Robert Houghton wrote:I guess that's not a good way to sell books...but then I never buy off eBay because you can never be sure what you're getting. Didn't realise Stella and rose also traded on eBay - surprising.
I've only been 'burnt' twice on E-Bay and I've bought dozens of books on there. Once was where the picture didn't match the description (which I should have picked up on) and the other was carelessness on my part. Generally, I've found that most people are pretty scrupulous on there, particularly the private sellers who often detail every bump and crease.
Saying that, any book that I have ever bought upwards of about £20 I have bought from a shop where I can actually see the book before purchase.
Although I am always careful to check the sellers feedback and rating, I am otherwise quite confident in buying books off eBay. You do get the odd issue, of course, but to say how many books I have had off eBay, I have only had one issue. That was over a picture not matching the description, too, and eventually eBay did sort that out for us, to our satisfaction. I would never spend more than £10 on a book though, if I couldn't check the condition and see what I was buying. I think that's the most I've ever spent on a book, anyway.
"Beware of young men with long hair - that's what dad says, isn't it?"
Pat, Holiday House
The big problem with the Secret Seven, IMHO, is that the quality of the books, really dipped from the middle of the series, down to the abysmal final book, Fun for the Secret Seven. There were some notable exceptions to this decline, like Shock for the Secret Seven, and Secret Seven Mystery. in this respect, the SS series mirrored the decline of the FF series.
Another problem with the SS series, is that some characters, especially Peter, were annoying, if not downright unlikeable. Susie would have been a great addition to the SS, and the series ended up being all the poorer for keeping her on the outside.
Split from 'What Enid Blyton book are you reading NOW!'
Anita Bensoussane wrote:Last time I read the Secret Seven books I found there was quite a lot of prolonged hostility between the Seven and Susie in a handful of titles towards the end of the series (Good Old Secret Seven being just one of them). The constant wrangling soon became wearisome and, like you, I felt that the Secret Seven were often no better than Susie and her friends.
Yes, I agree. It just gets a little tiresome after a while the constant bickering between the Seven and Susie and her friends. At first, I would always take the side of the Seven but then I saw that all Susie wanted was to join in with the Seven and be involved with some of their mysteries. She played tricks and wound them up as a way of trying to be listened to. At the end of the day, Susie is Jack's sister, and it's perfectly normal for a sister to want to be part of a 'cool' group that their big brother is a part of. She just felt left out.
I'm reading the Secret Seven at the moment as well. Susie doesn't really appear much for the first few books but gradually she is used more and more as a catalyst for an adventure/mystery one way or another. I too am getting a bit tired of the escalating bad feeling as the series progresses.
Last edited by Daisy on 06 Dec 2016, 17:19, edited 1 time in total.
'Tis loving and giving that makes life worth living.
Yes, in chronological order Chrissie but can't say I have a favourite really. The titles merge together in my mind and I can't even tell you the one I started earlier today! It's the one where Susie has a super aeroplane which flies over a wall into a private garden.
'Tis loving and giving that makes life worth living.
Isn't that the first one with the high wall? I've read it.
Another one among the first 4 or 5 volumes has moving snowmen. As I love the winter, I enjoyed it very much.
Then I remember one more book where the Secret Seven observe some baddies through a (shop or factory?) basement window.
Chrissie
Society Member
"For me, the cinema is not a slice of life, but a piece of cake."
Alfred Hitchcock
I must admit, I do find the titles confusingly generic and one title could quite easily fit all of the other books. Some do stick out plot-wise, and these are the ones I tend to like best - Secret Seven Adventure, Secret Seven On The Trail, Well Done Secret Seven, Secret Seven Mystery and Good Work Secret Seven are some of the best in my opinion.
I agree, the Seven do get more and more vicious towards Susie as the series progresses. I'm in two minds about this. On one hand, often it helps propel the plot - as in 'Secret Seven On The Trail. In others, it just seems an aggravation. In Puzzle For The Secret Seven Susie and her friends attempt to lead the Secret Seven astray by laying false clues - something that from a reader-point-of-view doesn't seem convincing in any way.
I do think Enid was quite observant regards how The Seven treat Susie though. Maybe it goes over-the-top but I think its fairly realistic. After all, Susie couldn't be a member of the Secret Seven even if she wanted to, unless another member resigned. The way the children view her, as a definite outsider, also helps the reader to feel as if they themselves are a privileged member of the club, able to share in the meetings and adventures where Susie can't, and enhances the feeling of being in an exclusive 'gang'.
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
I wonder, incidentally, why Enid chose to give most of the Secret Seven books such indistinguishable titles? Even with the Famous Five, which I'm pretty sure was her longest-running series, although there are a few generic-sounding titles, the majority do tell you something specific and significant about where the Five go or what they do in that story.
Now this is blasphemy, but do you think it could be that by the time Enid started the series of full-length Secret Seven novels — from 1949 onwards, when she was arguably at the peak of her career — she was thinking "Hmmm, it doesn't matter so much any more whether or not I give these books memorable titles — anything that has my name on the cover is 100% guaranteed to sell like hot cakes"...??
Society Member
It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn't do at all. (The Valley of Adventure)
It's a long time since I read through the Secret Seven series but I remember Susie being spiteful and gloating and fond of playing pranks, so perhaps that's why the Seven didn't invite her to join the club in the first place. On the other hand, as a few people have suggested, maybe her behaviour is a result of the resentment she feels at being excluded. I'm not sure whether it's made clear in the books, but I'll pay attention to that next time I read them. Certainly, the Seven themselves are just as mean and petty on occasions.
As a child I remember being jealous sometimes when my sister was involved in things I wasn't part of, but I came to terms with it and didn't harbour a grudge. It's just part of being a sibling.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.
"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.
Rob Houghton wrote: In Puzzle For The Secret Seven Susie and her friends attempt to lead the Secret Seven astray by laying false clues - something that from a reader-point-of-view doesn't seem convincing in any way.
I don't remember the title of the sequel, but it happened also in at least one of the FFO & Dog books that they laid false clues to get Goon off their back.
EB recycling ideas .
Chrissie
Society Member
"For me, the cinema is not a slice of life, but a piece of cake."
Alfred Hitchcock
I'm reading "Shock for the Secret Seven" and I think the start of this book is the worst that Peter is in the entire series. He is awfully rude and bullying to Susie, the French boy and especially poor Jack when he brings Susie and the French boy to the meeting. This is despite the fact that Jack and Susie had no choice but to bring the French boy because their mum told them to.
I am really glad that Jack stood up to him and quit the Secret Seven and that Susie told Peter what she thought of his behaviour. As usual, Peter was also rude to Barbara for crying about what had happened and Pam for sticking up for Susie. None of the other children agreed with the way Peter behaved and rightly so. He really is a bully and that is something that distinguishes him from all the rest of the 'leaders' in the likes of the Famous Five and Find Outers.
I agree that Peter is a bully - and its good that in 'Shock For The Secret Seven' he gets told off by the others. The scenes where this happens are memorable and well-written as always - and Blyton does a good job of making Peter less of the hero. Maybe his character is less than admirable - but on the other hand it makes him more believable, and also increases the impact of what happens later in the story.
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
