Famous Five 'Adult' Books!

The books! Over seven hundred of them and still counting...
User avatar
pete9012S
Posts: 17572
Joined: 24 Jan 2010, 15:32
Favourite book/series: Five On A Treasure Island
Favourite character: Frederick Algernon Trotteville
Location: UK

Re: Famous Five 'Adult' Books!

Post by pete9012S »

The whole concept of these 'books' reminds me of the third studio album by The Mothers of Invention. :cry:
" A kind heart always brings its own reward," said Mrs. Lee.
- The Christmas Tree Aeroplane -

Society Member
User avatar
Courtenay
Posts: 19274
Joined: 07 Feb 2014, 01:22
Favourite book/series: The Adventure Series, Galliano's Circus
Favourite character: Lotta
Location: Both Aussie and British; living in Cheshire

Re: Famous Five 'Adult' Books!

Post by Courtenay »

Ah, I see (had to look that one up). Actually, some of those track titles could possibly provide inspiration for future "adult" Famous Five titles... :shock: :x
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)
User avatar
Rob Houghton
Posts: 16029
Joined: 26 Feb 2005, 22:38
Favourite book/series: Rubadub Mystery, Famous Five and The Find-Outers
Favourite character: Snubby, Uncle Robert, George, Fatty
Location: Kings Norton, Birmingham

Re: Famous Five 'Adult' Books!

Post by Rob Houghton »

I have no idea what other Famous Five adult books are planned (though I think Tony did mention some a while back) but i presume we'll have 'Five Do Bank Holiday' and 'Five get Trashed At Easter' and 'Five Have a Bang on Bonfire Night' and 'Five Get Sppoked On Halloween' and then there will be 'Five Go To Benidorm' and 'Five Go to Disney World' and 'Five Go To Drayton Manor' and 'Five Go On The London Eye' etc etc etc :roll:

Then There will be 'Five Go To The Whitehouse' and 'Five Go To Number 10' and whoever or whatever needs promoting will get a book. Maybe 'Five Eat Blue Cheese' or 'Five Go To MacDonalds' :roll:
'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.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



Society Member
User avatar
Courtenay
Posts: 19274
Joined: 07 Feb 2014, 01:22
Favourite book/series: The Adventure Series, Galliano's Circus
Favourite character: Lotta
Location: Both Aussie and British; living in Cheshire

Re: Famous Five 'Adult' Books!

Post by Courtenay »

Or maybe, as a tribute (?) to my country of origin, "Five Go Down Under" (with all the rude jokes, clichés and stereotypes that could entail)... I don't want to think about it any further. :evil:
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)
User avatar
Spitfire
Posts: 1055
Joined: 16 Jun 2010, 20:57
Favourite book/series: Most of the stand-alone stories
Favourite character: Snubby & Mr. Twiddle.

Re: Famous Five 'Adult' Books!

Post by Spitfire »

Tony pretty much summed up my feelings on the first page of this thread back in May:
Tony Summerfield wrote:I still get letters and emails from children thinking that Enid Blyton is alive, here is one I got two days ago:-

hi iam a big fan of your books and I would like to ask a few questions
q1, will you be writing any more far away tree books?
q2, what book was your favourite to write ?
q3, how many more books are you still going to write?
q4,what is your favourite book that you read as a child ?


Surely if new Famous Five books come out, just looking at the cover is going to make some think that these books are new books written by Enid Blyton. In my opinion this is disgraceful use of a dead author's name, surely the Ladybird books didn't do that.
Enid Blyton wrote stories which she hoped would inspire, entertain, educate and act as a good influence on her young readers. She had a massive following of children who eagerly looked for the next Enid Blyton book coming out; even during her life time her name had become a brand. I'm a bit hazy on the details but as I understand it she was ready to defend herself when necessary - for example against 'ghost-writing' claims at one point - and didn't she take another children's author Enid Boyton to court over the similarity of their names?

The point I'm trying to (clumsily) make is that however popular (and as I understand it, lucrative) a brand her name became, and whatever failings she may have had in her personal life, she never once betrayed her integrity as an author. She knew that she had a responsibility to her child readers; that her books could inspire in a good way, or in a bad way; she took herself and her work seriously. Her books weren't perfect I'm sure, but they were always wholesome. Never crass, never written for a cheap laugh. And as we all know, her books, recognisable by the trademark signature are as popular with children today as they ever were. And one of her most enduringly popular series is The Famous Five. I honestly believe that she'd be furious and disgusted if she knew how her name, signature and well-loved children's series are being used for these adult books.

I know I'm not really saying anything new - just wanted to get my pennyworth in!
Sarah
Society Member

Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. Psalm 139
User avatar
Anita Bensoussane
Forum Administrator
Posts: 26768
Joined: 30 Jan 2005, 23:25
Favourite book/series: Adventure series, Six Cousins books, Six Bad Boys
Favourite character: Jack Trent, Fatty and Elizabeth Allen
Location: UK

Re: Famous Five 'Adult' Books!

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

According to the Quercus website, the eight books to come are:

Five Forget Mother's Day

Five Lose Dad in the Garden Centre (The publishers probably hope this will be bought as a Father's Day present. "Dad" is Uncle Quentin, even though he's only George's dad.)

Five Get Beach Body Ready

Five Get On the Property Ladder

Five Help Gran Go Viral

Five at the Office Christmas Party

The other two haven't yet got proper titles:

Five Go (Halloween)

Five Go 2017 [Autumn tbc]

https://www.quercusbooks.co.uk/authors/ ... hP7lVgCA__" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

deepeabee wrote:Has anyone actually read any of these books?
I've read four and commented on them in this thread. The one I haven't read is Five Go Gluten Free but I've borrowed it and will read it soon. I doubt I'll bother with any more after that as I've found them all pretty poor - dull, rambling and simply not funny.
"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.


Society Member
User avatar
Courtenay
Posts: 19274
Joined: 07 Feb 2014, 01:22
Favourite book/series: The Adventure Series, Galliano's Circus
Favourite character: Lotta
Location: Both Aussie and British; living in Cheshire

Re: Famous Five 'Adult' Books!

Post by Courtenay »

Anita Bensoussane wrote: Five Lose Dad in the Garden Centre (The publishers probably hope this will be bought as a Father's Day present. "Dad" is Uncle Quentin, even though he's only George's dad.)
:shock: I can't imagine Uncle Quentin ever being persuaded to set foot in a garden centre, let alone getting lost there!! :roll: (Unless, of course, he was trying to promote his latest scientific experiment — a plant that eats people... oh, hang on, that's been done before. :twisted: )
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)
User avatar
Anita Bensoussane
Forum Administrator
Posts: 26768
Joined: 30 Jan 2005, 23:25
Favourite book/series: Adventure series, Six Cousins books, Six Bad Boys
Favourite character: Jack Trent, Fatty and Elizabeth Allen
Location: UK

Re: Famous Five 'Adult' Books!

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

The stories may be woeful but I do think Ruth Palmer deserves praise for her covers. She has provided vintage-style artwork for a number of publications including one of the new 'Ladybird Expert' books - Climate Change. This article on illustrationweb.com makes for interesting reading as it explains how she used Eileen Soper's internal illustrations as an inspiration for the covers of the adult Famous Fives:
Ruth was sent a series of scans of black and white interior illustrations from the original books. From these, she drew the characters in similar poses and began setting up the compositions...

..."The children's poses and expressions were full of life and atmosphere and they reminded me how exciting I found these books as a child. So I tried to use these drawings as the basis of my composition and played around in Photoshop to create a scene based upon the original drawings, changing heads and expressions and drawing in props where they fitted. I let the poses dictate the composition," says Ruth.

Each cover went through two or three versions as the layouts were tweaked, then Ruth would paint up the final artwork using gouache and watercolour, mimicking the colour palette of the children’s books....

... "I really enjoyed emulating Eileen A Soper’s illustration style. I have done a fair bit of this type of work and it is always very instructive. You really appreciate how good these illustrators were, and it forces you to go outside your comfort zone and experiment."
http://www.illustrationweb.com/artists/ ... KwXIG-LSUk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ruth Palmer's portfolio contains some beautiful pictures:

http://www.illustrationweb.com/artists/RuthPalmer/view" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"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.


Society Member
User avatar
Courtenay
Posts: 19274
Joined: 07 Feb 2014, 01:22
Favourite book/series: The Adventure Series, Galliano's Circus
Favourite character: Lotta
Location: Both Aussie and British; living in Cheshire

Re: Famous Five 'Adult' Books!

Post by Courtenay »

I agree, she's a wonderful illustrator and she does deserve credit for her covers, which I've found so far are the only attractive thing about the "adult" Famous Fives. It's very interesting to read how she imitated Eileen Soper's style and how much she loved the original books as a child — it's just a shame that the content under the covers is so woeful. :x As I've said, I probably wouldn't mind a Famous Five parody that was genuinely sharp and funny and clever — and that didn't put Enid's own signature on the cover as if she had written or endorsed the text :evil: — but I've tried several times to read some of the ones that are currently available and I can't get very far without thinking "Er... yeah... um, why am I bothering with this?!" They really are so badly written and boring and totally unfunny.
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)
User avatar
Rob Houghton
Posts: 16029
Joined: 26 Feb 2005, 22:38
Favourite book/series: Rubadub Mystery, Famous Five and The Find-Outers
Favourite character: Snubby, Uncle Robert, George, Fatty
Location: Kings Norton, Birmingham

Re: Famous Five 'Adult' Books!

Post by Rob Houghton »

Anita Bensoussane wrote:According to the Quercus website, the eight books to come are:

Five Forget Mother's Day

Five Lose Dad in the Garden Centre (The publishers probably hope this will be bought as a Father's Day present. "Dad" is Uncle Quentin, even though he's only George's dad.)

Five Get Beach Body Ready

Five Get On the Property Ladder

Five Help Gran Go Viral

Five at the Office Christmas Party

The other two haven't yet got proper titles:

Five Go (Halloween)

Five Go 2017 [Autumn tbc]
Does anyone feel super inspired by these dismal titles? With all that's happening with Brexit and Trump and books like these being so popular, I feel like I'm living in an alternative universe where the Zombie Invasion has already happened. :roll:
'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.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



Society Member
User avatar
Spitfire
Posts: 1055
Joined: 16 Jun 2010, 20:57
Favourite book/series: Most of the stand-alone stories
Favourite character: Snubby & Mr. Twiddle.

Re: Famous Five 'Adult' Books!

Post by Spitfire »

I agree that the illustrations are very attractive - the covers are lovely to look at, and Ruth Palmer is certainly talented.

haven't read any of the books all the way through, but I have skim-read/dipped into Five Go Parenting and Five Go Gluten Free in Smiths. I came away thinking that something innocent and intended for children (The Famous Five) was being sneered at and muddied up in order - ultimately - to make money. The intended audience are those who remember reading FF as children, and I would suspect that there is an intention to reach those adults who, regardless of whether they remember her books fondly, now buy into the constant criticism aimed at her (I.e. - she's a 'poor' writer, or she's a middle-class snob guilty of various 'isms'...) By producing these vacuous (in my opinion) books, the publishers affirm to people that yes, it's ok to sneer at Enid Blyton. Ha, ha, look at what we've produced, yes, we can see the joke too!! :roll:

Obviously there's nothing wrong in creating a product in order to make money, but surely the publishers have a moral and ethical responsibility not to betray the ethos of Enid's work. I personally feel quite upset that her name and work is being used in this way. I don't have anything against the style of humour in principal - to a limited extent, I could even find some of it funny, though it isn't really to my taste. But the only reason that so many books are able to be planned is because they are using The Famous Five and Enid's famous signature. Without that, there would be much less appeal - certainly not enough to produce what seems to be turning into quite a large series!
Rob Houghton wrote:Does anyone feel super inspired by these dismal titles?
No, not even slightly - frankly, they depress me!!

I just finished reading The Mystery of the Secret Room. Once again, for the thousandth time in my life, I'm refreshed and entertained by Enid Blyton; she allows me to temporarily escape from the difficulties of life without needing to turn to a crass style of humour which would only depress me further.

OK, I'm shutting up now! :)
Sarah
Society Member

Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. Psalm 139
User avatar
Courtenay
Posts: 19274
Joined: 07 Feb 2014, 01:22
Favourite book/series: The Adventure Series, Galliano's Circus
Favourite character: Lotta
Location: Both Aussie and British; living in Cheshire

Re: Famous Five 'Adult' Books!

Post by Courtenay »

Spitfire wrote:I came away thinking that something innocent and intended for children (The Famous Five) was being sneered at and muddied up in order - ultimately - to make money. The intended audience are those who remember reading FF as children, and I would suspect that there is an intention to reach those adults who, regardless of whether they remember her books fondly, now buy into the constant criticism aimed at her (I.e. - she's a 'poor' writer, or she's a middle-class snob guilty of various 'isms'...) By producing these vacuous (in my opinion) books, the publishers affirm to people that yes, it's ok to sneer at Enid Blyton. Ha, ha, look at what we've produced, yes, we can see the joke too!! :roll:
Well said, Sarah.
Rob Houghton wrote:With all that's happening with Brexit and Trump and books like these being so popular, I feel like I'm living in an alternative universe where the Zombie Invasion has already happened. :roll:
Don't worry, Rob, there's already an "adult" Ladybird book for that... :mrgreen: :wink:

Image
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)
KEVP
Posts: 550
Joined: 15 Oct 2015, 02:18

Re: Famous Five 'Adult' Books!

Post by KEVP »

When I was a child, my family often spent part of the year in the USA and part in the UK.

My mother often tried to time things so that she would get two mother's days a year.
User avatar
Rob Houghton
Posts: 16029
Joined: 26 Feb 2005, 22:38
Favourite book/series: Rubadub Mystery, Famous Five and The Find-Outers
Favourite character: Snubby, Uncle Robert, George, Fatty
Location: Kings Norton, Birmingham

Re: Famous Five 'Adult' Books!

Post by Rob Houghton »

KEVP wrote:When I was a child, my family often spent part of the year in the USA and part in the UK.

My mother often tried to time things so that she would get two mother's days a year.
:lol: I like it! :-D
'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.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



Society Member
User avatar
Wolfgang
Posts: 3121
Joined: 06 Apr 2008, 05:26
Favourite book/series: The children at Green Meadows/Adventure-series
Favourite character: Fatty
Location: Germany

Re: Famous Five 'Adult' Books!

Post by Wolfgang »

Courtenay wrote:
Anita Bensoussane wrote: Five Lose Dad in the Garden Centre (The publishers probably hope this will be bought as a Father's Day present. "Dad" is Uncle Quentin, even though he's only George's dad.)
:shock: I can't imagine Uncle Quentin ever being persuaded to set foot in a garden centre, let alone getting lost there!! :roll: (Unless, of course, he was trying to promote his latest scientific experiment — a plant that eats people... oh, hang on, that's been done before. :twisted: )
Are you referring to "the little shop of horrors" or "The case of the plant that could eat your house", Courtenay?
Success is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.
Post Reply