I’m slowly re-reading the lengthy Chalet School books by Elinor M Brent-Dyer,, and have just finished ‘Lavender Laughs in the Chalet School’, which was 17th in the original series, first published in 1943. I have a hardback edition that was my mother’s as a child, so I had read this before in the full version; I last read it in 2011. Apparently the abridged Armada edition had ‘frequent minor cuts’, so the story was essentially unchanged.
Lavender Leigh is the main character in this book, a new and reluctant addition to the Chalet School, in a device that the author used fairly often. Lavender is not in great health as she has travelled the world with her aunt, keeping irregular hours, eating food which the author considered unsuitable for a child, and with only sporadic attempts at education. Lavender is an orphan whose guardian aunt is a writer, of a series of travel guides for children with the titles, ‘Lavender laughs…’ in each of the various countries.
But World War II is raging. Travel is not possible, and the aunt is called up for military service. Lavender has been fretful, not sleeping well and looking thin and sallow. So she goes to see the doctor… who recommends she be enrolled in the Chalet School. It’s in Wales at this point in the series, after leaving Austria and then Guernsey. Blackouts at night and difficulties with some supplies are everyday to the girls, and - when the book was published - the readers. As such the series provides some useful social history with insights into everyday life of the era.
Bride Bettany is asked to look after Lavender for her first few days. She’s a likeable person, conscientious about this duty although Lavender doesn’t make it easy at all. She doesn’t want to abide by any of the rules, feeling that, as a kind of celebrity, she should be exempt. Gradually she learns that this isn’t the case, and that she is no more important than anyone else in the school.
But of course, events have to happen before Lavender becomes nicer, and the book is an enjoyable read. There are a few scenes featuring the staff at rest, discussing their charges in ways that would probably be frowned upon nowadays. There’s a snowstorm that lasts days, leading to cabin fever and general irritability, followed by a predictable near-tragedy when the girls are finally allowed out.
Naturally there are inconsistencies in the book - known, by fans as ‘EBD-isms’ including the fact that the triplets are not quite three at the start of term, despite having celebrated their third birthday in the previous book. But it’s all part of the Chalet School experience - and in a series which spanned 58 books, in an era long before computers or spreadsheets, it’s hardly surprising that the author forget details and then changed them during the course of the series; sometimes within a single book.
Not the greatest of the books in the series, but I enjoyed it; I had forgotten a lot of the details including one unlikely but significant coincidence involving another new girl who joins the school part-way through the term. And I’d totally forgotten the general chit-chat, episodes at Jo Maynard’s home and the things Lavender continued to do with a blithe disregard of rules or conventions.
Likely to appeal more to nostalgic adults of my era than today's teenagers, although I gather that some fans of school stories do like these books. Recommended as part of the series, but not really as an introduction to the books. Not always easy to find, but sometimes available second-hand.
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