"Jean of Storms" by Elinor Brent-Dyer Quiz

Answer: Northeast

"Jean of Storms" is set in the fictional town of Hasnett, which is situated near Newcastle upon Tyne, in the northeast of England. Hasnett is believed to be based on the small village of Cullercoats, while the larger town of Aulmbermouth, which is also mentioned in the novel, is based on Tynemouth. Elinor Brent-Dyer herself came from South Shields, also near Newcastle, and this book is the only one of hers to be set near her home town.

Answer: India

Jean's elder brother, Alastair, was serving in the army in India, when he met and married a young widow, Doris, who had a small child, Kirsty. Shortly after Allison's birth Alastair died of cholera. Now that Doris, too, is dead, her two daughters must travel to England to live with relatives.

They are put on a ship, and arrive in Southampton almost before Jean has received the letter that tells of their coming.

Answer: Gladys Page, her aunt

As Kirsty is not related to Jean by blood (she being only the step daughter of Alastair, Jean's brother), she does not go to live with her. Instead, she is sent to her aunt Gladys, who lives in Fareham, Hampshire, on the south coast of England. Jean meets Kirsty briefly in Southampton, and her first impressions are not favourable, as the child appears very spoilt. Mollie, Charles and Mrs Taylor (no first name given) are all other characters in the book.

Answer: Dancing

Mollie Stewart, Jean's friend, teaches folk dancing once a week, and Jean goes there when she can. On this eventful day she is late, as she was badly shocked by her letter, and she arrives towards the end of the lesson, when the rest of her class are participating in a sword dance. Brent-Dyer was also a keen folk dancer, particularly at the time when she was writing this book.

Answer: She falls in front of his car

Jean and Mollie are walking through the town when Jean crosses the road without looking, and is almost knocked down by the doctor. He manages to push her out of the car's way, and later looks after her, as she has hurt her head. It is not long before he falls in love with her, which ushers forth the classic Brent-Dyer romantic quote: "Somehow, he felt, as he had never felt before, the want of a woman to sit facing him as he read a new book on pulmonary complaints". Jean takes longer to make up her mind about him.

Answer: Croup

Allison catches diphtheritic croup, which is an often-fatal illness caused by a bacterial infection. She is very ill, and struggles to breathe until the doctor performs an operation on her wind pipe. She takes a few days to recover, which gives Dr Errington plenty of opportunity to call in at "Storms", Jean's house, and to make himself better acquainted with her.

Answer: He thinks that she is in love with someone else

A young parson, Dr Benson, is in love with Jean's friend, Mollie. When Mollie goes away for Christmas Dr Benson visits Jean to see if she has any news about Mollie for him. They later meet more frequently once Mollie falls ill, and is nursed at "Storms". Rumours soon spread about the town that Jean and Dr Benson are going out together, which makes Dr Errington stay away from her. Jean, in her turn, becomes upset that the doctor is staying away, especially as she now realises what he means to her.

Answer: Tells lies

When she lived with her guardian, Kirsty was punished severely for any bad behaviour, which meant that she has learnt to tell lies to try to shift the blame on to someone else. Jean, who prizes honesty among most other virtues, tries to teach her to tell the truth, and Kirsty eventually tries once Jean has promised not to slap her unless she hurts a younger child on purpose.

Answer: The dentist

Jean gets toothache, and puts off a necessary visit to the dentist because of her fear. This, in turn, causes her to be particularly unpleasant to the girls, and she loses her temper to Kirsty after the child breaks her favourite bowl. Jean is one of many Brent-Dyer heroines to have that particular fear; readers of the Chalet School books will remember that Joey Bettany and her daughter Margot are equally afraid, which usually causes unpleasant consequences for others.

Answer: In a cave

Kirsty and Allison run away from "Storms", because they are bored, and they are not allowed outside as it is raining. Jean runs after them, and finds them in Smugglers' Cave, near the sea, with the waves rushing in. Allison has hurt her ankle, and cannot flee the oncoming tide, so the three shelter on a high ledge in the cave. Jean finds another way out, and the three make their way slowly to the main road, where they are met by Dr Errington.