I was delighted to receive the latest fill-in in Elinor M Brent-Dyer's Chalet School series.
The fill-in titles, prequels and sequels are all published by Girls Gone By Publishers (GGBP) and are, slowly, filling in the many gaps left by Brent-Dyer in the long running series.
The latest offering from GGBP is Katherine Bruce's The Chalet School in Peril. I was eagerly anticipating this novel set in the same term as The Chalet School in Exile and covering the problems created by the Anschluss and the Nazi party in Austria in 1938.
I have always been amazed that Brent-Dyer took the impact of Nazi Germany on Austria as subject matter for her last book set in Austria. Many, less brave authors, would have steered clear of the situation and simply moved the school back to the UK. Given that Exile was published in 1940, and written for an audience of young girls, I am stunned by Brent-Dyer's boldness and daring. The dustwrapper of the first edition, featuring an SS officer confronting Joey Bettany and the Robin, had to be withdrawn as the publishers found that many young readers were traumatised!
The Chalet School in Peril explores the experience of the girls and mistresses left behind in Austria after Jo Bettany, Miss Wilson, Hilary Burn, Jack Maynard and many others had fled the Nazis.
I flew through the novel and thoroughly enjoyed it. There were some elements that surprised me somewhat, and possibly hadn't been thoroughly thought through! I am particularly referring to the school being packed up and posted to Nell Wilson's home in the New Forest. Quite a feat. I laughed out loud when Miss Wilson said that her neighbours were happy to take in some parcels. I'm sure they would be happy with a few parcels, but the entire library, science lab and sports equipment - really!!
Apart from the packing up of the school, I thought the rest of the novel was brilliant, totally credible and historically accurate. I really enjoyed observing the creeping Nazification of Austria, and the slow dawning of realisation on locals, the mistresses and the girls that their lives would never be the same again.
This is a book that I think Brent-Dyer would have been proud to put her name to, and a really great read.
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| The original dustwrapper. |