Jan 11, 2012 11:03 AM
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Thoughts light, like gleams, my spirits sky
But they will not remain
They light me once, they hurry by
And never come again – Matthew Arnold
Enid Blyton was the first author, who introduced me the world of fantasy. Her short stories were the first memories of book reading. I have read most of Enid Blyton, as her books are written for all the age groups; I have really grown up reading a lot of Enid Blyton. After reading Malory tower, my next choice was St. Clare’s.
I was looking for part one but ended up getting St Clare’s Again. Since I was in no mood to wait for first part, I took the risk of picking it up first.
This book tells us about three different years or stages attended by girls in a boarding school – St. Clare’s. The minimum age to enter in this school is 14.
This book is a compilation of three books – Second form at St. Clare’s, Claudine at St. Clare’s and Fifth Formers at St. Clare’s. This book has few common characters and a few characters are added in every part as per the need of the story.
The common characters are:
Pat and Isabel O’Sullivan: The twin sisters, who never leave each other. They are hardworking, responsible, sincere and very fun loving at the same time. They always know how to judge right from wrong, and that’s why the Headmistress always trusts their opinion and decision in the class disputes.
Alison O’Sullivan: She is cousin of the twin Sullivans. She is a featherheaded girl who always is in a constant hunt to find people whom she can get impressed with so that she can follow or imitate them. “You never get any rest until you find someone and think they are one of the Seven Wonders of the World” – it defines her character perfectly.
Janet and Bobby: They are two absent minded characters of the story, who are always upto playing tricks on their teachers. They have a sharp tongue.
Carlotta: A witty and sharp tongued girl who once worked in a circus. She never felt it lowly or was ashamed to discuss it with anyone.
Doris Edward: She is a talented girl in the field of mimicry. She used to copy and imitate teachers and other children in her group and made fun of them.
Hilary Wendworth: A very responsible and sincere student who was often chosen as Head of the “form”. She had a high IQ.
Miss Theobald: The Head Mistress who was a very bold woman. She had the power of keeping children disciplined with a raise of an eyebrow.
Mam’zelle: She was the French teacher. She had a good humor and simple heart. Because of this she was easily fooled and hence was the soft target of the girls for the tricks to be played on her e.g. stinks balls and tin beetles.
Overall View : This book showcases the Hostel life of St.Clare’s. The girls from different backgrounds, with different attitudes and ideologies come and share their ways. The initial hiccups, frictions, fights and then gradual liking, appreciation and blending takes place. It brings loyalty and respect towards friends, teachers and St. Clare’s. The complete changeover surprises parents and teachers. Every part has the above characters, and a few new characters, which brings twists and turns in the story.
Second Form at St.Clare’s:
New Characters:
Miss Jenks: The teacher of the second form. She is a strict woman who did not expect any misbehavior from the girls.
Mirabel: She was a strong girl who at first made herself a nuisance but then learnt to settle down and turned over a new leaf. She had a great talent in music and lacrosse.
Gladys: She was also known as ‘Misery Girl’ because she was always sobbing and sad. She was too shy to open up and share her problem. Apart from that she had a keen interest in lacrosse and drama.
Miss Quentin: She was the teacher Alison was impressed with. In front of Alison she acted sweet and gentle but made fun of her at her back.
Elsie: She was a girl who failed and was left down in the fourth form and made the head girl but was ticked off as she tried to misuse her responsibilities which made the whole fourth form turn against her.
Anna: She was the second head girl who was also left behind in the fourth form because of her laziness.
Plot : In this story the girls have a lot of fun ahead of them like a midnight feast and a trick or two but they are expected to “shed” their irresponsible ways and become more serious. On the other hand Mirabel is making herself a nuisance and Gladys is making herself a nuisance. Alison took Miss Quentin as her role model but noticed her true colors as time passed.
Claudine at St. Clare’s – The Fourth Form
New characters:
Angela: She was a spoilt girl from a wealthy family and at the utmost try to show off her wealth.
Pauline: She was a pretentious girl who was particularly jealous of Angela because of her wealth.
Eileen: She was the daughter of new matron. She was her mother’s secret informer, as she would sneak and complain to her mother about anybody who said bad things about her.
Claudine: She was the Niece of Mam’zelle. She lacked the sense to understand what the girls called “English Sense of honor” but even then the girls couldn’t help liking her.
Plot: The fourth form has got a new lot of girls, each with flaws and strengths of their own. The new girls face a lot of problem in settling down and getting acceptance from the previous group. The whole fourth form plays different tricks on teachers, especially Mam’zelle. Once their trick goes wrong and ends up against them. In the end they revealed many secrets, learned to stick with each other in difficult times and become better friends and human being.
The Fifth Formers at St. Clare’s
New Characters:
Alma Pudden : A fat plump girl who keeps munching permanently. She lands in a big trouble, when she accidently gets locked in a secret cupboard while sneaking for food, where food is stored for midnight feast.
Felicity: A girl highly talented in the field of music. She is lost girl, completely absent minded – who sleepwalks, forgets often where she is – but other girls of the form classify these symptoms of a genius in making.
Miss Willcox : The new English Teacher for the fifth form who herself writes poems and publishes them. She gets a rejection, and it changes her attitude and behavior towards students, especially Anne Marie.
Anne Marie : The poet of fifth form. She thinks that the new English Teacher Miss Willcox is wonderful and supportive. She realizes that she has made a wrong judgment later in story and sets a trap to unveil the truth.
Plot: The fifth form is the second last form. It has filled the girls with seriousness. Now they have their own study room, which brings them the feeling of independence and responsibility. Mirabel is the Sports Head Girl and Gladys is the vice Head Girl. Mirabel is making the girls work very hard and is not giving them time to study for their finals. Once when she cancels a dance show to keep a meeting – somebody rings a fire bell which makes Mirabel furious. How the girls cope up with strict and tight schedule and how the results shock and surprise many, is what this Fifth Form is about. Also how Claudine’s English Sense of Honour brings smiles on many faces.
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