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Enid Blyton for Grown-Ups #4
Le Club des 5 arrête le gluten
RETROUVEZ CLAUDE, SES COUSINS ET DAGOBERT DANS LEURS AVENTURES D’ADULTES.
*
UN CLASSIQUE VENDU À DES MILLIONS D’EXEMPLAIRES ET TRADUIT EN 40 LANGUES.
*
DES THÉMATIQUES ACTUELLES QUI JOUENT LA CARTE DE LA PARODIE.
En lisant un livre sur la nourriture saine, Annie a eu une révélation : il faut que le Club des Cinq change ses habitudes alimentaires sous peine de souffrir des pires maux de la Terre (tous fatals). Devant l’urgence de la situation, nos héros prennent une décision : ils vont passer au sans-gluten. Mais le spiraliseur va-t-il avoir raison de leurs bonnes résolutions ? …
Un regard humoristique sur les tendances des régimes bien-être.
*
UN CLASSIQUE VENDU À DES MILLIONS D’EXEMPLAIRES ET TRADUIT EN 40 LANGUES.
*
DES THÉMATIQUES ACTUELLES QUI JOUENT LA CARTE DE LA PARODIE.
En lisant un livre sur la nourriture saine, Annie a eu une révélation : il faut que le Club des Cinq change ses habitudes alimentaires sous peine de souffrir des pires maux de la Terre (tous fatals). Devant l’urgence de la situation, nos héros prennent une décision : ils vont passer au sans-gluten. Mais le spiraliseur va-t-il avoir raison de leurs bonnes résolutions ? …
Un regard humoristique sur les tendances des régimes bien-être.
112 pages, Paperback
Published September 19, 2018
About the author
Bruno Vincent
47 books43 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 147 reviews
August 1, 2024
Ich finde den Titel des Buches ein bisschen unglücklich gewählt, denn es geht nicht unbedingt um glutenfreies Essen. Vielmehr geht es einfach nur um gesunde Ernährung.
Anne bekommt ein Kochbuch geschenkt und nun stellt sie die komplette Ernährung um - auch für Julian, Dick und George. Und auch Hund Timmy muss mitmachen.
Diese "Fünf Freunde für Erwachsene"- Reihe finde ich grundsätzlich ja interessant, aber auch ein bisschen seltsam.
Dennoch ist dieses Buch absolut okay, und das Thema "Gesunde Ernährung" interessiert mich immer :)
Anne bekommt ein Kochbuch geschenkt und nun stellt sie die komplette Ernährung um - auch für Julian, Dick und George. Und auch Hund Timmy muss mitmachen.
Diese "Fünf Freunde für Erwachsene"- Reihe finde ich grundsätzlich ja interessant, aber auch ein bisschen seltsam.
Dennoch ist dieses Buch absolut okay, und das Thema "Gesunde Ernährung" interessiert mich immer :)
February 7, 2017
I suppose my love of reading started with the original Famous Five books, back in the seventies. I loved them. Where I lived, there was not much reading material available except in the local library We couldn't really afford to buy books and maybe got them as gifts at Christmas. This was a modern day parody with the cast of the original books. There are quite a few in the series and this was sort of a spoof birthday gift from the men in my life.
I always wanted to be George, the tomboy in the books.
I always wanted to be George, the tomboy in the books.
May 25, 2017
This one was quite a bit better than Five Give Up The Booze. Whereas that one was a one-note joke stretched out over too many pages, this one had a bit more meat to it and a lot more laughs. The ending, in particular, was hilarious.
I'm a bit more enthusiastic about reading the others in this series now...
I'm a bit more enthusiastic about reading the others in this series now...
August 26, 2021
The Famous Five introduced me to reading as a child. I devoured each and every one of their adventures and was almost evangelical about sharing their stories with my classmates. I can only imagine that's why both my boyfriend and my mother bought me one of these new Famous Five books for adults for Christmas.
The premise is that Anne forces the rest of the Five to give up gluten, along with everything else that is unhealthy. This is especially upsetting for the Five, as they spent their childhoods on lavish picnics, comprising almost solely of pies, sandwiches and fizzy pop.
I was sceptical that the books would have no substance, but I enjoyed it throughout. The Five did seem like natural extensions of their childhood selves. The book was short enough that the premise didn't feel dragged out.
The premise is that Anne forces the rest of the Five to give up gluten, along with everything else that is unhealthy. This is especially upsetting for the Five, as they spent their childhoods on lavish picnics, comprising almost solely of pies, sandwiches and fizzy pop.
I was sceptical that the books would have no substance, but I enjoyed it throughout. The Five did seem like natural extensions of their childhood selves. The book was short enough that the premise didn't feel dragged out.
January 31, 2017
Parody books seem to be in vogue at present; walk into any bookshop, and the chances are you will be confronted by a large table spread with such things as We're All Going on a Bar Hunt in the first minute. I normally don't buy into bookish trends, preferring to choose my own, often marginally obscure, reads at my leisure. When I spotted that the Famous Five had been updated for the twenty-first century, however, I couldn't bring myself to let the books pass me by.
I was an enormous fan of Enid Blyton as a child, and all of my copies of the Famous Five series have been passed down by my mother, a once avid reader of the series herself. We both laughed mirthfully at Five Go Gluten Free and Five on Brexit Island when they plopped through the letterbox just before Christmas. The other two titles which I purchased on a great deal from The Book People were the slightly less amusing Five Go Parenting and Five Go On a Strategy Away Day.
I'm still reeling from the Brexit decision, and thought I would begin with that parody. The storyline deals with the gang avoiding real life on the night of the referendum, and retiring to George's territory of Kirrin Island for a brief holiday. A fierce war soon ensues between George, a staunch remainer, and Julian, a traitor who voted to leave the EU. George is so horrified that she makes the decision that Kirrin Island itself should leave Britain, and holds her own referendum to that effect. Here, Vincent provides rather a light take on politics, which is both humorous and well-informed. The characters are still similar to their childhood counterparts, something exacerbated with the use of the series' original illustrations. I felt myself very much disliking Julian in this volume due to his beliefs, whereas as a child I had been relatively indifferent to him. Five on Brexit Island will not heal the pain of the referendum, but it is clever and well-crafted, and provides a bit of light relief.
Five Go Gluten Free was next for me. Rather than choosing to follow a gluten free diet for medical reasons, Anne - very much a fan of health fads - decides that the whole group should cut out the majority of the foodstuffs that they so love; no pies, chips, or beer going forward. I found this volume the most funny of the four which I have read, particularly as I so associate the majority of Blyton's child characters with a very British love of picnics and midnight feasts. The Famous Five are always eating, so the challenge of macrobiotic and wholefoods proves highly problematic. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments here, and a plethora of amusing one-liners. In this book particularly, the five translate very well to the modern world, and there is a marvellous feel of the utmost nostalgia to it.
My penultimate parody was Five Go Parenting, in which the group are given cousin Rupert Kirrin's baby; he and his Eastern European wife have been put in prison after another one of their illegal schemes, and six-month-old Lily comes to live in the surprisingly incredibly spacious London flat which the five share. This was an amusing look into the world of parenting by those who were utterly unsure as to what to do, or how much the addition of a tiny human could change their way of life. Witty and well-executed, Vincent's writing in this volume particularly echoes Blyton's. I would deem Five Go Parenting a splendid tongue-in-cheek gift for the new parent, or a funny slice of nostalgia for those whose children are a little older.
Five Go on a Strategy Away Day was my least favourite of the series by far. I awarded it a three-star rating, but didn't find it that funny at all, and indeed, there were no laughing aloud moments for me. In the book, the four human members of the group who, of course, work with one another, head into the countryside for a team bonding session. It culminates in an orienteering exercise, in which they are effectively up against all of the members of the Secret Seven. I did enjoy this merging of the groups, but found that here, the storyline was a touch lacking.
At just over 100 pages each, Bruno Vincent's Blyton parodies are the perfect reads to give as gifts, or to settle down with yourself if you have an hour or two to spare.
I was an enormous fan of Enid Blyton as a child, and all of my copies of the Famous Five series have been passed down by my mother, a once avid reader of the series herself. We both laughed mirthfully at Five Go Gluten Free and Five on Brexit Island when they plopped through the letterbox just before Christmas. The other two titles which I purchased on a great deal from The Book People were the slightly less amusing Five Go Parenting and Five Go On a Strategy Away Day.
I'm still reeling from the Brexit decision, and thought I would begin with that parody. The storyline deals with the gang avoiding real life on the night of the referendum, and retiring to George's territory of Kirrin Island for a brief holiday. A fierce war soon ensues between George, a staunch remainer, and Julian, a traitor who voted to leave the EU. George is so horrified that she makes the decision that Kirrin Island itself should leave Britain, and holds her own referendum to that effect. Here, Vincent provides rather a light take on politics, which is both humorous and well-informed. The characters are still similar to their childhood counterparts, something exacerbated with the use of the series' original illustrations. I felt myself very much disliking Julian in this volume due to his beliefs, whereas as a child I had been relatively indifferent to him. Five on Brexit Island will not heal the pain of the referendum, but it is clever and well-crafted, and provides a bit of light relief.
Five Go Gluten Free was next for me. Rather than choosing to follow a gluten free diet for medical reasons, Anne - very much a fan of health fads - decides that the whole group should cut out the majority of the foodstuffs that they so love; no pies, chips, or beer going forward. I found this volume the most funny of the four which I have read, particularly as I so associate the majority of Blyton's child characters with a very British love of picnics and midnight feasts. The Famous Five are always eating, so the challenge of macrobiotic and wholefoods proves highly problematic. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments here, and a plethora of amusing one-liners. In this book particularly, the five translate very well to the modern world, and there is a marvellous feel of the utmost nostalgia to it.
My penultimate parody was Five Go Parenting, in which the group are given cousin Rupert Kirrin's baby; he and his Eastern European wife have been put in prison after another one of their illegal schemes, and six-month-old Lily comes to live in the surprisingly incredibly spacious London flat which the five share. This was an amusing look into the world of parenting by those who were utterly unsure as to what to do, or how much the addition of a tiny human could change their way of life. Witty and well-executed, Vincent's writing in this volume particularly echoes Blyton's. I would deem Five Go Parenting a splendid tongue-in-cheek gift for the new parent, or a funny slice of nostalgia for those whose children are a little older.
Five Go on a Strategy Away Day was my least favourite of the series by far. I awarded it a three-star rating, but didn't find it that funny at all, and indeed, there were no laughing aloud moments for me. In the book, the four human members of the group who, of course, work with one another, head into the countryside for a team bonding session. It culminates in an orienteering exercise, in which they are effectively up against all of the members of the Secret Seven. I did enjoy this merging of the groups, but found that here, the storyline was a touch lacking.
At just over 100 pages each, Bruno Vincent's Blyton parodies are the perfect reads to give as gifts, or to settle down with yourself if you have an hour or two to spare.
June 4, 2017
3.5 stars, funny in places, not as good as Five go Parenting. The five are persuaded by Anne that they shoukd try clean eating, by cutting out wheat and many other foods living mainly on spiralized vegetables and smoothies they gradually lose the will to carry on. They nearly made it back to Kirren Island which would have been a fun encounter but that didn't happen which was slightly dissapointing as that was always a high point of any famous five adventure.
February 5, 2017
This is a ridiculous book, bought for me as a gift by relatives who probably think being gluten-free is very similar to being dairy-free (which I had to be for the last year and a half - you'll be glad to know this was a temporary dairy-ban in my life, due to a small child of mine, and I had a wonderful cheese feast just today).
In case you don't know, these are parody books written in the style of beloved children's author Enid Blyton about her classic characters The Famous (and extremely earnest) Five. Now they are all grown up and going through brand new adventures.
This time around, Anne, who basically does all the cooking for the gang, has decided that they absolutely must go gluten-free at once for the sake of their health. She soon has the vegetables and the spiralizer out and life as George and co knew it is over.
Humour books like this can be hard to read because the joke is told within a page or two, then repeated for the other ninety. Yawn. Yet ghost writer Bruno Vincent (who I know nothing about, but Google says he's responsible), somehow makes it all very readable. Don't get me wrong, it's easy to put down and walk away. But if you're trapped on a train or being forced to watch a very dull TV show, you can quite easily hide away in this book for a short time. Particularly if you have fond memories of Julian and his chums.
I wouldn't advise anyone to go and buy this for themselves, but if you're given a copy as a gift, don't despair. It's almost quite nearly terribly good fun.
In case you don't know, these are parody books written in the style of beloved children's author Enid Blyton about her classic characters The Famous (and extremely earnest) Five. Now they are all grown up and going through brand new adventures.
This time around, Anne, who basically does all the cooking for the gang, has decided that they absolutely must go gluten-free at once for the sake of their health. She soon has the vegetables and the spiralizer out and life as George and co knew it is over.
Humour books like this can be hard to read because the joke is told within a page or two, then repeated for the other ninety. Yawn. Yet ghost writer Bruno Vincent (who I know nothing about, but Google says he's responsible), somehow makes it all very readable. Don't get me wrong, it's easy to put down and walk away. But if you're trapped on a train or being forced to watch a very dull TV show, you can quite easily hide away in this book for a short time. Particularly if you have fond memories of Julian and his chums.
I wouldn't advise anyone to go and buy this for themselves, but if you're given a copy as a gift, don't despair. It's almost quite nearly terribly good fun.
March 6, 2024
A daring swipe at modern eating habits. The aunt in this cynical work of literature can't understand how everything she has eaten in her long and healthy life is now considered dangerous, if not fatal and even the dog has to survive on the rather revolting things produced by serious-minded Anne, who wants to save her friends from an untimely death (more or less at any rate!) I would only recommend this to people who do not subscribe to what is now considered 'healthy eating' - otherwise it could make the reader quite furious, I fear.
July 29, 2022
Really enjoyed this take on the Famous Five being grown up. Would definitely read some more in the series.
Although I could appreciate the original illustrations within the book, they didn't make sense when you are made to believe that Julian, Dick, George and Ann have now grown up.
Although I could appreciate the original illustrations within the book, they didn't make sense when you are made to believe that Julian, Dick, George and Ann have now grown up.
February 4, 2017
This is third book I have read in the series and whilst I got some of the in-jokes and references to the "fad/lifestyle choice/etc" of being gluten free, I never really clicked with this one.
The best part was when the Five visited Aunty Fanny where a traditional spread of food was prepared. Brough back memories of the original books.
Right, off to get myself a lashing of ginger beer before deciding what book to read next?! Somehow, after reading this one, I can't bring myself to follow it up with "Five Give Up The Booze"!! (;-)
The best part was when the Five visited Aunty Fanny where a traditional spread of food was prepared. Brough back memories of the original books.
Right, off to get myself a lashing of ginger beer before deciding what book to read next?! Somehow, after reading this one, I can't bring myself to follow it up with "Five Give Up The Booze"!! (;-)
July 26, 2017
Wer kennt sie nicht, die Abenteuer der fünf Freunde von Enid Blyton. Obwohl ich selber als Kind die Bücher nicht gelesen habe, versank ich für Stunden in den Hörspielfassungen und wollte diese Abenteuer mit Julian, Anne, Dick und George bestreiten. Ist es darum also nicht perfekt, dass Bruno Vincent nun mehrere Bände mit neuen Abenteuer für Erwachsene geschrieben hat?
Und ja, wie es der Titel verspricht sind diese neuen Bücher gerne bitterbös satirisch und einen Spiegel für unsere verwöhnte Gesellschaft. "Five Go Gluten Free" ist somit nicht nur eine Betrachtungsweise der aktuellen Ernährungslage, sondern seziert den Diät-Wahn auf kurzweiligen Seiten. Wenn sich plötzlich alle fünf Freunde glutenfrei ernähren müssen, nur weil Anne sich vergiftet fühlt, dann generiert dies wunderbare Szenen voller böser Dialoge und frechem Humor.
Dieses Buch in Irland zu lesen verlieh der Geschichte eine weitere Tiefe, besonders wenn man sich immer wieder mit Pub-Food und Crisps gestärkt hatte. Trotzdem ist diese Neufassung der Kindheitshelden keine Offenbarung (zu kurz, zu oberflächlich), aber eine wunderbar nostalgische Reise. Vincent trifft den Stil der alten Geschichten wunderbar und wagt sich auch an Ausdrücke und Referenzen, die wirklich nur für ältere Menschen gedacht sind. Gerne mehr davon!
Und ja, wie es der Titel verspricht sind diese neuen Bücher gerne bitterbös satirisch und einen Spiegel für unsere verwöhnte Gesellschaft. "Five Go Gluten Free" ist somit nicht nur eine Betrachtungsweise der aktuellen Ernährungslage, sondern seziert den Diät-Wahn auf kurzweiligen Seiten. Wenn sich plötzlich alle fünf Freunde glutenfrei ernähren müssen, nur weil Anne sich vergiftet fühlt, dann generiert dies wunderbare Szenen voller böser Dialoge und frechem Humor.
Dieses Buch in Irland zu lesen verlieh der Geschichte eine weitere Tiefe, besonders wenn man sich immer wieder mit Pub-Food und Crisps gestärkt hatte. Trotzdem ist diese Neufassung der Kindheitshelden keine Offenbarung (zu kurz, zu oberflächlich), aber eine wunderbar nostalgische Reise. Vincent trifft den Stil der alten Geschichten wunderbar und wagt sich auch an Ausdrücke und Referenzen, die wirklich nur für ältere Menschen gedacht sind. Gerne mehr davon!
August 14, 2017
Ein Zufallsfund in einem irischen Kiosk. Wer hat früher nicht die "Fünf Freunde" gelesen? Nun brechen sie auf zu erwachsenen Abenteuern – wenn sie nicht gerade den Brexit auf ihrer Insel Kirrin Island ausrufen oder sich in Alkoholabstinenz versuchen, dann zwingt Anne der Gruppe glutenfreie Ernährung auf. Auch Timmy. Eine unterhaltsame Lektüre für Zwischendurch.
February 8, 2017
The funniest joke is the title. After that I don't think I laughed once. These spoofs are quite a good idea; they always catch my eye in bookshops but when I pick them up and read them I find them predictable and unfunny. The current crop of Ladybird spoofs are the same. This is quite well written and very nostalgic (it has original illustrations to which different captions have been added) but the story isn't gripping and, without humour, there's not really much point.
January 5, 2017
Pretty workmanlike parody with a few giggles and middling satire. As with the Ladybirds for adults, this is really a gift book where the joke doesn't extend much beyond the cover.
March 7, 2018
This is another in Bruno Vincent's spoof series for adults. The Famous Five (Julian, Dick, Anne, George and the dog Timmy) are all grown up and heading for another adventure. Anne has just received a health food book for her birthday and decides they should apply its principles immediately so they can lead happier, healthier lives. The others reluctantly go along with it, though there are only so many ways you can put vegetables in a spiralizer and hope they'll come out the other end actually tasting like pasta. Will the five band together as always, or will they be sneaking off to the pub for a pie and chips when Anne's not looking?
This is a fun book that raised a few smiles. I'm gluten intolerant myself, so I wondered if it would make fun of people with food allergies. However, it doesn't do that at all. It takes the mickey out of the health fads that declare something is toxic and start whole industries based around certain foods. As Anne says, 'The key to making smoothies is to avoid too much fruit. Fruit is almost all sugar. It might as well be cocaine'.
A fun, light read to intersperse among other more serious tomes.
This is a fun book that raised a few smiles. I'm gluten intolerant myself, so I wondered if it would make fun of people with food allergies. However, it doesn't do that at all. It takes the mickey out of the health fads that declare something is toxic and start whole industries based around certain foods. As Anne says, 'The key to making smoothies is to avoid too much fruit. Fruit is almost all sugar. It might as well be cocaine'.
A fun, light read to intersperse among other more serious tomes.
December 6, 2020
Very funny, lovely spoof of both the original Famous Five series, and a number of 'wellness' trends currently plaguing the world. I would have said that it is a loving spoof, but I think that only applies to the Famous Five; it is a much more serious comment on 'wellness'.
The story starts with Anne's birthday, where their clueless relatives are the agents of their own destruction (seriously, if you give the housemate who cooks a cookbook where you don't want to eat the food, you only have yourself to blame). I was not entirely sold that Anne was as invested in the 'wellness' BS they were spouting -- there was always the possibility that they are the largest troll of the lot.
This is in no way poking fun at people who need to be gluten free for health (or social*) reasons, but those who are doing it as one part of a more concerning set of changes.
* by which I mean those who elect to be GF because someone they are around needs to be
The story starts with Anne's birthday, where their clueless relatives are the agents of their own destruction (seriously, if you give the housemate who cooks a cookbook where you don't want to eat the food, you only have yourself to blame). I was not entirely sold that Anne was as invested in the 'wellness' BS they were spouting -- there was always the possibility that they are the largest troll of the lot.
This is in no way poking fun at people who need to be gluten free for health (or social*) reasons, but those who are doing it as one part of a more concerning set of changes.
* by which I mean those who elect to be GF because someone they are around needs to be
January 26, 2017
How many of us remember the Famous Five books? Kids who have thrilling adventures, kids who rarely seem to have adult supervision to interfere with those adventures. Now they are all grown up, and like many of us, scratching their heads at some of the craziness of modern fads – in this one, Anne gets them all onto a ‘healthy’ diet, complete with Kale and seed ‘Smoothies.’
I did enjoy this book for its gentle mockery of modern fads, and for the way it faithfully followed the style of the old Enid Blyton books for children, even down to the style of illustrations. Text by Bruno Vincent, so really, it was a bit misleading to put ‘Enid Blyton’ on the cover as the author, though I guess they could say that everyone would know that is long gone.
The other thing is that the version I read is not much like the blurb seen above. In the version I read, there is nothing wrong with any of them until Anne gets this crazy idea of going really, really 'healthy.'
I did enjoy this book for its gentle mockery of modern fads, and for the way it faithfully followed the style of the old Enid Blyton books for children, even down to the style of illustrations. Text by Bruno Vincent, so really, it was a bit misleading to put ‘Enid Blyton’ on the cover as the author, though I guess they could say that everyone would know that is long gone.
The other thing is that the version I read is not much like the blurb seen above. In the version I read, there is nothing wrong with any of them until Anne gets this crazy idea of going really, really 'healthy.'
May 28, 2017
Dear Julian,
I feel your pain...rice is rice...cauliflower is cauliflower even when it's disguised as rice!
Regards from Mrs Kingsmill and all your pals from the Warburton Hovis Eaters' Appreciation Team
I feel your pain...rice is rice...cauliflower is cauliflower even when it's disguised as rice!
Regards from Mrs Kingsmill and all your pals from the Warburton Hovis Eaters' Appreciation Team
June 24, 2018
OK. Funny at parts, but a little drawn out; and it's a really short book! Despite this shortness, I think it is too long to maintain the level of wit it's supposed to.
That said, it won't take you long to read. If you were a famous Five Fan, it'll be worth it for the giggles.
That said, it won't take you long to read. If you were a famous Five Fan, it'll be worth it for the giggles.
January 1, 2018
Don't know if I'd read another one but definitely funny - a really clever idea. Probably more suited for people who've read the original Famous Five books (which I have not 😅).
July 2, 2024
3?? it was fun to see the characters as adults.
anne was still annoying! thought she would get better as an adult but no.
i love the gwyneth paltrow slander LMAOO
anne was still annoying! thought she would get better as an adult but no.
i love the gwyneth paltrow slander LMAOO
July 5, 2026
Simply one of the most informative and best books I've ever read.
Changed my life
Changed my life
July 19, 2023
Short and very funny. Probably even better if you are familiar with the source material.
August 4, 2020
Brings back memories :)
January 3, 2018
I am incredibly annoyed at this book and disappointed. This book should be five go healthy - not gluten free. This book suggests that being gluten free means being healthy - in fact you need to seek medical advice before going on this diet. There isn’t actually much talk about being gluten free. From someone who has to be gluten free due to having coeliac disease this book made me want to chuck it across the room. I got this book for xmas as I put it on my wish list hoping it would help me deal with this disease but instead made me angry.
This book is lucky to get 2 stars from me. I liked the writing and the quickness at which I could read it. Made me want to real the originals. But made me angry as not enough research was done prior to this been written. Sorry.
This book is lucky to get 2 stars from me. I liked the writing and the quickness at which I could read it. Made me want to real the originals. But made me angry as not enough research was done prior to this been written. Sorry.
January 27, 2017
I'm not familiar with the Famous Five books, so I'm sure much of the parody was lost on me. I did relate to the parody of going gf for a fad. Having lived with celiac for nearly ten years, I roll my eyes often. "Gwyneth Paltrow, what a wonderful life she seemed to live, so clean and happy and pure." A few chuckles in here.
November 30, 2016
I loved the Famous Five books as a child so am interested in the series. I found this very amusing and look forward to reading some of the others. It's a gentle poke at various modern trends (as someone who has to follow a gluten free diet I wasn't in the least bit offended)
January 3, 2017
Plenty of smiles as Enid Blyton's characters are thrown into 21st century adulthood and alternative diets.
February 6, 2017
Delightful.
August 3, 2017
I never read reviews of books before I write one myself. I'd rather give my own thoughts and find I'm a lone voice than be influenced by the opinions of the masses. However, after writing a review I do like to take a glance to see if what I wrote coincides at all with other views. Normally I don't find myself entirely alone.
It was interesting, after I reviewed this author's 'Five on Brexit Island', to see that many people thought it weak and contrived compared to 'Five Go Gluten Free'. I now wonder if it depends on the order in which you read the books. Or perhaps it is more about the kind of humour you like? Either way, I did not think Vincent's 'Gluten Free' was a patch on Brexit Island.
In fact, I had more or less decided that this book would get three stars from me. It was funny, to a point, but very little made me genuinely laugh out loud.
Then the last chapters happened and I really did guffaw 'good and proper' and that made me push this book up to the 4 star point - though only just.
I liked the Brexit Island story because it was both an outrageous parody of the Famous Five stories and quite a cutting satire on current political issues. Oddly, I saw that some people found it contrived and too biased AGAINST Remainers but, as a fierce Remainer myself, I thought it did well at playing the middle ground. There was no feeling of padding at all.
'Gluten Free' though, missed any bite (excuse the pun). It worked too hard to put the Five into a modern context with lots of trademark name-dropping like 'Google maps' and so on. There wasn't really enough in the idea to keep it running all that well. Nevertheless, Bruno Vincent did as good a job as possible and I like his style of writing. The book was never boring and though lacked hilarious moments until the end, there was fun and smile-worthy passages on every page.
So, personally, I'd go for 'Brexit Island' over this book any day but, 'Gluten Free' was good enough to keep me enamoured with the series. I hope I get to read more. I like these little homages to Enid Blyton and the books certainly take me back to my youth. At my age, that's much appreciated.
It was interesting, after I reviewed this author's 'Five on Brexit Island', to see that many people thought it weak and contrived compared to 'Five Go Gluten Free'. I now wonder if it depends on the order in which you read the books. Or perhaps it is more about the kind of humour you like? Either way, I did not think Vincent's 'Gluten Free' was a patch on Brexit Island.
In fact, I had more or less decided that this book would get three stars from me. It was funny, to a point, but very little made me genuinely laugh out loud.
Then the last chapters happened and I really did guffaw 'good and proper' and that made me push this book up to the 4 star point - though only just.
I liked the Brexit Island story because it was both an outrageous parody of the Famous Five stories and quite a cutting satire on current political issues. Oddly, I saw that some people found it contrived and too biased AGAINST Remainers but, as a fierce Remainer myself, I thought it did well at playing the middle ground. There was no feeling of padding at all.
'Gluten Free' though, missed any bite (excuse the pun). It worked too hard to put the Five into a modern context with lots of trademark name-dropping like 'Google maps' and so on. There wasn't really enough in the idea to keep it running all that well. Nevertheless, Bruno Vincent did as good a job as possible and I like his style of writing. The book was never boring and though lacked hilarious moments until the end, there was fun and smile-worthy passages on every page.
So, personally, I'd go for 'Brexit Island' over this book any day but, 'Gluten Free' was good enough to keep me enamoured with the series. I hope I get to read more. I like these little homages to Enid Blyton and the books certainly take me back to my youth. At my age, that's much appreciated.
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