate saunders,
- katharine l. oldmeadow,
- l. m. montgomery,
- links,
- links: reviews,
- series: abbey girls,
- series: finishing school,
- series: sally scatterbrain,
- series: wells and wong mysteries
REREAD: Chudleigh Hold
Aug. 20th, 2015 10:08 amChudleigh Hold: Elinor M. Brent-Dyer, Chambers, 1954
I’ve owned this copy since books were sold in charity shops for 30p, although all I remembered about it was that it was about a family gifted with outlandish names who seemed to have no connection to the Chalet School. As I’ve ordered the second book in the series from Girls Gone By, I thought it’d be a good idea to reread this in advance of its arrival.
Chudleigh Hold is ( Read more... )
I’ve owned this copy since books were sold in charity shops for 30p, although all I remembered about it was that it was about a family gifted with outlandish names who seemed to have no connection to the Chalet School. As I’ve ordered the second book in the series from Girls Gone By, I thought it’d be a good idea to reread this in advance of its arrival.
Chudleigh Hold is ( Read more... )
REVIEW: Schoolgirl Reporter
Aug. 5th, 2015 10:33 amSchoolgirl Reporter: Constance M. White, Hutchinson, this edition 1969
I rated the last book by White that I read, The Ballet School Mystery and made a mental note to look out for more books by her, but ( Read more... )
I rated the last book by White that I read, The Ballet School Mystery and made a mental note to look out for more books by her, but ( Read more... )
LINKS: Various
Jun. 26th, 2015 08:26 amCollected over months (or longer):
A tribute to Elinor M. Brent-Dyer by nobodyjones
The thrill of the used bookstore hunt
Amanda Diehl talks about book hunting practices involving second-hand bookshops that I can partially sympathise with. I do have strange habits about books, but let’s focus on the euphoria of finding something you’ve long looked for at a reasonable price.
Daniel Dalton recommends 33 Books You Should Read Now, Based On Your Favourite Films. Having read and seen some pairs, I can see where he’s coming from and have found a cuple of recommondations.
There are a few Nancy Drew icons here by misbegotten.
Angela Brazil: dorm feasts and red hot pashes
Kathryn Hughes has been rereading Angela Brazil (spoilers for A Patriotic Schoolgirl).
Here’s a new blog about children’s books that I think will be worth keeping an eye on: homeintimefortea
A tribute to Elinor M. Brent-Dyer by nobodyjones
The thrill of the used bookstore hunt
Amanda Diehl talks about book hunting practices involving second-hand bookshops that I can partially sympathise with. I do have strange habits about books, but let’s focus on the euphoria of finding something you’ve long looked for at a reasonable price.
Daniel Dalton recommends 33 Books You Should Read Now, Based On Your Favourite Films. Having read and seen some pairs, I can see where he’s coming from and have found a cuple of recommondations.
There are a few Nancy Drew icons here by misbegotten.
Angela Brazil: dorm feasts and red hot pashes
Kathryn Hughes has been rereading Angela Brazil (spoilers for A Patriotic Schoolgirl).
Here’s a new blog about children’s books that I think will be worth keeping an eye on: homeintimefortea
REREAD: Carola Storms the Chalet Schooll
Apr. 10th, 2015 08:29 amCarola Storms the Chalet School: Elinor M. Brent-Dyer. 1951 (although I suspect this is a reprint) Chambers
A reread, this, because I brought a hardback copy - I had an Armada copy already – partly for sentimental reasons, as the secondhand bookshop I was buying it at was closing.
Anyhow, this is the story where ( Read more... )
A reread, this, because I brought a hardback copy - I had an Armada copy already – partly for sentimental reasons, as the secondhand bookshop I was buying it at was closing.
Anyhow, this is the story where ( Read more... )
GREETINGS: Happy New Year!
Jan. 1st, 2015 09:48 pmI don't know if I'll get around to typing up a full review of 'Molly Hazeldene's Schooldays' by Maud Forsey, which I read over the holidays, but I felt it should be noted that one of the other school girls is named, rather magnificently, Leah Venus Sheepwash.
Looking back, my favourite Girls Own books read in 2014 were The Scholarship Girl at Cambridge by Josephine Elder, Dimity Drew's First Term by Nancy Breary and Mullion by Mabel Esther Allan. I also loved Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens (and look forward to more Wells and Wong cases) and enjoyed rereading The Chalet School and the Lintons.
Looking back, my favourite Girls Own books read in 2014 were The Scholarship Girl at Cambridge by Josephine Elder, Dimity Drew's First Term by Nancy Breary and Mullion by Mabel Esther Allan. I also loved Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens (and look forward to more Wells and Wong cases) and enjoyed rereading The Chalet School and the Lintons.
REREAD: The Chalet School and the Lintons
Aug. 20th, 2014 09:41 pmThe Chalet School and the Lintons: Elinor M. Brent-Dyer Chambers 1940 reprint
I’d previously read this story as split into two by Armada. It was nice to have it all in one hardback volume, although I managed to slosh some coffee over it at one point.
The story is that Gillian and Joyce Linton( Read more... )
I’d previously read this story as split into two by Armada. It was nice to have it all in one hardback volume, although I managed to slosh some coffee over it at one point.
The story is that Gillian and Joyce Linton( Read more... )
LINKS: Two
Mar. 9th, 2014 03:32 pmCarolynp mounts a well-argued defence of the Chalet School's Mary-Lou (I have to admit that my initial response was ‘Huh?’ at Mary-Lou needing to be defended)
here
Here's a blog post about slang and its use to include and exclude.
The other day, I experienced something that has never happened to me before when buying a book - I watched bemused as the shopkeeper wrapped it up in brown paper, stuck some tape to keep it together but then cut off a piece of string and tied it up with a bow. It was one of Maria's favourite things. It was at a shop that sold 'vintage' goods and was partly a tea shop - too knick knacky to be an antiques shop, and with all sorts of objects lying in front of the mainly hardback books that were for sale in a bookshelf. The book in question was in quite good nick, so I suppose it's what they do with everything they sell.
here
Here's a blog post about slang and its use to include and exclude.
The other day, I experienced something that has never happened to me before when buying a book - I watched bemused as the shopkeeper wrapped it up in brown paper, stuck some tape to keep it together but then cut off a piece of string and tied it up with a bow. It was one of Maria's favourite things. It was at a shop that sold 'vintage' goods and was partly a tea shop - too knick knacky to be an antiques shop, and with all sorts of objects lying in front of the mainly hardback books that were for sale in a bookshelf. The book in question was in quite good nick, so I suppose it's what they do with everything they sell.
