The Enid Blyton Society

Just started reading 'The Castle of Adventure' which is one of those that I have only read a couple of times. Quite early in the series so the big romance has not picked up pace yet although Enid stresses how pretty Allie is. You can see why Bill became so smitten with her - she is very feminine but at the same time very capable (running her own business and taking on four children).

Re-reading my 1973 Deans edition of Hurrah for the circus! which is quite an an action packed story and although today we don't look on in favour at animal circus's generally, I find it interesting Jimmy seems to stumbled along in to what we see as the "Horse Whisperer" idea of training animals.

I've finished Five On Finniston Farm It wasn't the greatest book she's done, but I tolerated it!

Next up, The Magic Faraway Tree. I was much more into The Wishing Chair when I was a boy, but I seem to remember our teacher reading us some Faraway Tree stories. And this is a 1971 edition illustrated by Rene Cloke, and they're always a delight to read!

I'm currently reading 'Rubbalong Tales' - my first edition with dust wrapper, which I replaced my tatty wrapper-less copy with a few months back. I don't think I've ever read the book before, despite having a copy of it for some years. Its a real pleasure to be able to read a book by Enid Blyton that I haven't already read!! Some very entertaining stories about Rubbalong the cobbler - and brilliant illustrations by Norman Meredith!

Francis wrote:Quite early in the series so the big romance has not picked up pace yet although Enid stresses how pretty Allie is. You can see why Bill became so smitten with her - she is very feminine but at the same time very capable.

Yes, Mrs. Mannering looks beautiful on the Tresilian illustrations!

Rob Houghton wrote:Enjoy meeting Gus and Mac!

Rob, Mac and Gus were very elusive.
We visited my stepdaughter 3 times in her little house this past week, but each time they did hide under her bed until one afternoon before Thanksgiving she got a hold of them. And we were finally able to pet them while they were in her arms. They are not used to people.

Our cats tend to hide when there are new people about.

So that's a common thing then.
Our dog is always keen on meeting new people.

I've just finished The Magic Faraway Tree. What a lovely book! So incredibly inventive with all these weird and wonderful characters and goings-on. Where did Enid Blyton come up with all these ideas? Did she invent, say, the Land of Goodies, or was it already established in children's mythology that there was this place where everything was made of sweets and confectionary?

I also noticed that the children's mother was aware that they went off to these strange places, has met their peculiar, non-human friends, and at one point even saw them travelling on a flying table! Contrast that with the Wishing Chair, where the children are constantly anxious their mother doesn't find out about it or Chinky. I know I've got The Enchanted Wood somewhere, so need to read it soon!

Next up is a moderately liked, but fairly well read one from my childhood, Five Go Down To The Sea.

Stephen wrote: I also noticed that the children's mother was aware that they went off to these strange places, has met their peculiar, non-human friends, and at one point even saw them travelling on a flying table! Contrast that with the Wishing Chair, where the children are constantly anxious their mother doesn't find out about it or Chinky.

Interesting point! Maybe we could speculate that Jo, Bessie and Fanny's mother was one of those rare grown-ups who still believes in and understands about magic and the fairy folk... perhaps she even had a few magical adventures herself as a child?? (There's gotta be a prequel in this somewhere. )

I think its an interesting point that in the Faraway Tree books 'Mother' can see the magical characters, meets them, believes in them and the magic etc. Looking at it from a writer's point of view, and knowing how keen Enid was on giving the children plenty of wish fulfillment, I tend to think it was another aspect of that. What child wouldn't want their mother to believe the things they believe, meet their magical friends, and allow them off for a day for a picnic up a Faraway Tree? Of course, it also makes things a lot easier for Enid to have the children away for hours on end without mother being too worried (if only she knew some of the dangers they face!)

The inventiveness in the Faraway Tree books is immense - I think they are some of the most inventive fantasy books ever written - every little detail - the ditch the children jump over into the wood, the whispering trees you can hear talking if you press your ears to the trunks, the tree itself, the slippery-slip, the yellow ladder into the clouds, the toffee shocks, Dame Washalot, etc etc, are all so inventive, as has been said.

I tend to think many of Enid's ideas came from well-known fairy tales, which she twisted and changed and polished up into new situations and lands. For example, the basis of The Land of Goodies is surely the story of Hansel and Gretel with the gingerbread house. Aspects of the adventure in the land of ice and snow remind me of 'The Snow Queen' and the children also meet Miss Muffet and her spider, The Old Woman in the Shoes, etc. Saying that though, there are so many amazing lands, like the Land of tempers, the Land of Take-what-you-want, the Land of Ice and Snow, etc. Her imagination was so very fertile and these books should now be allowed to take on the 'Classic' mantle in my opinion.

Chrissie777 wrote:

Francis wrote:Quite early in the series so the big romance has not picked up pace yet although Enid stresses how pretty Allie is. You can see why Bill became so smitten with her - she is very feminine but at the same time very capable.

Yes, Mrs. Mannering looks beautiful on the Tresilian illustrations!

Certainly my favourite Enid Blyton adult female character!

The Faraway Tree books are delightful, my mum tells me often that they were her favourite EB book and her own childhood copy is still up in the loft. I heard mention on Radio 2 a few days ago that a film is being made, not sure how to take that, it would be lovely if it is was true to the books in every way but it'll probably be all modernised, CGI and nothing like the original - the three things I can't stand in screen adaptions. If it's popular, I bet the prices for the original books will go up even more .

I finished "The Adventurous Four" and started "The Adventurous Four" last night.

I'm reading "The Adventurous Four" at the moment. It is a while since I last read it and I'm enjoying it very much. I found the follow-on book less gripping - but still a good story.