Viv of Ginger Pop wrote:It often seems to me that reviews tell us far more about the mind set of the reviewer than what is actually being reviewed!
Viv
Absolutely! I think Sigmund Freud would be interested in all these people who find sexual references in Blyton's work!
Even Oliver Postgate didn't escape it - in Pogles' Wood there was a scene of a tree trunk next to a hole in long grass and one country took it to mean something much more than Postgate ever meant!
Mr. Boyce says that letting children read Blyton is the literary eqivalent of feeding them spangles. (Popular sweets of 30+ years ago, in case anyone doesn't recognise them!) So what? I could understand him saying people should read other books beside Blyton, just as people should eat other things beside sweets - but he seems to be suggesting that children should NEVER read Blyton, NEVER eat sweets - which is plain daft.
I think what he really means is that he didn't appreciate Blyton, which he thinks is the right attitude; so anyone who does appreciate Blyton, is wrong. Which appears to be a similar attitude to Ms. Mangan. Quote: "whether her [Blyton's] continuing success says anything about the inherent instability of childhood or just about the power of catering to the lowest common denominator" - ie. people who appreciate Blyton are the "lowest common denominator", and superior people like herself are above that sort of thing. Patronising little ********.
[Viv:] I understand that 2 chapters have been deleted from The Magic Faraway Tree. Since all my books are new ones (sigh) I don't know what I am missing
Please would someone enlighten me
Which chapters does your book have, Viv? If you let me know, I can tell you which ones are missing. If you want to read the complete story and aren't too bothered about having a specific edition, the Beaver and Dean&Son versions (individual volumes) no doubt pop up frequently on eBay.
Edit: Reflecting on this further, I think modern editions are complete anyway as long as they're individual volumes, not collections of more than one title (though annoying changes have been made to names of children, food, etc.) The following thread lists chapters missing from the Dean&Son Faraway Tree Collection:
It annoys me when pretentious people have a down on Enid Blyton.
Enid Blyton wrote fun, page-turning stories for boys and girls. OK, maybe she wasn't the best writer around by 'literary standards', but she stimulated kids' imaginations and stood for decent things, like honesty, loyalty and working hard. Her characters and her books were inspirational - George in particular was a fantastic role model for girls (yes, yes, I know you blokes on the forum prefer the submissive Anne with her dishwashing abilities) at a time when girls weren't expected to want to do anything more with their lives than meet a suitable man and wash his socks. It was because of Blyton that I first wanted to write, it was because of Blyton that I started reading with enjoyment (something that's been a life-long pleasure), and it was because of Blyton that I'd still like to spend a night in a lighthouse and still tap on the walls of old houses, hoping to find a secret passage.
I haven't read Duncan's book the idea of caves and tunnels having some Freudian meaning sounds pretty damn crazy to me but the critics shouldn't be having a go at it just because it's pro-Blyton. He could probably have said equally crazy things about some literary author and he'd have been applauded.
Scroll down a bit and select 'Looking For Enid' - linking directly to the page doesn't seem to work.
Thats quite a good review, certainly better than most I've read.
"What a lot of trouble one avoids if one refuses to have anything to do with the common herd. To have no job, to devote ones life to literature, is the most wonderful thing in the world. - Cicero
I linked to the site before reading the review myself. An advert popped up and I blocked the image. The page refreshed, and I couldn't see it any more!!!
I like the sub-title to the review - 'Two go sex-mad in Dorset' - I think those who have read the book will agree that it is fairly apt! I am also sure that it will help sell a few more copies!!
I was very pleased with that review in the Independent. Unlike most other reviewers, Patricia Craig stuck with 'Looking For Enid' rather than deviating into a straight summary of Enid Blyton's life or of her own views on Blyton as a writer.
Difficult to believe the reviews by Patricia Craig and Lucy Mangan are about the same book! If a potential reader was to look at just one review of 'Looking For Enid', let it be the Independent's not the one in The Sunday Times!
There is quite a nice little review in the Oxford Times that's just appeared on the web. Here is the link if I've transcribed it properly:
That really was an excellent review by Patricia Craig. (Interestingly, she has written a book with a somewhat similar title - Looking For Trouble!.) She took the trouble to actually analyse the book rather than devote her energies to making snide comments about Enid (but her remarks about "ungrateful grown-ups" could certainly be applied to some of the other reviewers!). Most refreshing after all that other guff!
Wondering off-topic for a moment, I was interested to read this review of the German crime novel, Kismet:
What attracted me to this review was that the book was translated by Anthea Bell, who in the 1980s also translated many of Claude Voilier's Famous Five books and Evelyne Lallemand's Secret Seven ones. Nice to see that she's still going strong!
Best Regards
ROWAN M.
A room without books is like a body without a soul - Cicero
I was struck by that coincidence of title and so looked it up. In fact Patricia Craig's book is called 'Asking For Trouble' (someone at the paper must have got carried away with the 'Looking For...' business) and if it's as well-considered and sophisticated and generous and brim-full of insight as her review, then I'm sure it will do very well!
I am also sure that it will help sell a few more copies!!
