The Wishing Chair v The Faraway Tree

[pete9012S]

The Wishing Chair v The Faraway Tree (Enchanted Wood)?

Which book do you like best and why?
I have never read either book (unbelievable I know!).

Which book should I read first??

[Lucky Star]

It's always been The Faraway Tree for me. Probably nostalgic reasons as they were the ones I read first. I am surprised you haven't read either of them |Pete. I would say you cannot possibly go wrong with The Enchanted Wood. If you don't enjoy it I'll eat my hat.

[Katharine]

I agree. I had both books as a child and although I enjoyed them both, I definitely preferred The Enchanted Wood.

I think I felt there was more of an ongoing story running through The Enchanted Wood, whereas the Wishing Chair felt more like a collection of short stories - although I think a few ran over a couple of chapters.

Both are worth reading though. Perhaps read the Wishing Chair first and so save 'the best until last'.

[pete9012S]

Many thanks!

Sounds like The Wishing Chair will be a good place to start.

[Daisy]

The Faraway Tree for me too. I loved it as a child - I had the Wishing Chair books too, but there is just something about the Enchanted Wood which pips the other to the post!

[Anita Bensoussane]

I prefer the Faraway Tree books to the Wishing-Chair books too. I agree with Katharine that there are more ongoing story threads in the Faraway Tree series (though the second Wishing-Chair book is better than the first in that respect) and the tree itself is iconic, with some endearing elements (e.g. Moon-Face's cosy room, Silky's delicious Google Buns and Pop Biscuits, and the red squirrel who collects the cushions) but also masses of quirky, unexpected and often alarming elements. I love the idea of a flying chair but the Faraway Tree is a world linked to other worlds and shows Enid at her imaginative best.

[Courtenay]

I'll go along with everyone else so far — I read and loved both as a child, but I think the Faraway Tree series is the better one overall. Both sets of books are a bit episodic (that probably has something to do with being serialised in Sunny Stories originally!), but the Faraway Tree saga introduces us to a whole community of memorable characters who take part in most of the adventures together with the children, and that just gives the books a greater sense of depth and warmth somehow, I think. I always loved Silky and Moon-Face in particular — even as a four-year-old, I reckoned the two of them must have been headed for marriage. Of course Enid doesn't actually tell us that, but by the third book they do seem to be spending a lot of time together...

Most memorable of all, though, was and is the ending of the third book, The Folk of the Faraway Tree, in which the adventures come to a very dramatic and (for me) quite wrenching climax... I won't give away any details, Pete, but I reckon if you read the whole series, you won't be disappointed.

[Stephen]

It seems I'm the only Wishing Chair champion so far! This is mostly through sheer nostalgia; this was my introduction to Enid Blyton, and I still strongly associate it with memories of my first school. Mr Grim's School for Bad Brownies was next to the playground, and one of my friends reminded me so much of Winks...

I never had The Faraway Tree as a child, although I remember our teacher reading one of the books out to us, and the whole thing did sound quite fun. Of course a big aspect of the Wishing Chair is that the children understandably don't want the grown ups to find out about their secret otherwise it would be "put into a museum". On the other hand, the children in the Faraway Tree are quite happy to tell their mother about their adventures, and even invite their friends around to meet her. I'm not sure how I would react as a grown up being introduced to a silky fairy or a man with an enormous, moon-shaped head!

[IceMaiden]

You can't go wrong with either of them! I adore both, but the Wishing Chair holds a very special place in my heart. It was the book my mum bought from Woolworths before I was even born because she 'thought I'd like something by Enid Blyton'. I was hooked from the first page and I credit it with so much. It's the first proper book I ever read, I have fond memories of my dad reading me a chapter a night at four years old, I learnt to read with it and of course it started my lifelong love of EB . The idea of a chair that can grow wings and fly you away to strange and exciting places is to me every bit as imaginative and marvellous as a magical tree that can take you to them. Read both Pete - you'll be glad you did!

[Viv of Ginger Pop]

It's a bit like comparing Malory Towers with the earlier St Clares and Naughtiest Girl series.

As an adult I found it interesting to see how Enid developed as an author. So I'd recommend to start with the Chair and progress to the Tree.

Anyone fancy a readathon?

Viv

[Courtenay]

Anyone fancy a readathon?

I'd be up for that — either series!! (The only one I don't have on hand is The Wishing-Chair Again, but that can be rectified quite easily.)

[Betsy's Bear]

The Wishing Chair for me. I got my copy from my auntie, it was hers as a child and she had watercoloured in all the outline illustrations and I read it over and over. Enchanted stores good too.

[Irene Malory Towers]

Like most other I (much) prefer the Faraway Tree series. I did like the Wishing Chair though but the Faraway Tree series is I think by far the better. Partly because of the whole new world that the children are drawn into, partly because there is the continuity thread running through, and I also think because there are more memorable characters like Silky, Moonface, Dame Washalot. I also love the way that the tree characters have some small interaction with the children's parents, well mother actually. On this thread somebody commented it is like comparing the school books - Malory Towers, St Claire's and the Naughtiest Girl series. Here again I think that Malory Towers is by far the superior series.

[Blytonfan]

Great discussion.

I always felt that "Wishing Chair" got it's inspiration from "Granny's Wonderful Chair" and "The Enchanted Wood" from "The Cuckoo Clock".

[Deejay]

Definitely The Faraway Tree for me.

The first Blyton books I read, so I certainly have a sense of nostalgia for them.