Schools and animals
Feb. 27th, 2008 11:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cyphomandraMore books read while staying with people, although a different person this time. In order to keep up this theme I really must finish reading the hard hitting nonfiction thing about Osama bin Laden that's currently sharing space with the latest Thomas Covenant beside my bed, which would be more doable if I didn't keep getting distracted by manga.
Monica Edwards, Killer Dog. This has, frankly, a terrifying cover, and I was expecting something much darker – loved and award-winning sheepdog is being framed by dodgy jealous neighbors for killing sheep, which is never a good set-up – but it turns out rather well all round. I was even more startled by this as I think of this as matching with Rennie Goes Riding, another Monica Edwards stand-alone that despite its rather standard title is almost wilfully traumatic.
Monica Edwards, A wind is blowing. My sister texted me gleefully over picking up Killer Dog for under $1 in a library book sale and completely failed to mention picking up this one as well until much later – A wind is blowing, however, is the final in Edwards’ Romney Marsh series and incredibly hard to find, showing up occasionally on bookfinder/ABE/other places I should spend less time on for ridiculous sums of money (usually 300 pounds plus). I (and my completionist tendencies – only one more Romney Marsh book to go) am therefore madly grateful. The book itself isn’t her best. The plot hook is improbable – Merion gets blinded (by ammonia) when he tries to prevent a bank robbery – and the developing relationships between the characters are much better when there’s a stronger plot for them to lean on (Fire in the Punchbowl, for example). That said, there are some very nice moments – Tamzin’s recording tapes for blind penpals (as well as for Meryon), with all the author’s fondness for her fictional and real world settings, especially.
Priyadarshini Narendra, Two Chalet School Girls in India, and Caroline German, The Chalet School and Robin. Fill-ins for the massive (over 60 books) series by Elinor M Brent-Dyer, and these suffer for apparently being written by people who want to fill in gaps rather than tell stories, with a fear of going not just outside but anywhere near the edges of the lines drawn by EBD. I also read half of Peace Comes to the Chalet School (Katherine Bruce) but didn’t finish it, which has similar problems. The first one of these does have the advantage of the Indian setting, which is nicely done, but there’s still a lack of engagement with what it might actually mean for the characters.
Elinor M Brent-Dyer, A problem for the chalet school (re-read, mostly). The Armada version cut some of the nonschool stuff (trips away), so some of this was new; it’s still, however, a rather uncomfortable look at class, and fitting in. It does indicate that EBD was aware of how the Chalet School would, or could, look to those outside it, which is something lost in the later books, but it’s still not really examined in any depth.
EMR Burgess, Hilary follows up. I have no memory of this at all. This is why I should note down things (other than title and author!) straight away. I don’t think it was very good, but I can’t remember the gimmick. Possibly there’s a plane scene? Maybe someone gets lost in the snow? Damn. Possibly this is an attempt to boost the honour of a failing house. Will check next time I'm in town.
Monica Edwards, Killer Dog. This has, frankly, a terrifying cover, and I was expecting something much darker – loved and award-winning sheepdog is being framed by dodgy jealous neighbors for killing sheep, which is never a good set-up – but it turns out rather well all round. I was even more startled by this as I think of this as matching with Rennie Goes Riding, another Monica Edwards stand-alone that despite its rather standard title is almost wilfully traumatic.
Monica Edwards, A wind is blowing. My sister texted me gleefully over picking up Killer Dog for under $1 in a library book sale and completely failed to mention picking up this one as well until much later – A wind is blowing, however, is the final in Edwards’ Romney Marsh series and incredibly hard to find, showing up occasionally on bookfinder/ABE/other places I should spend less time on for ridiculous sums of money (usually 300 pounds plus). I (and my completionist tendencies – only one more Romney Marsh book to go) am therefore madly grateful. The book itself isn’t her best. The plot hook is improbable – Merion gets blinded (by ammonia) when he tries to prevent a bank robbery – and the developing relationships between the characters are much better when there’s a stronger plot for them to lean on (Fire in the Punchbowl, for example). That said, there are some very nice moments – Tamzin’s recording tapes for blind penpals (as well as for Meryon), with all the author’s fondness for her fictional and real world settings, especially.
Priyadarshini Narendra, Two Chalet School Girls in India, and Caroline German, The Chalet School and Robin. Fill-ins for the massive (over 60 books) series by Elinor M Brent-Dyer, and these suffer for apparently being written by people who want to fill in gaps rather than tell stories, with a fear of going not just outside but anywhere near the edges of the lines drawn by EBD. I also read half of Peace Comes to the Chalet School (Katherine Bruce) but didn’t finish it, which has similar problems. The first one of these does have the advantage of the Indian setting, which is nicely done, but there’s still a lack of engagement with what it might actually mean for the characters.
Elinor M Brent-Dyer, A problem for the chalet school (re-read, mostly). The Armada version cut some of the nonschool stuff (trips away), so some of this was new; it’s still, however, a rather uncomfortable look at class, and fitting in. It does indicate that EBD was aware of how the Chalet School would, or could, look to those outside it, which is something lost in the later books, but it’s still not really examined in any depth.
EMR Burgess, Hilary follows up. I have no memory of this at all. This is why I should note down things (other than title and author!) straight away. I don’t think it was very good, but I can’t remember the gimmick. Possibly there’s a plane scene? Maybe someone gets lost in the snow? Damn. Possibly this is an attempt to boost the honour of a failing house. Will check next time I'm in town.
