Cricket Term chapters 7-9

[coughingbear]

Having said there was a lot in the last three, I think there's almost more in these!

Chapter Seven – Dolphins and Nemesis

Ginty-and-Monica sitting on the grass in ‘the fag-end of an evening’, discussing poetry and music. Ginty’s love of A Shropshire Lad and Monica’s of Vaughan Williams – who of course set some of the former. Ginty as chameleon as ever, agreeing that one really ought to spend some time helping in refugee camps and only afterwards wondering how she would fit it in with Patrick and Oxford and show jumping. Before we hear anything about Lawrie, the other news of the Play is good, however much Ginty wishes otherwise – and cannot stop herself asking. Isa’s suggestion that Ginty would be better, with Lawrie unable to flame amazement – which at least makes Ginty able to pull off her diving somersault.

Patrick’s letter also makes this a good day, being ‘satisfactorily private’ – though I find it hard to imagine Patrick writing good love letters, as himself anyway. Possibly it was from Rupert. And then the great news that she and Monica are in the swimming team, and certainly the first reference to periods I remember coming across in a children’s book, when they work out that they won’t ‘be cursed’ on 30th June. Prancing about ‘absurdly happy, happily absurd’ – it’s one of the most attractive moments Ginty has in the whole series, I think. And when Latimer compliments her, accepting it with ‘grace and charm’ – and astonishment, because Latimer so clearly prefers Karen. (At this point I wonder what Latimer made of the news about Karen’s marriage; we have no insight into this until the end of the book when she has had plenty of time to absorb the news.)

Lois has managed to make the end of the ban on using cricket pitches as obscure as possible, but Nicola is never going to be caught on that.

Lawrie and Miss Kempe; isn’t it a bit late for Miss Kempe to be doing this? Does she really think Lawrie is so good she won’t need direction? Lawrie remains stubborn inside that she is going to do Caliban, whatever Kempe says. I do like the image of her as ‘Mr Toad being lectured by Mr Badger’, and the difficulty of being Talked To by a teacher. They briefly connect over Ariel not being twee, and then Lawrie loses interest again. For those who know the play, what do you think of Tolkien’s elves - I presume this is what Kempe means - as a good model? I sort of see it but am not wholly convinced. (And though I love Tolkien, I have a lot of sympathy with Lawrie over the goblins eating the ponies!) Slight sidetrack: thinking about Lawrie as Ariel I was reminded of Sorrel playing the part in Streatfeild’s Curtain Up. She of course didn’t particularly want to play it either, but when asked about her conception of the part, says ‘It’s something not real at all, like the wind; you’ve caught it, and it does everything you ask, but all the time is simply longing to be up in the air again where it belongs’. Which of course goes down brilliantly with her Uncle Francis, Prospero and director, and doubtless would have with Kempe as well.
Then to rehearsal, and Kempe losing her patience, and Nicola trying not to listen; I love her reflections on Nicholas Marlow being cast as a Mariner on the first night and the way it calms Kempe down. And the hint of classroom discussion; do we think Miss Keith overheard and told Cromwell after that about the problems? I suppose it’s also possible that Miss Keith has no idea which pupil the Marlows are thinking of withdrawing, so until that point had not imagined Mrs Marlow would have let any of them know. Although presumably you have to give notice for a specific girl not ‘one of our daughters will be leaving’.

Janice being her wonderful cool self and not showing any sign of what she knows, much to Nicola’s gratitude.

And Tim and Nicola together again, giggling helplessly over Miss Keith ‘wearing briefer-than-briefs for Lawrie and Nicola’. An image that lingers, and not in a good way.

Tim thinks Kempe should give the part to Nicola. How badly would Lawrie react to that? And Miranda trying not to say how much she wants it. Do people agree with Tim that it’s can’t not won’t with Ariel? Or a mix of the two – doesn’t want to, and so can’t find her way into the part.

Who is beautiful? Tim, Esther, and Miranda all agree Ginty. Nicola's first thought is Esther, but too embarassed to say with her sitting there, so suggests Jan Scott, for Miranda's benefit surely. Which leads into the story of Jan writing back to Kempe to say she didn’t want to act and had never liked it since the Seconds - the performance that Miranda described on the roof at the start of term. It does sound from the letters and the discussion about beards and wigs as though Kempe was planning to cast Jan from quite early on, so Val Longstreet was probably in no danger of being given the part. ‘So Miranda was able to ask quite easily, “And is she any good?”’

Tim already planning how she will do St Joan when they’re in the Sixth so that Lawrie can do the Dauphin. ‘She needs odd parts.’ I think we've discussed what parts Lawrie might play before, but more suggestions welcome. Ariel is surely quite odd, but obviously not in the right way. (As I've said before, I do think Kempe is to blame for the miscasting.) Tim thinking that she might have to cast Pippin – unlike Nicola with the cricket team, she's not quite resigned to having to choose people she doesn’t like.

And their future lives, and Nicola admitting that she wants to sail round the world. And indeed what a waste that she can’t go into the Navy properly, except that as the books got closer and closer to the present day perhaps she could.

Nemesis

Upper V.B defeated the Seconds in the second round – which does imply that Upper V.B had a first round match. I think perhaps Forest didn’t sit down with a piece of paper and work out how the tournament was set up. Also it does seem clear that the Seconds and Thirds always play each other in the first round, though my guess is that the other matches may be more randomly selected. And the school mood turns against Upper V.B when they squashed the Seconds flat, and we discover that Lois Sanger is desperate to win the Dorm Cup. I do like Miranda and Pippin plotting a sabotage ring on the sidelines of the story. And Ann at odds with her form, happy to withdraw but not to play to lose. And so Upper V.B. play the Sixth and get rattled by the school being against them – and the Sixth do have two major assets in Lois and Jan (and once again fielding is important).

Chapter Eight – Casualty

Starting with Lower IV.A’s match against Lower V.B., won in a wonderful quickfire description of the last over, and the not-quite run out.
Val Longstreet finally being the one to say to Lois that ‘it really was rather adolescent to be so obsessive about winning’ – she can say it, because unlike the others she hasn’t been thinking it for years.

The swimming match, and more superstitions. Nicola and Ginty in a moment of accord about not drowning the clover leaf. And Ginty doing brilliantly for once, and her family supporting her – Nicola clutching the clover leaf locket so hard she cuts her hand and falls prey to Matron. And panics rather over what's going to happen, what with Peter's descriptions of the awful agony he got into with his splinter from TTA (though Peter's cut obviously got infected, which is going to be quite a lot more unpleasant that Nicola's fresh one). Then 'back from nightmare to a genuine emergency'; it's got to be right for the cricket final. Everyone else (except Lawrie) fears the same, but Jan offers more gremlin lore 'Refuse to believe they can throw that particular spanner and it makes life much more difficult for them'.

A night in the San, and almost conversion to Dickens in the night, interrupted by Matron. Crommie's Choice turns out to have included The Master of Ballantrae along with Dombey & Son. Heart of Midlothian/Redgauntlet we know about, and Mill on the Floss and Henry Esmond are the final two. Any other ideas?

'To sit at the Sixth-form table, behind a barricade of text books and below the bracket clock which chimed the quarters in a series of quick bright tings...' I love this image and always have.

Lawrie loses Ariel, by demonstrating Caliban to the rest of the cast - who are, 'on the whole, impressed'. It does seem clear that Lawrie could act Caliban. She didn't 'consciously intend' defiance, insult and disparagement, which I think leaves it that on some level she did. And Miranda seizes her chance, having clearly been working on her interpretation - perhaps all term, as soon as she realised that Lawrie didn't want Ariel. And another minor superstition, Miranda's this time, watching for bats before the bell tolls.

Lawrie works herself up to making another bargain with Them Up There - if Cromwell said anything to her about this after the Christmas Play, it plainly didn't take. Interestingly this is clearly much more of a sacrifice than her place on the netball team - she doesn't want to do Ariel, but she doesn't want to give him up either. And she acquires additional undeserved merit by being unable to tell Nicola and therefore keeping the secret.

Miranda gets hammock time while the rest are in chapel on Sunday mornings, to lie and savour her pleasure. And avert the evil eye by thinking of things that might go wrong, which leads to her guessing that Nicola is anxious about something.

Chapter Nine - The Prosser

A scar for Nicola - 'Nelson, Hornblower, Ewen Cameron'  - and bigger than Peter's. And the great Exam Trap for Heffalumps. I wonder if Forest ever experienced something like this? I recall spending bits of time at school being explained at about the format of different O-levels, and practice papers, but no deliberate catching out. Miss Cromwell enjoys her speech so much. 'It was your inattention to me and your slap-dash carelessness on the day.' Really, she must have had a lot more fun with this year's Lower IV.A than in the years when her form did take the Shield.

Nicola in fact missed Crommie's talk, and it seems a bit rich to suggest that the rest of the class should have passed it on, rather than Miss Cromwell herself. But she cleared the fence and wins the Form Prize, and gets to do her Danny-Kaye-as-Walter-Mitty impression (thinking of the end of RMF), 'any chap could have done the same'.

The form discuss Meg Hopkins's father until Jan clamps down on it, for Meg's or Nicola's sake or both.

And Ann is leaving Guides, and doesn't terribly mind, which is interesting, and there's a rare warm conversation between the four sisters about it, ending with the relief of discovering that she won't be returning her Guide badge.

I love Nicola's imaginings on the bus about everyone's thoughts entwining and getting muddled, and the oh-so-recognisable joy of a good second-hand bookshop. And when she finds the edition of the Iliad, of course that is what she will choose. 'terribly special and prize-like', definitely.

The news of Marie's death, shocking Nicola into silence, and 'She wasn't... enough of a person to die. Just as, last Christmas term, she'd hadn't been enough of a person to mind she hadn't been told about the switch for the match. Only they'd been wrong about that too.'

Lower IV.A. channelling their shock into writing a form letter, while Nicola reflects that what she'd like would be Marie alive and somewhere else. Miranda being brisk and sorting everyone out with a well-phrased letter that contains no lies. And then finding that Lawrie is even more unfeeling than Tim and just wishes no one had bothered to tell them.

'Generally, at this stage in the term, time lagged intolerably; now... the days seemed jet-propelled.' The shape of the book neatly echoes Nicola's thoughts here, with most of the term going by in the space of a couple of chapters, while the first and last few days of the term take up much more space. Here, we've reached Speech Day, and the moment when Nicola will find out whether she has won the Prosser and will be staying at Kingscote - only Mrs Marlow is late. I like the detail that Nick and Lawrie are put out rather than worried, while Ann and Ginty are worried rather than put out. Lawrie's a lot more concerned that Them Up There have not yet fulfilled their bargain and taken out Gerry Hume.

Kay getting on quite well with the Dodd children, and Nicola receiving her prize, with the embarrassment of not in fact being able to read the Greek, and the shock of realising the Prosser is going to be awarded right then. 'Me! It is!' then snatched away to give to Lawrie. Who despite having no idea what's going on, 'bobbed an admirable curtsey'. Of course, it saves a set of school fees anyway, but nonetheless I'm with Nicola, 'at the moment she had no singing in her'.

Looking forward to your comments!

Comments

"cursed"

[nzraya.livejournal.com]

Gosh, I'd never caught that bit about Ginty "calculat[ing]: June 30th--no, that was safe--she wouldn't be cursed--" as a menstruation reference before. Since it comes right after the discussion of how various sixth-formers aren't competing that day because of A-levels, I'd always vaguely assumed that Ginty's "calculations" involved the O-level timetable, but of course, if the Powers That Be knew enough to take A-level sitters off the team list for the day, they'd also have done the same for anyone scheduled to sit an O-level exam. Remarkable!

Re: "cursed"

[jackmerlin.livejournal.com]

I'd never realised they were talking about periods either! I thought it must be something to do with lucky numbers - if the date was one of their unlucky numbers maybe!
I'm not sure why I was so slow to realise, I came across references to 'having the curse' in books that I read at the same age, and knew what that was.

Re: "cursed"

[schwarmerei1.livejournal.com]

Prior to Trennels discussion, I'd never taken the "cursed" point, but I quite agree that it's a reference to menstruation. And now that's begging the question of what methods a schoolgirl in the book's time period had to deal with it? Or did one have to go 'fess to Craven and tell how one was "on the rag" and wouldn't be swimming? Which...ARGH!

Those examination results

[biskybat.livejournal.com]

I find Miss Cromwell's comments confusing.

She says all but five of them fail to read the instructions properly, also 'two or three used their intelligence unprompted' and goes on to say that Nicola alone cleared the first fence and romped home.

So did anyone else do the right thing or not and if so who are they likely to be? Perhaps worthies like reliable Jean Baker?

This is an intelligent conscientious A form here. I find it difficult to believe that only Nicola (or perhaps a few others) noticed that quite long instruction. And I also think they would have been told what to expect rather more than one time.

Reading instructions about the choice of questions is actually quite elementary, isn't it?

But, having said all that, it's an excellent way of thoroughly muddying the waters re the Prosser.

Poor Meg Hopkins and her terrible father! Chilling.

Re: Those examination results

[coughingbear]

I think it's Nicola 'alone among the Field' - ie, that of the ones who could be expected to do well. So Jean, for example, may have followed the instructions but only done reasonably well even so. I presume the field includes Miranda and Meg Hopkins, but maybe not that many others.

Agree that I would have expected more than one reminder.

Meg Hopkin's father.

[jackmerlin.livejournal.com]

It's masterly the way that although the reader wants Nicola to get the Prosser and stay at Kingscote, AF shows us the flip-side which is that Meg is not going to get it and she is going to have a horrendous time as a result. A useful reminder which you don't always get in childrens' books that for every deserving winner there's going to be a loser who might well be just as deserving.
I wonder about Meg's back story. Are her parents sacrificing everything to send her to Kingscote as a day girl? Is it a bit odd of Kinscote to tell her parents that she might be up for this scholarship? Why raise her parents' hopes if they might give it to someone else - especially if the school knows anything about her father's character (which Miss Cromwell later implies that they do)?

Re: Those examination results

[occasionalhope.livejournal.com]

OTOH, it's a school which doesn't have selective admissions (the new girls do the entrance/placement exam after arriving, and some pupils may have been sent there by parents who could afford to pay but whose child could not pass the 11 plus or the entrance exam for a more selective private school. There are also only two forms per year except when they have a Remove, so the A form is just the top 50 per cent of a not-necessarily stellar pool.

My impression is that some of them followed the instructions on some papers but not all of them.

[highfantastical.livejournal.com]

Who is beautiful? Tim, Esther, and Miranda all agree Ginty. Nicola's first thought is Esther, but too embarassed to say with her sitting there, so suggests Jan Scott, for Miranda's benefit surely.

This is interesting to me. I know we once discussed mental pictures of Esther and found we all thought of her quite differently (shattering!), but I find it so intriguing that Nicola's instinctual sense of Esther's beauty persists right through two books at least -- can't remember if it's in Attic Term as it's a while since I last read it -- but that no one else ever seems to show any sign of noticing it. Does Nicola just have different aesthetic vision? Is Ginty's a more film-star-ish look (in a childish way, of course, given that the Marlow girls are apparently very slight) that pings people's beauty radar easily, vs. Esther's appearance being more painterly? But then I'd expect someone like Miranda to see it, rather than necessarily Nicola.

Beauty in the eye of the beholder

[sprog-63.livejournal.com]

With such sketchy description (clever AF) it's hard to know what Esther's appeal is based on. I always read Nick's "indefinable reason" for not wanting people to think Ginty is beautiful, as "Patrick", do others?

Nicola does think that she might not put up with Esther's panics so readily if she didn't like looking at her so much ... perhaps Esther's self effacing behaviour due to her social anxiety means that others don't SEE her at all ? Miranda is only friends with Esther because Nick is; and I suspect would have far less patience with her anxiety - social anxiety not being something with which we have any indication she is likely to have much empathy! In fact, Miranda is such a one-serious-friend-at-a-time type, I wonder if she is a bit jealous of time Nick spends with Esther, which might also make it hard for her to see Esther objectively as beautiful?

I am reminded of a discussion at school about who people thought was prettiest and being in Nicola's position of having the girl I would have nominated present. I didn't say what I thought either and as I remember it, for the same reason. Pretty sure this would have been after reading CT, but I don't recall thinking of that scene, might have done though - which may be why I recall the long forgotten incident now!

Edited to sort rogue italics!

[schwarmerei1.livejournal.com]

Doesn't Patrick also notice it? He sees Esther when Nicola and he are riding down the High Street in Wade Abbas in EOT and comments (paraphrasing) that she has "the sort of face you expect to see in a painting". So perhaps Esther has rather old-fashioned (for the time) looks -- a Renaissance face or similar?

ETA: I wouldn't expect Miranda to notice it necessarily. No doubt she finds Jan attractive, but I think her attachment was formed upon Jan making a huge impression on her when she was much younger, and that's been developed into something more substantial as she's noticed Jan's other admirable qualities of character.

Nicola's prize book

[(Anonymous)]

I love Nicola's hunt through the bookshop. Of course the equivalent thrill for all of us would be the discovery of an unexpected Antonia Forest volume (a thrill I have experienced three times in many years of hunting...)

- Kate

Re: Nicola's prize book

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

I love it too, it's one of my favourite parts of all the books. And of course those Chalet and Abbey books would be worth quite a bit now, too!

bookshop thrill

[sprog-63.livejournal.com]

"Of course the equivalent thrill for all of us would be the discovery of an unexpected Antonia Forest volume (a thrill I have experienced three times in many years of hunting...)"

Only twice for me - and both before the advent of Amazon!

Re: Nicola's prize book

[the_antichris.livejournal.com]

Twice for me. I found a paperback Thuggery in a very unpromising small-town bookshop about ten years ago, which means I'm now unable to pass any secondhand bookshop without going in. (Not that I could ever do so easily.)

I also once got a Puffin Attic Term (the one with Ginty and a phone on the cover) at a book fair for $1. I've had a lot of luck at that particular fair (it's an annual charity thing, and pretty large), but that was the most memorable.

Tolkien's elves.

[jackmerlin.livejournal.com]

Tolkien's elves seem totally wrong for Ariel. But I can see that if Lawrie was trying to do him 'skippy and twee' then pointing her in the direction of an elf would be an improvement. Is that genuinely how Kempe sees the part, or is she just suggesting something that she thinks Lawrie will 'get'?

Re: Tolkien's elves.

[legionseagle (from livejournal.com)]

Perhaps Child ballads (which have presumably a concept of fairies closer to Shakespeare's) are Limited?

I agree with you that comparing Ariel to say Legolas makes no sense whatsoever, so perhaps part of the problem is that Kempe's idea of Ariel is reading against the text?

Either way, Lawrie is being particularly trying to her director (not for the last time, I daresay.)

[fengirl88.livejournal.com]

The Prosser is one of my favourite chapters, and Karen's comment "One should never actually wear one's best shoes. It invites disaster" is one of my favourite Forest sayings.

[legionseagle (from livejournal.com)]

And a jolly good rule for life.

[nnozomi.livejournal.com]

Lovely thoughtful post, thank you. It's unbelievable how many plot elements, and things not actually plot-related but still effective, are packed into this book. Antonia Forest: Bigger on the Inside than the Outside.

The two scenes of Tim and Nicola (and in the latter one the others) schmoozing outside are among my favorite parts; Tim can make me horribly uncomfortable in the earlier books, but I love her slightly more mature, mellowed version here, with a touch of added perspective, and the way she and Nicola can set off each other's sense of humor. Re the Ginty/Esther discussion (er, slash not that way intended), maybe it's only Nicola so far who's made a distinction between "pretty" and "beautiful"?

One thing that fascinates me about the episode of Nicola's cut hand is that, while it's a fairly major event, it actually isn't a major plot point. If I'm remembering correctly, Miss Kempe uses it as one excuse to cast Miranda rather than Nicola, but it's pretty obvious that she would have done so anyway; Nicola isn't out of any important cricket matches; it doesn't get infected, nothing else specially happens...it's just something that, like Ann leaving Guides, seems to happen because it does, and adds color and flavor to the book without needing to be a cog in the machinery. (Sorry, terrible mixed metaphor.)

While Marie's death never totally convinces me, I think Forest's handling of it, or rather of IVA's reactions to it, is virtuosic. (Imagine how the question of Marie would have been handled in a Chalet School book--having left school with a weak heart, she would have lived quietly at home and become devoted correspondents with at least one of her former classmates, and if she did actually die it would have been greeted with sober shows of grief and a touch of religion.) The mixture of those who cling to the conventional and those who are brutally practical (with Lawrie at the extreme end of the curve) is disconcerting, true to life, and funny in a painful way.
For the record, which letter do people think it was that was actually sent? I always assumed it was Miranda's, but now I'm not sure. I also, being a Miranda fan, used to find her letter far preferable to Jean's; now I'm not so sure that, for a bereaved parent, Jean's kind clichés might not be more welcome. (Edited for grammar, to remove the implication that I am a bereaved parent, which fortunately I am not)

[(Anonymous)]

Yes, I think the way Marie's death is received is brilliant. I don't think Tim is unfeeling exactly - I think it's just that Tim's default reaction to most things is anger. Lawrie, on the other hand, genuinely doesn't care. I've said this before, but I really like that Forest presents us with these deaths that are difficult for the characters to process because their relationship to the person who died was not actually friendship - Nicola doesn't know exactly what she should feel about Marie's death, and the same goes for Jon's death in Falconers's Lure. The only death in these books that is straightforward and easy to grieve for is that of Sprog.

It's hard for me to say which letter is preferable, but I totally understand Nicola's confused feeling that if you fake emotion, and the faking is obvious, then you've really screwed up, whereas you can be as cliched and awkward as you want if only you're sincere about it.

--Katy

The parts Lawrie can play

[(Anonymous)]

I've been thinking about the difference between Ariel and the parts that we know Lawrie can play well, and it strikes me that the fundamental quality in Ariel that Lawrie simply cannot access - and Miranda of course can - is detachment. Lawrie's odd parts - Tom, the Shepherd Boy, Caliban, the Dauphin - are all outsiders who,in different ways, mind terribly about the fact that they are outsiders. Somebody, I think Nicola, realizes in End of Term that Lawrie's fears are her way into the character of the Shepherd Boy. And I think that's part of it - her fears, but also her oversensitivity, her resentments, her petty vengeances, are what let her tap into these characters, who are all flawed in a way that's ultimately very human. But what Lawrie cannot understand is what it's like to be aloof and detached and not care as much as the people around her do, because she always cares too much.

I am now trying to cast Lawrie in my imaginary production of Arcadia. I was at first thinking about Bernard, but now I've decided I'll give her Thomasina, because Thomasina's precocity can so often come across as obnoxious, and if Lawrie could play the Shepherd Boy as a tragic figure rather than as Adric, she might be able to manage it.

--Katy

Re: The parts Lawrie can play

[nnozomi.livejournal.com]

That's a terrific insight, about Lawrie's parts. I think you're absolutely right. I'm curious how you see Jason-of-Gondal fitting in--you could make a good case for him too, in a slightly more complicated way. (And how about Sophia-the-with-it-chick?).
Now I want to know who is going to make up the rest of the cast in Arcadia. (Also, if I'm thinking of the same Adric you are, we have now managed Dr. Who references in two consecutive comments--not bad.)

[occasionalhope.livejournal.com]

"I like the detail that Nick and Lawrie are put out rather than worried, while Ann and Ginty are worried rather than put out."

Yes, and a nice echo of the scene early in RMF when Karen and Ann panic and Nicola doesn't about the non-arrival of the haircut party from Colebridge.

Actually, half an hour (when Nick first registers the fact the family isn't there) doesn't seem that late to me. My parents were routinely late for everything; actually they still are.

the Prosser

[(Anonymous)]

I wonder how much the staff were aware that Nicola had any private hopes of the Prosser? Clearly they decided to give it to Lawrie to allow all the girls to stay; they knew (or Miss Keith did) that Nicola was the one that was being told she might have to leave - did they ever honestly consider her for the scholarship? Given that she won the form prize (by whatever means), it would at least have allowed them the chance to give it to her. I know that's a handy plot point that makes the reader think she could get it and then the irony of Lawrie getting it for reasons that weren't actually true, but does it work? Would the staff have not thought of Nicola and winning the form prize before Lawrie and her choosing to give up Ariel? Or were they, in fact, pretty convinced by her decision to give up Ariel?

I wonder who the others in the running were - 5 names, whittled down to 3, then Nicola added. I guess there's no need for them all to be Lower 4 though, just that it's common for them to be from that form.

And it still surprises me that Nicola never wins form prizes, yet Ginty does, regularly, and yet she never seems that academic - generally intelligent and well-read and so on, yes, but so overall clever, good at so many subjects, that she would frequently win? Maybe I'm just prejudiced because of the prettiness, the popularity, the seemingly "lightweight-ness" of her interests.

-res23

form prize

[sprog-63.livejournal.com]

I assume form prize only comes once a year? There's no mention of it at the end of AT (or Attic Termm) simply Mark Reading (and here I agree with Tim: that's barbaric). If that's the case by this stage as Nicola has only been at Kingscote for two years she really gets it the first possible time. In her U3 year she was in 2 different classes: presumably out of running for Third remove form prize at end of year as no longer there (if indeed they were awarded one, perhaps moving to one of the other groups was seen as reward enough and if you didn't make that you were hardy worthy of a form prize?!); and others who had been there the whole year (Miranda) were far more likely to get the UIIIA prize.

I agree Ginty getting it several times is surprising (probably for the same reasons as res23) - but as Occasionalhope says "so the A form is just the top 50 per cent of a not-necessarily stellar pool" so perhaps Ginty is in a less intelligent year group - certainly of her friends, only Monica seems to show intelligence (though her choice of Ginty as special friend is perhaps unwise). Ginty does like to please and Kingscote is pleased by performance, so she will work so as not to attract disapproval from staff about poor performance. Of course I may just be prejudiced too ... in spite of Jackmerlin's stellar efforts (which I loved) I am not a natural Ginty fan.

Marie Dobson

[(Anonymous)]

I think the way Forest handles Marie and her death is probably unique in children’s literature. In most children’s fiction, readers are told who’s admirable, and who isn’t.

In Autumn Term Marie is opposed to Nicola, and so in most junior fiction would be the baddie. But then we are given an insight into her fears, and I feel there is sympathy for her when she fails in the play.

In this book, there’s a similar twist. The main characters don’t like her, and so readers may well assume they don’t like her either. But when she dies, this changes again; is she a sad figure, an unpleasant one, or just a grubby wet drip who’s died?

The answer is of course that Forest is so realistic. People aren’t just good or bad. But you rarely if ever get this honesty in school stories.

Marie is a disturbing character. She seems an unhappy, unsettled and disliked child, and the other girls bully her. No one ever seems to even want to help her. I’d love to read fan fiction from her point of view.

(Paula.)

Re: Marie Dobson

[sprog-63.livejournal.com]

There is an attempt to help her in EoT - Miss Keith wants her to be in the Junior netball Team to try and recover the ground she has lost socially, in spite of the fact she's not very good; and Miss Craven and Miss Redmond go along with this. Unsurprisingly it backfires and she discovers she is not accepted there and is left out again. But there is an effort to encourage her.

I think fic from her point of view might be heartbreaking. But I'd read it!

Miranda's mother

[bridgetblood.livejournal.com]

True to form, Mrs West prioritises a rescheduled committee meeting over coming to see Miranda in the play. Do you think Miranda minds, or is she not bothered or even prefers to have her father there on his own? And what does Mr West think about it?

Re: Miranda's mother

[coughingbear]

Good question! Would you mind if I add that to the next post for chapter 10 when it comes up and we can discuss it then?

Two Questions

[mainerobin.livejournal.com]

1)Why do the term exams take place when there are still 3 or 4 weeks of term left? What do they learn after that? Why would they care?

2)Prosser and prizegiving: How was it that Mrs. Marlow had to crawl over Nick and Lawrie and Rose at the prize-giving and not have had a chance to whisper "It's okay" to Nick and she stepped by? (other than plot reasons obviously.

Re: Two Questions

[legionseagle (from livejournal.com)]

I imagine they time internal examinations to happen at about the same time external examinations (A and O levels) are happening, so that the whole school is in exam mode when it comes to not cavorting around making a racket. A & O levels always began quite early and were generally all over at least 2 weeks before the end of term proper; if you were leaving you left, and if not the school found something to be done - in my year, we were all sent off for a fortnight into the city to do things like help at old people's homes and such (I and a friend got the museum).

Nicola's Hand

[legionseagle (from livejournal.com)]

Nicola in the San, convinced she's got gangrene is one of the best character moments in the whole series. Because she doesn't DO irrational panics, except when she does. So it's made clear it's not having the panics, but what you do about them when you've got them that matters.

Re: Nicola's Hand

[elktheory.livejournal.com]

Forest does the "middle-of-the-night panic" thing very well, I think, both here and elsewhere (The Attic Term in particular). I also love the detail of Nicola checking her arm for streaks of red and seeing none, "nor green either, which always sounded more likely."

Miranda and Ariel

[sorrelforbes.livejournal.com]

I think it's interesting that Miranda's acting success is as Ariel. She has a lot of 'life' or vitality images associated with her - her energy,'vivid'/ hawk looks, the grandmother who is closing in on a hundred. Her affection for Jan is the warmest and least embarrassed anywhere in the books and her namesake is brave new world woman. By contrast Patrick is mostly associated with death - ancestral martyrdom, the ghost he walks through, the nearly fatal fall from Leeper's Bluff, the end of the Gondal, Thuggery Affair, all the hunting scenes. Ginty and Nicola's feelings are pretty much one way. He's an odd figure really.

Re: Miranda and Ariel

[nzraya.livejournal.com]

And (for Patrick's list) the Lykewake Dirge!

This is a really interesting point, one I hadn't thought of/noticed before. Thank you!