Long Leggety Beasties by Alienora Taylor

Long leggety beasties by alienora taylor

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Miss Geraldine Dolan is a probationary teacher in her first job. She’s been accepted as an English teacher at St.Thelma’s school in Cornwall. It’s the 1980’s, the school is in a castle near the village of Port Tossack, there are keeps and dungeons, a great hall and that’s where any thoughts of a resemblance to Hogworts should leave you immediately.

This is adult British humour at it’s driest, full of classic clichés, innuendos and mirth. There are a great many characters to love; The Archers, teachers who meet on the battlements with bow and arrows, Zoe, a plain teacher who looks in love and bets are taken as to who has captured her heart. Rogue is an Aussie supply teacher who brings an Antipodean artistic flair to the story and a set of dinner ladies to rival no other. Amongst the children there is Giblet and Nivek (Yes Kevin spelt backwards) and plenty of traditional Cornish surnames to liven things up.

The tale is written around a school year and involves riotous lessons, the use of the moat for fire drill, an Archery tournament, some builders with a reputation for being The Durex Boys and the crowning glory, a Pageant to end all Pageants if not the school.

If you love such British classics as St. Trinian’s, Faulty Towers, Carry on Films, Open All Hours and Only Fools and Horses, then the humour and bawdy jokes of this book should appeal to you.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com.

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