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Original poster

Antonia Forest fans?

28 replies

Chocaholica · 14/12/2010 20:57

I am having something of a nostalgia fest and rereading childhood favourite books... Anyway I have just reread three of the Marlow twins series: Autumn Term, End of Term and Attic Term, which are the only ones I owned as a child (and have recuperated from my parents' loft). I never read Cricket Term... and it's not easy to find it again now... so could anyone tell me: how does Marie Dobson die in Cricket Term? and what else have I missed in that novel?

I love the other books in the series. My copy of Autumn Term is seriously battered....

OP posts:
MissCromwell · 15/12/2010 12:38

Cricket Term is the best IMO - so do you really want to know or what happens or shouldn't you read it? Marie's death and her contemporaries' reactions is beautifully done by the way.

I will tell you if you really want to know.

AllarmBelly · 15/12/2010 12:39

I love Antonia Forest, read the school ones as a child but can only find Attic Term now. If anyone knows a source do let me know!

evenkeel · 15/12/2010 12:52

They are really hard to find, and expensive. I've just completed my set with 'The Marlows and the Traitor', which is the most elusive one....won't say how much it cost, but it was a present from dh and was, ahem, a lot. Keep an eye on ebay, though, because various titles do come up there - I got 'Peter's Room' at a surprisingly low price fairly recently.
Abe Books is another good source. Unfortunately you do have to bit the bullet and pay up, though, if you really lust after owning them Xmas Sad

notcitrus · 15/12/2010 13:12

The school ones often come up on Ebay - it's the others that are so hard to find as even the Girls Gone By reprints ran out fast.

Cricket Term is mainly Nicola possibly having to leave Kingscote as it's so expensive, Lawrie being made to do Ariel not Caliban in the (and just can't cope), and tension between Nicola and Lois Sanger.

And lots of cricket in the inter-class competition.

Will tell you the bit about Marie dying if you really want...

MissCromwell · 15/12/2010 13:42

I have them all except Attic Term...have never seen Attic Term for sale reasonably cheap.

I love them and Cricket Term is my favourite of the lot.

My problem actually is that some of my childhood copies are falling apart...

RosieMBanks · 15/12/2010 14:37

Quick Miss Cromwell! 'Attic Term' is on Ebay at a buy-it-now price of £17.75! There are some reasonably sensible buy-it-now prices around on Ebay at the moment..I think people want to get things sold before Christmas. OP - there are also two 'Cricket Term' books on at a buy-it-now price £26-28 approximately.

RosieMBanks · 15/12/2010 14:45

P.S. Agree with evenkeel that you do have to pay for AF titles - it is rare to get a real bargain, and they rarely turn up at sales or charity shops.Sad AllarmBelly - saving a search on Ebay is a good idea. You get alerted to new listings and sometimes you can put in an early bid or snap up something offered at a reasonable buy-it-now price. Hope that helps!

MissCromwell · 15/12/2010 17:13

Thank you Rosie. I've just ordered it from Amazon Market place for £15! A little Christmas present to myself!
And was Shock at some of the prices for Forest books. If only I could bring myself to sell my copies....but I'm not going to. Grin

ravenAK · 15/12/2010 17:15

Got them all. My favourite's 'Peter's Room' (treating myself to a re-read as soon as we break up on Friday!)

tvaerialmagpiebin · 15/12/2010 17:17

OOh I like a good AF thread.
Have a look here for some excellent fanfic and other good Forest stuff.

ravenAK · 15/12/2010 17:39

...did I mention lolmarloez yet?

I am compelled to do so, on every AF thread, because no-one I know in RL is ever going to get it...

tvaerialmagpiebin · 15/12/2010 18:17

I have no idea what that is about, but it is v funny.

notcitrus · 15/12/2010 19:37

raven - I loved lolmarloez when it came out! So, so wrong... Grin

Almost as bad as Marlows slash...

MissCromwell · 15/12/2010 20:13

lolmarloez - very , very funny. And clever.

Actually think Forest might have liked them - she invented Mummerszet and Thuggery-speak within the books.

Original poster
Chocaholica · 15/12/2010 21:20

Thanks for replying, everyone. Do you know my heart lifted when I realized other people were as interested in these books as me? I had had no idea about the non-school novels until now and now I am desperate to find out why Karen marries Edwin/if Giles is less of a hypocrite than he seems in Autumn Term (encouraging Nicola to break rules, then being horrible when she does)/what turns Rowan into a lipstick-wearing farmer. It seems that I need to spend money to find out!

£26 for Cricket Term.... it may just be worth it.

OK, don't tell me what happens just yet, if I can convince DH I'd like it for Christmas....

That fansite is fascinating; have been reading avidly the minute details that other people pick up....

OP posts:
ravenAK · 15/12/2010 22:03

It'll be £26 well spent - except then you'll have to get the rest! Grin

NoahAndTheWhale · 15/12/2010 22:07

I might have a duplicate of Cricket Term somewhere. Will look.

Just re-read it. Am re-reading End of Term at the moment :)

Who else has read a Thursday Kidnapping and what did you think of it?

NoahAndTheWhale · 15/12/2010 22:08

Definitely have another copy of Attic Term

ravenAK · 15/12/2010 22:09

I have 'Thursday Kidnapping' - it really didn't do it for me, I have to say. Only read it once though.

beachholiday · 15/12/2010 22:20

Cricket term has been called the most perfectly plotted school story ever, and I'd definately agree. The joy of Cricket term for me was the way all the details came together. And AF was fantastic at the details. It's my most reread book ever.

RosieMBanks · 15/12/2010 22:21

Chocoholica...I met a wonderful bookseller once, who had a great line...'If you are worried about the price, just don't buy that next new jumper...!' As that covers up to £30 average, I have some lovely books, but am wearing quite old jumpers!

Original poster
Chocaholica · 16/12/2010 07:48

Yes, £30 sounds like nothing for a jumper, or a meal out, so yes, definitely better value for a book I will love.

Funny have noticed different details this time around. Like how beautiful Esther is.

Still a bit befuddled by the timeline though... how come a year after being in Third Remove, the twins are in IIIA, which I had thought was the same age range, just a higher class? Any explanations?

OP posts:
NoahAndTheWhale · 16/12/2010 08:27

We never see them being in IIIA do we? End of Term is a year later and they are in Lower IVA.

Thursday Kidnapping did nothing for me - am even considering selling it Shock

tvaerialmagpiebin · 16/12/2010 09:12

This year I have bought all the ones I didn't have from ebay and Abe books. Someone on here alerted me to Marlows and the Traitor being on ebay starting price just £14 and I won it at the last minute Grin. It is worth keeping an eye on ebay.

Cricket term is my least favourite. I like MATT the best, I think, or Attic Term..... but every tie I read them I like them all. Lookng on my bookhelf and seeing the line of AFsmakes me all warm inside...

MissCromwell · 16/12/2010 10:14

beachholiday, I do agree about Cricket Term. I will have to cash out for another copy soon, as that one really is in pieces. It ties up a lot of threads from the previous books, in a very satisfying way.

I have read Thursday Kidnapping and thought it was OK but not amazing, like the Marlow stories. But then the Marlow books are a series and so I think she gets to know her characters - and so does the reader - in real depth.

I also love The Players and the Rebels - a fantastic read.