Which Enid Blyton books are considered her best writing?

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timv
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Re: Which Enid Blyton books are considered her best writing?

Post by timv »

I would rate the 'best overall series' by Enid, ie a consistent record of first-class writing, as being the Adventure series - a great sense of atmosphere throughout and a variety of settings plus memorable characters who you care about. The question of which are the best of these books is bound to be influenced by personal favourites, which may not be the strongest of the series - in my case I read 'Circus' then 'Island' first so these are my favourites, but the best writing is in 'Valley' and 'Sea'.
Asessing the best writing as combining a coherent and descriptive 'atmosphere' throughout, adding to a strong plot (often several plots running together) and strong characters, my top rating for individual books is for:

Famous Five - Smugglers Top, Get Into Trouble, On A Hike Together, Go Down To The Sea. 'Hike' is possibly the best for overall atmosphere.
The Secret Island, and perhaps Mountain for the strong (if a bit cliched) storyline of the menacing lost tribe.
The Barney series - most atmospheric is Rubadub, but Rilloby Fair has best comedy.
Both Six Cousins books, though perhaps the 'villainous gypsies' storyline in the second book detracts a bit from it despite the strong picture of how Rose's family nearly breaks up.
Hurrah for the Circus and Circus Days Again - a strong picture of a community co-operating together, in the second book facing disaster from a 'control freak' outsider (Britomart).
House At The Corner - the best family book, with another close-knit group under threat: this time from their own flaws as well as accident/ money. (A better-developed equivalent of Red-Roofs)
In the school books, both the 'girls school' series are really well constructed and full of memorable characters and events; the plotting can be strong in St Clares (especially Fifth Formers with the night-time chaos episode) but overall MT (written later) is more descriptive; the Fifth Form book is the strongest.
I am leaving out the Find Outers books, because their focus is more on the plot than on 'detail' in descriptive writing and character - the plots of some (eg Burnt Cottage, Tally-Ho Cottage and Strange Messages) are however some of Enid's best constructions.
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Rob Houghton
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Re: Which Enid Blyton books are considered her best writing?

Post by Rob Houghton »

I don't think I've ever agreed with a post so thoroughly and completely! Totally agree with every point you've made! :-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)



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IceMaiden
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Re: Which Enid Blyton books are considered her best writing?

Post by IceMaiden »

Rob Houghton wrote:The only reason I would rate the Malory Towers and St Claire's series more lowly than others is that Enid committed the sin of making them 'just for girls'! ;-) I always felt this was a shame, as she alienated half her audience - especially back in the days they were written. I've read them as an adult, but would never have read them as a child.
I have never and will never understand why some have a problem with something that's solely aimed at girls. Why does it matter if the school series was just for girls? People make magazines solely for women (Chat, Bella, Woman's Weekly) and for men (cars, bikes, trains, others I won't name!). They also make tv programmes aimed purely at women - Call The Midwife, Loose Women, This Morning and have the Dave channel just for men. What's the difference between those or in EB writing series for girls and other author's writing those slushy romance novels for women?

(I'm not aiming this at you Rob by the way, I just can't understand why it's seen as an issue) :)
Last edited by IceMaiden on 26 Jul 2017, 21:38, edited 1 time in total.
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Rob Houghton
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Re: Which Enid Blyton books are considered her best writing?

Post by Rob Houghton »

Well, personally, as a boy I wouldn't have read stories that I perceived to be 'for girls'. I wasn't a particularly macho boy - wasn't a lover of sport and preferred to read and write and draw - but I remember my sister had some 'Chalet School' novels, which I never even opened. I think this idea was also the reason I only read two Famous Fives as a child - and both were 'Famous Five annuals' rather than novels. My sister had all of them, but when I was at primary school a bunch of girls were in a sort of Famous Five reading club, and would bring the books to school to swap. I kinda thought they were also 'for girls' and so never bothered with them!

The reason why I don't really like the idea that Enid wrote school stories just for girls was that up until those books she had aimed everything squarely at boys and girls - and I feel this is her strength. I'm amazed that she gave in to the person who suggested she write more traditional girls school stories. I bet the boys of the day were a bit put out that these were series' they didn't feel they could openly read! ;-)

There's still a stigma today about boys and men being seen to be reading 'women's' books and magazines. Women are lucky in this respect, as its much more acceptable for girls and women to read 'male' books, I think. I've read a few women's magazines and books, as I'm sure many men have - but not many men would be happy to be seen sitting on the bus reading a 'chic-lit' even in 2017! ;-)
'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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