Spring Term: A review

[rosathome.livejournal.com]

1. Cover. The picture isn't bad, I suppose. Very reminiscent of the 1980's covers, featuring Ginty, Ann and a bed exactly like the ones we had at my boarding school. The text on the cover looks like it was done with MS Paint. Dreadful. It says 'Antonia Forest's Kingscote SPRING TERM' near the top and 'Sally Hayward' in smaller letters near the bottom.

2. Length. It feels longer than AF's school books (though I haven't actually checked the page counts) and it definitely needed stronger editing to tighten it up.

3. Plot. Is a mix of all AF's story elements thrown together. I don't think there's actually one new idea in the whole book. In no particular order we have: Nicola in a singing competition; Lawrie in a play with Tim directing it; Edwin with some discoveries about the farm log; Patrick and Nicola hawking together; Ginty doing something really stupid and intrusive and then getting all aggrieved when she is found out; Lawrie having to go into a B form; and the rest.

4. Characterisation. I think this is where Hayward is weakest. All her characters sound like Nicola. Now, I like Nicola, but she is not Miranda or Lawrie. She's certainly not Ann or Ginty. And so on. I didn't get any of the depth of characterisation which makes AF's writing so incredible. I didn't learn anything new about any of the characters, mostly because they don't learn anything new about themselves.

5. Prose. Is mostly okay. There are times when I longed for AF's beautiful, clear, precise use of language, but Hayward's writing is more than serviceable for the most part.

6. Setting. Is around the time of Run Away Home, rather than contemporary. Hayward explains that this was in large part for plot reasons, so that she could use letters rather than texts/emails etc. Meh.

My verdict:

It's moderately good fanfiction. It's not the best AF fic I've read, but it's far from being the worst. What it's not, in my view, is worth paying actual money for when you can read excellent fanfic online for free. I know GGBP have previously published Chalet School fic, but I hope that they are not tempted to publish any more AF fic.

Oh, I forgot to say. It's not safe to read if you have any kind of aversion to italics or exclamation marks which are liberally spread through the whole book.

Comments

[charverz.livejournal.com]

I think in some ways Nick is more spiritual than Ann (and Ann certainly could use a good spiritual advisor if she isn't going to turn into a total wreck). Whether Nick could end up Catholic under Patrick's influence is a possibility, but not a certainty.

Ann's religion strikes me as more of a code of behaviour plus a set of practices, rather than an internal thing, as it is with Patrick.