The most depressing Famous Five book?

[Lenoir]

I also didn't like "Mystery Moor" very much, although I enjoyed some parts of it, like when they got lost in the mist.
So it remains a book I don't often go back to. But now when I do read it, I don't mind it so much anymore.
I don't think I'd go as far as calling any of the books depressing.

[Barnard]

A few of the books, especially the last two, I think, are less good, but I would not describe any as depressing.

[Moonraker]

Mystery Moor is one of my favourites. A great story.

[pete9012S]

I'm glad we can agree to differ and still be good chums!

One man's meat and two veg is another man's...or something like that!

[John Pickup]

Mystery Moor is one of the better Fives. It's certainly atmospheric but not in a depressing way. Unlike Pete, I quite liked Henry, she put George's nose out of joint.

[Bertie]

I always enjoy Mystery Moor - it's definitely one of the best books in the second half of the series.

Although I agree with Pete about Henrietta, and also about it being disappointing / frustrating that the others side with her and not George.

But I still very much enjoy the book as it's a very good mystery, and 'atmospheric' in a good way.

[pete9012S]

Unlike Pete, I quite liked Henry..

I think of Henry the same way you think of Junior Henning old friend!

[pete9012S]

I was was just thinking, If I had to choose between Henrietta and Eunice Tolling I think I would...

[Bertie]

[John Pickup]

Unlike Pete, I quite liked Henry..

I think of Henry the same way you think of Junior Henning old friend!

You must really hate Henrietta then, Pete. You and Junior Henning are polar opposites. You're a lovely guy and he's a........

[IceMaiden]

Perhaps a better title for the thread would be 'The Famous Five book with the most depressing atmosphere'. That is a completely different question to 'the most depressing Famous Five book'. And surely the answer would have to be Hike with the appropriately named Gloomy Water which alone makes it sound a mournful and desolate place. I can imagine it as being one those sheltered places the sun never reaches making it constantly cold, dark and damp.

[Debbie]

I'd go for Mystery Moor too.

I agree that I don't like the way the others side with Henry (etta) and I do find her rather annoying. I'd add that I always found George's attitude rather silly, and couldn't see why she objected so much to another girl "pretending to be a boy". It's not just here she does that- she objects when Bertha is disguised as a boy, doesn't like Jo at first until she proves herself, although I seem to remember she's okay with the two Harries. Maybe that's because Harriet is "pretending to be a boy" so she can be like Harry, rather than because she wants to be a boy.
I'd have thought George would have been delighted to find a kindred spirit and they could have talked about the unfairness of how they weren't treated really like a boy, and how mean aunts who expected them to wear a skirt were!

But I always found the story creepy. The only other one I found similar is Camp. I think in both of them the villains feel more ruthless than some of the others. The ones in Hike always come across as rather incompetent, so I never felt they were in real danger, and I think the feel of an extra holiday does give it a nicer atmosphere.

I also found the boys leaving the girls in Mystery Moor didn't feel in character. they know some pretty desperate men are around and looking for them. Would Julian really have said to the girls to wait and they'd be back? Even with Timmy I don't think they would have risked leaving them at that point. And then they start shouting for the girls when again they know people are looking for them. Not Julian's normal common sense!

[Chrissie777]

It is certainly one of the most dire and boring books in the series - the CFF film was even worse!

I was always wondering how CFF could pick of all great FF sequels that one as a second FF movie?

[Chrissie777]

But, yeah, as others have pointed out about the thread title, there's no real 'depressing' Enid book. But there's certainly books or scenes that are the 'least appealing', or that are 'less enjoyable' than others, and that's how I was interpreting the thread.

"The Secret Island" has a very depressing beginning, but then it turns into such a great book once the four children reach the island.

[Bertie]

"The Secret Island" has a very depressing beginning, but then it turns into such a great book once the four children reach the island.

Yeah, good point. You can debate about terminology - depressing, sombre, downbeat, etc - but, yeah, the beginning of it is certainly describing two unpleasantness households that the children are living in and looking to escape from.

'Hollow Tree House' is similar. Their aunt is as bad, if not worse, than the aunt in Secret Island. And it goes on for longer into the book.

But, like you say, the book(s) as a whole are enjoyable because they do escape those unpleasant situations and have a happy ending with some exciting times along the way.