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The Chalet School #17
Lavender Laughs in the Chalet School
Thirteen-year-old Lavender Leigh has been taken to the doctor by her Auntie Sylvia because she is nervy and has little appetite. Miss Leigh (Auntie Sylvia) is soon to be called up into the Women's Services. Dr. Marilliar of Medbury (near Armiford) recommends that Lavender be sent to the Chalet School, which his own daughter and two of his nieces attend, as there she will be under careful medical supervision.
Until the outbreak of war, Miss Leigh and Lavender had travelled about the world, collecting material for a series of Geographical Readers ("Lavender Laughs In New Guinea", "Lavender Laughs In Libya"). This wandering lifestyle is at the root of Lavender's nervous problems, and Dr. Marilliar strongly advises Miss Leigh to give Lavender the settled routine of an ordinary schoolgirl.
Until the outbreak of war, Miss Leigh and Lavender had travelled about the world, collecting material for a series of Geographical Readers ("Lavender Laughs In New Guinea", "Lavender Laughs In Libya"). This wandering lifestyle is at the root of Lavender's nervous problems, and Dr. Marilliar strongly advises Miss Leigh to give Lavender the settled routine of an ordinary schoolgirl.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1943
2 people are currently reading
139 people want to read
About the author
Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
171 books113 followersElinor M. Brent-Dyer was born as Gladys Eleanor May Dyer on 6th April 1894, in South Shields in the industrial northeast of England, and grew up in a terraced house which had no garden or inside toilet. She was the only daughter of Eleanor Watson Rutherford and Charles Morris Brent Dyer. Her father, who had been married before, left home when she was three years old. In 1912, her brother Henzell died at age 17 of cerebro-spinal fever. After her father died, her mother remarried in 1913.
Elinor was educated at a small local private school in South Shields and returned there to teach when she was eighteen after spending two years at the City of Leeds Training College. Her teaching career spanned 36 years, during which she taught in a wide variety of state and private schools in the northeast, in Middlesex, Bedfordshire, Hampshire, and finally in Hereford.
In the early 1920s she adopted the name Elinor Mary Brent-Dyer. A holiday she spent in the Austrian Tyrol at Pertisau-am-Achensee gave her the inspiration for the first location in the Chalet School series. However, her first book, 'Gerry Goes to School', was published in 1922 and was written for the child actress Hazel Bainbridge. Her first 'Chalet' story, 'The School at the Chalet', was originally published in 1925.
In 1930, the same year that 'Jean of Storms' was serialised, she converted to Roman Catholicism.
In 1933 the Brent-Dyer household (she lived with her mother and stepfather until her mother's death in 1957) moved to Hereford. She travelled daily to Peterchurch as a governess.
When her stepfather died she started her own school in Hereford, The Margaret Roper School. It was non-denominational but with a strong religious tradition. Many Chalet School customs were followed, the girls even wore a similar uniform made in the Chalet School's colours of brown and flame. Elinor was rather untidy, erratic and flamboyant and not really suited to being a headmistress. After her school closed in 1948 she devoted most of her time to writing.
Elinor's mother died in 1957 and in 1964 she moved to Redhill, where she lived in a joint establishment with fellow school story author Phyllis Matthewman and her husband, until her death on 20th September 1969.
During her lifetime Elinor M. Brent-Dyer published 101 books but she is remembered mainly for her Chalet School series. The series numbers 58 books and is the longest-surviving series of girls' school-stories ever known, having been continuously in print for more than 70 years. One hundred thousand paperback copies are still being sold each year.
Among her published books are other school stories; family, historical, adventure and animal stories; a cookery book, and four educational geography-readers. She also wrote plays and numerous unpublished poems and was a keen musician.
In 1994, the year of the centenary of her Elinor Brent-Dyer's birth, Friends of the Chalet School put up plaques in Pertisau, South Shields and Hereford, and a headstone was erected on her grave in Redstone Cemetery, since there was not one previously. They also put flowers on her grave on the anniversaries of her birth and death and on other special occasions.
Elinor was educated at a small local private school in South Shields and returned there to teach when she was eighteen after spending two years at the City of Leeds Training College. Her teaching career spanned 36 years, during which she taught in a wide variety of state and private schools in the northeast, in Middlesex, Bedfordshire, Hampshire, and finally in Hereford.
In the early 1920s she adopted the name Elinor Mary Brent-Dyer. A holiday she spent in the Austrian Tyrol at Pertisau-am-Achensee gave her the inspiration for the first location in the Chalet School series. However, her first book, 'Gerry Goes to School', was published in 1922 and was written for the child actress Hazel Bainbridge. Her first 'Chalet' story, 'The School at the Chalet', was originally published in 1925.
In 1930, the same year that 'Jean of Storms' was serialised, she converted to Roman Catholicism.
In 1933 the Brent-Dyer household (she lived with her mother and stepfather until her mother's death in 1957) moved to Hereford. She travelled daily to Peterchurch as a governess.
When her stepfather died she started her own school in Hereford, The Margaret Roper School. It was non-denominational but with a strong religious tradition. Many Chalet School customs were followed, the girls even wore a similar uniform made in the Chalet School's colours of brown and flame. Elinor was rather untidy, erratic and flamboyant and not really suited to being a headmistress. After her school closed in 1948 she devoted most of her time to writing.
Elinor's mother died in 1957 and in 1964 she moved to Redhill, where she lived in a joint establishment with fellow school story author Phyllis Matthewman and her husband, until her death on 20th September 1969.
During her lifetime Elinor M. Brent-Dyer published 101 books but she is remembered mainly for her Chalet School series. The series numbers 58 books and is the longest-surviving series of girls' school-stories ever known, having been continuously in print for more than 70 years. One hundred thousand paperback copies are still being sold each year.
Among her published books are other school stories; family, historical, adventure and animal stories; a cookery book, and four educational geography-readers. She also wrote plays and numerous unpublished poems and was a keen musician.
In 1994, the year of the centenary of her Elinor Brent-Dyer's birth, Friends of the Chalet School put up plaques in Pertisau, South Shields and Hereford, and a headstone was erected on her grave in Redstone Cemetery, since there was not one previously. They also put flowers on her grave on the anniversaries of her birth and death and on other special occasions.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
August 20, 2015
*MASSIVE GRUMBLE WARNING*
EBD's editor, whose eyesight had been in decline for some years, went on long-term sick leave at around this point, but at least she managed to make sure Biddy O'Ryan got her proper surname back. I'm just desperate to know what Mary Shand did over the holidays, to get herself demoted from head-girl to library prefect; and why Vicky McNab is now training to be a nurse instead of a doctor. It's a shame, really, that EBD didn't have Daisy's memory - Daisy manages to have perfect recall of a concert that happened before she joined the school
*MASSIVE GRUMBLE COMPLETE*
One of the reasons for all the EBDisms in this book is probably because EBD just sat down and let the characters come alive. In that respect she was on top form here. The idea of a new girl who has led a strangely nomadic lifestyle before landing up at the CS wasn't a new one (we get Margia and Amy in the very first term), and EBD returned to it several more times after Lavender (Clem, Carola, Katharine Gordon and others). But Lavender is a little bit different, because she is something of a celebrity ('one of the best-known little girls in the Empire', as her aunt puts it), and something of a difficult character. She really struggles to settle down and for once, EBD manages to stick with this as a plot.
The result is something really rather good. EBD focuses mainly on the junior forms, and captures brilliantly the squabbles and fallings out of this age group. We have occasional forays into the staffroom and prefects room to balance this out, and cameos or mentions for several old friends to please longstanding readers. And I always enjoy the green dye incident and Stephen's christening.
Plus there are no plays, always a bonus. There also appears to be no Sale (unless I really wasn't paying attention - sometimes EBD slips this sort of thing into the back-end of a single sentence, just to keep us on our toes).
It's still wartime. But this is a way of life, now, rather than an excitement - blackout curtains referenced in passing, a brief hope for an uninterrupted night's sleep. What the war does give the book is the Chalet School Peace League - now a little more formalised from its original inception, but still (judging by Lavender's reaction to it) somewhat ahead of its time.
So this is good stuff. But I'm going to have another grumble. The school has almost run out of food by the time the snowstorms end. So two members of household staff - just two - with a basket each - go down to the village and into town to buy up enough supplies for dinner. That would be, enough supplies to feed getting on for 250 people. In two baskets. Presumably they came back with a couple of loaves of bread, a few fish, and some sort of miracle-in-a-bag.
Actually, I suppose if you get 5 sardines in a tin, you'd only need, what, 50 tins for everybody to have one each, and I'm sure those strapping Welsh staff could manage to carry that quantity back in their baskets. Bread would be too bulky ... maybe cream crackers? Yes, a dinner of one cream cracker each, topped with a sardine.
I'm glad I worked it out. For a minute there, I thought EBD might have been making it up as she went along.
EBD's editor, whose eyesight had been in decline for some years, went on long-term sick leave at around this point, but at least she managed to make sure Biddy O'Ryan got her proper surname back. I'm just desperate to know what Mary Shand did over the holidays, to get herself demoted from head-girl to library prefect; and why Vicky McNab is now training to be a nurse instead of a doctor. It's a shame, really, that EBD didn't have Daisy's memory - Daisy manages to have perfect recall of a concert that happened before she joined the school
*MASSIVE GRUMBLE COMPLETE*
One of the reasons for all the EBDisms in this book is probably because EBD just sat down and let the characters come alive. In that respect she was on top form here. The idea of a new girl who has led a strangely nomadic lifestyle before landing up at the CS wasn't a new one (we get Margia and Amy in the very first term), and EBD returned to it several more times after Lavender (Clem, Carola, Katharine Gordon and others). But Lavender is a little bit different, because she is something of a celebrity ('one of the best-known little girls in the Empire', as her aunt puts it), and something of a difficult character. She really struggles to settle down and for once, EBD manages to stick with this as a plot.
The result is something really rather good. EBD focuses mainly on the junior forms, and captures brilliantly the squabbles and fallings out of this age group. We have occasional forays into the staffroom and prefects room to balance this out, and cameos or mentions for several old friends to please longstanding readers. And I always enjoy the green dye incident and Stephen's christening.
Plus there are no plays, always a bonus. There also appears to be no Sale (unless I really wasn't paying attention - sometimes EBD slips this sort of thing into the back-end of a single sentence, just to keep us on our toes).
It's still wartime. But this is a way of life, now, rather than an excitement - blackout curtains referenced in passing, a brief hope for an uninterrupted night's sleep. What the war does give the book is the Chalet School Peace League - now a little more formalised from its original inception, but still (judging by Lavender's reaction to it) somewhat ahead of its time.
So this is good stuff. But I'm going to have another grumble. The school has almost run out of food by the time the snowstorms end. So two members of household staff - just two - with a basket each - go down to the village and into town to buy up enough supplies for dinner. That would be, enough supplies to feed getting on for 250 people. In two baskets. Presumably they came back with a couple of loaves of bread, a few fish, and some sort of miracle-in-a-bag.
Actually, I suppose if you get 5 sardines in a tin, you'd only need, what, 50 tins for everybody to have one each, and I'm sure those strapping Welsh staff could manage to carry that quantity back in their baskets. Bread would be too bulky ... maybe cream crackers? Yes, a dinner of one cream cracker each, topped with a sardine.
I'm glad I worked it out. For a minute there, I thought EBD might have been making it up as she went along.
March 26, 2017
This is a familiar story - new girl, well-traveled, doesn't fit in - but somehow it's transformed into something more here. First, it focuses on the Juniors, which Brent-Dyer doesn't do much. Their squabbles and immaturity are entertaining and ring true, and their growing up feels well-paced and natural. There's no wiser friend who's been at the school longer and is older than her age to guide them; instead, they all need to do some growing up, to varying degrees. It makes for a more believable story. And second, the war has become a way of life, referenced casually in passing. It's pretty tough to hear Bride - a twelve-year-old! - wish for an uninterrupted night of sleep.
Brent-Dyer had such a great run these last few books that I've ordered the next two (and Jo to the Rescue ran me much more than the $5-10 I usually spend on these) just to see how she wraps up the war.
Brent-Dyer had such a great run these last few books that I've ordered the next two (and Jo to the Rescue ran me much more than the $5-10 I usually spend on these) just to see how she wraps up the war.
April 12, 2013
I have a soft spot for Lavender Leigh at the Chalet School for some very particular reasons. Published in 1943, during both the real Second World War and the Chalet School wartime books, it's a tightly domestic book that still manages to deliver some intense ideological messages.
It is, as ever, the first term of our titular new girl. Lavender is a strange little creature, cossetted and nervous from her odd lifestyle where she travelled the world with her Auntie who then wrote books about their adventures, featuring Lavender heavily in them. Following Auntie Sylvia being called up to wartime service, Lavender is enrolled in the Chalet School and, as ever, experiences the traditional near-death incident on her way to becoming a true Chalet School girl.
My edition of this, a chewed up Armada, features one of my favourite parts in the entire series and it's a part which confounded me for many years. Mid conversation, the characters switch names and arguments, leading to a slightly discombobulating reading experience. And it's a mark of the books that I've never been sure whether this has been introduced into this edition or something that Brent-Dyer did right at the start and nobody ever picked her up on...
Another favourite moment, and one where Brent-Dyer is genuinely a bit outstanding, is during the scene between Auntie Sylvia and Miss Wilson. It's a moment where Sylvia expresses her discomfort with the juniors hearing war news and essentially Miss Wilson tears her to shreds. The speech itself is outstanding and it's something I won't attempt to precis for reading it in context is one of those landmark moments. Brent-Dyer was a brave, outstanding author during the wartime years and through ideological devices as this inculcated that bravery indelibly on her readers.
There's also something particularly lovely in the presentation of the Juniors throughout the entire book. They are juniors, foolish, loud, funny and impetuous. They're vivacious characters, and even Peggy Bettany is an attractive individual. I also love how they express their support to an individual who experiences a lifechanging event - they show their sympathy and love for her through the tiniest of gestures. A new pencil. A new rubber. It's adorable and something incredibly touching. This was a book where she got the juniors and got them really well.
Plus Bride, and her actions at the school assembly, remain outstanding.
It is, as ever, the first term of our titular new girl. Lavender is a strange little creature, cossetted and nervous from her odd lifestyle where she travelled the world with her Auntie who then wrote books about their adventures, featuring Lavender heavily in them. Following Auntie Sylvia being called up to wartime service, Lavender is enrolled in the Chalet School and, as ever, experiences the traditional near-death incident on her way to becoming a true Chalet School girl.
My edition of this, a chewed up Armada, features one of my favourite parts in the entire series and it's a part which confounded me for many years. Mid conversation, the characters switch names and arguments, leading to a slightly discombobulating reading experience. And it's a mark of the books that I've never been sure whether this has been introduced into this edition or something that Brent-Dyer did right at the start and nobody ever picked her up on...
Another favourite moment, and one where Brent-Dyer is genuinely a bit outstanding, is during the scene between Auntie Sylvia and Miss Wilson. It's a moment where Sylvia expresses her discomfort with the juniors hearing war news and essentially Miss Wilson tears her to shreds. The speech itself is outstanding and it's something I won't attempt to precis for reading it in context is one of those landmark moments. Brent-Dyer was a brave, outstanding author during the wartime years and through ideological devices as this inculcated that bravery indelibly on her readers.
There's also something particularly lovely in the presentation of the Juniors throughout the entire book. They are juniors, foolish, loud, funny and impetuous. They're vivacious characters, and even Peggy Bettany is an attractive individual. I also love how they express their support to an individual who experiences a lifechanging event - they show their sympathy and love for her through the tiniest of gestures. A new pencil. A new rubber. It's adorable and something incredibly touching. This was a book where she got the juniors and got them really well.
Plus Bride, and her actions at the school assembly, remain outstanding.
January 13, 2022
No great surprises here, but a highly engaging and well-plotted novel, nevertheless. The usual ‘arrival of a difficult pupil’ theme is both imaginative and lively in the nineteenth Armada instalment - no mean effort, either as it’s a well-worn and slightly overused trope in the series.
Once again, the uncertain outcome of the War adds both drama and an underlying menace; the writing is stylish and assured - overall, another strong addition to the series and highly recommended.
Once again, the uncertain outcome of the War adds both drama and an underlying menace; the writing is stylish and assured - overall, another strong addition to the series and highly recommended.
June 2, 2015
Coming up with new girls for a boarding school series that spans close to sixty books is no laughing matter. Indeed, Elinor M. Brent-Dyer herself faced just such difficulties nearer the end of the Chalet School series, when the new girls who turned up were increasingly characterless and unmemorable. That's not a problem she suffers in Lavender Laughs, however, which very effectively traces the trials and tribulations of the titular Ms. Leigh when she's suddenly plunged into a regimented routine very far from her own experiences (and preferences).
Lavender, you see, is something of a global celebrity - she's followed her flighty Aunt Sylvia around the world for much of her life, serving as the title character in a series of travel books aimed at children. (Aunt Sylvia was the original hipster travel blogger.) But, with World War II still raging, Aunt Sylvia is called up, and the fratchety Lavender, raised solely on whim and fancy, is packed off to the Chalet School to stabilise her poor nerves. The shock of school, however, and having to deal with a host of other young girls - including her reluctant sheepdog Bride Bettany - throws the spoilt, petulant Lavender for a loop.
What follow are several chapters of Lavender's outrageous exploits as she initially fails miserably at settling in at school. There's a catfight (a honest-to-goodness brawl between two schoolgirls!), a confrontation during hockey, and a nearly disastrous confrontation in the snow. Lavender is frozen out (metaphorically) by her classmates too, in an episode that's poignantly realistic about the kinds of punishments young girls can inflict on one another that can hurt more than any official reprimand.
Through all these incidents, Brent-Dyer demonstrates her trademark skill with dialogue and character. She sketches very lively portraits of Lavender, Bride and the little girls in their orbit - their bickering and rivalries have an unmistakable ring of authenticity, as do their easy reconciliations and forgotten grudges.
In some of Brent-Dyer's novels, the title character tends to take a backseat after serving her initial purpose of being introduced to (and into) the School. Fortunately, Lavender remains very much at the forefront, as she undergoes the requisite rehabilitation into a proper Chalet School. In this instance, it's executed thoughtfully and credibly - the changes that Lavender undergoes in mindset and, eventually, appearance, chart a very nice narrative trajectory, as she steps out of her hitherto self-contained and self-absorbed little world.
It's a bit convenient when Brent-Dyer, demonstrating her taste for the exotic, introduces another new girl into the mix, whose sole purpose is to prove that Lavender really has changed. Their friendship certainly gives Lavender the opportunity to stand on her two feet, sage advice offered to her by Mrs Jo Maynard (who gets up to her share of amusing silliness in the background of the novel), but it seems rather too easy. There's more spunk and warmth to Lavender's attempts (or refusals) to assimilate into the Chalet School.
Nonetheless, Lavender Laughs is a fun, pacy read, and a very good installment in the series. The hardback edition, which I've just read for the first time, is delightful - it contains many little nuggets that were sliced mercilessly out of the paperback, details which add to the entire wartime atmosphere of the series at this point, and also make me like Jack Maynard a bit more.
Lavender, you see, is something of a global celebrity - she's followed her flighty Aunt Sylvia around the world for much of her life, serving as the title character in a series of travel books aimed at children. (Aunt Sylvia was the original hipster travel blogger.) But, with World War II still raging, Aunt Sylvia is called up, and the fratchety Lavender, raised solely on whim and fancy, is packed off to the Chalet School to stabilise her poor nerves. The shock of school, however, and having to deal with a host of other young girls - including her reluctant sheepdog Bride Bettany - throws the spoilt, petulant Lavender for a loop.
What follow are several chapters of Lavender's outrageous exploits as she initially fails miserably at settling in at school. There's a catfight (a honest-to-goodness brawl between two schoolgirls!), a confrontation during hockey, and a nearly disastrous confrontation in the snow. Lavender is frozen out (metaphorically) by her classmates too, in an episode that's poignantly realistic about the kinds of punishments young girls can inflict on one another that can hurt more than any official reprimand.
Through all these incidents, Brent-Dyer demonstrates her trademark skill with dialogue and character. She sketches very lively portraits of Lavender, Bride and the little girls in their orbit - their bickering and rivalries have an unmistakable ring of authenticity, as do their easy reconciliations and forgotten grudges.
In some of Brent-Dyer's novels, the title character tends to take a backseat after serving her initial purpose of being introduced to (and into) the School. Fortunately, Lavender remains very much at the forefront, as she undergoes the requisite rehabilitation into a proper Chalet School. In this instance, it's executed thoughtfully and credibly - the changes that Lavender undergoes in mindset and, eventually, appearance, chart a very nice narrative trajectory, as she steps out of her hitherto self-contained and self-absorbed little world.
It's a bit convenient when Brent-Dyer, demonstrating her taste for the exotic, introduces another new girl into the mix, whose sole purpose is to prove that Lavender really has changed. Their friendship certainly gives Lavender the opportunity to stand on her two feet, sage advice offered to her by Mrs Jo Maynard (who gets up to her share of amusing silliness in the background of the novel), but it seems rather too easy. There's more spunk and warmth to Lavender's attempts (or refusals) to assimilate into the Chalet School.
Nonetheless, Lavender Laughs is a fun, pacy read, and a very good installment in the series. The hardback edition, which I've just read for the first time, is delightful - it contains many little nuggets that were sliced mercilessly out of the paperback, details which add to the entire wartime atmosphere of the series at this point, and also make me like Jack Maynard a bit more.
March 24, 2008
The 17th book of the series rehashes a familiar plot - snobby priggish girl who hasn't been to school before finds it difficult to adjust to school life, in this case the titular Lavender Leigh. I wasn't able to get hold of book 16, Highland Twins at the Chalet School, in which Jack is missing at war for some time, and Jo thinks he is dead. As a result in this book, she is rather delicate, having had a "difficult time" of it, and she doesn't see too many people. Of course, near the end of the book it is announced that she has had her fourth child, Stephen, although as usual no pregnancy is mentioned, so this may be another reason for her "delicacy".
Jo has really moved into her adult role now, as adviser and moral guide to the girls of the school - it is her words of wisdom to Lavender that help her transform into a proper Chalet girl, and at one point the headmistress refers to Jo as the embodiment of everything the school stands for. (Everyone nods seriously when she says this instead of making gagging motions as I would have at that age).
The Lavender storyline bored me a little - it's becoming very familiar (and I know many of the future books have a similar theme, unfortunately). Lavender as a character didn't appeal to me, and I wanted to know more about the ongoing characters.
Jo has really moved into her adult role now, as adviser and moral guide to the girls of the school - it is her words of wisdom to Lavender that help her transform into a proper Chalet girl, and at one point the headmistress refers to Jo as the embodiment of everything the school stands for. (Everyone nods seriously when she says this instead of making gagging motions as I would have at that age).
The Lavender storyline bored me a little - it's becoming very familiar (and I know many of the future books have a similar theme, unfortunately). Lavender as a character didn't appeal to me, and I wanted to know more about the ongoing characters.
May 11, 2022
Lavender is a spoilt girl who has travelled around the world with her aunt. She goes to the Chalet School and has the inevitable clashes. A bit like 'Eustacia...' in plot, and, indeed, several of the later books.
This is 17th in the original series, set in Wales and with a good balance of scenes in the classroom, the dormitories, the staff room, and Jo Maynard's home. Some inconsistencies as one expects with EBD, and a coincidence that's a tad unlikely... but still, a good light read.
Not one of the best, and not great as an introduction to the series, but definitely worth reading as part of the whole.
Longer review here: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/...
This is 17th in the original series, set in Wales and with a good balance of scenes in the classroom, the dormitories, the staff room, and Jo Maynard's home. Some inconsistencies as one expects with EBD, and a coincidence that's a tad unlikely... but still, a good light read.
Not one of the best, and not great as an introduction to the series, but definitely worth reading as part of the whole.
Longer review here: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/...
July 29, 2019
Again not particularly pleased by the "extras" in the Girls Gone By edition - all could have gone into a new, separate series companion in considerably less irritating fashion, and could have done with an independent editor not associated with the fan club(s). There's a lot of unnecessary exposition. I also don't like the amount of advertising for what is basically published fanfiction (and half of it not even good) at the back of this edition. I would be far happier with the unabridged "Lavender" with no extras at all.
That said, it is nice to have access to new unabridged editions, considering what Armada did to them! I've previously reviewed the book itself, and may add more to this review in time.
That said, it is nice to have access to new unabridged editions, considering what Armada did to them! I've previously reviewed the book itself, and may add more to this review in time.
March 22, 2010
Lavender Leigh, the heroine of a series of girls' books, has difficulty adjusting to the Chalet School. She is arrogant and deluded about her own abilities. But never fear! Jo Maynard, herself the author of a series of girls' books, is able to nudge Lavender into reforming enough to become a genuine Chalet School girl. Not an original plot for Brent-Dyer. However, the "difficult girl learns to improve her personality through hard work and careful guidance" theme is to me a more entertaining plot than the more unlikely "difficult girl gets lost or stranded through her own arrogance or impulsiveness" plotline, which is featured in so many Chalet School books.
September 23, 2016
I don't remember reading this one before, or perhaps the abridged version was that appallingly done...Lavender Laughs is another one of the strong wartime entries that EBD managed to deliver with depth and warmth. Miss Wilson is brilliant and her friendship with the Head is finely drawn; there's a chapter between Robin and Daisy discussing Jo that throws her character redevelopment (and the household) into sharp relief; and the Juniors are actually sketched into a genuine cast, unlike previous efforts!
February 9, 2014
Another enjoyable episode of the Chalet School, with many of the Bettany and Russell children beginning to enter the story. I have not yet bought Highland Twins, but the war books are slowly bringing in new characters in the younger years, with stalwarts of the Austrian school now having nearly all left.
February 22, 2010
Lavender's travelled all over the world with her auntie, who writes children's books. However, because of the war, Lavender's forced to go to the Chalet School. It's a big change for her, never having gone to school before. She has a rocky start, but eventually, everything works out for the best.
January 23, 2015
Great story, as always. What a horrible girl lavender starts off being. I did wonder if she might be the one bad egg who doesn't change, but she does. Great advice from joey makes her grow up. Funny ending!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2009
Another of my most favourites. I think this "era" of the books is my pet one!
Read
July 7, 2012I'm actually re-reading Lavender Laughs, in its unabridged finery.
June 14, 2020
Lavender Leigh, star of a famous series of children’s books, ‘laughed’ all over the world until the war disrupted her travels. Her doctor advises school, but Auntie Sylvia’s spoilt darling is used to being the centre of attention and getting her own way, and isn’t averse to tears and tantrums to get it. Will she ever laugh at the Chalet School?
The ‘difficult new girl’ is such a well-worn Chalet trope that it’s a shock to realise that this is only the second time, following Eustacia, that EBD has placed such a new girl at the centre of a book. And it’s a strong book. After a few books centred on the response of the school itself and Jo as a part of it to the rise of Nazism and the war, this is perhaps deliberate on EBD’s part, as the girls who were at school back in Tyrol have almost all left. This book concentrated almost entirely on Lavender and Bride Bettany, and even Jo is kept out of the action and is mostly seen through Lavender’s eyes as a friendly adult rather than in any way a ‘girl’.
In the age of instacelebrity, it’s only too easy to picture Lavender and sympathise with her as she finds herself just one of the crowd. The juniors are prone to highly believable squabbles and scraps, and Bride and Lavender, each with their own issues, are an engaging pair to follow from reluctant associates to friends. This book has a tighter plot than usual - there are discrete episodes but each has something to contribute to Lavender’s journey. As Mademoiselle Lachenais says, there was good in her, and the Chalet brings it out, rather than reforming her as other fictional schools are wont to do.
Some of the best things about the Chalet are here as well - Nazis are carefully distinguished from Germans, and, again almost uniquely in a school story from this period, an Indian girl is straightforwardly accepted by her fellow pupils. In short, if you want to see why the Chalet School still has fans and readers today, this is a good book to start with.
The ‘difficult new girl’ is such a well-worn Chalet trope that it’s a shock to realise that this is only the second time, following Eustacia, that EBD has placed such a new girl at the centre of a book. And it’s a strong book. After a few books centred on the response of the school itself and Jo as a part of it to the rise of Nazism and the war, this is perhaps deliberate on EBD’s part, as the girls who were at school back in Tyrol have almost all left. This book concentrated almost entirely on Lavender and Bride Bettany, and even Jo is kept out of the action and is mostly seen through Lavender’s eyes as a friendly adult rather than in any way a ‘girl’.
In the age of instacelebrity, it’s only too easy to picture Lavender and sympathise with her as she finds herself just one of the crowd. The juniors are prone to highly believable squabbles and scraps, and Bride and Lavender, each with their own issues, are an engaging pair to follow from reluctant associates to friends. This book has a tighter plot than usual - there are discrete episodes but each has something to contribute to Lavender’s journey. As Mademoiselle Lachenais says, there was good in her, and the Chalet brings it out, rather than reforming her as other fictional schools are wont to do.
Some of the best things about the Chalet are here as well - Nazis are carefully distinguished from Germans, and, again almost uniquely in a school story from this period, an Indian girl is straightforwardly accepted by her fellow pupils. In short, if you want to see why the Chalet School still has fans and readers today, this is a good book to start with.
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July 27, 2023Despite Lavender herself being older than the typical Junior, the way that this book writes Juniors is its main strength. If Lavender had been put in with the Middles her immaturity would have been annoying, but together with the Juniors it's part of a funny story.
Another strength in this book is that unlike Shocks (which I love) and Eustacia (which I hate), there is no Forcing Lavender to become a Chalet girl. She does so in her own time, and if it's not quite on her own terms it is as much on her own terms as someone in a shared space can be.
4.5 stars
Another strength in this book is that unlike Shocks (which I love) and Eustacia (which I hate), there is no Forcing Lavender to become a Chalet girl. She does so in her own time, and if it's not quite on her own terms it is as much on her own terms as someone in a shared space can be.
4.5 stars
May 21, 2020
This isn't my favourite book of the series, but it is a valuable read as it is a member of the world war 2 section of the series. Lavender's Aunt has been called up for war service, therefore Lavender is sent to the Chalet School for the duration. Lavender's first half of her school beginnings is not a successful one. Trouble begins on the very first day! There isn't a great deal of war in this one, we just know that the war is ongoing, this is about the school and Lavender's beginnings.
July 21, 2023
Although the main plot of spoilt , difficult girl learning to adjust to school ethos and ending up as a good Chalet School girl has been done by EBD before this was enjoyable as Lavender a believable character
Also more school episodes , only one accident in the snow and more talk about effects of war
Also more school episodes , only one accident in the snow and more talk about effects of war
February 10, 2024
The Good: A heartwarming story about a young girl who has never experienced school going to a boarding school. Issues in children like conceit, pride and rudeness interwoven with moral lessons on forgiveness and humility. Emphasis on character building by the teachers and friendship building by the children.
The Bad: This book is just one in a large series written by the author.
The Bad: This book is just one in a large series written by the author.
January 17, 2019
So far I think this is my favourite Chalet School book. Lavender arrives a horrid child and quickly learns that she is not the only pebble on the beach. Many hilarious moments in Btent-dyers inimitable style.
April 20, 2020
Mostly enjoyable although I didn't really find it convincing that Lavender was so childish when she'd spent her life among adults, or that she packed lot of clothes when she'd spent her life travelling.
October 3, 2025
This was EBD's golden era. She absolutely nails it in the wartime books. Also it involves Bride Bettany, who is low key one of my favourite characters. Perfection.
January 22, 2025
Lavender Leigh at The Chalet School at is book 19 of a reread (I started at Exile don’t @ at me, then went back to School at the Chalet and continued forward from there), and book 19 in the series. First reread of the Chalet School books since I went to Pertisau. On a reread I can’t understand why I only gave it two stars the first time and have upgraded to 3. It’s not one of my favourite books in the series, and it goes back to the awful new girl trope, but as they do she becomes a proper Chalet School book. Some of the other characters shine in through - Bride in particular. A few funny parts and no pranks not that pranks are everything but EBD does write them so well. Still a good solid read though.
May 9, 2016
Lavender has never gone to school, and if she had her way, she wouldn't be going now. But her Aunt Sylvia, with whom she has traveled the world, has been called up, and needs find somewhere for Lavender, especially since her health has become a worry. So the doctor recommends school. Not just any school, but the Chalet School. Lavender gets off to a bad start, since she resents being there at all, and in a class with younger girls, especially Bride Bettany — who tries her hardest to help Lavender — who is nearly three years younger. But as time goes by Lavender finds herself fitting in, till finally she laughs — in the Chalet School.
May 8, 2019
Not one of the best - but great at filling in the missing details!
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