Come to the Circus!

[black labrador]

This book intrigues me. It seems so different from all the other Blytons I've read. It is heavily focused on the adults - although Fenella is the principal character, the focus of the book is about how she changes others (specifically Aunt Lou and Presto) rather than how she changes herself.

Barbara Stoney's biography refers to an unpublished adult novel, 'The Caravan Goes On'. and suggests that this may have been rewritten as 'Mr Galliano's Circus'. Much as I enjoyed the Gallianos books, it strikes me that 'Come to the Circus' is far more likely to be the recycled adult novel.

Comments?

[Anita Bensoussane]

Come to the Circus! does have a sombre, grown-up feel to it Black Labrador, and yes, Fenella helps Aunt Lou and Presto to start living again after tragedy has caused them to retreat from life and distance themselves from others. I'm reminded of Heidi and her effect on the Alm Uncle.

You may be interested in reading a previous discussion of The Caravan Goes On and how it might possibly have been recycled as a circus book for children (see pages 3 - 4 of the following thread:)

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/foru ... it=fenella" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Anita

[auscatherine]

I recently read this after Anita mentioned the theory that this might be the converted adult book (and not Mr Galliano's Circus as I had read previously). I totally agree that is quite likely and think it is a pity that it didn't survive in its original form. I would like to know a lot more about some of the adult characters, particularly the mysterious Presto. It does work well in its current form though, ie, just alluding to these tragedies and focussing on the effect that Fenella has on those around her. It reminds me a bit of the French film 'Le Grand Chemin' in that regard.

[Belly]

Just how bad would her adult novel have been? If based on the book you mention it must have had some merit?? I would think that it would have been published in an instant were she around today and a 'JK Rowling'? Same goes for 'A Summer Storm' - wouldn't this have just been very heavily revised and updated?

Today celebs can seemingly trot out children's books & adult's books and get them published regardless of their merit - Madonna and Geri Halliwell spring to mind (although I have to say I haven't read the books).

[Anita Bensoussane]

I would like to know a lot more about some of the adult characters, particularly the mysterious Presto.

So would I. Doesn't Presto have some "deep regret" or something, which has blighted his life until Fenella's influence convinces him that life is still worth living? We never find out what caused the sadness that he has borne for so long - it's all left very vague which for nosey people like me is quite frustrating!

Anita

[auscatherine]

I would think that it would have been published in an instant were she around today and a 'JK Rowling'?

Yes, it is a pity that the original manuscript didn't survive.

Agree on the celeb children's books that get published these days. Some of them are atrocious!

[RainbowJude]

I've been meaning to re-read this book for a while now. My memory of the book puts it alongside stories like Anne of Green Gables and Pollyanna, where an orphaned child enlightens the lives of the sometimes very emotionally damaged people that take her in as well as those in the community around her. I have very good memories of this book; it's definitely on my list of upcoming reads.

[black labrador]

Come to the Circus! does have a sombre, grown-up feel to it Black Labrador, and yes, Fenella helps Aunt Lou and Presto to start living again after tragedy has caused them to retreat from life and distance themselves from others. I'm reminded of Heidi and her effect on the Alm Uncle.

You may be interested in reading a previous discussion of The Caravan Goes On and how it might possibly have been recycled as a circus book for children (see pages 3 - 4 of the following thread:)

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/foru ... it=fenella" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Anita

Thanks Anita. I've read the other thread with interest.

I don't recall reading the Boys and Girls Circus Book as a child (is this a single novel or a set of stories?). As a very poor quality edition is currently £30 on ebay I suspect I might not be reading it for a while

I don't follow Tony's arguments about timing. According to Barbara Stoney's biography The Caravan Goes on was written in 1932. The Boys and Girls Circus Book appeared in 1939 and Come to the Circus in 1947. If Enid could wait 7 years to reuse the novel then she could easily wait 15 years. And weren't Enid's memories of her Mediterranean cruise in 1930 used in the Ship of Adventure in 1950 (and in other books?) so there is precedent for waiting a long time to use her material.

Tony - is the article you wrote about this (referred to in the other thread) online?

I wonder if the title of the unpublished novel hints at the answer. To my mind 'The Caravan Goes on' implies the continuation of normal life through one or more serious difficulties. I would be prepared to place a small bet that those difficulties were the death of Carol, and possibly whatever Presto's bad experience was. Sadly we'll never know for sure

[Anita Bensoussane]

Boys' and Girls' Circus Book is a full-length circus novel, Black Labrador. The story is episodic and not as tightly-structured as Enid Blyton's other circus books but it benefits from some lovely pieces of description and a heartwarming, quite surprising ending. Well worth a read if you can find a cheaper copy! I picked up a later edition (with the revised title Enid Blyton's Circus Book) on eBay a few years ago and it cost about three pounds if I remember correctly.

Anita

[shadow]

Hi

Don't despair, I recently purchased Boys' and Girls' Circus Book, although a newnes copy, for a couple of pounds. They do come up sometimes. Also posted a question regarding not being able to find any reference to the newnes version and may have caused extra work for someone in the society! Oh well what doesn't kill you and all that.

[Tony Summerfield]

I still stick very firmly to my opinion that I give under the review of Boys' and Girls' Circus Book in the Cave of Books. Just remember that everything that the News Chronicle published came from things previously published by Newnes, except this Circus book. I would therefore pose the question that if it wasn't a heavily adapted version of The Caravan Goes On, where else did it come from?

As a matter of interest when Barbara Stoney wrote about the book possibly being turned into Galliano's Circus, she was unaware that this other book even existed as a novel (its title saw to that). When she read my original article in the Journal, she agreed that this was a far more likely outcome than the Galliano one.

Whilst I fully agree that Enid may well have used ideas from events that happened many years earlier (she actually stated this with the origin of the Famous Five and Kirrin Island), I think it extremely unlikely that she would have kept a manuscript lying around without using it, it just wasn't the way she worked. I also think that if she had hung on to the manuscript for that length of time, she is most unlikely to have destroyed it then and I would have it now with her papers as I have a number of things dating from that period and indeed earlier.

[Rob Houghton]

I certainly think that the plot of 'Come to the Circus!' is much more adult than the plot of 'The Circus Book', but then the reason that 'The Caravan Goes on' wasnt published was that it wasnt good enough (adult enough?) to be an adult novel, and so that makes it seem likely that 'The caravan Goes On' was transposed into 'Circus Book' rather than 'Come to the Circus!' . Well, that's my theory...

'Come to the Circus' was very adult in its themes, with only a few childish things thrown in for good measure (a performing goose?! )

It was published in 1947 - 48 in Sunny Stories, roughly around the time that Enid was begining to write plots with slightly more 'adult' leanings and characters, such as 'Six Cousins at Mistletoe Farm', 'The Sea of Adventure', 'The Rockingdown Mystery' and, slightly later, 'Those Dreadful Children'. I don't think Enid would have been capable of writing a book of such depth of 'Come to the Circus!' before this date, as is born out by the slightly 'simpler' plots and characterisations Enid shows us in her other books from the late 30's to the mid-40's.

If you compare her books in the late thirties and her books of the early fifties, they are quite different in structure and style: the 1950's books offer us much more 'meaty' reads than the first books she wrote.

[Philip Mannering]

I agree. I think Enid began her slightly 'adult' (as you say, Robert) stories by the mid 40s, with the more advanced Adventure Series. 'The Island of Adventure' is certainly quite different from the first Famous Five book, 'Treasure Island'. The Family Books, which started coming around in the late 40s and early 50s, were also quite adult. Although as a counter argument I must say, that some of the stories in the 50s were not really good in my opinion.

Regarding 'Circus Book' and 'Come to the Circus', I wish I could read them. Sadly, they're now out of print.

[Viv of Ginger Pop]

I haven't been following this thread, but I've just seen a clip about this circus on TV

http://www.greatbritishcircus.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Viv

[Anita Bensoussane]

We went to that circus about six years ago and I have to say that, as far as we could tell, the animals looked well cared for and the routines were based on the animals' natural abilities. What worries me though is how long circuses spend on the road as I doubt that the travelling cages are very comfortable for long periods. Although the children enjoyed seeing the animals, especially the zebras, I must admit that personally I liked the human acts more. Last year we went to an all-human circus (Moscow State Circus) which had some amazing and very skilful performances.

Anita