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The Famous Five #20
Los cinco han de resolver un enigma
Es el primer día de vacaciones y Dick está furioso por tener que tomar el té con una amiga de su madre. Sin embargo, el disgusto dura poco: la señora Layman, que tiene que partir de viaje, quiere que en su ausencia los chicos se queden en su casita de la montaña para cuidar de su sobrino Wilfredo.
Una vez en Villa Montaña, Wilfredo confiesa a los chicos un misterioso secreto: en la Isla de los Lamentos hay unos hombres que disparan sobre quienes tratan de llegar a sus costas. Nuestros amigos quieren pasar unos días tranquilos así que no piensan acercarse a esa misteriosa isla. Pero un día que alquilan un bote para remar, la marea los arrastra hasta allí. Los Cinco están en peligro... ¿Qué pueden hacer esta vez?
Una vez en Villa Montaña, Wilfredo confiesa a los chicos un misterioso secreto: en la Isla de los Lamentos hay unos hombres que disparan sobre quienes tratan de llegar a sus costas. Nuestros amigos quieren pasar unos días tranquilos así que no piensan acercarse a esa misteriosa isla. Pero un día que alquilan un bote para remar, la marea los arrastra hasta allí. Los Cinco están en peligro... ¿Qué pueden hacer esta vez?
128 pages, Paperback
Published October 2, 1989
86 people are currently reading
2097 people want to read
About the author
Enid Blyton
5,129 books6,290 followersSee also:
Ένιντ Μπλάιτον (Greek)
Enida Blaitona (Latvian)
Энид Блайтон (Russian)
Inid Blajton (Serbian)
Інід Блайтон (Ukrainian)
Enid Mary Blyton (1897–1968) was an English author of children's books.
Born in South London, Blyton was the eldest of three children, and showed an early interest in music and reading. She was educated at St. Christopher's School, Beckenham, and - having decided not to pursue her music - at Ipswich High School, where she trained as a kindergarten teacher. She taught for five years before her 1924 marriage to editor Hugh Pollock, with whom she had two daughters. This marriage ended in divorce, and Blyton remarried in 1943, to surgeon Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters. She died in 1968, one year after her second husband.
Blyton was a prolific author of children's books, who penned an estimated 800 books over about 40 years. Her stories were often either children's adventure and mystery stories, or fantasies involving magic. Notable series include: The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, The Five Find-Outers, Noddy, The Wishing Chair, Mallory Towers, and St. Clare's.
According to the Index Translationum, Blyton was the fifth most popular author in the world in 2007, coming after Lenin but ahead of Shakespeare.
See also her pen name Mary Pollock
Ένιντ Μπλάιτον (Greek)
Enida Blaitona (Latvian)
Энид Блайтон (Russian)
Inid Blajton (Serbian)
Інід Блайтон (Ukrainian)
Enid Mary Blyton (1897–1968) was an English author of children's books.
Born in South London, Blyton was the eldest of three children, and showed an early interest in music and reading. She was educated at St. Christopher's School, Beckenham, and - having decided not to pursue her music - at Ipswich High School, where she trained as a kindergarten teacher. She taught for five years before her 1924 marriage to editor Hugh Pollock, with whom she had two daughters. This marriage ended in divorce, and Blyton remarried in 1943, to surgeon Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters. She died in 1968, one year after her second husband.
Blyton was a prolific author of children's books, who penned an estimated 800 books over about 40 years. Her stories were often either children's adventure and mystery stories, or fantasies involving magic. Notable series include: The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, The Five Find-Outers, Noddy, The Wishing Chair, Mallory Towers, and St. Clare's.
According to the Index Translationum, Blyton was the fifth most popular author in the world in 2007, coming after Lenin but ahead of Shakespeare.
See also her pen name Mary Pollock
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 176 reviews
December 17, 2016
I'm being very generous with my rating system here. The book is simply sub-par. No amount of rhetoric will change that. Now I understand why I don't remember reading the 20th Famous Five book. I had perhaps made an attempt, and did not finish the book.
The story is ludicrous beyond belief. Our Five want to go camp in a quaint, crooked looking cottage. The cottage have a world class view of the coastline, the harbor, the island etc. To those not familiar with this series, I think the mention of the word island will make the initiated perk up in anticipation.
Sadly, my anticipation was cheated by the paucity of proper plotting. So why am I giving this parody 4 stars? I think it's because of the setting, of the token willful boy who gets tamed on contact with the Five. This book should not have been greenlit for publishing. I could say more, but I'm done.
The story is ludicrous beyond belief. Our Five want to go camp in a quaint, crooked looking cottage. The cottage have a world class view of the coastline, the harbor, the island etc. To those not familiar with this series, I think the mention of the word island will make the initiated perk up in anticipation.
Sadly, my anticipation was cheated by the paucity of proper plotting. So why am I giving this parody 4 stars? I think it's because of the setting, of the token willful boy who gets tamed on contact with the Five. This book should not have been greenlit for publishing. I could say more, but I'm done.
August 27, 2019
Well, here we are; the penultimate Famous Five book. There's not much sign of Enid running out of steam, though. All the essentials are here for the Famous Five drinking game.
You're not familiar with the Famous Five drinking game, you say?
Well, it's a little something I developed with my F5 buddy-reader, Sunshine Seaspray. It goes like this:
The Five make Uncle Quentin angry: DRINK!
The Five eat enough food to put a whole troop of elephants into a diabetic coma: DRINK!
George defies traditional gender stereotypes: DRINK!
Anne delights in living up to traditional gender stereotypes: DRINK!
Timmy the dog SAYS 'Woof' instead of actually barking: DRINK!
Dick says it's pointless giving Timmy a certain type of food because he eats it too fast to taste it: DRINK!
Julian acts like a stuck-up bossy-pants: DRINK!
The Five discover a hidden/underground passage/tunnel: DRINK!
The Five notice some shifty looking people who are probably up to no good: DRINK!
The Five befriend a weird kid after initially disliking them: DRINK!
The Five get important plot exposition from an old person: DRINK!
The Five discover enough treasure for them all to retire on but give it to the police instead: DRINK!
Legal Disclaimer: please remember to always drink responsibly. Anybody under the legal age for drinking alcohol in their country, or who chooses not to imbibe alcohol, may play this game with orangeade or other fizzy pop of their choice.
You're not familiar with the Famous Five drinking game, you say?
Well, it's a little something I developed with my F5 buddy-reader, Sunshine Seaspray. It goes like this:
The Five make Uncle Quentin angry: DRINK!
The Five eat enough food to put a whole troop of elephants into a diabetic coma: DRINK!
George defies traditional gender stereotypes: DRINK!
Anne delights in living up to traditional gender stereotypes: DRINK!
Timmy the dog SAYS 'Woof' instead of actually barking: DRINK!
Dick says it's pointless giving Timmy a certain type of food because he eats it too fast to taste it: DRINK!
Julian acts like a stuck-up bossy-pants: DRINK!
The Five discover a hidden/underground passage/tunnel: DRINK!
The Five notice some shifty looking people who are probably up to no good: DRINK!
The Five befriend a weird kid after initially disliking them: DRINK!
The Five get important plot exposition from an old person: DRINK!
The Five discover enough treasure for them all to retire on but give it to the police instead: DRINK!
Legal Disclaimer: please remember to always drink responsibly. Anybody under the legal age for drinking alcohol in their country, or who chooses not to imbibe alcohol, may play this game with orangeade or other fizzy pop of their choice.
September 30, 2015
Same Story, Different Island
30 September 2015
Well, I am getting close to reading all of the Enid Blyton books that I intend on reading (I have no interest in Mallory Towers or the Naughtiest School Girl, and since Blyton wrote heaps of books, and I have already read quite a few, I think I will leave it with the Famous Five and Secret Seven) so I am slowly getting there and hopefully once they are out of the way I can then look at reading some other series that I have been itching to read again for a while (though I won't say what they are just yet). Actually, come to think of it, there are a few series I want to read again, but I think I am getting a little ahead of myself.
Anyway, not surprisingly, the Famous Five are once again on holidays (I wish I had as many holidays as these kids get) and once again they are off on a bicycle adventure. This time it is to a harbour which is apparently the second biggest harbour after Sydney Harbour (which I must admit is some feat because Sydney Harbour is huge, but then again San Francisco also has a pretty massive harbour, or is it technically a bay, not that I would know the difference). I didn't think there were any massive harbours in England, and even if there were wouldn't they be located in some huge industrial city such as Liverpool or Newcastle?
Anyway, let us leave the issue of this harbour behind and get on with the story, not that there is all that much to say about this story because it tends to follow the same pattern that many of the other Famous Five stories follow. Basically they meat a kid at the cottage where they are staying (and this kid has a strange affinity with animals – including Timothy) which they start off hating but then after he saves their lives they decided that he his pretty cool. There is also a mysterious island with a ruined castle on it (much like the one back at George's house) which they decide to go an explore, even though people tell them that bad things happen to nosey people there (not that it's stopped them before).
Well, you can probably guess what happens because, well, this is an Famous Five book, and they all tend to pretty much follow the same pattern. Yep, they find some bad people who are involved in smuggling antiques, get captured, manage to escape, get the police involved, who then storm the island and arrest the bad guys, all the time while the Famous Five are watching, and then they (the Famous Five that is) go off and have an enjoyable rest of the holidays.
However these days when I read about the police storming an island and arresting the bad guys I cannot help but think that they look something like this:
30 September 2015
Well, I am getting close to reading all of the Enid Blyton books that I intend on reading (I have no interest in Mallory Towers or the Naughtiest School Girl, and since Blyton wrote heaps of books, and I have already read quite a few, I think I will leave it with the Famous Five and Secret Seven) so I am slowly getting there and hopefully once they are out of the way I can then look at reading some other series that I have been itching to read again for a while (though I won't say what they are just yet). Actually, come to think of it, there are a few series I want to read again, but I think I am getting a little ahead of myself.
Anyway, not surprisingly, the Famous Five are once again on holidays (I wish I had as many holidays as these kids get) and once again they are off on a bicycle adventure. This time it is to a harbour which is apparently the second biggest harbour after Sydney Harbour (which I must admit is some feat because Sydney Harbour is huge, but then again San Francisco also has a pretty massive harbour, or is it technically a bay, not that I would know the difference). I didn't think there were any massive harbours in England, and even if there were wouldn't they be located in some huge industrial city such as Liverpool or Newcastle?
Anyway, let us leave the issue of this harbour behind and get on with the story, not that there is all that much to say about this story because it tends to follow the same pattern that many of the other Famous Five stories follow. Basically they meat a kid at the cottage where they are staying (and this kid has a strange affinity with animals – including Timothy) which they start off hating but then after he saves their lives they decided that he his pretty cool. There is also a mysterious island with a ruined castle on it (much like the one back at George's house) which they decide to go an explore, even though people tell them that bad things happen to nosey people there (not that it's stopped them before).
Well, you can probably guess what happens because, well, this is an Famous Five book, and they all tend to pretty much follow the same pattern. Yep, they find some bad people who are involved in smuggling antiques, get captured, manage to escape, get the police involved, who then storm the island and arrest the bad guys, all the time while the Famous Five are watching, and then they (the Famous Five that is) go off and have an enjoyable rest of the holidays.
However these days when I read about the police storming an island and arresting the bad guys I cannot help but think that they look something like this:
May 21, 2022
Веома занимљива авантура 🐶
June 20, 2019
This one I think I may have read once before, but it certainly wasn't one that stuck out in memory for me. I have to admit one thing that always amazes me about these five children is that they seem to have such a carefree world and be able to cycle around, hire out boats, and adventure in the wilds of England without any hinderance. I do admire that the world used to be like that, nowadays you certainly wouldn't let kids get up to the things that they did in these books.
This tells the story of the five going to meet with a young boy called Wilfred and living with him whilst his grandmother is away. They all stay in a ramshackle old house on the edge of a cliff and they can see an island out in the bay which they are rather curious about. As always they can't resist investigating, and I enjoyed seeing their adventure and even Anne coming into her own a bit more here.
A fun one but not one which had too much nostalgia for me, 2.5*s.
This tells the story of the five going to meet with a young boy called Wilfred and living with him whilst his grandmother is away. They all stay in a ramshackle old house on the edge of a cliff and they can see an island out in the bay which they are rather curious about. As always they can't resist investigating, and I enjoyed seeing their adventure and even Anne coming into her own a bit more here.
A fun one but not one which had too much nostalgia for me, 2.5*s.
April 24, 2019
... reading with my 10 year old daughter...
Again a captivating read. When you close that book, you want more.
Again a captivating read. When you close that book, you want more.
August 30, 2019
Well I quite liked Wilfred but with our insular five they couldn't possibly just welcome him into the fold.
The cracks are beginning to show...
George is a pillock and would rather put good old Timbo in perilous danger at every turn whilst simultaneously issuing Wilfy boy with a restraining order not to come within a country mile of him.
Anne is showing signs of lust for adventure and may yet hang up her pinny and mother hen award.
Dick decides to not to be mini Julian and strikes out of the shadows.
Timmy says 'woof' and this time he means it! He also wishes Wilf would take him away from all this crap or at least knew the number for the RSPCA.
Julian still thinks he's in charge but Anne and Dick may flip at any moment even if George is losing her edge and Tim runs off into the sunset with Wilf.
Well narrated but...
I miss you Jan I miss you Jan I miss you Jan I miss you Jan I miss you Jan I miss you Jan
JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNN!
The cracks are beginning to show...
George is a pillock and would rather put good old Timbo in perilous danger at every turn whilst simultaneously issuing Wilfy boy with a restraining order not to come within a country mile of him.
Anne is showing signs of lust for adventure and may yet hang up her pinny and mother hen award.
Dick decides to not to be mini Julian and strikes out of the shadows.
Timmy says 'woof' and this time he means it! He also wishes Wilf would take him away from all this crap or at least knew the number for the RSPCA.
Julian still thinks he's in charge but Anne and Dick may flip at any moment even if George is losing her edge and Tim runs off into the sunset with Wilf.
Well narrated but...
I miss you Jan I miss you Jan I miss you Jan I miss you Jan I miss you Jan I miss you Jan
JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNN!
December 31, 2018
My last book read in 2018! It was definitely amazing! I love it! 😍
June 16, 2022
I’ve had so much fun with this series - despite the plethora of tunnels, caves, wells, treasure and large stones that must be moved. The only thing that’s missing is the ginger beer.
March 23, 2014
The Famous Five by Enid Blyton
“Five have a mystery to solve”
The famous five written by Enid Blyton is a great series of books. This one called “Five Have a Mystery to Solve” is about the famous five meeting a boy and then having a mystery which starts when they are told stories about a whispering island, and then decide to go there.They find out that two men are trying to steal some golden treasure and have captured the man that lives on the island so they can go through his house.The famous five and the boy get caught and locked in the same dungeon with the man who lives on the island.
I particularly like the old fashioned and the detailed language that Enid Blyton uses in her books.
Annick age 8
“Five have a mystery to solve”
The famous five written by Enid Blyton is a great series of books. This one called “Five Have a Mystery to Solve” is about the famous five meeting a boy and then having a mystery which starts when they are told stories about a whispering island, and then decide to go there.They find out that two men are trying to steal some golden treasure and have captured the man that lives on the island so they can go through his house.The famous five and the boy get caught and locked in the same dungeon with the man who lives on the island.
I particularly like the old fashioned and the detailed language that Enid Blyton uses in her books.
Annick age 8
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2016
These books (Famous five) are hands down one of my favorite books from my childhood. All those adventures and mystery …and those sandwiches they always packed! aww, just the best! I would love to read one of these again. To bring back those memories..memories of first experiences with reading books.
August 2, 2022
Coming to the end of the series. This one wasn't a bad read but once again, as in the other later books, it was formulaic. It's like she was churning them out at this stage. Not a bad read but not a patch on the earlier ones.
Liked it better this time.
Liked it better this time.
September 12, 2025
3 stars
“The nicest word in the English language is holidays!”
The Famous Five visit a coastal home and become intrigued by nearby Whispering Island, rumored to be haunted. With the help of their new strange friend, Wilfrid, they explore the island and uncover a gang of criminals hiding stolen treasure.
This one actually felt like a tap back to the earlier books. It felt mysterious, the group stuck together, and Anne actually had quite an important role to play. I thought Wilfrid was a rather peculiar addition to the story but the overall plot and enjoyment of this book surprised me, especially considering how far into the series we are.
My ranking: #10/21
“The nicest word in the English language is holidays!”
The Famous Five visit a coastal home and become intrigued by nearby Whispering Island, rumored to be haunted. With the help of their new strange friend, Wilfrid, they explore the island and uncover a gang of criminals hiding stolen treasure.
This one actually felt like a tap back to the earlier books. It felt mysterious, the group stuck together, and Anne actually had quite an important role to play. I thought Wilfrid was a rather peculiar addition to the story but the overall plot and enjoyment of this book surprised me, especially considering how far into the series we are.
My ranking: #10/21
July 19, 2023
Can't believe I never read this as a kid!
For one of her later ones, it's a bit odd - the kids all feel quite young, and it has major Five on Treasure Island vibes.
With one notable exception:
Anne gets character development!
This has only happened previously in the one where she stays behind and misses out - can't remember title - villain is called Red.
For one of her later ones, it's a bit odd - the kids all feel quite young, and it has major Five on Treasure Island vibes.
With one notable exception:
Anne gets character development!
This has only happened previously in the one where she stays behind and misses out - can't remember title - villain is called Red.
January 20, 2021
Well this was an odd one, Blyton seems to have come at this in a very different way - and that's ignoring the oddness of the description of Lucas (Odd for a children's book anyway.)
It's a little bit blah this one. Considering the lack of anything in this book and the repetition of plot in the last few I think she might have not wanted to write any more several books ago. I got the feeling that Blyton had wanted this to be the very last one, with the wrap-up ending.
Not even the description fo the beauty bay helps. (You do have to question why George has never been there considering it is a bike ride away -maybe it moved at the same time as the cousins?). Nor can topless Lucas nor the nine-year-old, whistle-playing all-animal charmer save it.
It's a little bit blah this one. Considering the lack of anything in this book and the repetition of plot in the last few I think she might have not wanted to write any more several books ago. I got the feeling that Blyton had wanted this to be the very last one, with the wrap-up ending.
Not even the description fo the beauty bay helps. (You do have to question why George has never been there considering it is a bike ride away -maybe it moved at the same time as the cousins?). Nor can topless Lucas nor the nine-year-old, whistle-playing all-animal charmer save it.
December 6, 2010
What to say now? This was really as exciting as ever. The most interesting part was when the five were on Whispering Island. They way they escaped from that cave through the well was really fascinating. I wish I had such adventures! They found various gold statues and jewels. Well, at last it was mentioned that Whispering island, the cottage on the hill in which the Five lived and Morris who used to tell tales about the island are all real. This was from the side of the author- Enid Blyton. I liked the novel and will give 4 stars to it ****.
October 13, 2023
kali ini lima sekawan ditawarin nginep di rumahnya bu layman buat nemenin cucunya yg namanya wilfrid di rumahnya di atas bukit!!
ceritanya sendiri seru juga, tp ga kompleks. kalo dibandingin sm petualangan” lain yg udah kubaca ak cm bisa kasih rate 3 di buku ini. cukup buat bacaan ringan n ngobatin rasa penasaran sama petualangan lengkapnya famous five..
ceritanya sendiri seru juga, tp ga kompleks. kalo dibandingin sm petualangan” lain yg udah kubaca ak cm bisa kasih rate 3 di buku ini. cukup buat bacaan ringan n ngobatin rasa penasaran sama petualangan lengkapnya famous five..
March 12, 2021
It's a best adventure book.
May 21, 2025
ใกล้จะจบชุดแล้ว แต่เรื่องราวแบบเดิม ๆ เพิ่มเติมคือความเอ๊ะ! ในหลาย ๆ เรื่อง ทั้งโจรที่จับเด็กได้แล้วก็ปล่อย จับใหม่แล้วขัง ห้องลับในบ่อน้ำ ทางเดินลับที่บนหน้าผา สมบัติมหาศาลในปราสาทเก่า หลาย ๆ อย่างดูไม่สมเหตุผล (ซึ่งปกติก็หาได้น้อยอยู่แล้ว) แต่รอบนี้หาผลมารองรับ (แถ) ไม่ได้เลย เหมือนจับเอาจุดเด่น ๆ ของแต่ละเล่มเก่า ๆ มารวมกัน แล้วไอ้จู่ ๆ สามพี่น้องย้ายบ้านมาใกล้บ้านจอร์จนี่มันอะไรกัน (2.5 ดาวอ่ะเล่มนี้)
November 5, 2025
Just a cute adventure story..Nostalgic cause of the fact my dad used to read the famous five as well♥️
Have read this one once before when I was 7ish...safe to say i don't remember a thing (at the time i do remember I read it in class and think I was distracted LOADS 😅)...
Good times & now back to my other reads!
Have read this one once before when I was 7ish...safe to say i don't remember a thing (at the time i do remember I read it in class and think I was distracted LOADS 😅)...
Good times & now back to my other reads!
July 31, 2019
These books are super-nostalgic for me, and as a non-binary person hindsight is 20/20 on why I relate to George so much!
Yes, I did read this instead of Lord of the Rings so I'd pass all my OWLs, I was running out of time!
Yes, I did read this instead of Lord of the Rings so I'd pass all my OWLs, I was running out of time!
March 8, 2020
The 20th and penultimate Famous Five. As much as I’ve enjoyed reliving my youth by reading these with my daughter I’m sad to say this was poor by the previous standard.
I found it slow and predictable. Hoping the final entry goes back to an exciting read.
I found it slow and predictable. Hoping the final entry goes back to an exciting read.
July 14, 2019
Not as believable as most of the other famous five books, but still an enjoyable read.
November 13, 2019
Not the best in the series, by a long way. The "mystery" was quite peculiar, and there were many loose ends, which didn't make much sense.
September 16, 2023
Nostalgia-"it was ok". If memory serves, it really isn't...
January 18, 2024
Childhood memories <3
October 7, 2017
I read it just to reminisce my childhood...
December 26, 2017
In my opinion, I think it is important to remember these books were written for children. Many of the reviews I read complain that the stories as we near the end of the series are similar. As a child reader of the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys series, I was captivated by every book. If the stories seemed similar, I didn’t notice. The children who read these books when they were first published probably didn’t notice either. The characters are interesting! In this book, Anne comes out of her “mouse” role to show some spunk! Way to go, Anne!
May 6, 2025
(Of this series, I've read and reviewed Five on a Treasure Island, Five Go Adventuring Again, Five Run Away Together, Five Go to Smuggler's Top, Five Go Off in a Caravan, Five on Kirrin Island Again, Five Go Off to Camp, Five Get Into Trouble, Five Fall Into Adventure, Five Have a Wonderful Time, Five Go Down to the Sea, Five on a Hike Together, Five Go to Mystery Moor, Five on a Secret Trail, Five Have Plenty of Fun, Five Go to Billycock Hill, Five on Finniston Farm, Five Go to Demon's Rocks and Five Get into a Fix)
It ticks all the Five boxes, but many of them are rather half-hearted by this point. Even the title - Five Have A Mystery To Solve - is phoned in. Don't they always?
The guest star Wilfrid is rude and obnoxious for the first couple of chapters. Can you blame him? His nan is hands-off, his mum won't let him go home, the hired help is glad to wash her hands of him too, and he's suddenly being babysat by four strange kids and a dog - I think I'd be annoyed too. However, he doesn't stay like that for long, as Anne's well-aimed bucket of water during an argument causes a heel-face turn. From then on, Wilfrid becomes indistinguishable from any other holiday chum. Sadly, his knack with animals (or even his desire to lure Timmy away from George) isn't even fully explored or made use of in the plot.
George is back in the picture in this book - petulant and hot-headed as always, but a welcome return to form. Julian the de-facto leader and Dick the good-natured deputy are present and correct.
I like Anne as she is and think she's treated rather harshly by both her family and the readers over the course of the series, but one thing I did genuinely like in this installment was her bravery taking front and centre and finally getting some recognition for it. Therefore, this book gets an extra star purely for this.
Blyton made a point to note that Whispering Island was based off a real location (Brownsea Island). It's National Trust owned now, and you can stay there at a discount if you work for retail giant and Christmas-ad experts John Lewis, apparently... that isn't in the author's note, I googled it and just thought it was interesting. Lucas was also based on a real person who worked for Blyton's husband, who owned a golf course similar to the one the Five visit.
As the book is set over a couple of days, the pacing feels very quick and there's not much room to breathe and soak in all this idyllic atmosphere, even though the book is a similar length to the others.
And finally, the most annoying bit I need to mention... Blyton's tendency to cut the adventure off part-way through the story in these later installments hasn't gone unnoticed by me, but it was particularly blatant in this one. Take, for example, this passage a couple of pages from the end, after the kids row back to the mainland after discovering the baddies' dastardly plan:
"Well—you’ll soon have [peace], Julian! That little cottage is waiting for you all, with its glorious view over the Harbour and Whispering Island. You’ll have quite a bit of excitement tomorrow, of course, when the police take you back to the island in their boat, and you show them the old well, the vast treasure-chamber, the secret passage, and all the rest. You’ll be there when all the men are rounded up, you’ll watch them chugging off, prisoners, in the police boat, amazed that the Famous Five should have defeated them. What an adventure! And what a relief when all the excitement is over, and you lie peacefully on the hillside, with the little cottage just behind you."
That all sounds brilliant, Mrs B, but I really wish you'd written about it. Any of it. One of the things that captivated me as a young reader is the sense of urgency when the Five are in a race against time or having to sneak around to escape or alert the authorities. Of course that's just Tuesday for the gang, nobody is in serious peril and the baddies never win, but the kids are oddly just as unruffled as Blyton's narration. For goodness sake, these men had guns, intended to hold you hostage, and that's without the thievery - but it can all wait 'til morning, I guess?!
I've got one more to go before bidding farewell to our intrepid troopers, and it looks as if these last two are deliberately a return to 'classic Five'.
2.5/5, including Anne's star.
It ticks all the Five boxes, but many of them are rather half-hearted by this point. Even the title - Five Have A Mystery To Solve - is phoned in. Don't they always?
The guest star Wilfrid is rude and obnoxious for the first couple of chapters. Can you blame him? His nan is hands-off, his mum won't let him go home, the hired help is glad to wash her hands of him too, and he's suddenly being babysat by four strange kids and a dog - I think I'd be annoyed too. However, he doesn't stay like that for long, as Anne's well-aimed bucket of water during an argument causes a heel-face turn. From then on, Wilfrid becomes indistinguishable from any other holiday chum. Sadly, his knack with animals (or even his desire to lure Timmy away from George) isn't even fully explored or made use of in the plot.
George is back in the picture in this book - petulant and hot-headed as always, but a welcome return to form. Julian the de-facto leader and Dick the good-natured deputy are present and correct.
I like Anne as she is and think she's treated rather harshly by both her family and the readers over the course of the series, but one thing I did genuinely like in this installment was her bravery taking front and centre and finally getting some recognition for it. Therefore, this book gets an extra star purely for this.
Blyton made a point to note that Whispering Island was based off a real location (Brownsea Island). It's National Trust owned now, and you can stay there at a discount if you work for retail giant and Christmas-ad experts John Lewis, apparently... that isn't in the author's note, I googled it and just thought it was interesting. Lucas was also based on a real person who worked for Blyton's husband, who owned a golf course similar to the one the Five visit.
As the book is set over a couple of days, the pacing feels very quick and there's not much room to breathe and soak in all this idyllic atmosphere, even though the book is a similar length to the others.
And finally, the most annoying bit I need to mention... Blyton's tendency to cut the adventure off part-way through the story in these later installments hasn't gone unnoticed by me, but it was particularly blatant in this one. Take, for example, this passage a couple of pages from the end, after the kids row back to the mainland after discovering the baddies' dastardly plan:
"Well—you’ll soon have [peace], Julian! That little cottage is waiting for you all, with its glorious view over the Harbour and Whispering Island. You’ll have quite a bit of excitement tomorrow, of course, when the police take you back to the island in their boat, and you show them the old well, the vast treasure-chamber, the secret passage, and all the rest. You’ll be there when all the men are rounded up, you’ll watch them chugging off, prisoners, in the police boat, amazed that the Famous Five should have defeated them. What an adventure! And what a relief when all the excitement is over, and you lie peacefully on the hillside, with the little cottage just behind you."
That all sounds brilliant, Mrs B, but I really wish you'd written about it. Any of it. One of the things that captivated me as a young reader is the sense of urgency when the Five are in a race against time or having to sneak around to escape or alert the authorities. Of course that's just Tuesday for the gang, nobody is in serious peril and the baddies never win, but the kids are oddly just as unruffled as Blyton's narration. For goodness sake, these men had guns, intended to hold you hostage, and that's without the thievery - but it can all wait 'til morning, I guess?!
I've got one more to go before bidding farewell to our intrepid troopers, and it looks as if these last two are deliberately a return to 'classic Five'.
2.5/5, including Anne's star.
May 3, 2018
Nostalgia read. :)
I think that the "Famous Five" were the first real books (not picture books) I've ever read - the series that started it all!
I remember them being the favourites of my crush-at-the-time (apparently I've always had a thing for intellectuals). :P Books last, romances fade...
I remember not yet being able to pronounce English names correctly, but pronouncing them according to Croatian shallow ortography - and Uncle Quentin frustrated me with his unpronounceable Q!
And I remember being rather enthralled with their adventures. And the elements of the stories (this particular one, at least) have stuck with me, I see, in ways I didn't expect and wasn't conscious of.
Nostalgia reads! <3
I think that the "Famous Five" were the first real books (not picture books) I've ever read - the series that started it all!
I remember them being the favourites of my crush-at-the-time (apparently I've always had a thing for intellectuals). :P Books last, romances fade...
I remember not yet being able to pronounce English names correctly, but pronouncing them according to Croatian shallow ortography - and Uncle Quentin frustrated me with his unpronounceable Q!
And I remember being rather enthralled with their adventures. And the elements of the stories (this particular one, at least) have stuck with me, I see, in ways I didn't expect and wasn't conscious of.
Nostalgia reads! <3
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