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samanthawattam's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Synopsis: Joey Bettany returns to the Chalet School and finds herself reluctantly forced to become a little more grown up as she is promoted to Prefect this year. However, she and many of the girls find their patience tested with the arrival of a new school on the opposite site of the lake it doesn’t take long for misunderstandings, assumptions and rivalries to spring up with the girls they call The Saints.
Review: Unfortunately my rating is low due to an error of judgment made by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer in deciding to surprisingly include a reference to the Klu Klux Klan as some of the Chalet School girls ‘emulate’ the tactics of that group against the Saints saying that it isn’t a feud “It’s fighting for our rights”. This book was published in 1929 and the Klu Klux Klan had been revived in 1915 so their reputation was already established as the heinous organisation that they are. I know that she didn’t have the internet in those days nonetheless surely a bit of research on her part would have established that their inclusion as a group to emulate was not a good idea. It is especially strange as on the whole the Chalet School books were predominantly multi-cultural in their inclusion of girls from many different nationalities and this was established early on in the series.
Such a shame as a generally interesting story is let down by the inclusion of this idea. The rivalry between the groups shows that when girls are in a group how quickly differences of opinion can escalate and they egg each other on and level heads are abandoned. Later on in reflection they realise their behaviour was wrong.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism
There is a reference to the Klu Klux Klan and a racial slur later in the book.
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