Marlow and Chalet School recs needed

[rubyscarlett]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently reading Autumn Term by Antonia Forest (the first in the Marlow series) for the first time. It's incredibly good - her writing especially is gorgeous. I checked the availability of other titles in the series and was sad to learn that they're all out of print. Since the price of each varies wildly, I was wondering if you had any recommendations for titles I should really read over the rest. I don't have much money at the moment so I'm thinking of purchasing the most loved titles first and then complete the collection later when I'm back in the cash.

The same goes for the Chalet School books - any particular titles you would recommend? I've read the first four (School, Jo of, Princess and Head Girl).

Fill-ins and sequels recs are most welcome too!

Thank you :)

Comments

[antisoppist]

Everyone I know who reads Forest read them in the wrong order due to availability and price issues and still loved her despite having huge missing plot gaps. The four that are school stories used to be the easiest to find because Puffin published them in the 80s but then GGBP filled in the gaps. And now they are all out of print.

Most loved really varies because the non-school story ones are so different. The Marlows and the Traitor is adventure, Run Away Home is adventure with sailing, Peter's Room part-fantasy (some people like me skipped the imaginary bits for years), Falconer's Lure and Ready-Made Family are family holiday stories, and then there are the two historicals. Those were written as one very long book which she had to split so it might be worth not starting the Player's Boy unless you have The Players and the Rebels as well. And lots of people dislike The Thuggery Affair because it's the most dated and full of 1950s slang.

You might have more luck asking on the Trennels community on livejournal, which is slightly more lively than this one.

I heartily recommend ankaret for Forest fic. It's on AO3.

[rubyscarlett]

Thanks awfully for your help. I think I'll start with the Term books and then perhaps Ready-Made Family depending on availability.

I know of Trennels but I really prefer Dreamwidth so I thought of posting here first and on LJ only if I didn't get any replies.

Thank you also for mentioning ankaret, I can see they've also done a fair few cross-overs which should be interesting.

[antisoppist]

I much prefer DW too :-)

I was very lucky that when I went to university I found they had the whole set in the Education section of the library. I spent a lot of time down there when I was supposed to be studying history three floors up. Finding my own took years. Good luck!

[rubyscarlett]

You're the second person to tell me they've read the books at uni. I didn't take advantage of my uni library access when I had the chance so I have nobody but myself to blame, really. If you ever want to sell your Forest books, I'm right here :D

[the_antichris]

My favourites are the school ones - Autumn Term, End of Term, Cricket Term, Attic Term. Conveniently, they're... I won't say easy to get hold of, but somewhat less hard.

For the Chalet School, I'd start with the Austrian ones (1-14) and The Chalet School Goes To It (renamed TCS At War for the paperback). After that, just pick up the later ones as you can. There's so many that trying to do it in order would get tricky.

[rubyscarlett]

Thanks for the recs! I'll focus on the school ones for now, which is what I like best anyway. They're incredibly expensive for paperbacks, though :(

Goes to It seems to be the most popular title of them all along with Exile. Thank you!

[the_antichris]

Yeah. :( I struck it lucky with some of mine, but it took years.

[rubyscarlett]

I saw on a pony book forum that someone had managed to find Attic and Cricket together for 20p at a book fair. Life can be so unfair :p

[the_antichris]

Wow, that is amazing. I was lucky with Attic Term at a book fair (not for 20p, though!), but I eventually got impatient and bought Cricket Term on ebay for $lots.

[feather_ghyll]

I'd second the Chalet School recommendations, and also note that (some of?) the Armada paperbacks were abridged. Hardback copies will be dearer, but Girls Gone By have republished some of them, at least.

[rubyscarlett]

Yeah I'm aware :( Sadly my finances don't stretch this far so I'll stick to paperbacks for the moment and see if I can get hold of favourites in HB.