Dorita Fairlie Bruce (1885–1970)

Dorita Fairlie Bruce is most well known for her school series featuring Dimsie but this book is the last in a series set in Colmskirk (Largs), a coastal town to the south-west of Glasgow. The first five books are historical, and I haven't read them, but the last four are set in modern times (that is, the 1950's when they were written) and deal with girls who have left school and need careers. The heroine of this one, Primula Mary Beton, gets a job as curator of the new museum in Colmskirk show more and she employs Bethia Fairgreave, who has had to leave school early and suddenly at sixteen, as her companion-housekeeper. Although the idea of women having careers other than marriage and motherhood is no longer unusual it still seem to be expected that the preferred outcome is for marriage and domesticity after a few years of paid employment. Primula Mary doesn't even last a year as curator in Colmskirk before marrying her rival for the job. Of course she then has to give up her job and stay at home but fortunately she can hand it over to her new husband! show less

This is an enjoyable but lightweight girls school story, first published 90 years ago and rather showing it. The characters and their conflicts are drawn fairly simplistically and I did slightly lose track of who was who apart from the central two or three. There is a bit of a tendency for exciting things to happen for the convenience of the plot rather than believably arising from the actions of characters.

http://rmc28.dreamwidth.org/418402.html

PLUS -
• DFB is one of the classic writers of girls' school stories and for very good reason
• Her characters are believable - not too good, nor too bad
• I like the plots that are, on the whole, pretty credible - friendships and jealousies, school politics, rather than some of the more lurid kidnappings and death-defying accidents often found in other stories of this genre.

MINUS -
• There will be those who will find this kind of school story utterly ridiculous, trite, and old fashioned!

Great girls story, unfortunately my copy has some printer errors, several pages not printed - 194-195;198-199;202-203 & 206-207.