The boarding-school world depicted in The fog comes on little pig feet, though not quite St. Trinian's, would probably be taken as a satirical picture if the story were set in England; as it is, I cannot be sure whether the author has exaggerated the oppression and emotional aridity of North Place and, if so, whether this is because of her own experience of school or to give bite to her story. At any rate it has acquired enough bite through first person narration. The naïve, emotional words of the narrator, Rachel, whose battle against the school is also a battle against her parents, make Carlisle Daggett's misguided neurotic fight against authority seem all the more tragic because the author herself does not comment on it. She merely shows how the sight of an older girl's misery, and the conflicting claim on Rachel's loyalties, make the child set aside her own troubles for a time. This short, uncluttered tale, a good deal of it consisting of dialogue, implies a good deal about the difficulties of communication, between individuals and between the generations. (pp. 2891-92)
Margery Fisher, in her Growing Point, May, 1976.
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