What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

The books! Over seven hundred of them and still counting...
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Francis
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Re: What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

Post by Francis »

It's a bit better now - in the model village you have a miniature 'Green Hedges', there is the full size sundial from her house with plaques telling her life story and the pub has an Enid Blyton room.
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Rob Houghton
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Re: What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

Post by Rob Houghton »

Plus the 'Noddy gate'. :-D

Sorry - this is the only image I could find!

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'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)



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Chrissie777
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Re: What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

Post by Chrissie777 »

Thanks for the image, Rob. 8)

It's such a pity that even though EB spent 30 years in Beaconsfield, there's not much of her existence left.
And in Bourne End where she only lived some 9+ (?) years, there still is Old Thatch.
Did anybody follow the newspaper/online what became of Old Thatch since it has been closed for the public?
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Wolfgang
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Re: What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

Post by Wolfgang »

I finally finished reading "Le mystère de la rivière noire" (= The river of adventure). As usual many scenes are missing again although the plot is kept intact, but there are also some changes, e.g. the "bargua" Philip receives as a present isn't a bargua at all but a snake that looks exactly like a bargua but isn't poisonous at all. And it wasn't René (Bill) who thought of the mashed up insects but Henri (Philip).
Again the edition by bibliothèque rose is much shorter than the one by idéal bibliothèque, I haven't checked out the contemporary edition yet.
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Re: What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

Post by Courtenay »

Wolfgang wrote:I finally finished reading "Le mystère de la rivière noire" (= The river of adventure). As usual many scenes are missing again although the plot is kept intact, but there are also some changes, e.g. the "bargua" Philip receives as a present isn't a bargua at all but a snake that looks exactly like a bargua but isn't poisonous at all.
:shock: Maybe the editors decided that having a snake's poison ducts cut (as in the original) was too cruel?? I've said it before, but I still can't see the point of translating an author's story into another language if you're not going to translate what that author actually wrote... :roll:
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Wolfgang
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Re: What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

Post by Wolfgang »

But it makes it an interesting read, Courtenay, to see how things are interpreted in different languages.
Success is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.
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Re: What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

Post by Courtenay »

Ah yes, but when they change actual details of the plot (not just particular wordings etc. that won't translate neatly), hasn't it gone beyond the bounds of translation and into rewriting? :wink:
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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)
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Wolfgang
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Re: What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

Post by Wolfgang »

Try the German edition of "Secret Island", Courtenay, or its back-translation into English - and they actually say "German handling by..."
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Re: What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

Post by Chrissie777 »

We've back-tranlated the German version into English years ago, didn't we, Wolfgang? :D
Is it really in the Cave of Books? :o
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Wolfgang
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Re: What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

Post by Wolfgang »

No Chrissie, it's not in the cave of books, but still in the files section of the yahoo-group.
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Chrissie777
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Re: What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

Post by Chrissie777 »

Yes, Wolfgang, now that you've mentioned it I remember that it was at the Yahoo Group.
I haven't received a post in probably a year or more from the EB Yahoo Group. Does it still exist? :?:
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Re: What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

Post by IceMaiden »

I'm reading the Adventure series and have just finished Island. I've read them several times but this is the first time I've read the Macmillan ones. The illustrations are wonderful, so atmospheric and really bring the stories to life. They add a new dimension and reinforce the images your mind conjures up, the drawing of Craggy Tops is exactly how I've always imagined it to look, and it's nice to finally see how these settings and characters are meant to be. It's like putting a face to a name.
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And A̶n̶ ̶o̶l̶d̶ ̶f̶a̶s̶h̶i̶o̶n̶e̶d̶ ̶m̶i̶l̶l̶i̶o̶n̶a̶i̶r̶e̶
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Chrissie777
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Re: What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

Post by Chrissie777 »

IceMaiden, Stuart Tresilian's illustrations are indeed very atmospheric and probably the best I've ever seen in any children's books.
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Silky moon
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Re: What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

Post by Silky moon »

Five Run Away Together
I refuse to read censored Enid Blyton books
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floragord
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Re: What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

Post by floragord »

I'm treating myself to one short story every night from the MAGICAL TREASURY, combined with lovely music on Classic FM its the perfect end to the day :D
"Its a magic wood!" said Fanny suddenly.
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