Reading the Chunksters discussion

This week's section covers the three chapters of Part 2.

TO SERVE THEM ALL MY DAYS - 2nd Week - PART II, Chapters 1 - 3

CHAPTER 1
SubCh.1 – David is on holiday in Colwyn Bay, a North Wales resort town. He is walking under the pier when a young girl ‘s beret-like hat flies off her head as she leaned over the pier railing above David. David retrieves the beret, is immediately smitten and asks the girl for tea or coffee. They have lovely conversation over coffee as the girl, Elizabeth Marwood, is a vivacious charming and attractive sort who is a trained nurse currently working in a Swansea hospital. It’s her 19th birthday that day. David is 22. When David suggests getting an ice, she suggests lunch instead and they end up spending the rest of the day together, walking the prom, lunching and touring Conway Castle.
SubCh.2 – David wakes in his YMCA room and buys three birthday gifts for Beth who is an enthusiastic recipient. They spend a joyous day touring together, as Beth laughs easily and appreciates David’s detailed historical knowledge. Beth prods David into revealing he would like to be a writer, but of historical biographies rather than fiction. David concludes that Beth’s presence would add much to Bamfylde. When David kisses her goodnight, Beth shows him how it should be done. They spend the rest of the week together. Despite his concern with Beth’s obvious superior level of romantic experience, David realizes the “terrible need he had for her gaiety and warmth.” At the station where Beth’s train is to depart, David instead hops aboard it and askes Beth to marry him. Beth replies “Why, of course I’ll marry you just as soon as you like.”
SubCh.3 – David and Beth plan to marry in August after the school term and live in an overpriced, rundown cottage subleased from Farmer Brewer. Back at school after the break, David attends Sports Day contests. Irvine, a new young master arrives with his attractive blonde wife Phyllis in tow. Irvine also served in the War but in Egypt and is aware of David’s higher level of war experience. Irvine and David start becoming friends. Phyllis is a big hit with the boys and anxiously awaits Beth’s arrival. David is getting more adept at his teaching methods and is happily busy with his extra duties. He visits the school doctor Willoughby who turns out to be another wise older sage. The school term ends and the wedding takes place in a small church in Elmer’s End Wales before an audience of about thirty. Howarth, who gratefully accepted David’s request to serve as best man, is a useful prodder who keeps David on course during the ceremony.
CHAPTER 2
SubCh.1 - the wedding ceremony ends and the couple heads toward their honeymoon destination on the Isle of Wight. They both are ill at ease on the train ride until they have a great laugh over Beth’s discovery that it really is that time of the month. The laughter sets the tone for the enjoyable honeymoon fortnight. At home, at Beth’s request, the couple hosts the first of their ’new boys’ teas. The tea is a success with the boys as is Beth. She adds to their respect for David since Beth chose him when she “could have married ackers.” Berries ropes Beth and Phyllis into his opera cast. Beth reflects on the boys feelings about her and David along with her current happiness and thinks “how lucky I was to lean over that pier-rail that time and fish Davy up from the beach.”
SubCh.2 - Beth tells David she is pregnant. Beth is a success as Yum Yum in Herries’ staging of The Mikado even if her tighter-than-normal fitting kimono elicits a giggle from Phyl. Herries books both wives for next year’s H.M.S. Pinafore. Beth urges David to start writing a history of the Great War in language that would interest a 17-year-old. Beth also urges David to accept that he is a leader at the school. David tells Beth how she possesses a superior perceptive ability to see things that others don’t see. Beth sets up a study for David to work on his B.A. and Master’s degrees and tells him she wants to be “a helpmate and not just a bedmate and brood mare.”
SubCh.3 - A donor wants to fund a memorial to the Bamfylde war dead and David makes an enemy of Carter when he proposes the money be used for a gym or other building in their honor rather than the memorial statue Carter has planned. The donor, who became rich selling inferior products to the military, insists on the statue, so that is what gets built. Howarth advises David to fight Carter with sniping rather than drawn swords. Beth announces twins are coming.
CHAPTER 3
SubCh.1 - David is working at the school’s Sports Day when young Stratton-Forbes announces to the masses that it’s ‘Two Girls” so David races to the headmasters office to call the hospital and arrange a later visit. He discusses names with Herries and Ellie and they help suggest Joan and Grace. He arrives at the hospital and Beth loves the names.
SubCh.2 - The twins presence seems to motivate David into more creative ways to engage his pupils, such as Wilfred Owen poetry and silly memory rhymes, all of which “added to his popularity.” David accepts a week stint as a replacement housemaster at his pre-marriage residence hall. He arrives sans family. The first night, prompted by the resident Airedale, David spots a fire breaking out and helps roust the student residents to scurry out while the fire keeps spreading. When everyone is outside they notice that the two Kassava brothers are stuck on the building’s roof. David climbs up a drainpipe to get up there and assist the Kassavas in getting down to the rescuers waiting below.
SubcCh.3 - A bucket brigade puts out the fire but not before extensive damage is done with two dorms gutted. David is out of sorts from the ordeal but slowly becomes himself with Beth’s aid. At the first assembly back at school, David gets a spontaneous standing ovation, and he realizes that they consider him a hero. After humorously quieting the boys, David sits back and realizes that this is his final home and that he could never leave Bamfyld. Dr. Kassava, the boys’ father sends David an engraved gold cigarette case which is sent to Herries’ office. When David objects that others there would have done what he did, Ellie Herries replies “But that’s the point…They didn’t.”

Before reading next week's 3 chapters of TSTAMD, I will try to slip in a read I have scheduled for a "Back to School" theme in the NTLTRC Goodreads Group. I generally try to avoid reading simultaneous books with similar plots and themes. However, forgetting about the fact that I'd be in the middle of reading this book, I chose to read Goodbye Mr. Chips. I do hope I don't get my boys boarding school vignettes confused. To avoid that, I will try to finish reading "Chips" before I return to Week 3's reading. Luckily, "Chips" is a surprisingly brief 115 page novella, which is about 1/5 of this chunkster.

As to Week 2's reading, I thought there was a lot of impactful events. We get the start of the David and Beth romance, the engagement, the marriage, her successful integration at Bamfylde, her pregnancy and the birth of her twins. Boy, that moved fast.

We also have the introduction of a couple friend, Irvine and Phyl in Ch.1. I was a bit surprised that we didn't have much male bonding between Irvine and David but I anticipate that to come. Something to look forward to. I expect Irvine to serve David's social needs but that his emotional and scholarly needs will continue to be better served by Howarth and Herries.

I appreciated the enhancement of the Carter/David rivalry and expect it to come to the fore whenever Herries chooses to retire. I am glad I never saw the TV series so that speculation such as the preceding one is just a guess based solely on what the book has revealed so far.

Brian E wrote: "As to Week 2's reading, I thought there was a lot of impactful events. We get the start of the David and Beth romance, the engagement, the marriage, her successful integration at Bamfylde..."

When the protagonist asked Howarth to be his best man - I'm just beaming!

Thank you so much for proposing this tome! It is lovely!

Cat wrote: "When the protagonist asked Howarth to be his best man - I'm just beaming!."

The Howarth mentoring friendship is one of the more endearing of David's relationships. Their relationship makes sense. They are men of different ages and personalities but with shared social and educational values. Horvath's age and calm demeanor enables him to provide sage counsel to David and help him in his path to being an effective educator, family man and social animal. David's personality and age provides Howarth with both the opportunity to play the satisfying role of a mentor and a friendship with a person whose social skills, personality and family add a welcome zest to his otherwise more mundane life.

Howarth's sincerely feeling of being honored by David request to serve as best man is an extremely gratifying moment as the reader feels that Howarth is deserving of such moments and that they likely infrequently come to him.

I am on the last chapter of this section, which is a long one , so i decided to comment on the first two. Yes , life proceeded very fast for David. It was a pleasant read and we have got Carter to ward off too much sweetness in our mouths.

Elizabeth is the best thing that happened to David, I am really impressed by her straight forwardness and open mindedness. How perfectly she has suited him as a life partner. She gives her opinions frankly like ' Every school has a Carter'. ' This time means what ?.... Life goes on'. Living a secluded life is not easy for everyone. And how encouraging she is for David's book. I am interested in David's books and teaching innovations in class.

Overall i think this couple is modern and full of ideas.