Julie2owlsdene wrote:I just want to add that I've given up on reading this book. It's dreadful. It gets worse and worse as you read on. Nothing Blyton or S.S about it at all. It's just a 'jazzy' Pamela Butchart book, for youngsters, full stop!
I can't help feeling that if Enid read this, and see what has been done to her S.S. she wouldn't be too happy at all!
I'm sure it frustrates you, as it does me, Julie! At least our continuation novels have a Blytonian flavour! It seems very unfair sometimes!
It almost seems an insult to Enid, rather than a tribute, when these types of continuation novels surface. Its like the publisher/author are saying 'this is what Enid's books SHOULD have been like or COULD have been like if she'd been a fantastic modern writer in 2018 - much better than the originals! We know better than she did!" - they all think they can produce something better than Enid, and they can't - because Enid was a phenomenon!
'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.'
Well said, Rob (though I haven't read the books in question, so I can't judge them personally). I wonder what is the point of writing "continuation" novels if you're not even going to try to recreate the style and feel of the originals — obviously not to the point of sounding like a bad parody, but enough so that readers can feel like these are the same characters and the story is definitely something the original author could have written? It reminds me of what we've also discussed before about translations into other languages where the translators take huge liberties with the text, as if they too are saying "this is what Enid SHOULD have written"...
Society Member
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)
Julie, some of the Lallemand Sercet Seven books had been published in English as well. If you read them (or one/some of them), how would you rate them and comapre them with Pamela Butchart and Enid Blyton?
I've only ever read one of those books, Wolfgang, and it was called Secret Seven Go Haunting. It was years ago now, so I really can't remember what the book was about, I'd have to read it again. But I did read the whole book, so I don't think I must have been that disappointed. Maybe the author kept the S.S as near to Blyton's own as possible. When I have time I will re-read it.
Julian gave an exclamation and nudged George.
"See that? It's the black Bentley again. KMF 102!"
Thank you for your evaluation, Daisy. I read the 9 Lallemand books in English years ago, but I don't remember the plot of "Go haunting" at all. It can't be that bad though, or I'd remember that .
Wolfgang wrote:Julie, some of the Lallemand Sercet Seven books had been published in English as well. If you read them (or one/some of them), how would you rate them and comapre them with Pamela Butchart and Enid Blyton?
I've a number of the Lallemand continuation books and rate them fairl to good and certainly better that Butchart's effort. Lallemand seems to have a far better understanding of the characters and the village/surrounding area that the Seven are from and not only remains consistent with the originals but also provides a little more depth. Like Butchart she gives the female characters greater roles but it seems a little less forced than it does in Butcharts attempt.
Pamela Butchart was interviewed on BBC Breakfast shortly after 9 am this morning, about one of her S7 books. I missed the start of the interview so will have to watch again on catch up.
"You can't change history as that won't change the future"
I must say, I thought she spoke well and agreed with what she said. The latest book is set in the same era, but Pam and Barbara are now not so 'dippy' as they were in the originals.
If you click on the link, you need to go forward to 3:07:56 for the start of the interview:
My only minor cristicism is the title: Mystery of the Theatre Ghost, which to me made it sound more like a Find-Outers' story. It was good to see the author's name at the bottom of the cover as well.
I also felt she presented her intent in writing them well and am glad her name is prominent on the cover although if I were nitpicking I think the top should read Enid Blyton's Secret Seven... and not Enid Blyton to indicate it is of E B but not E B.
Last edited by joanne_chan on 18 Mar 2019, 15:49, edited 1 time in total.
'Mystery of the Theatre Ghost' sounds not only like a Find Outer book, but I can imagine it progressing very much along the lines of your average 'Scooby Doo' plot, knowing what Pamela did in her first Secret Seven book!
'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.'
.
You're right of course 
