Greer MacDonald wins a scholarship to St Aidan the Great, a prestigious public school on the English/Scottish border. It is a world away from her comprehensive in Manchester. At S.T.A.G.S, the teachers are called Friars, and the ‘modern’ buildings have been around since the time of Henry VIII. Then there are the antlers. Everywhere, antlers, and references to stags.
Nobody talks to scholarship girl Greer. It gets her down, but there are other ‘misfits’, like Shafeen who dares to be Indian, and Nel, (short for Chanel.) Nel’s father has more money than half the other parents put together, but he made it by inventing a smart phone. Smart phones are out at STAGS. The Internet is for research purposes only. Most forms of technology are ‘Savage’. Nobody wants to be ‘Savage’. Everybody wants to be ‘Medieval’.
The Medievals run the school. They hang around in the quad at break times, and bully other students during lessons. At the centre of the group is Henry de Wallencourt. Greer thinks he’s different from the other Medievals. It’s never Henry who bullies, and he’s so good looking. Greer receives an invite to the de Wallencourt country estate for the autumn break. It’s tradition – every year a group of students are invited to take part in blood sports and social events.
Greer hopes the invite is a sign she’s finally been accepted. Maybe even a chance to prove her worth, and become Medieval. She’s not prepared to listen to fellow scholarship girl Gemma, who begs her not to go.
From the opening lines, we know Greer was involved in manslaughter. MA Bennett is brilliant at keeping the reader in suspense. Greer narrates from after the events. She hints that terrible things are to come in the narrative. The structure lets us know more action is coming. The students are invited for a weekend of hunting, shooting and fishing. When the first game turns deadly, there are two games to follow. Bennett is also brilliant at suspense within a scene. My favourite moment was when Greer, Nel and Shafeen are creeping around in the middle of the night. We are not told they might be caught by Perfect the groundskeeper – we are told the shape of his silhouette, and recognise him by his flat cap. Working it out for ourselves gives us goosebumps.
I love the trio of Greer, Nel and Shafeen. At the start, the three avoid each other. Each has their own motives. Greer is concerned about being ‘Medieval’. She wants to fit in with the group of popular students who eschew technology and modern day progress. Greer is afraid bonding with Nel and Shafeen might affect her chances. This is a brilliant thematic message. Most people live outside the world of STAGS and Longcross, but every secondary school has popularity groups. Anyone who has been the unpopular kid can relate to Greer. She’s so desperate to be popular, she is blind to the people who might be her friends.
Every setting is etched into my mind. STAGS is created around the emblem of the antlers, and the story of St Aiden, who helped a stag evade capture. There are stained glass windows which depict stags, and antlers etched above doors. STAGS is recognisable as a public school. Like Eton or Harrow, it’s ancient buildings are full of future leaders. A world never accessed by 99% of the population, the school is made more mysterious by its old-fashioned uniform and its Latin term-names.
The de Warlencourt estate is also used to show how upper-class life is unrecognisable to most people. Greer thinks she is in the Great Hall, and learns that she is in the boot room. The de Warlencourt’s wellies enjoy better accommodation than most working class families. The relationship between the team of servants to the family reminded me of Rebecca. Greer is politer to the servants than any of the ‘Medievals’, but like the second Mrs de Winter, her manners mark her out as somebody who doesn’t belong at Longcross.
I was ridiculously excited to find a book set in Cumbria. The county is a wonderful setting for a conflict which begins with notions of old money and class identity. Cumbria is full of old estates. There is also tension between people who have farmed the hills for generations and people who would support rewilding. (Dare you: visit the Lake District and say George Monbiot.) The address of Longcross is given as Cumberland. Not everybody will pick up on this, but this is ‘Medieval’. Cumbria didn’t exist until the 1960s.
The ending leaves the story open to a sequel. If you’re Medieval, write the date in your diaries. If you’re Savage, set a reminder on your iPhone. Meanwhile, I’ll be rereading STAGs. Join me, and let me know what you think? I say it’s epic.
Nobody talks to scholarship girl Greer. It gets her down, but there are other ‘misfits’, like Shafeen who dares to be Indian, and Nel, (short for Chanel.) Nel’s father has more money than half the other parents put together, but he made it by inventing a smart phone. Smart phones are out at STAGS. The Internet is for research purposes only. Most forms of technology are ‘Savage’. Nobody wants to be ‘Savage’. Everybody wants to be ‘Medieval’.
The Medievals run the school. They hang around in the quad at break times, and bully other students during lessons. At the centre of the group is Henry de Wallencourt. Greer thinks he’s different from the other Medievals. It’s never Henry who bullies, and he’s so good looking. Greer receives an invite to the de Wallencourt country estate for the autumn break. It’s tradition – every year a group of students are invited to take part in blood sports and social events.
Greer hopes the invite is a sign she’s finally been accepted. Maybe even a chance to prove her worth, and become Medieval. She’s not prepared to listen to fellow scholarship girl Gemma, who begs her not to go.
From the opening lines, we know Greer was involved in manslaughter. MA Bennett is brilliant at keeping the reader in suspense. Greer narrates from after the events. She hints that terrible things are to come in the narrative. The structure lets us know more action is coming. The students are invited for a weekend of hunting, shooting and fishing. When the first game turns deadly, there are two games to follow. Bennett is also brilliant at suspense within a scene. My favourite moment was when Greer, Nel and Shafeen are creeping around in the middle of the night. We are not told they might be caught by Perfect the groundskeeper – we are told the shape of his silhouette, and recognise him by his flat cap. Working it out for ourselves gives us goosebumps.
I love the trio of Greer, Nel and Shafeen. At the start, the three avoid each other. Each has their own motives. Greer is concerned about being ‘Medieval’. She wants to fit in with the group of popular students who eschew technology and modern day progress. Greer is afraid bonding with Nel and Shafeen might affect her chances. This is a brilliant thematic message. Most people live outside the world of STAGS and Longcross, but every secondary school has popularity groups. Anyone who has been the unpopular kid can relate to Greer. She’s so desperate to be popular, she is blind to the people who might be her friends.
Every setting is etched into my mind. STAGS is created around the emblem of the antlers, and the story of St Aiden, who helped a stag evade capture. There are stained glass windows which depict stags, and antlers etched above doors. STAGS is recognisable as a public school. Like Eton or Harrow, it’s ancient buildings are full of future leaders. A world never accessed by 99% of the population, the school is made more mysterious by its old-fashioned uniform and its Latin term-names.
The de Warlencourt estate is also used to show how upper-class life is unrecognisable to most people. Greer thinks she is in the Great Hall, and learns that she is in the boot room. The de Warlencourt’s wellies enjoy better accommodation than most working class families. The relationship between the team of servants to the family reminded me of Rebecca. Greer is politer to the servants than any of the ‘Medievals’, but like the second Mrs de Winter, her manners mark her out as somebody who doesn’t belong at Longcross.
I was ridiculously excited to find a book set in Cumbria. The county is a wonderful setting for a conflict which begins with notions of old money and class identity. Cumbria is full of old estates. There is also tension between people who have farmed the hills for generations and people who would support rewilding. (Dare you: visit the Lake District and say George Monbiot.) The address of Longcross is given as Cumberland. Not everybody will pick up on this, but this is ‘Medieval’. Cumbria didn’t exist until the 1960s.
The ending leaves the story open to a sequel. If you’re Medieval, write the date in your diaries. If you’re Savage, set a reminder on your iPhone. Meanwhile, I’ll be rereading STAGs. Join me, and let me know what you think? I say it’s epic.