The most depressing Famous Five book?

[Chrissie777]

At the time of first reading it, I enjoyed it. I think it was Keith who made me think more deeply about it. It could have been so much better. The Five could have been trapped/imprisoned in the caves for example. It really all was a bit weak.

For me it was always one of the strongest FF books. At that point in time when I read it in 1965, I had never read a book on twins before, so I didn't guess what was going on.
The cave scenes and the Kirrin common scenes are all very atmospheric.
I enjoy reading "Secret Trail" still after all these decades.

[Bertie]

I've always found Five On a Hike Together very depressing and sombre. From the miserable feeling ('atmospheric' if you want a positive spin on it) of most of the settings, to the fact it was only a couple of days off school rather weeks of a glorious holiday ahead, etc. All very miserable.
Similarly, I always felt Five On A Secret Trail has a different feel that makes it a bit of a downbeat read. And I'd throw Get Into A Fix and Mystery Moor into the mix as well.
But Five On A Hike Together always remains the most depressing for me.

[Chrissie777]

I always liked Adventuring Again because, although I agree that Mr. Roland was an obvious villain (to the reader, anyway; it's easy to see how the adult Kirrins would be taken in) - I think that it's a great book to follow on from the first in terms of reinforcing and developing the character traits already established. (Also, who can't love stubborn, fierce, independent George? She's so brave!) I also like the cosy atmosphere that the snowed-in part of the plot creates, the pretty, old-fashioned Christmas tree and the way the story builds, slowly and surely, to a very satisfying conclusion. The only thing I can't buy with either my child or my grown-up head on is the fact that they leave Mr. Roland locked in his room for several days - what about toilet breaks??

Same here. It's one of my favorites.
Even though I hate the fact that Tim has to stay in the dog house in the snow, I love the underground passages starting in the closet at the Kirrin Farm guest room.
I still remember how delighted I was when i discovered this book for the very first time around 1966.

[Chrissie777]

     I also wonder about the human rights implications of leaving suspects handcuffed for days at a time. I'm sure that this would be against all sorts of police regulations these days - but I suppose such things were not a concern at the time the novel was written.
     On the original question: I can't state any Famous Five book to stand out with regard to being gloomy or depressing. Probably all of them have depressing episodes, disturbing events - but that's part of the story, and none stood out in this regard overall. All stories have bad events: without some sort of serious conflict, you'd have no story, or at least a quite dull, boring story.
Regards, Michael.

I remember that they were snowed in and the police couldn't get through to Kirrin cottage.

[Chrissie777]

Funnily enough Five Have Plenty of Fun is the EB book I reach out for when life is a bit grey around the edges and I`m needing a lift. It takes me right back to the lovely care free sunny summer in which I first read it

"Five have plenty of Fun" is one of my favorites and I really don't see any similarity to "Five fall into Adventure".

[Chrissie777]

I've always found Five On a Hike Together very depressing and sombre. From the miserable feeling ('atmospheric' if you want a positive spin on it) of most of the settings, to the fact it was only a couple of days off school rather weeks of a glorious holiday ahead, etc. All very miserable.
Similarly, I always felt Five On A Secret Trail has a different feel that makes it a bit of a downbeat read. And I'd throw Get Into A Fix and Mystery Moor into the mix as well.
But Five On A Hike Together always remains the most depressing for me.

"Five on a Hike" and "Five run away together" were the two FF books which I couldn't read as a child and didn't find on flea markets before the mid 1970's. So I read them when I was in my early twenties.
"Five on a Hike" was alright, but it's not in my favorite 10 FF sequels.
However, I was very thrilled with "Run away together" once the Five reached the island (it took very long, before they finally get there).

[Moonraker]

I loved Mystery Moor - so threatening. So mysterious, So atmospheric.

[John Pickup]

There isn't a Famous Five book that depresses me at all.
Some aren't as good as the others. Particularly Finniston Farm and the obnoxious Junior. I'd like to depress him.

[Bertie]

There isn't a Famous Five book that depresses me at all.
Some aren't as good as the others. Particularly Finniston Farm and the obnoxious Junior. I'd like to depress him.

Most of my answers were more focusing on which books had the more sombre and depressing settings, rather than the actual quality or enjoyment of the books (which is for another thread).
I guess there's an overlap at times, but they're still two separate things as there's other books that I guess are in quite moody and depressing settings - Mystery Moor, Smugglers Top, Valley of Adventure - that I thoroughly enjoy.
Five on a Hike Together is the main book in the series that falls into both categories for me. Some others also have depressing ('atmospheric') settings but the high quality of the stories makes them work and still be very enjoyable.

[Debbie]

My least favourite famous five have to be Camp and Mystery Moor.
There's aspects of both that I love, but I'm just not very keen on them. I do find the setting rather depressing.
I find the atmosphere to be very creepy in both, but I don't think that's entirely it. It's similar in Smugglers' Top, but I quite like that one.

I do find the behaviour of the others towards George to be a bit mean girls in Mystery Moor. They're there really because Anne wants to be there, and George has gone along to keep her company. If I'd been George, I think I'd have left Anne to it well before the boys arrived!
Yes, George has taken an irrational dislike to Henry, but it sounds pretty mutual from their interactions. I'd have expected them to have backed their cousin a bit more rather than laughing it off and inviting Henry to go out with them, which really is a slap in the face for George. They know that George won't go then, so basically they're saying they'd prefer Henry to George.

Maybe Camp was partially effected by my older sister first read it at my gran's, which was next to a train line and told me how scared she was all night (well, probably twice, but it felt like it!)

[Irene Malory Towers]

I found Five get into a Fix the most depressing book by far and I would go as far as saying that I actively do not like it. The Famous Five nearly balls things up (particularly Julian) and don't appear to help at all, just to hinder things and only get redeemed by Morgan having such a huge voice he manages to summon his 7 dogs. But what makes it depressing is that the Llewellyn Thomas was so horrible to his mum, keeping her a prisoner and deceiving her so cruelly by pretending he was dead. Also I found Aily's parents somewhat dysfunctional, cold and irresponsible - to leave her running in the hills around barely dressed seems unbelievable. And she was so scared of her dad that you wonder whether there was some violence done to her at home. Lots of people like that book but for me it was my least favourite and the most depressing.

[Moonraker]

The "bad son" theme runs through several books. Billycock Hill is another. I wonder why Enid re-used this child/mother abuse plot? Was there history of this happening in her life?

[Irene Malory Towers]

i haven't read Billycock Hill for years as I remember it being a very weak plot with not much action at all. Was the bad son concerned with the butterfly farm ? I must reread it. Another book with the bad son occurring is of course Five Go on a Hike which is mentioned in this thread a lot, as readers have found this to be a depressing book. However, I like Five on a Hike, in fact I think it is brilliantly written, but yes the setting is not as jolly as the others as it is neither deliciously sunny with loads of hols stretching out or beautifully crisply snowy. The sudden clamour of bells ringing out introduces a sinister air to the story which lingers around with the action taking place around Gloomy Hills and the unpleasant villains. I still find it not as depressing as Five get into a Fix.

I wonder whether the bad son theme did touch on something in EB's life. I believe she didn't get on with her brothers but reconciliated with them and in particular with her nephew Carey, towards the end of her life. Someone more knowledgeable than myself might shed some light there.

[Moonraker]

Keith Robinson writes a good review on enidblyton.net. He had this to say:

This book takes a long time to get going, and when it does, it's predictable to the end—so predictable, in fact, that I couldn't wait to get it over with. I won't give away the ending here, but by my reckoning any reader will have worked out the ending by the time the planes are stolen, and the smaller details by the time we meet Will Janes. It's a shame Will Janes isn't in the book more, because he's actually quite a nasty villain—but he's conveniently arrested for some non-related misdemeanor and we never see him again. Nor do we see any of the other thugs again, for that matter. And Mr Gringle kind of fades out. And his colleague, Mr Brent, hardly even gets a credit. Toby, who started out fresh and lively, like a teasing Sooty from Smuggler's Top, spends much of the book wallowing in despair.

Can't really disagree with that.

Full review

[Irene Malory Towers]

The review makes me NOT want to read it again. It is definitely one of her weaker ones, sadly like many at the end. I think the last one I really liked was Five have Plenty of Fun and Five go on Mystery Moor, whichever is later..