The Ready-Made Family is a lovely read, introducing the Dodd children (bookish Rose, chirpy Chas and ponderous Fob) and their dismal father Edwin, who unexpectedly marries nineteen year old Karen, thus bringing her Oxford studies to an abrupt halt. It's always perplexed me that everyone just assumes that Karen has to give up her studies after marriage, but perhaps there was some kind of university rule about it? The theme of this book is 'nearly a nasty accident,' from the naughty boys throwing stones on the railway tracks in the opening chapter, all the way up to Rose and Nicola's terrifying near-miss encounter with a very nasty man in Oxford at the end. It could be argued that Karen and Edwin's marriage actually is a nasty accident; I'm less lenient toward him and his (not always suppressed) violent streak than Nicola is.
The Cricket Term ties with End of Term as my teenage favourites -- two perfect school stories. It's been pointed out that this novel feels like it could be the end of the series, neatly tying up Nicola's long-standing enmity with the dastardly Lois Sanger, a happy, summery atmosphere, and a cracking cricket match as its climax. Forest writes about cricket as well as anyone I know, so well that she's won converts to the game among American readers who otherwise wouldn't have a clue. And there's a fabulous plot twist involving my pet Lawrie, which delights and outrages me every time.
The Attic Term skips over the summer holidays and brings us back to school. This is my least favourite of the Kingscote stories, mostly because it revolves around Ginty, my second least favourite Marlow sibling, and her tedious romance with boy-next-door Patrick. And I could well do without Patrick's pontifications on the recent changes in the Catholic Church, which make him so unhappy at his own school that I honestly can't understand why his parents don't move him. This time the theme seems to be 'the coughing bear' -- a minor breach of rules/laws that results in terrible damage, most immediately Nicola's first illicit phone call from the school office which paves the way for Ginty's later wrongdoing. I think Forest is suggesting that the changes of Vatican II also opened the door for catastrophe to follow? I don't know enough church history to comment on that point of view!
Run Away Home is another patchy book, like The Thuggery Affair (though I prefer Thuggery). This one features my first least favourite Marlow, oldest brother Giles, who is sexist, pompous and insufferable, though clearly intended to be dashing, bold and tremendous good fun. I'm irritated by the plot of the runaway boy, in which the rights and wrongs are less obvious to me than they are to the Marlows. I'm furious on behalf of poor Ann, who is treated with utter contempt by everyone, teased, lied to and denigrated at every turn; I'm inclined to agree with her take on the Edward situation and I think her family treat her abominably. There's a half-formed problem with Nicola accepting the gift of Miranda's dress, which again, I find baffling -- who cares? Miranda would have thrown it away if Nick hadn't taken it! However, the final few chapters, with Giles and Peter in trouble at sea and Patrick holding vigil, are almost worth the annoyances at the start.
It was interesting to read all ten novels from beginning to end. It was much easier to follow little bits of continuity, like the endless pony swaps and Peter's splinter, as well as the presence of the Dodds, which I never understood as a young reader, having missed Ready-Made Family. Taken as a single work, they are certainly uneven, but there are far more moments of brilliance than there are moments when I grit my teeth. As Patrick says to sexy au pair Claudie, 'Might we do that again some time?'
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