The Return of The Less Famous Five

by Ted Bun

Many years ago, four children; Julian, George, Dick, Anne and a dog named Timmy had many adventures.
Time has passed. They are all grown up, apart from Timmy who crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Adulthood has brought many changes to their lives.
Now George’s mother, Aunt Fanny, has followed Timmy.
The children are reunited, back on their old stomping ground. Lashings of gingerbeer and a new adventure awaits.
A ripping yarn, for the young at heart who grew up on Enid Blyton or Nancy Drew if you are American, a bit of a tribute.

245 pages, Paperback

Published May 31, 2024

About the author

I was born in London in 1956 and lived most of my life in the south of England.

I ran a naturist resort in Portugal for three fun-filled summers. Mrs Bun decided this was what we wanted to do. We spent two years searching before we found L’Olivette, our little paradise in the South of France.

Teachers always tell you to write about things you know about. So, that is what I did!

During the long evenings of the quiet season, a series of novellas and short stories started to take shape, one letter at a time

The first book in the Rags to Riches series, in which our central characters first meet and romance starts, “The Uncovered Policeman” was published on Valentine’s Day 2016.

Since then, I have got a little carried away!

Reviews

[Baz TB · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Famous Five, at least the human members, return as grown ups. The story reconvenes at Kirrin Cottage on the event of Aunt Fanny passing away (Uncle Quentin having been lost several years prior). Anne, Julian and Dick converge on Kirrin Cottage from their adult lives in Bristol and London, and cousin George jets in from her life in the US. The four have a last hurrah, in what looks to be a perfectly ordinary catch up of absent friends. Deciding to take one last paddle across to the island, drama ensues that is very unexpected, and results in drastic change in circumstances for Anne, from the point of view of whom, the narrative follows. She ends up residing in Kirrin Cottage, and while initially small events take place and stories develop, there unfolds, at first undetected, a plot worthy of the Famous Five of old. Anne, George, Dick and Julian are back in business, and the fifth member is now Tammy (Timmy having gone to his well earned rest many years past)

The game's afoot (to steal a quote from an entirely different author)...

Another fun piece of storytelling from Ted Bun, which I found lively and captivating and could not put down.
Recommend

[John Dolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those of us who spent our childhood avidly consuming the works of Enid Blyton, this is a trip down memory lane. Ted Bun’s novel might have a satirical edge to it, but I nonetheless found it affecting, and was especially impressed with how he managed to recreate the ‘feel’ of Blyton’s Famous Five books by his cunning use of situation/plot and period language – “Damn!” George swore gently – though Enid herself might have been a little disconcerted by any mention of ‘nakedness’, LOL.
A fun, easy read.

[Edward Yeoman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun story of a reunion of childhood friends. As adults, their lives have changed, but there's still time for another adventure. A nice tribute to Enid Blyton's original stories and the Nancy Drew-style mysteries.