My October books

This is an overview of the books I have finished in a month (not necessarily started in the same month) and those I have read to Gundel (marked with 😸).
I will be adding a short explanation why I chose a book or how I found it and possibly if it's a re-read candidate, but I'm usually not going to add real reviews or ratings (Gundel also refuses to give ratings). Should you want a little more information on a book you're interested in, though, just let me know.

"Village School" by Miss Read (Dora Jessie Saint), first published in 1955
(Fairacre 1) 

Miss Read tells us about the year of a school mistress in the small English village school of Fairacre in the 50s.

I saw the books mentioned on different blogs and they sounded like something I would enjoy. Of course the book is dated in some regards which I had expected, though. I will look for more books in the series.

"Four Days' Wonder" by A. A. Milne, first published in 1933 

When the 18 year old Jenny accidentally walks into her old home and finds the body of her aunt there whom she hadn't seen in years and then the current tenants come home, she has to flee and come up with an ingenious plan not to get arrested.

As accidentally as Jenny finds her dead aunt, I found this book and I'm so glad about it.
It's a mystery comedy and I loved it so much that I ordered my own copy of it when I hadn't even finished.

"The Reluctant Vampire" by Eric Morecambe, first published in 1982
(The Reluctant Vampire 1) 

The King and Queen of Gotcha are vampires and have two sons, Vernon and Valentine.
Valentine, however, finds out he's not a vampire which changes everything.

Recently, the two children's books by British comedian Eric Morecambe have been turned into a six-part TV series. I can't watch the series, so I read the first book instead.

"Undine" by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué, first published in 1811 😸

The knight Huldbrand, sent out on a mission to cross a haunted forest by the beautiful Bertalda, comes to the hut of a poor fisherman and his wife where he meets their foster-child Undine and falls in love with her.
After they have been married by a passing priest, Undine tells Huldbrand that she's a water spirit and that his love has given her a soul. The jealousy of Bertalda and the rage of Undine's uncle Kühleborn, another water spirit, however, endangers their bond.

Since school I hadn't read any German classics and decided to try and read at least one a month now.
The novella which I had never read before is based on old legends.

"Ghost Stories of an Antiquary" by M. R. James, first published in 1904 

A collection of eight Victorian ghost stories, "most of them read to patient friends, usually at the season of Christmas" (see my post about that tradition here).

M. R. James was known for his ghost stories, this is just one collection.

"Good Morning, Miss Dove" by Frances Gray Patton, first published in 1954 

Miss Dove has been the geography teacher at the Cedar Grove School for 35 years. An unexpected hospital stay makes her reminisce about her life and her pupils.

Re-read for a future blog post.

"To Sir With Love" by E. R. Braithwaite, first published in 1959 

After leaving the military at the end of the war, Ricky Braithwaite - born in British Guiana (today Guyana) - expects to easily find work as an engineer. He's shocked to find that his skin color even prevents him from getting interviews and after 18 months of unemployment someone gives him the idea to try it as a teacher in East London where teachers are needed most.

Braithwaite left teaching and became a social worker and then a diplomat after publishing this book.
I read it for a future blog post.

"Der Fuhrmann des Todes" = "Thy Soul Shall Bear Witness!" by Selma Lagerlöf, first published in 1912 

A legend goes that the last man dying in the old year has to collect the souls of the dying for one year as the driver of Death.
This time it is David Holm whose family the young slum sister (social worker for the Salvation Army) Edit (Edith in the German and English translation) has been trying to save from his drunkenness, violence, and consumption.

I read the book (included in volume 5 of Lagerlöf's collected works in this case) for a blog post.

"The Sitwells and the Arts of the 1920s and 1930s" : with essays by Sarah Bradford et al., first published in 1996 

Catalog of an exhibition held at the National Portrait Gallery, London, Oct. 14, 1994 - Jan. 22, 1995.
The Sitwell siblings Osbert, Edith, and Sacheverell were poets and novelists who were known for forming "an identifiable literary and artistic clique around themselves in London in the period roughly 1916 to 1930", admired by some and seen as overrated by others. Interesting - definitely. Complicated - oh yes.

This was a bit of a tough read. I really enjoyed the essays and also the images, but the blurbs with the images were a lot. The Sitwells knew so many people! This was one book I had to do in slow bits or the many names would have overwhelmed me completely.

"Love's Shadow" by Ada Leverson, first published in 1908
(Little Ottleys 1)

This comedy of manners takes us to the Edwardian London, we meet Edith Ottley and her husband Bruce and their friends and acquaintances.

Ada Leverson was friends with the Sitwells, that's how I found her (it seems only the third book of the trilogy got a German translation). She was also a devoted friend to Oscar Wilde who called her the wittiest woman in the world.
This was the perfect book to balance out the heaviness of the Sitwell catalog. It was light and fluffy, but from our modern view also quite sad in regard to women's situations. Bruce, for example, was so annoying that I kept hoping I would be told eventually just one reason why Edith ever thought he was the right man to marry. That didn't happen, so I could only imagine she didn't have much choice and that made me sad for her.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book because of the very amusing dialog and I plan to read the other two books as well (once I have overcome my urge to slap Bruce).

"Die Kinder, die Hexen zaubern konnten" = "The Witch Family" by Eleanor Estes, first published in 1960
(Amy and Clarissa 1)

Amy and Clarissa, almost seven years of age, are best friends - and they know witches!

This was a re-re-re-re-re-re-...-read for a blog post.

"The Last Leaf" by O. Henry, first published in 1905

Pneumonia has hit the Greenwich Village artist colony, among them the young Johnsy. Her friend Sue is very worried because she has lost the will to live and thinks she's going to die when the last ivy leaf in front of the window falls off, but it keeps hanging on and so does Johnsy.
Only afterwards she learns that their old neighbor who always wanted to paint a masterpiece has painted a "last" realistic looking leaf on the window. From being out there in the cold, he contracts pneumonia and dies.

This is just a short story, but I added it because I read it for a future blog post.

"As I Knew Him: My Day, Rod Serling" by Anne Serling, first published in 2013

Anne Serling writes about her father, TV writer Rod Serling who died in 1975 at the age of 50.

When I looked at reviews for Estes's book "The Witch Family", someone mentioned the "Twilight Zone" episode "It's a Good Life" (also about a kid banishing somebody, a very creepy story, no matter if you watch or read it), and I spontaneously looked for books about "Twilight Zone" (which most people probably know Serling for) and found this among them.
If Serling hadn't used so many letters written by her father or quotes from interviews, I'm not sure if I would have read it because it's more of a personal declaration of love to her father and an expression of her grief. Nothing wrong about that, and it does show how Serling was as a family man, but I think I'd also like to read a "real" biography about him eventually for the whole picture.

"The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Volume 1" by Beth Brower, first published in 2019

After working as a companion for Cousin Matilde for three years, the young Emma M. Lion returns to Lapis Lazuli, the house in London that she inherited and that's run by her Cousin Archibald until she's of age. Things don't go as planned, though.

I saw the series mentioned everywhere, so when the first volume turned up on OverDrive, I gave it a try as well. No idea when the other volumes will be following.


DNF:

"At the Bottom of the Garden: A Dark History of Fairies, Hobgoblins, Nymphs, and Other Troublesome Things" by Diane Purkiss, first published in 2003

Fairies in history weren't as nice as they are often described today. According to Purkiss they were born from fear, of the dark, of death, birth, loss, etc.
The history as such would have been interesting, but the style just didn't work for me, so I gave up eventually.



If you write book reviews or blog posts about other book-related matters - even movies based on books - please check out "A Good Book and a Cup of Tea", a monthly bookish blog link party that I co-host with  Lisa from Boondock Ramblings and Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs. You can find out more about it here or directly click through to the current party via the image in the right hand column.

Weekend Traffic Jam - Week 180

Welcome to the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot!
My posts for the link up will go live on Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. EDT or, if you live in the future like I do, on Fridays at 3:30 a.m. CE(S)T.

The experts just wanted to remind you that Halloween is almost here. We don't have any plans yet, but I'm pretty sure they will come up with something exquisitely cute ... scary, I mean scary! I sure hope they didn't hear my slip of the tongue, but honestly, look at them ...

***

And now my contribution to Anne's and Olivia's "Friday Book Snippets" where you share a quote - a sentence or short paragraph - from the beginning of a book you read at the moment and one from page 56 (or another).

Today, mine are from "Love's Shadow" by Ada Leverson, first published in 1908 which is the first part of the "Little Ottleys" trilogy.

Beginning: "'There's only one thing I must really implore you, Edith,' said Bruce anxiously. 'Don't make me late at the office!'
'Certainly not, Bruce,' answered Edith sedately. She was seated opposite her husband at breakfast in a very new, very small, very white flat in Knightsbridge - exactly like thousands of other new, small, white flats."

Page 56: "'Bruce, you're not going to begin to dress yet, are you? It's only just four.'
He pretended not to hear, and said peevishly - 
'I suppose they don't expect us to ask them? I daresay it's well known we can't return all the hospitality we receive.'
'I daresay it is.'
'It's awful not having a valet,' said Bruce.
'But it would be more awful if we had,' said Edith. 'Where on earth could we put him - except in the bathroom?'
'I don't think you'll look you're[sic] best tonight,' he answered rather revengefully.
'Give me a chance! Wait till I've waved my hair!'"

I don't like Bruce.

***

Back to the Weekend Traffic Jam.
As part of the reboot, we will be featuring a different blog every week.
How about stopping by and saying hello? Let them know we sent you.

This week our spotlight is on Beth Willis Miller.

Beth Willis Miller is a Christian author whose writing combines biblical study, devotional reflection and practical application to encourage readers to know Christ more deeply and apply the truths of Scripture to everyday life.

Marsha from Marsha in the Middle started blogging in 2021 as an exercise in increasing her neuroplasticity. Oh, who are we kidding? Marsha started blogging because she loves clothes, and she loves to talk or, in this case, write!

Melynda from Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household - The name says it all, we homestead in East Texas, with three generations sharing this land. I cook and bake from scratch, between gardening and running after the chickens, and knitting!

Lisa from Boondock Ramblings shares about the fiction she writes and reads, her faith, homeschooling, photography and more.

Cat from Cat's Wire has what she calls a jumping spider brain. She has many interests and will blog about whatever catches her attention - crafts, books, old movies, collectibles or random things.

Rena from Fine Whatever Blog writes about style, midlife, and the "fine whatever" moments that make life both meaningful and fun. Since 2015, she's been celebrating creativity, confidence, and finding joy in the everyday.


Here are some of my picks from last week's link up.

Penny has refreshed a neglected corner in her sunroom.

Amy is sharing autumn pictures from her garden.

Shelbee shows us her interpretation of the latest Style Imitating Art challenge.

Melynda has tried out a new recipe for Brussels sprout.

Amalia met a sneezing snail and two cuddling bunnies.


Let's link up!

Guidelines:
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Silent movies - Teddy at the Throttle

I know that this isn't a Halloween movie, but I had to make a last minute change. At least we have a villain!

You may know Gloria Swanson not so much as the silent movie star she used to be, but from the movie "Sunset Boulevard" in which she plays a former silent movie star.
Anyway, today I'll be talking about "Teddy at the Throttle" from 1917.

First the plot (with spoilers).

Gloria Dawn, her trusted four-legged friend Teddy, and her sweetheart Bobbie Knight live in the same building.
As does evil Henry Black. He's Gloria's guardian and Bobbie's estate manager (until he's married) diverting money to his own account. He wants his sister to marry Bobbie to hide that which would suit Bobbie's aunt who doesn't approve of Gloria but thinks Black's sister will help her climb the social ladder.

And Bobbie indeed falls for her immediately - he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer - despite just having given Gloria a ring.
Although Gloria reminds him of that, Bobbie can't resist "his new girl" and starts neglecting her, yes, he even tells Gloria to give the ring back when the sister demands it. 

Then Black is informed by Bobbie's lawyer that a new will has turned up saying that Bobbie only gets the money if he marries Gloria. If he doesn't, the money will go to Gloria.
Black is delighted to see Bobbie and his sister together and decides to marry Gloria himself to get to the money.

There's only one problem. Gloria doesn't want him.
At a ball, however, Bobbie leaves his love on the dance floor (after a hilarious dance) because he just can't stay away from Gloria.

Not allowing the plan to go wrong, the Blacks quickly separate the lovebirds again, but Gloria finds out about the new will and calls the lawyer for help. 
Meanwhile, despite a huge storm, Ms. Black and Bobbie elope by car, followed by Gloria who's followed by Mr. Black. As the car is stuck in the mud, Gloria manages to catch up with them and she shows Bobbie the letter. Of course, he changes his mind once again, but Gloria has enough and tells him to marry the sister.

Unfortunately, Black catches her, and to save himself from prison he chains her to the tracks to be run over by the train in which the lawyer is sitting (which they of course don't know).
Again, this is a comedy and if you want to read more about one of the most prevalent ideas about silent movies - the villain tying a damsel to railroad tracks - I have three posts for you on that trope in the sources below.
Gloria can't escape by herself and whistles for the true hero of this film - Teddy!

That must be some powerful dog whistle.

When Teddy arrives, Gloria gives him a note to take to Bobbie.
Both come to her rescue, but the chains are too strong.

Teddy leaps into the train with the note and the engineers stop the train, but not in time. Bobbie jumps out of the way, but Gloria is right under the train which snaps the chains under its wheels.

Gloria Swanson insisted on doing this dangerous stunt
of disappearing into a hole just in time herself!

Bobbie pulls Gloria out from under the train.
Black tries to escape when he sees that his plan has failed, but once again we can trust Teddy to do the right thing.

Black gets arrested and Gloria and Bobbie get their happy ending!

Ok, ok, I'll admit it. Of course, I chose this film mainly for Teddy.
That doesn't mean it's not interesting in other ways, even dark if you know the background of some scenes.
First, we have a spoof of the damsel on the tracks. Like the idea that there was nothing subtle about silent movies - keyword "overacting" - many of us probably have that trope in our heads. I really enjoyed reading the posts below telling me more about it.
Second, not unusual for early silent movies there are some rough scenes, but the ones with Swanson and Wallace Beery as Mr. Black are not all play. They were married at the time, but Beery had been abusive, so the marriage had already fallen apart. It makes watching those scenes harder knowing Swanson's fear and Beery's abuse are in fact real.

Nevertheless, this is a charming comedy and not as chaotic as the plot might suggest. My favorite bit is the over the top dance scene.
Honestly, I'm not sure if I would still want "fickle-hearted" Bobbie in the end, but he might grow up under Gloria's strong hand - she really knows what she wants and what not!

Now let's get to the really important stuff.
Teddy the Dog or Keystone Teddy (after Mack Sennett's "Keystone Film Company") was a 42” tall, 145-pound Great Dane who was in at least 60 movies, mostly shorts, from 1916 to 1924. He died in 1925 at the age of 14.
Wasn't he gorgeous?

Public domain via Wikipedia

Sources and further reading:

Article on Teddy:

Larry Harnisch: Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Teddy the Dog, Mack Sennett's Best Friend. On: The Daily Mirror, July 6, 2015


Articles on the "Damsel tied to the tracks trope":

1. Fritzi Kramer: Teddy at the Throttle (1917) - A Silent Film Review. On: Movies Silently, December 12, 2021
2. Fritzi Kramer: Silent Movie Myth: Tied to the Railroad Tracks. On: Movies Silently, March 12, 2013
3. Lea Stans: The “Damsel Tied To The Railroad Tracks” Trope Revisited. On: Silent-ology, September 29, 2026

From my children's book cabinet - Die Kinder, die Hexen zaubern konnten

I was a little shocked to see how long ago it was that I last reached into my children's book cabinet.
It was very last minute that I suddenly thought Halloween ... witches ... children's book ... ooooh, Eleanor Estes! ... re-read the book and threw this post together in one night (therefore the pictures in the shine of my reading lamp which might be happening more than once in the future).

My book today is "Die Kinder, die Hexen zaubern konnten", later published as "Die Hexenfamilie", the literal translation of the original title "The Witch Family" (spoilers ahead as usual).

Gundel approves of a book with witches
AND their three black cats! She gives it 
five out of five headbonks.

One day, Old Witch, the head witch of all the witches, was banished. Amy, just an ordinary real girl, not a witch, said Old Witch would have to go away. So Old Witch had to go.

Amy and her best friend Clarissa, both almost seven years of age, live on Garden Lane in Washington, D.C.
They love to hear stories of Old Witch that Amy's mother is telling them, and they love to draw. So one day in February, they draw pictures of Old Witch, and Amy decides to "banquish" her (she likes to make up words or sometimes still has a problem with more difficult ones) to the bare glass hill because she's so mean and because little bunnies are her favorite food.

Then the girls remember that Halloween would be very boring without Old Witch, so she's allowed to come down on that one day, but only if she has been good for a whole year.
Amy explains to Clarissa that it's important to put things in writing. Luckily, she likes to write letters which a red cardinal takes to their recipients.

"You must be good. You must not be bad. You must go and live on the glass hill always. But if you will be good, you can come back on Halloween night. So, please be good!"

That's really hard for Old Witch who's head witch after all and a very good one, but not by Amy's definition of good (a problem that Otfried Preußler's "The Little Witch" from 1957 is facing as well - what is good?).
Amy also has an emissary on the glass hill, Malachi (which means messenger) the magical spelling bee who plays an important role throughout. Old Witch can't see him but feel his stings, only her cat Tom knows where he's hiding.
As a reward for being good, Amy eventually allows Old Witch to say an Abracadabra which brings her Little Witch Girl Hannah with her cat Little Tommy for company.
Hannah goes to witch school and on her birthday she's having a party with her classmates ... and Amy and Clarissa!
And after giving Hannah a best friend, a mermaid with a baby sister, Amy finally also fulfills the girl's wish for a baby sister of her own, tiny kitten included.

This has always been my favorite picture in the book.

The border between the worlds begins to blur more and more.
One day, the girls draw rabbits painting eggs on their meadow and Old Witch can see that scene for real through her telescope.
Despite knowing the consequences, she swoops down on the rabbits and eats them and their eggs, at least that's what she thinks. Malachi has warned the rabbits who have been prepared for such a situation and put out toy rabbits and painted rocks which give Old Witch an upset stomach.
Amy, however, is generous because none of the real rabbits have come to harm and still allows her to come down for Halloween.

On Halloween, not only Old Witch is coming down, though. Hannah askdevoursr mermaid friend to babysit her little sister, so she can participate as well and fly to Garden Lane to see Amy and Clarissa. She meets Amy who wears a witch costume and they swap places, but Hannah uses the wrong spell for the broom which flies Amy back to the glass hill. Just in time, Hannah manages to give Amy a note with a spell for Malachi.
On the glass hill, Amy notices for the first time how cold and bare it is and that it can't be very nice for the witches having to live there.

After having to spend a whole night on the hill and a morning at the witch school, the little witches find out that she's the one who banished Old Witch. They threaten to turn her into a rabbit to give to the head witch, but Malachi saves her with his magical powers and takes her home. For Hannah, who has been waiting for her at Garden Lane, only two minutes have gone by.

The next day, Amy and Clarissa are drawing again.
Hannah gets a letter from Amy telling her to look around and she sees grass and flowers coming up everywhere, the house turns white, and there's even a lake, so the mermaids can visit them!

Even Old Witch likes how pretty everything looks now.
Clarissa is surprised about the decision, but says that Old Witch was "good ever after" now, right? Amy can't believe it.

"Wicked Old Mean Old Witch? Good ever after? Clarissa, are you a nope[sic]?? Of course, she wasn’t. She was still awful sometimes. The rest of the time she was good. Only when she was awful she was not good. Clarissa, listen to me. She IS Old Witch, isn’t she? What is the good of Old Witch if she is good all the time?"

Then she asks her mother to tell them about Old Witch again ... the story goes on.

Estes's book is from 1960 and the first German translation from 1971 which means the book was actually still quite new when I got it first from the library as a child. And then again. And again. I read it a lot and think the illustrations by Edward Ardizzone are just perfect.
I love this book so much and would still be able to show you the exact spot where it stood on the shelf, if the old library still existed, that is.

When I wrote this post, I only had the German translation and therefore looked for reviews that would help me with original names or words - there's a lot of wordplay (which is why I also ordered the original now) - and found an academic article (see below).
It describes the book as "an innovative work of metafiction, which explicitly engages with a number of philosophical and literary-critical issues central to postmodern and poststructuralist discussion".
I would lie if I claimed I understood all of it (the professor is an expert in the field) or even read all of it with full concentration, but there were some interesting points.
I couldn't help wondering what authors think about articles like this one? Was all of that "innovation" planned through or was it practice or did it just happen or maybe a bit of everything?

Of course, not everyone thinks the book is so great (as always). Some people find it repetitive or too old-fashioned, the characters flat or Malachi annoying with his spelling (which I kind of get in case of audiobooks or people reading it to children, but as a reader I always just ignore that and don't spell out in my head what he says), Amy too overpowering and Clarissa too reserved.
You know something, though? These kids are six. Some children have a lot of fantasy and others not as much. Sometimes one child is the leader and others run along. I have experienced that myself, both as follower and leader depending on the story. It doesn't mean Amy is automatically a bully and it doesn't mean that Clarissa will never have anything to say (which is hinted at in the ending, by the way, when Amy  accepts one of Clarissa's ideas).

Maybe you sometimes have to give your inner child the chance to read along with the grown up you to retain the magic? What were you like as a child?
Back then, I just went along with those two worlds opening up to each other without even wondering if all of this was just Amy's imagination and what she learned from the story. I probably wanted it to be possible (just like the talking Kasperle).
I may have mentioned before that I told myself made up stories when walking somewhere. Imagine those had come true! I'm not sure I could have handled the responsibility.

Anyhow, the book's magic still works for me today.
Do you have a favorite witch book of your own?


Source and further reading:

Dawn Heinecken: The Reality of Fiction and the Ethics of Storytelling in Eleanor Estes’s The Witch Family. In: Children’s Literature in Education 41, 2010, 3, pp. 260–272
DOI 10.1007/s10583-010-9108-x (closed access)

Goodbye, Mr. Chips - Part 2, The novella and the 2002 and 1984 adaptations

A few days ago, I wrote about one of my favorite movies here, "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" from 1939.
Today, I want to talk about the novella by James Hilton that the movie is based on, but also about a TV film and a TV serial.
I will keep the plot rather short here as it's already in the other post and concentrate on the big differences instead.

"Good-bye, Mr. Chips" is the story of Mr. Chipping, master at Brookfield, a British public school for boys. He begins teaching in 1870 at the age of 22 and stays near the school even after his retirement until his death in 1933.
Despite a short marriage - his wife and their child die during birth - his life is dedicated to the school and the pupils and even in retirement, during the First World War, he substitutes for the headmaster.

According to Hilton, he wrote the novella within one week in 1933 as he had to meet a deadline for a story to appear in the Christmas issue of the "British Weekly". In 1934, it appeared in the "Atlantic" where it was so successful that it was published as a book first in the USA and then in England.
In 1938, the sequel "To You Mr. Chips" was published which had some more Chips stories and an autobiographical chapter about Hilton's own school days.

The 1939 movie pretty much follows the plot of the novella. There are a few small changes, the train ride with the pupils at the beginning, some names, or that Chips takes over for the headmaster not because he joins up, but because he's severely ill.
The biggest change, however, is the love story. The movie concentrates more on how Chips and Kathy Ellis meet and fall in love while the novella emphasizes the influence Kathie Bridges has on Chips and the school.

In the movie, Chips thinks he has to rescue Kathy from the mountain, and while caught in the mist, she surprises him with her progressive ideas. He then loses her because she continues her bike ride with a friend, but they meet again in Vienna and go to a ball. It's all rather head over heel and very romantic.
In the novella, Kathie stands on a ledge, and after Chips sprains his ankle thinking he has to help her, she and her friend have to help him down the mountain instead. Kathie pays him visits while he's laid up, and at first he's not at all sure about this "new woman" with her radical positions like university access for women - and the vote! They talk a lot and get married at the end of the holidays.

She brings these radical positions to the school with her. Once she proposes a football (soccer for Americans) match with boys from the mission in East London run by Brookfield which becomes a surprising (for everyone but Kathie) success. Sometimes she persuades Chips to let boys off for more or less serious offences or talk to them first to find out the reasons which doesn't mean she excuses all of them, though.
Another difference is that the movie builds up the scene to Kathy's death - the doctor saying they will do their best etc. - while it's a very short chapter in the book, and yet both manage in their own way to describe Chips's loss poignantly.

We are talking Hollywood movie, and therefore the way the love story was told isn't surprising to me and I also didn't mind it, but I feel the novella gives Kathie more facets and explains better how her influence changes Chips in his social interactions with the pupils and masters, like when he stands up to the headmaster who wants him to retire.

Ralston was trying to run Brookfield like a factory - a factory for turning out a snob culture based on money and machines. The old gentlemanly traditions of family and broad acres were changing, as doubtless they were bound to; but instead of widening them to form a genuine inclusive democracy of duke and dustman, Ralston was narrowing them upon the single issue of a fat banking account.

That sounds like Kathie, don't you think?

***

Let's get to the 2002 adaptation now which I hadn't known of before. This will be a lot shorter, promise.
Martin Clunes plays Chips and Victoria Hamilton is Kathie.

Again, the story is changed a little, no sprained ankle, but Kathie is given her chance to speak her mind, about Shaw, Ibsen, the vote for women, and more. Instead of a football match she organizes a dance with girls from a nearby school.
And she addresses the headmaster about a boy being bullied in the worst way because he cried about his mother's death.

That is the big difference in this adaptation. Almost from the start, caning, bullying and fagging (a former practice at schools meaning younger pupils were required to act as personal servants for older ones) are a really big topic while they are only very lightly touched on - if at all - in the novella and movie of 1939 when these practices were sadly still regarded as quite normal.
Also the war scenes were more dramatic, like a plane crashing on the school premises and Chips making sure to help the pilot although he's German.

***

Back to 1984 now, to a six part TV serial with Roy Marsden and Jill Meager.

The serial also follows the novella rather closely (this time we get the football match). As we have a runtime that is almost twice as long as that of the films, though, some embellishments were to be expected.
One of them comes in the person of Mrs. Wickett.
Mrs. Wickett was once a matron at Brookfield and rents rooms out to Mr. Chips in his old age. That's the same as in the films and novella, but in the serial he first meets her when she still works as a maid and he comforts her after she has made a mistake and wants to run away.
She's quite devoted to him and works with him when he gets the post of housemaster despite being a bachelor. So when he returns from his holidays with a wife, we already know there will be problems. Although Kathie tries not to make Mrs. Wickett feel obsolete now, every attempt to contribute to the household or make a change is taken wrongly. Finally they bond over caring for a boy together who's severely ill.
Kathie later dies because she slips and has a heart attack from the fall, her child is stillborn (no idea why they thought that was a better idea).
Another story that was added is that of a pupil who is due for going to France, but can't get himself to go after seeing his father, who has been terribly mutilated in war, in hospital and is therefore arrested as a deserter.

***

There were more adaptations than the three I introduced you to, radio, theater, and a musical film from 1969 with Peter O'Toole and Petula Clark.
 

I couldn't hunt the film down, but after reading about it, I was actually glad I couldn't as it deviated from the original in a way that wouldn't have made me happy.
It is set between the 20s and the 60s, Katherine is a music hall singer. Her background makes a wealthy lord threaten to withdraw a financial endowment, but Katherine threatens back to expose his relationship to a friend of hers.
Oh, and she dies in an air raid after a long marriage.
It really doesn't sound as if I would like it. I don't want my Mr. Chips to sing, either. It's something he would never do.

***

All adaptations I watched were enjoyable in their own way.

I liked Kathie in the 1984 version because Jill Meager gave such competent and yet friendly and understanding vibes. To me, she seemed most like the "new woman" that intimidated Chips so much at first. I could have well imagined her marching as a suffragette.
Victoria Hamilton seemed determined, but a bit too soft for my taste, well, and Greer Garson didn't get the chance to show much more than being a beautiful and kind lady, so you really can't compare.
Roy Marsden was okay, but Martin Clunes definitely showed more layers to his Chips. I thought his best scene was him standing up to the headmaster, with such cold rage when he accused him of running the school like a factory. I think the 2002 film was the most realistic one, not romanticizing life at a public school, and I enjoyed it more than I would have thought.

But let's be honest, I watch Mr. Chips for Robert Donat. For the shyness and the fear to fail, for the sadness about being mediocre as a master (which he is described as in the novella) and the longing to make it, anyway. For the desire to be not just respected but loved by the pupils. For learning to love and to understand, bearing a loss and carrying on, for making jokes and chuckling.
So it's sentimental, okay, but mainly warm-hearted. There's nothing wrong with a bit of escapism every, now and then.
And darn that score that plays with my emotions so well, works every time (and I don't mean the "Blue Danube" which is the theme for Kathy and Chips)! 😉

There, and now you made it all the way through. Aren't you glad?

Take a rest ... for the next time!

Weekend Traffic Jam - Week 179

Welcome to the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot!
My posts for the link up will go live on Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. EDT or, if you live in the future like I do, on Fridays at 3:30 a.m. CE(S)T.

I finished this bead embroidered pendant the other day. The crazy lace agate is surrounded by two levels of hexagon beads in three different colors, sprinkled with golden seed beads, and of course I once again couldn't resist going free form!
I love hexagon beads and like to sew them on one by one, so I can keep changing the direction a lot. When the light hits all those edges, it produces a beautiful sparkle that is hard to capture in a picture, though, so you just have to take my word for it.

***

And now my contribution to Anne's and Olivia's "Friday Book Snippets" where you share a quote - a sentence or short paragraph - from the beginning of a book you read at the moment and one from page 56 (or another).

Today, mine are from "Professor Unrat" from 1905 by Heinrich Mann. I'm reading it in German as part of my personal classics challenge, but will use snippets from the English translation "Small Town Tyrant".
You may have heard of the movie "Der blaue Engel" ("The Blue Angel") based on it, starring Emil Jannings and Marlene Dietrich, which is also a classic, or maybe you know at least Dietrich's signature song "Falling in Love Again (Can't Help It)". I haven't watched the movie myself (yet?).
It tells the story of a strict teacher whose downfall is falling in love with a singer.

Beginning: "His name being Gaubage, the whole school, of course, called him Garbage. Nothing could have been more simple or more natural; the teachers were always given nicknames. Each new batch of scholars in a class-room, not finding the efforts of their predecessors sufficiently funny, seized on the chance of inventing a still more nimble nickname. Old Garbage, however, had kept the same one for several generations of students, and the whole town knew him by it. Even his colleagues used it out of school - and in the sacred precincts, when his back was turned."

Page 56: "Oh, now she had finished and the audience were clapping and shouting "Bravo". He suddenly found himself clapping, too, and he looked down at his hands with astonishment. He felt a singular desire to stamp on the ground. Luckily he had the strength of character to resist that folly, but he was not annoyed with himself for having felt like that; on the contrary, he smiled, in the enjoyment of thinking himself something of a rake."

***

Back to the Weekend Traffic Jam.
As part of the reboot, we will be featuring a different blog every week.
How about stopping by and saying hello? Let them know we sent you.

This week our spotlight is on I Live For My Dreams.

Sas from I Live For My Dreams says: "Ik ben Sas, schrijfster sinds 2009 van iliveformydreams. Uit de jaren '80." Oh, your Dutch is as non-existent as mine? No problem. You can switch to English at the bottom of each post (one of the times I sadly have to rely on AI).
Okay, here we go: "I am Sas, writer since 2009 for iliveformydreams. From the 80s. Married, Mom to Noa, and in daily life a childcare worker and full-time enthusiast. I have a fondness for London, tea (mugs), squirrels, skating, and reading."

Marsha from Marsha in the Middle started blogging in 2021 as an exercise in increasing her neuroplasticity. Oh, who are we kidding? Marsha started blogging because she loves clothes, and she loves to talk or, in this case, write!

Melynda from Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household - The name says it all, we homestead in East Texas, with three generations sharing this land. I cook and bake from scratch, between gardening and running after the chickens, and knitting!

Lisa from Boondock Ramblings shares about the fiction she writes and reads, her faith, homeschooling, photography and more.

Cat from Cat's Wire has what she calls a jumping spider brain. She has many interests and will blog about whatever catches her attention - crafts, books, old movies, collectibles or random things.

Rena from Fine Whatever Blog writes about style, midlife, and the "fine whatever" moments that make life both meaningful and fun. Since 2015, she's been celebrating creativity, confidence, and finding joy in the everyday.


Here are some of my picks from last week's link up.

Jill shares pictures of the beautiful wildflowers in the Dryandra Woodland, Western Australia.

Check out the Halloween snacks that Laura and Laurie prepare!

Ann is getting haunted by a ghost ...

Mireille has a black and brown fall combo to show.


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