School For Scandal by Sara Charles
This 1994 school story takes place at St Clare’s boarding school which is full of obfuscating, irresponsible, salacious, morally offensive boors. And that’s just the teachers. The students are malicious, self-obsessed twits with a massive sense of entitlement and an impassioned belief in their own imperial greatness. Cue an avaricious rampage of florid intentions, faux indignation, dated gender politics, dated pop culture references and general unpleasantness.
This is full of endless shagging and homophobia. This was not a dry-witted bonkbuster but a phenomenally awful and offensive tale of boorishness that has no concept of correlative drama. A porn magazine plays a vital plot point. There is much muttering about AIDS and everybody thinks statutory rape is just fine and dandy.
Best Lines:
“Her parents would go insane if she were ’asked to leave’ another school.”
“My wife will think I’ve been in a Turkish brothel!”
“Mimicking characters from Australian soaps, whose acting ability made the cast of the late and unlamented Eldorado look like the RSC.”
“All kinds of weirdos walked through his doors.”
“We’ve got a few specials straight in from America via Amsterdam.”
“Feel free.”
“I generally do.”
“Which made her look sensationally whorish.”
“An unkempt individual who had several tough-looking accomplices with him.”
“She was far too late, of course. The school’s photocopier had been working overtime.”
~
Sustenance by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
In the 1950s Saint-Germain gets caught up with Charis Treat an American academic who has fled into exile in Paris to escape HUAC. Romance blooms but the paranoid fledgling CIA is scaremongering and peril awaits. This was okay but is not one of Yarbro’s best. Also it needed better editing.
Best Lines:
“I used to think I had friends who would stand by me, but when push came to shove, no one did.”
“He knew of far more draconian measures taken against unwanted wives.”