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samanthawattam's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
smallish_bear's review
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
spectacledbear's review
4.0
Somehow, my limited experience of being a Guide was never as much fun as EBD makes it seem. By which I mean, we never camped for weeks on end next to a beautiful Tyrolean lake, discovered historical artifacts at the bottom of a pit which had been dug a century earlier for reasons not adequately explained, or fished up a dead body (or not) before breakfast.
This book is fairly uneventful by Chalet School standards. No one spends days or weeks on the brink of death, no one is kidnapped, and no one undergoes a significant personality change. Instead, as the title suggests, the older CS Guides (plus Juliet and Grizel), three staff members, and Rufus the dog spend most of the book living under canvas, between the woods and the shore of the Baumersee. That's not to say that it's boring - the above-mentioned artifacts and fishing adventure, plus some hornet-related excitement, keep the story ticking along nicely.
Finally, yes, as other readers have pointed out, it was written in the 30s, and oh, gosh, what a surprise: characters occasionally express viewpoints which are more consistent with that time than with the 21st century. "Bill"'s speech and the subsequent conversation about the role of woman as housewife and helpmeet is very much of its time - the marriage bar was in effect then, and the Chalet School girls were broadly of the middle and upper classes. If they were going to enter employment, they would be likely to have the sorts of occupations which were impacted by the marriage bar. (Seriously, though. If you're that offended by 1930s viewpoints, don't read unedited versions of books published in the 1930s. It's not rocket science.)
This book is fairly uneventful by Chalet School standards. No one spends days or weeks on the brink of death, no one is kidnapped, and no one undergoes a significant personality change. Instead, as the title suggests, the older CS Guides (plus Juliet and Grizel), three staff members, and Rufus the dog spend most of the book living under canvas, between the woods and the shore of the Baumersee. That's not to say that it's boring - the above-mentioned artifacts and fishing adventure, plus some hornet-related excitement, keep the story ticking along nicely.
Finally, yes, as other readers have pointed out, it was written in the 30s, and oh, gosh, what a surprise: characters occasionally express viewpoints which are more consistent with that time than with the 21st century. "Bill"'s speech and the subsequent conversation about the role of woman as housewife and helpmeet is very much of its time - the marriage bar was in effect then, and the Chalet School girls were broadly of the middle and upper classes. If they were going to enter employment, they would be likely to have the sorts of occupations which were impacted by the marriage bar. (Seriously, though. If you're that offended by 1930s viewpoints, don't read unedited versions of books published in the 1930s. It's not rocket science.)
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