Autumn Term (original 1948; edition 1962)

The plot is standard "going away to boarding school". The characters, however, are very lively and much more interesting than the standard issue. The play-within-the-book is well described and involving, and the whole very nicely done. Another I wish I'd read when I was 12, though I'm glad I had an opportunity to read it now- thanks to Abigail! ( )

Autumn Term, by Antonia Forest, follows the story of Nicola and Lawrie Marlow as they attend boarding school for the first time. They have a burning desire to outdo the achievements of their older sisters but suffer a series of mishaps in the process. Published by Faber and Faber, this book will appeal to anybody who enjoys the boarding school genre.

However this is much more than a school story. I grew up on a diet of Enid Blyton and Girls Own, where the girls were somewhat one dimensional. Forest has a gift for characterisation
The heroines, Tim, Lawrie and Nicola, are not always likeable or successful but they are always realistic. They are willing to take risks. For example Nicola breaks bounds from school and travels up to see her brother on his naval ship. All of them participate in the teasing and verbal abuse of a fellow classmate, Pomona. Yet towards the end all of them are able to see her good qualities. Even the worst characters, such as Marie Dobson “all wet and clammy like a jelly-fish.’ and Lois Sanger ‘She’s a poisonous female’ are shown to have some redeeming qualities. Although it is written in 1948 in Post War Britain I feel it has a timeless quality about it.

Nicole and Lawrie arrive at Kingscote full of ambition but the fates are against them. They get put in the lowest form, cannot try out for the netball team and get put in a Guide’s group under the leadership of their sister Rowan’s arch enemy – Lois Sanger. Their class puts on a play which reveals hidden talents but also serves as a platform to explore friendships and enmity between adolescent girls.

The climax and final pages of the book are satisfying, yet leave you with a hunger for more stories about the Marlows.
Antonia Forest wanted to write for adults but was encouraged to write a school story for girls. This novel is the first of a highly popular series about the Marlow family. Unfortunately most of the books are out of print and hard to access. The publishing company Girls Gone By has several of Forest’s books on their lists.

I first read and loved this book as a teenager and found it memorable. The characters are believable and it is with a sense of mourning I realise that I cannot follow the further adventures of the Marlows until they are back in print.

Twins Nicola and Lawrie have big plans to shine like their four older sisters do when they join them at the Kingscote school. However, things don't quite go to plan. I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more about the Marlows. ( )

http://www.lonelymountain.net/books/apr06.html#forestm ( )