Reading the Detectives discussion

She's a children's author, but her mysteries have often come up in discussion here, and many of her readers went on to discover grown-up mystery books. So which Enid Blyton mysteries were/are your favourites?

Answering my own question, I was never a big fan of these overall but preferred The Famous Five to the Five Finder-Outers. I remember being unimpressed by the mocking of the local policeman in the Finder-Outers, though I can now see this was very much in the spirit of a lot of GA mysteries where an (often posh) amateur outdoes the boys in the blue.

If we’re sticking to just mystery books then I have to say Famous Five and Adventure series. Secret seven were local mysteries but the Adventure series took them to all sorts of exotic locations.

Reading them at such a young age, you always thought how much fun they appeared to have and grown ups were just there in the background. It’s the kids who knew it all.

I never got in the find-outers properly, though had a few of them.

I remember watching the castle of adventure on tv and not appreciating Dinah at first but then she grew on me.

I bought the dvds of Famous Five a few years ago which was fun to watch.

They’ve been talking about adapting Faraway Tree for a few years now.

The Findouters are rather cruel to Mr Goon (not that he was much less) and re-reading these which I'm doing now as a "grown-up" (I'm doing a personal challenge reading these chronologically these days). I find myself disapproving their behaviour to him and others, still in terms of the mysteries themselves, I think the Findouters are much more innovative (not all).

The Fanous five had fun adventures I agree- George could be quite annoying though, while I enjoyed her bond with Timmy.

I also like teh Barney Books, Adventure books, Secret books- as far as mysteries go.

The Secret books were my ABSOLUTE favourites, followed by the Famous Five, Secret Seven, Barney, Adventure books - then the other. Malory Towers, St Claire's, Faraway Tree, Wishing Chair, Mr Galliano, Naughty Girl... The list is endless. It was an almost seamless move from Enid Blyton to Christie.

One of my great reading moments was finishing the reading scheme at school and being allowed to choose a book from the reading trolley. I chose The Secret Mountain and was utterly hooked. Forget Janet and John, let's have some real adventure!

In response tp Judy's comment from teh other thread- there is quite a bit of non-fiction as well (no where near as much as the fiction though)- many of which are her nature books and bird books- there's also something on the queen, an autobio, prince charles and princess anne one about trains as well- plus bible stories, a retelling of Pilgrim's Progress

I remember the re-telling of Pilgrim's Progress, Lady. Was it The Land of Far Beyond: Enid Blyton’s retelling of the Pilgrim’s Progress - gift edition? I enjoyed her nature books and also those by BB (author of the Little Grey Men books).

I had no idea about all those non-fiction books, Lady C! As I said before though, I was never really a fan - I did enjoy her boarding school books, but I didn't think they were as good as the Chalet School ones.

I also liked one about children running away to an island, but am not sure what that one was called now - Island of Adventure? And one about children on a farm, possibly called Seven Cousins or something like that.

Judy wrote: "I had no idea about all those non-fiction books, Lady C! As I said before though, I was never really a fan - I did enjoy her boarding school books, but I didn't think they were as good as the Chale..."

Six Cousins and Six Cousins Again were farm books- that set I feel has more serious themes- family-breakdown- which adults would relate to more.

Children on an island- May be you mean the Secret Island- with Nora, Peggy, Jack and Mike- later in teh series they are joined by Prince Paul.

The adventure books also have an Island Story- Island of Adventure but I don't think they ran away in that one. And there are a couple of Famous Five books set on Kirrin Island including Five Run Away Together where they run away to Kirrin Island when they are left in the charge of some nasty housekeepers.

Susan wrote: "I remember the re-telling of Pilgrim's Progress, Lady. Was it The Land of Far Beyond: Enid Blyton’s retelling of the Pilgrim’s Progress - gift edition? I enjoyed her nature books an..."

Yes- that the one. I still haven't read it but I do have it on my TBR. In fact, I "discovered" it only after I read the actual PP.

I have always thought the 'Adventure' books (Castle of, Island of, etc) were the best, with the most creative (real-life) settings and properly thought-out plots. Valley and Circus are really rather fascinating and the characters grow and develop through the series and resolve issues about their family life, which doesn't happen so much in the other series.

But for sheer imaginative verve, you can't beat the Faraway Tree. I find the children and their longs-suffering, unsuspicious mother rather insufferable, but the creativity of the Tree and what goes on in the lands at the top is astonishing.

Annabel wrote: "I have always thought the 'Adventure' books (Castle of, Island of, etc) were the best, with the most creative (real-life) settings and properly thought-out plots. Valley and Circus are really rathe..."
The Faraway Tree books I really love- as you say, its the sheer creativity that never ceases to astonish- I couldn't think of half those lands up there let alone the basic concept of a tree with magic lands that appear each week.

Other farm books were The Children of Cherry Tree Farm and there were also the Red Roofs books. I loved all the angst in those books!

As far as her nature writing went, I remember Hedgerow Tales and Woodland Tales - not that there were either woods, or hedgerows, in East London, where I grew up, but I read them anyway :)

Lady Clementina wrote: "Six Cousins and Six Cousins Again were farm books- that set I feel has more serious themes- family-breakdown- which adults would relate to more...."

Thanks, Lady C - I believe it was Six Cousins that I was remembering (I didn't know there was a sequel), and the island one was The Secret Island.

Although I wasn't a big Blyton fan, my daughter did like the Famous Five books a lot and collected a few old hardbacks with the original picture covers.

Susan wrote: "Other farm books were The Children of Cherry Tree Farm and there were also the Red Roofs books. I loved all the angst in those books!

As far as her nature writing went, I remember Hedgerow Tales ..."
There also Willow Farm- i think in the same set as Cherry Tree- those I haven't read so many of or so often to remember very clearly.

Judy wrote: "Lady Clementina wrote: "Six Cousins and Six Cousins Again were farm books- that set I feel has more serious themes- family-breakdown- which adults would relate to more...."

Thanks, Lady C - I beli..."

Do try them sometime anyway- I have a friend who's become a fan now- not having been one as a child :)

Oh, yes adventure series and the faraway tree. Such joy.

Just came across this, which looks fun Jolly Good Food

Susan wrote: "Just came across this, which looks fun Jolly Good Food "

I read about this on facebook. Haven't got a copy yet though

I think I really need to know how to make ginger beer...

Happy New Year Everyone

Article about Enid Blyton

https://life.spectator.co.uk/2017/02/...

Farrah wrote: "Happy New Year Everyone
Article about Enid Blyton
https://life.spectator.co.uk/2017/02/..."

Thanks for posting the link to this article Farrah. I loved the Enid Blyton series when I was young and have been re-reading a few of them in the last year or so.

The one thing that made me pause was the picture of the children in the newly issued editions - that's just not right! Of course if I were 9 years old I might relate to these children, but for this old fogey it just looks all wrong. :-)

Also, they apparently tried "to make the tales more appealing to today’s generation (‘mother and father’ became ‘mum and dad’, ‘pullover’ became ‘jumper’ and ‘awful swotter’ was changed to ‘bookworm’) but the publisher has abandoned the idea and gone back to the previous text."
Well thank goodness for some sanity there at least!

Sue wrote: "Farrah wrote: "Happy New Year Everyone
Article about Enid Blyton
https://life.spectator.co.uk/2017/02/..."

Thanks for posting the link to this article Farrah. ..."

Glad to hear they've gone back to the older text- I read somewhere that one should avoid buying eds published after the 80's (or was it the '90s?) where the changes begin to appear. I some cases, they've even changed names of characters I believe

I've been revisiting EB too- in fact do off and on- at the moment I'm 10 books into my chronological read of the findouters books.

I read the book in the mid to late 80s and it had the original text so the changes probably came in the 90s.

I definitely associated the way they looked with the covers that I read. Possibly, we are all like that.

They have changed the name of some characters. Fanny, in the Enchanted Wood, has become Frannie, for example. I would prefer they left well alone, but I don't think it matters too much. My daughter is currently reading the Naughty Amelia Jane books and the soldier doll is rather like an action man, rather than the wooden soldier, in a red jacket, that I remember.