A future Chalet School girl (by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

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There are some of the Chalet School series by Elinor M Brent-Dyer which I have read multiple times over the decades. There are others which I have apparently read only three or four times at most, as I find that I have forgotten most of the story and even some of the people. One of the latter category is ‘A future Chalet School girl’. I last read it in 2016, but couldn’t remember anything about it when I reread it in the past couple of days.

It’s one of a handful of books in this series which doesn’t feature school life at all. Not everyone appreciates them, but I always liked Joey Maynard, mother of 11 and a ‘foundation stone’ of the Chalet School.  In this book, she and her family go for a long summer holiday in the Tiernsee, where the original Chalet School was located. And they have an extra visitor - fifteen-year-old Mélanie. 

We meet Mélanie in the first chapter, in tears as she argues with her aunt. Mélanie’s parents, we learn, are travelling abroad so she’s being brought up by her aunt and uncle. She’s very fond of them, but he has been offered a promotion which means locating to Switzerland, and they’re not willing to leave their niece behind. She is horrified at the thought of leaving the school she loves, and all her friends, and tries to persuade her aunt to let her board. 

Then she gets chicken-pox, and is quite ill. So she doesn’t even finish her year at her beloved school, but is taken to Switzerland. It turns out that her uncle’s new colleague is someone he knew at school, and whose wife has a loose connection with the Chalet School, and with Joey and family. Mélanie is quite excited to learn that Joey is also her favourite writer, Josephine M Bettany, but she’s still getting very tired. So she’s invited to the mountains, and gets to know the Maynard family.

All is going well when Ruey and her brothers arrive. Mélanie, who is a well-drawn character, becomes jealous of their evident acceptance as part of the family. She doesn’t know their background, or any of the events in ‘Joey and co in Tirol’, where they were first introduced into the series. So there’s an underlying subplot there, which is eventually resolved.

In one sense it’s a filler for the series, and bears some resemblance to ‘Joey and co in Tirol’. There are some local outings, where the various children (and the readers) can be educated in some central European history and mythology. There’s a lot of food - I don’t recall such detail about every picnic in previous books, but, as ever, the faithful Anna spends hours in the kitchen and produces luscious pies and cakes. 

But somehow, I found myself caught up in the story which I hadn’t recalled at all. I liked seeing Len, eldest of the triplets, take on some responsibilities while not wanting to grow up too fast. I liked the way Margot, youngest of the triplets, has finally learned the value of regular study and work. And I liked seeing Con, the middle triplet, become more of a character, easily annoyed, and with a sense of humour.

I also liked getting to know Mélanie. I don’t remember whether she has much of a role in the other books, but I thought she was well portrayed, with an underlying generosity and sense of fairness, as well as her hot temper and simmering emotions. 

So, all in all, I’m glad I read this, and think it’s a good addition to the school-based stories. 

Originally intended for teenagers, of course, but more often read by nostalgic adults these days. My edition is an Armada paperback, and apparently it was uncut from the original.  Not easy to find in any version at a reasonable price, unfortunately. But perhaps it will be reissued again one day.

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