This is a summary of the book, omiting references to excessive violence which makes this book unsuitable for young readers.
Chalet Girls Grow Up : A Summary
Prologue and The Sixties: Chapters 1 - 10
The book starts with Miss Annersley talking with Grizel who dropped by. It mentions in passing Madge's death three months ago during a routine operation. Grizel makes comment about Jo turning peculiar since Madge's death - going back to behaving like a teenager and hanging around the School too much. Jack looks hunted by this. Grizel believes there is something very wrong with Len's marriage - Len (now 26) now has four children in five years (two single boys - Johnno and Richard - then twin girls - Maggs and Tessa).
Jo asks Len to put up Mary-Lou who is coming to visit. Reg wants to take a job in Boston - now that TB was almost wiped out the San was becoming redundant. Reg storms out after verbally abusing Len, then comes home and violently attacks Len (who being RC can't use the Pill but Reg also doesn't want any more children).
Con is working in London at a magazine on the problem page and book reviews. She meets Tony Barass there and plans to keep in touch. Con finds out that one of the directors of the magazine is Betty Wynne-Davis (now divorced). She is now friendly again with Elizabeth Arnett who is the managing director of a company that publish 'Mills and Boon' type romances.
Betty puts Con in touch with Liz and she gets put onto their author list. Len phones Con to discuss if she should go on the Pill - and tells her things are awful with Reg but marriage is for life.
Mary-Lou comes to visit from the US staying with Len and Reg, and proceeds to have an affair with Reg. Reg then left for Boston and Len and the children were to follow when convenient to him.
Con has word from Jo that Felicity is getting married (aged 17) and travels to Freudesheim for the wedding. Steve is there with his fiancé, Chas has been to Cambridge and got a First, and Mike has been expelled from Dartmouth, and Felix lives at home smoking pot and listening to the 'Rolling Stones'.
Con then moves rapidly to Len's home (life at 'home' is not good!), where Len tells her that Reg wants a divorce and is living with Mary-Lou. At the wedding, Len becomes sick and finds out she is pregnant again - after going to Zurich and finding out the Pill wouldn't suit her.
Con discusses abortion with her but Len refuses this. Clem Barass writes to Jo and inadvertently spills the beans about Reg and Mary-Lou. Jack has a big argument with Jo in regards to this and her obsession of making the School the center of her existence. Con catches up with Roger Richardson and begins an affair with him and continues it back in London.
Roger suggests marriage - but Con's scared of marriage and children. She then is invited to a party at Tony Barass' - is attracted to him - but he gets engaged that evening. He also has a great photo of the triplets on the wall of his flat, taken at 'Plas Gwyn' over ten years previously whilst they were at school.
Len has a baby girl called Frances - Reg had told her to have an abortion because he'd have to pay maintenance. Jo still doesn't believe Reg is gone for good, she talks about when Reg sends for them from Boston... . Len also realizes that Reg has killed all the love she had for him, but would take him back because any father for the children was better than none.
Margot did her MB and joined an Order. In 1968 she was in London doing a course at the School of Tropical Medicine after 3 years working in South Africa. She was also heavily involved in the protest movement, going on marches with friends Pauline (a nun) and Bernard (a Dominican).
contributed by Sandra Fitzgerald, Australia __ working from the paperback edition