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Enid Blyton for Grown-Ups #3
Fünf Freunde machen Schluss mit Alkohol: Enid Blyton für Erwachsene
"Zum ersten Mal seit Beginn seines Erwachsenenlebens war Julian vollkommen nüchtern, und ihm schien, er sehe die Welt mit neuen Augen."
Wieder einmal erwachen die fünf Freunde mit Erinnerungslücken aus einem Rausch. Der Mund ist pelzig, der Schädel dröhnt und mit dem Kater kommen Reue und Zweifel: Haben sie etwa ein Alkoholproblem?
Gemeinsam fassen sie einen Entschluss: genug gesoffen, ab jetzt gibt's keinen Alkohol mehr! Fatalerweise steht aber noch die Hochzeit ihres Trinkfreundes Ralph an. Werden es die fünf Freunde schaffen, auch ohne Alkohol Spaß zu haben?
Wieder einmal erwachen die fünf Freunde mit Erinnerungslücken aus einem Rausch. Der Mund ist pelzig, der Schädel dröhnt und mit dem Kater kommen Reue und Zweifel: Haben sie etwa ein Alkoholproblem?
Gemeinsam fassen sie einen Entschluss: genug gesoffen, ab jetzt gibt's keinen Alkohol mehr! Fatalerweise steht aber noch die Hochzeit ihres Trinkfreundes Ralph an. Werden es die fünf Freunde schaffen, auch ohne Alkohol Spaß zu haben?
Hardcover
Published September 11, 2019
22 people are currently reading
256 people want to read
About the author
Bruno Vincent
46 books41 followersBruno Vincent was a bookseller and book editor before he was an author. His humour books for grown-ups, co-authored with Jon Butler, were national bestsellers and have been translated into seven languages. The TUMBLEWATER books are his first for children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews
July 22, 2024
Ein weiteres Buch aus der Serie der erwachsenen "Fünf Freunde".
Diesmal geht es um das Thema Alkohol. Es wird der Entschluss gefasst, im neuen Jahr weniger Alkohol zu trinken, was gar nicht so einfach ist, da schon bald wieder eine Hochzeitsfeier ansteht.
🙂
Ich finde die Geschichten der erwachsenen fünf Freunde ja etwas gewöhnungsbedürftig, aber durchaus auf eine Art unterhaltsam.
Zudem ist das Thema "Alkohol" bzw. der Umgang damit sicherlich ein wichtiges Thema.
Diesmal geht es um das Thema Alkohol. Es wird der Entschluss gefasst, im neuen Jahr weniger Alkohol zu trinken, was gar nicht so einfach ist, da schon bald wieder eine Hochzeitsfeier ansteht.
🙂
Ich finde die Geschichten der erwachsenen fünf Freunde ja etwas gewöhnungsbedürftig, aber durchaus auf eine Art unterhaltsam.
Zudem ist das Thema "Alkohol" bzw. der Umgang damit sicherlich ein wichtiges Thema.
May 7, 2017
This was quite funny. Actually, to start with, it's very funny (but probably only if you're familiar with the original Famous Five books). The trouble is, it's a bit of a one note joke and it does start getting a bit old by the time you're over halfway through. When you feel like a book that's only 112 pages long is outstaying its welcome, that's probably not a good sign.
Still, it was quite entertaining and, as I got the first five of these Famous Five spoofs for Christmas, I'll keep going at least that long.
Still, it was quite entertaining and, as I got the first five of these Famous Five spoofs for Christmas, I'll keep going at least that long.
September 13, 2017
No Beer!
13 September 2017
Well, it seems as if the Australian edition of this book actually has the title 'Five Give up the Booze', but I have to admit it is a much better title than 'Five do Dry January'. Okay, a lot of people probably do a dry January, especially after a massive Christmas season bender, but the Australian title does work much better in our culture, especially since the word booze, at least here, is used quite a lot. Mind you, we also have a 'Dry July', which I have never participated in, namely because I really do like sitting in a pub with a beer and a book. Also, I have this urge to have a beer in as many different pubs as possible, and there is no better feeling than turning a corner and suddenly coming upon a pub that I have never seen before. Okay, there probably are better feelings, but it still is pretty cool.
Anyway, the Five did have a pretty intense New Years bender, and Julian seems to have a massive stash of port hidden away which he seems to regularly be drinking from. So, nursing some massive hangovers (with the exception of Julian), and also with Anne and George realising that they kissed a couple of boys the night before, they decide to give the alcohol a rest for the month. Well, that seems to be all well and good, except that one of their good friends is getting married at the end of January (so that his wife can get a visa to stay in England, thanks to Brexit), so there seems to be some challenges ahead.
This book is quite fun, and Vincent does a great job of bringing our favourite childhood heroes into the adult world. Well, ignoring the continuity of the fact that they would actually be baby boomers at this stage, meaning that they are probably retired, have some huge savings, and multiple investment properties (though I am being Australian here, and considering they are English, they are probably laying on the beach in Spain soaking up the sun and the free medical treatment). Still, let us put that aside and just enjoy the fact that they seemed to have skipped the sixties, seventies, eighties, nineties, and the naughties, and suddenly appeared as fully grown adults in the 2010s, with no problem with the time lag that they are no doubt experiencing.
The interesting thing is that you don't know much about them beyond the book, except that Julian is a classic Eton conservative, and they are all single. Oh, and Timmy is a bit of a booze hound as well, namely because he gets heaps of treats when they go boozing, and also in doggies years would put him back to the 19th century (which Vincent makes a sly comment about as well). I still find George rather interesting because he hasn't run with her tom boy nature beyond the fact that she refuses to wear a dress at the wedding, despite the fact that she is a brides maid.
The stag and hens nights were also pretty cool, but I won't say anymore since I really don't want to ruin the book, though I will mention that it turns out that Anne smoked methols during university, but is given a shock of her life when she pulls out the packet again to stem off the alcohol cravings. Maybe I should try a dry July or something, though I like my pub atmosphere (and craft beers) way too much.
13 September 2017
Well, it seems as if the Australian edition of this book actually has the title 'Five Give up the Booze', but I have to admit it is a much better title than 'Five do Dry January'. Okay, a lot of people probably do a dry January, especially after a massive Christmas season bender, but the Australian title does work much better in our culture, especially since the word booze, at least here, is used quite a lot. Mind you, we also have a 'Dry July', which I have never participated in, namely because I really do like sitting in a pub with a beer and a book. Also, I have this urge to have a beer in as many different pubs as possible, and there is no better feeling than turning a corner and suddenly coming upon a pub that I have never seen before. Okay, there probably are better feelings, but it still is pretty cool.
Anyway, the Five did have a pretty intense New Years bender, and Julian seems to have a massive stash of port hidden away which he seems to regularly be drinking from. So, nursing some massive hangovers (with the exception of Julian), and also with Anne and George realising that they kissed a couple of boys the night before, they decide to give the alcohol a rest for the month. Well, that seems to be all well and good, except that one of their good friends is getting married at the end of January (so that his wife can get a visa to stay in England, thanks to Brexit), so there seems to be some challenges ahead.
This book is quite fun, and Vincent does a great job of bringing our favourite childhood heroes into the adult world. Well, ignoring the continuity of the fact that they would actually be baby boomers at this stage, meaning that they are probably retired, have some huge savings, and multiple investment properties (though I am being Australian here, and considering they are English, they are probably laying on the beach in Spain soaking up the sun and the free medical treatment). Still, let us put that aside and just enjoy the fact that they seemed to have skipped the sixties, seventies, eighties, nineties, and the naughties, and suddenly appeared as fully grown adults in the 2010s, with no problem with the time lag that they are no doubt experiencing.
The interesting thing is that you don't know much about them beyond the book, except that Julian is a classic Eton conservative, and they are all single. Oh, and Timmy is a bit of a booze hound as well, namely because he gets heaps of treats when they go boozing, and also in doggies years would put him back to the 19th century (which Vincent makes a sly comment about as well). I still find George rather interesting because he hasn't run with her tom boy nature beyond the fact that she refuses to wear a dress at the wedding, despite the fact that she is a brides maid.
The stag and hens nights were also pretty cool, but I won't say anymore since I really don't want to ruin the book, though I will mention that it turns out that Anne smoked methols during university, but is given a shock of her life when she pulls out the packet again to stem off the alcohol cravings. Maybe I should try a dry July or something, though I like my pub atmosphere (and craft beers) way too much.
June 12, 2017
I was given this for Christmas – I can't think why! Best read in the immediate aftermath of New Year celebrations: this was when the Five's fateful decision was taken, more or less unanimously, though Timmy the dog is far from convinced.
A stag 'do' and wedding have now to be survived by these would be teetotallers.
A light, quite endearing and short read.
A stag 'do' and wedding have now to be survived by these would be teetotallers.
A light, quite endearing and short read.
June 7, 2019
After hitting the bottle much too hard over the festive season the Kirrin cousins resolve to have a dry January. This is not easy with stag and hen nights, a wedding and Timmy the dog trying to throw them off course. Pass the ginger beer George!
December 28, 2016
I liked this book. It brought back memories of my childhood where I consumed Famous Five books and was a good tribute-write. Julian is still a pompous git (IMHO!) Anne is still girly, Dick is "normal" and George is still trying to be a boy. And Timmy woofs in all the right places. A great post Christmas read.
June 3, 2017
The five decide their drinking has got out of hand and resolve to have a dry January. This one wasn't anywhere near as funny as Five go Parenting.
January 3, 2017
Got this as a jokey Christmas present from my wife. Had a feeling there was one heading my way as I had already received the Ladybird book on the Mid- life Crisis. Ho-hum.
However, at least they raised a smile, were well put together and some thought was put in. This book was absolutely dire. I read these books as a child and they should prove incredibly easy to parody. Yet there was none of the familiar 'markers' put in place by Enid Blyton. Indeed, at one point the new author goes so off script, that Julian begins to sound more like a character from P.G. Wodehouse.
I have no problem with books of this sort - in fact they can be very funny, and a way of injecting humour via juxtaposition... but not here. This is merely a quickly produced book(?) to cash in on the back of the Ladybird craze and in time for the Christmas market. My advice? Avoid.
However, at least they raised a smile, were well put together and some thought was put in. This book was absolutely dire. I read these books as a child and they should prove incredibly easy to parody. Yet there was none of the familiar 'markers' put in place by Enid Blyton. Indeed, at one point the new author goes so off script, that Julian begins to sound more like a character from P.G. Wodehouse.
I have no problem with books of this sort - in fact they can be very funny, and a way of injecting humour via juxtaposition... but not here. This is merely a quickly produced book(?) to cash in on the back of the Ladybird craze and in time for the Christmas market. My advice? Avoid.
July 13, 2023
Once you get over the time warp, it's an okay read.
They're supposed to be adult (around 30), but still behave like they did when they were kids; still talk like it's the 1940s, even though the stories is set in the 2010s, and in general, the characters felt ever so slightly off, certainly at the beginning.
But all in all, fun, nostalgic and okay.
They're supposed to be adult (around 30), but still behave like they did when they were kids; still talk like it's the 1940s, even though the stories is set in the 2010s, and in general, the characters felt ever so slightly off, certainly at the beginning.
But all in all, fun, nostalgic and okay.
January 1, 2017
I have vague and distant memories of the original Famous Five series where I'm not sure if I've actually read them or just know so much about them it feels like I have. Either way I have read a few Enid Blyton books, including Bimbo and Topsy (a childhood favourite which I still have) so when my mum got this for Christmas I was bound to nab it for a read (likely she gave it up without a fight instead). It had all the feel of a typical Blyton book with nice, easy to read writing that wasn't too complicated or difficult to follow with the added bonus that the Five are heading towards their 30s' and they are finding that life isn't as straight forward as it once was. And so the gang find themselves hugging toilets and bathtubs after a heavy and blurring New Year's Eve to make the promise of going sober for January, complete with plenty of trials and tribulations along the way. Not to mention that Timmy is really not happy about it. This is a rather amusing read and even if you haven't read the originals as long as you know about them then you need to give this a try...although adult supervision may be required if younger readers manage to get their hands on it.
May 22, 2018
These are fun enjoyable reads.
Entertaining stock-fillers, though Id image most readers would have forgotten the jokes by January!
Entertaining stock-fillers, though Id image most readers would have forgotten the jokes by January!
September 5, 2020
This is a parody of the Famous Five series by Enid Blyton, one of several similar books in which the Five (siblings Julian, Dick, and Anne, cousin George the tomboy, and Timmy the dog) have grown up and are facing the challenges of modern adult life.
After a New Year’s Eve party, the four humans are all suffering such hangovers that they resolve to do Dry January. The only cloud on the horizon is the wedding of an old schoolfriend, with the bad news that Julian must step in as Best Man and George will have to wear a pale blue bridesmaid’s dress.
This started off well, with the sardonic Julian providing most of the laughs, but the wedding plot isn’t strong enough to keep up the comedy.
After a New Year’s Eve party, the four humans are all suffering such hangovers that they resolve to do Dry January. The only cloud on the horizon is the wedding of an old schoolfriend, with the bad news that Julian must step in as Best Man and George will have to wear a pale blue bridesmaid’s dress.
This started off well, with the sardonic Julian providing most of the laughs, but the wedding plot isn’t strong enough to keep up the comedy.
April 20, 2018
Die vier Freunde (Geschwister Julian, Dick, Anne und Cousine George) beschließen nach zu viel Alkohol an den Weihnachtstagen und einem verkaterten Absturz zu Silvester, einen Monat auf Alkohol zu verzichten.
Nicht so lustig, wie z.B. Five go on a strategy day. Die Gags sind sehr bemüht und die Geschichte selbst mit nur 105 Seiten und vielen Bildern zieht sich.
Nicht so lustig, wie z.B. Five go on a strategy day. Die Gags sind sehr bemüht und die Geschichte selbst mit nur 105 Seiten und vielen Bildern zieht sich.
January 9, 2021
I enjoy a good spoof and the new year seemed the appropriate time to read this particular one. If I could do half stars this would get 3.5. I think this is the first children's book that has been re-written for adults that I have ever read. I got quite a few good giggles from it and enjoyed the British sense of humor (or should I say humour). I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
September 13, 2017
A couple of chuckle moments but mostly a bit poo. Shame really.
July 29, 2020
Amusing little tale in the style of the Famous Five, giving up the sauce...well for January at least.
December 28, 2016
These are spoofs based on the famous five by Enid Blyton who are adults now and navigating the world in their own timeless fashion. In this story they decide to give up alcohol for a month however Julian has to get through a stag party and a wedding which could prove to be his downfall.
This is the first one that I've read and I'm not sure if there is an order to read the in as their was a reference to the Brexit island incident in this book and George is starting to get "fat" which could be a reference to Five Go Patenting. Whilst not literary masterpieces, they are a fun revisit for true fans of the original series and I enjoyed this first experience.
This is the first one that I've read and I'm not sure if there is an order to read the in as their was a reference to the Brexit island incident in this book and George is starting to get "fat" which could be a reference to Five Go Patenting. Whilst not literary masterpieces, they are a fun revisit for true fans of the original series and I enjoyed this first experience.
December 19, 2016
Spiffing! A bit of light hearted fun!
June 6, 2017
A surreal but poorly put together foray into the adult world from Enid Blyton's famous childhood gang, where they all go on a bender on New Year and decide to try a dry January.
The thing about this is how weirdly serious things get - where is the humour in this book? The characters are jarring composites of lighthearted and simplistic kids and their 30 year old selves, still the 'same old' gang (however improbable that is). Nowhere is this clearer than the shame that two late twenties' women feel in "snogging" people at parties; where are the sensibilities of adults, or instead the childlike joy of children?
Most sinister of all are the machinations of the dog, seemingly the antagonist of the novel, who despite being part of the bunch is determined via unsubtle hints, conditioning and terror attacks to get the Five back on the booze early. Why? Why must this dog seek the ruination of his friends? Because he's getting old and doesn't like all the walks he's being taken on; he misses being in beer gardens and being tossed bones in the pub.
The coronation moment is when the groom of a marriage arranged because of fear-mongering in the wake of Brexit reveals he's been gay all along for one of the gang and on the very same day of the wedding reveals all to Julian (yes, you've read all that correctly). Just what the hell is going on?
I can tell this book's meant to be a laugh but I think it actually misses the mark, and by too wide a margin for me to still enjoy it the way it's meant to be. Entertaining for all the wrong reasons, but I suppose it whiled an afternoon away.
The thing about this is how weirdly serious things get - where is the humour in this book? The characters are jarring composites of lighthearted and simplistic kids and their 30 year old selves, still the 'same old' gang (however improbable that is). Nowhere is this clearer than the shame that two late twenties' women feel in "snogging" people at parties; where are the sensibilities of adults, or instead the childlike joy of children?
Most sinister of all are the machinations of the dog, seemingly the antagonist of the novel, who despite being part of the bunch is determined via unsubtle hints, conditioning and terror attacks to get the Five back on the booze early. Why? Why must this dog seek the ruination of his friends? Because he's getting old and doesn't like all the walks he's being taken on; he misses being in beer gardens and being tossed bones in the pub.
The coronation moment is when the groom of a marriage arranged because of fear-mongering in the wake of Brexit reveals he's been gay all along for one of the gang and on the very same day of the wedding reveals all to Julian (yes, you've read all that correctly). Just what the hell is going on?
I can tell this book's meant to be a laugh but I think it actually misses the mark, and by too wide a margin for me to still enjoy it the way it's meant to be. Entertaining for all the wrong reasons, but I suppose it whiled an afternoon away.
July 24, 2017
The perfect gift for anyone who has woken up and promised themselves that they will never drink again. Or at least until next weekend.
Gimicky - A quiet funny reworking of a nostalgic childhood classic
So our 4 human heroes and 1 dog are still all together and despite being adults they don't seem to have aged a lot. One of the 4 (Julian) is going through a bit of an issue with the demon drink and after a night they don't recall all 4 opt on a dry month.
Timmy the dog has some trepidation (as dogs do when their humans act a little off kilter) about the situation. But in the end the 4 survive and celebrate by ... popping a bottle of course
Not as funny as I expected but still a good read. (The book even has the kind of pictures that the original books had
Couple of thoughts though - George hardly has ANY dialogue - and the ending between Julian and longtime friend Rafe is a little ... um ... well very 2017ish
Worth the read just for the whole Enid Blyton thing
Gimicky - A quiet funny reworking of a nostalgic childhood classic
So our 4 human heroes and 1 dog are still all together and despite being adults they don't seem to have aged a lot. One of the 4 (Julian) is going through a bit of an issue with the demon drink and after a night they don't recall all 4 opt on a dry month.
Timmy the dog has some trepidation (as dogs do when their humans act a little off kilter) about the situation. But in the end the 4 survive and celebrate by ... popping a bottle of course
Not as funny as I expected but still a good read. (The book even has the kind of pictures that the original books had
Couple of thoughts though - George hardly has ANY dialogue - and the ending between Julian and longtime friend Rafe is a little ... um ... well very 2017ish
Worth the read just for the whole Enid Blyton thing
April 21, 2019
This was a story about the four realising they are alcoholics (especially Julian!) and making the New Year's resolution to give up drink for a month.
The situation is complicated when Julian realises he is best man for an acquaintance who drinks a lot.
Note and this is not really a book for anyone who'll take the subject of alcoholism seriously - this is not a "serious" series.
I like the illustrations, but some of them don't quite fit, and their placement in the book is wrong.
The situation is complicated when Julian realises he is best man for an acquaintance who drinks a lot.
Note and this is not really a book for anyone who'll take the subject of alcoholism seriously - this is not a "serious" series.
I like the illustrations, but some of them don't quite fit, and their placement in the book is wrong.
August 12, 2024
2.5
So we meet the Famous Five characters from Enid Blyton - Julian, Dick, George, Ann & dog Timmy.
They’re older now and finished university but finding it hard to give up their drinking habits they established there. They aim to complete a Dry January but are faced with the challenges of a stag & hen party and the ensuing wedding.
This parody had the potential of being extremely funny - offering various subterfuges, cheating and charged emotional scenes. But it actually presents as an abstinence tract with only a few sniggers to enjoy.
I suppose the main attraction to this book
(and series) is nostalgia. The illustrations are taken from the original books and slotted into the narrative with alternative text references.
The many books by Bruno Vincent look very appealing and I suspect some are more successful than others but I think for the moment I’m done with my childhood sleuths.
So we meet the Famous Five characters from Enid Blyton - Julian, Dick, George, Ann & dog Timmy.
They’re older now and finished university but finding it hard to give up their drinking habits they established there. They aim to complete a Dry January but are faced with the challenges of a stag & hen party and the ensuing wedding.
This parody had the potential of being extremely funny - offering various subterfuges, cheating and charged emotional scenes. But it actually presents as an abstinence tract with only a few sniggers to enjoy.
I suppose the main attraction to this book
(and series) is nostalgia. The illustrations are taken from the original books and slotted into the narrative with alternative text references.
The many books by Bruno Vincent look very appealing and I suspect some are more successful than others but I think for the moment I’m done with my childhood sleuths.
December 10, 2018
Nonsense. But short and moderately amusing nonsense. This was a Christmas gift a few years ago and has been on a shelf waiting to be read since then. I’ve got a couple of books to pick up the library, but it was closed on Friday for essential maintenance 😱 So I had a couple of options - pick something short as a filler, or start a new book and know that I then had to either park it or rush it so that I could get to the library books. I decided on filler and found this in the shelves. I wouldn’t suggest going and buying it, but if you have it sitting on a shelf somewhere it’s probably worth a read, especially if you spent a lot of time in the company of the Famous Five in your childhood as I did.
June 6, 2018
Kirjan alussa Viisikon uudenvuodenjuhlat riistäytyvät hieman käsistä, minkä seurauksena he päättävät viettää tipattoman tammikuun. Tämä sujuisi hyvin, mutta ikävä kyllä vanha kaveri ja innokas juhlija Rafe on menossa naimisiin, ja hänen häistään ja polttareistaan pitäisi selvitä juomatta.
En itse juo, mutta ymmärrän kyllä hyvin ne ongelmat, joita Viisikko koki yrittäessään luopua viinasta. Itse käyttäydyn samalla tavoin, kun yritän vähentää makean syöntiä :-). Kirja on lyhyt ja aika hauska, ja Vincent on onnistunut tuomaan Viisikon aikuisuuteen ja 2010-luvulle ja pitämään heidät mukavina. Hyvää arkielämästä revittyä huumoria :-).
En itse juo, mutta ymmärrän kyllä hyvin ne ongelmat, joita Viisikko koki yrittäessään luopua viinasta. Itse käyttäydyn samalla tavoin, kun yritän vähentää makean syöntiä :-). Kirja on lyhyt ja aika hauska, ja Vincent on onnistunut tuomaan Viisikon aikuisuuteen ja 2010-luvulle ja pitämään heidät mukavina. Hyvää arkielämästä revittyä huumoria :-).
July 9, 2024
4.67, specifically.
Having been obsessed with Famous Five (and Enid Blyton in general) when I was a kid, I couldn't bring myself to pass this book up when I spotted it at a random roadside book stall off the highway.
I liked it much more than I thought I would, probably because I entered it with absolutely no expectations. Is it the best book ever? No. But does it accomplish what a book like this is supposed to accomplish for people that used to be Enid Blyton fans in their childhood? No doubt, it does.
Having been obsessed with Famous Five (and Enid Blyton in general) when I was a kid, I couldn't bring myself to pass this book up when I spotted it at a random roadside book stall off the highway.
I liked it much more than I thought I would, probably because I entered it with absolutely no expectations. Is it the best book ever? No. But does it accomplish what a book like this is supposed to accomplish for people that used to be Enid Blyton fans in their childhood? No doubt, it does.
November 4, 2024
Not my kind of humour.
I suspected as much but read it because it has one of my friends written all over it. I think she will find it funny. She can come back and give it more stars if she likes.
The idea of writing about childrens' book characters as young adults is fun, but the story itself was lacking and way too cliché. Especially for the time it was written in. While reading i thought this was an early noughties story, until brexit was mentioned and I had to have a look at the copyright page.
I suspected as much but read it because it has one of my friends written all over it. I think she will find it funny. She can come back and give it more stars if she likes.
The idea of writing about childrens' book characters as young adults is fun, but the story itself was lacking and way too cliché. Especially for the time it was written in. While reading i thought this was an early noughties story, until brexit was mentioned and I had to have a look at the copyright page.
March 31, 2018
This is one of the new Ladybird books that are written for grownups and so as such, it’s a delightful pastiche of what made Enid Blyton’s Famous Five so famous in the first place. In this one, they try to take part in Dry January with entertaining results, and what I liked is that it does have all the elements of a great story. It’s funny but it also works, which was nice. Worth reading if you’ve ever tried to cut down.
May 8, 2017
Enid Blyton's books must be very easy to parody, surely. Yet I found very little up to almost nothing from the nature of the original characters, or the composition of their adventure/mystery stories. It looked more like a parody of random people who drink heavily than the original Blyton books. Not what I expected.
June 29, 2017
A massive Blyton and indeed Famous Five fan - I was excited to set about reading this book!
Very Blytonsque and with the origial characters (albeit grown up) and lots of nods to Enid's renowned references, this book was enjoyable - but I urged it to be funnier!
A definite must-read for Famous Five fans ... but don't hold out for much more than a nod and a smile.
Very Blytonsque and with the origial characters (albeit grown up) and lots of nods to Enid's renowned references, this book was enjoyable - but I urged it to be funnier!
A definite must-read for Famous Five fans ... but don't hold out for much more than a nod and a smile.
July 4, 2017
I'm afraid I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. I guess I was expecting a Wodehouse type novel with lots of English charm and wit and sardonic humour. I'm afraid it was a very average and not very funny book instead. Such a shame as it had such good potential. I'm afraid it was just a bit dreary and the characters were not very likeable.
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