Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (1894–1969)

The Bettany sisters - Madge, who founded a boarding school for girls in the Austrian Tyrol, in The School at the Châlet, and her younger sister Joey, who was enrolled as the school's first pupil - return in this second installment of Elinor M. Brent-Dyer's epic fifty-eight-volume series (sixty-two, in the paperback reprints), which first saw print in 1925. The little school on the Tiernsee has grown since its first term, and now boasts more than thirty pupils, with all of the old girls - show more Joey herself, reformed trouble-makers Juliet and Grizel, Head-Girl Gisela Marani, the Mensch sisters, sentimental Simone - returning, and some new ones - six-year-old Robin (real name: Cecelia Marya Humphries), a semi-orphaned young girl who quickly becomes the adored baby of the school, and American Evadne Lannis - being introduced as well.

Winter is an exciting time in the Tyrol, and many adventures and misadventures befall Jo and the other Châlet girls, from the publication of the first issue of the school magazine, The Châletian, to the flooding of the school as the snows melt. In between are the rescue of Rufus, a Saint Bernard puppy; a slang rebellion, in which the girls adopt Shakespearean language; a Nativity play and holiday concert, and Christmas celebrations for the Bettanys in Innsbruck; a covert trip to the local Ice Carnival, with disastrous results; and Jo's writing of an "Elsie" book (based on Martha Finley's Elsie Dinsmore series), and discovery of her true calling. The book concludes with a not-altogether-unexpected announcement from Madge, concerning Dr. Jem, who, as a result of Joey's many illnesses, has become a regular visitor at the school...

I enjoyed Jo of the Châlet School every bit as much as the first in the series - possibly even more! - and came away with a strong desire to read the next installment, The Princess of the Châlet School, which looks to combine school story with Ruritanian fantasy. I can see why a friend has described these books as having strong series appeal! There were so many aspects of this story that I found charming - the Shakespearean slang, the absurd excerpt from Joey's "Elsie" book - and I particularly enjoyed reading about the Christmas doings in Innsbruck, as the Bettanys visited with the Mensch family, and participated in a traditional Tyrolean holiday. I discovered that, as I spent more time with the characters, I came to care more about what happened to them. Of course there were some aspects of the story that were somewhat silly and overused - Joey's constant illnesses, Robin's appeal as the baby - but it never approached the level of irksomeness that would have ruined the book.

All in all, an enjoyable second entry in a series I intend to continue to explore. I read the original unabridged version, reprinted in a facsimile edition by Girls Gone By Publishers, which also contained a history of the book's publication, and a Christmas Châlet story by Catherine Bradley. show less

School story meets Ruritanian fantasy in this third entry in Elinor M. Brent-Dyer's popular Chalet School series, which (originally) ran to fifty-eight titles, and which chronicles the many adventures of the girls who attended the international girls' school founded by Madge Bettany in the Austrian Tyrol. Opening in Belsornia, a make-believe Balkan nation somewhere to the east of Italy, The Princess of the Chalet School follows the coming of Elisaveta of Belsornia to Miss Bettany's school on show more the Tiern See, after her recovery from a long illness. Joey Bettany, one of the few people at the school who is at first aware of Elisaveta's true identity, befriends the new girl, who, after some initial difficulties, settles down into the life of a Chalet pupil. After successfully (and surreptitiously) prompting the dismissal of the school's horrid new matron, Miss Webb, with their subtle pranks and 'talking' campaign, the girls seem set for a trouble-free year. But the princess's scheming cousin Count Cosimo and his henchman are soon on the scene, and a kidnapping plot puts both Elisaveta and Joey in danger...

This was an entertaining entry in the series! I particularly enjoyed the thorough routing of the insufferable Miss Webb, and the imaginative methods used by the girls to accomplish their purpose! That said, I did find it interesting that their pranks in this regard - the snail incident (haha!), the efforts to discredit Miss Webb by speaking 'roughly' - were endorsed by the narrative, when similar campaigns, such as the Shakespearean slang episode in the second entry in the series, Jo of the Chalet School, were quickly discovered and shot down. Perhaps surreptitious rebellion is only acceptable when the target is universally disliked? Leaving that inconsistency aside, the story was still quite engaging, and I enjoyed the swash-buckling Ruritanian elements, even if they had me rolling my eyes a bit. As with its predecessors, I managed to track down an edition containing the original, unexpurgated version of the story - apparently the series was rewritten and condensed sometime in the 1960s, although this 80s reprint from Chambers contains the full text, as well as the original cover art by Nina K. Brisley - and finished it with a desire to continue reading! On to The Head Girl of the Chalet School! show less

Originally published in 1925, Elinor M. Brent-Dyer's The School at the Chalet is the first entry in one of the most popular British school-story series ever to see print, a series that ran for over forty years, and eventually grew to include close to sixty titles. As an American reader who had only recently become aware of the school-story, a genre that never really took hold in the United States, I had been looking about for a copy of this for some time, when I was lucky enough to happen show more upon this facsimile reproduction of the original edition, with cover art by Nina K. Brisley. Sadly, Brisley's four interior plates are not included in this Armada paperback, but the original text, as it existed prior to the 1967 revision, is whole and complete.

The story of Madge and Joey Bettany, two sisters who must find a way to support themselves when their brother Dick is stationed in India, it follows their adventures as Madge sets out to start a girls' school in the Austrian Tyrol, thus providing employment for herself and schooling for Jo. With the assistance of their long-time companion Mlle. La Pâttre, as well as the housekeeper/cook Frau Pfeifen, the Chalet School is soon up and running, attracting a range of students, both local and international.

The remainder of the book is centered on the day-to-day exploits of the students, particularly the tensions arising from the misbehavior of Juliet Carrick and Grizel Cochrane, whose rebellious antics create a number of confrontations with the prefects and headmistress. All is happily resolved by the end, of course, but it is still a pleasure getting to the conclusion. While certainly not what I would describe as a particularly gripping children's novel, The School at the Chalet is a pleasant and entertaining read, with a charming international character that no doubt accounts for its broad appeal. I myself was inspired with a desire to read further - in the unabridged versions, of course!

Addendum: Having just reread this, for a group discussion in the girls' school-story group that I run, I have to say that I was more conscious of Brent-Dyer's use of national stereotypes - from the emotional French to the obedient Austrians and Germans - this time around. I also was very much bemused by her characters' explanation of WWI (caused by the Prussians, apparently), although I imagine this would, regrettably, have been an idea current at the time of publication (1925). On the other hand, Brent-Dyer is clearly also trying to combat a certain kind of nationalism, in making her Head Girl and Prefects non-English, and showing Grizel Cochrane's insubordination to be less than admirable.

Altogether, The School at the Chalet stands up to a second reading: I found it just as entertaining as the first time I read it, and appreciated the opportunity to read it with more attention to historical detail. show less

This is the third in the series and I feel it really gets going now. EBD has moved the story to Guernsey, which is almost as glamorous as the Austria of the Chalet School, and introduces the Temple sisters and their future husbands, and combines them with the Athertons. This book was first published in 1924 and there are aspects of the story which reflect the attitudes of the time and seem dated, but the interactions of the characters have timeless elements.