VICTORIAN NOVELISTS AND ENID BLYTON

[Judith Crabb]

It's easy to forget that Enid was a Victorian, born 1897. Is there any information about which Victorian novelists for adult readers she read as a young woman? Being such a keen reader she must have read plenty and no doubt had her opinions about them.

[Katharine]

That's a good question.

I've read her biographies, but can only remember mention of children's books.

[Boodi 2]

She apparently enjoyed "Little Women", but of course that is also a children's book.

[Katharine]

I'm just wondering if Enid actually read many adult novels, seeing as her own attempt to write for adults didn't appear to be very successful?

I seem to remember reading that she read some of her father's books (possibly German ones?) and they were deemed unsuitable for her, but of course that would have been when she was fairly young as presumably her father took his books with him when he left.

[pete9012S]

I think she was a fan of Agatha Christie who was born in 1890?

[Katharine]

She may have been. Enid would have been about 23 when Agatha's first book was published.