Six Cousins at Mistletoe Farm and Six Cousins Again

[Lucky Star]

I also liked the "changed" Melisande

I think Melisande underwent one of the biggest changes of the whole six children. She was absolutely frightful at the beginning, terribly stuck up and completely intolerant of Jane's "horsey" habits. By the end of the first book she has become a lovely girl, happier, healthier and much friendlier than before. And in the second book she becomes quite the rock of her family as Rose completely gives up on the farm lifestyle.

[Owl's Dene]

These are among my favourite Blyton books. Some really serious issues tackled in these. Okay they are a trifle sexist and dated now but still relevant.
They are also interesting in so much as some of the animals do die in the stories. Though I do remember a dog dying in one of the Willow Farm books.

I do find Enid's portrayal of Gipsies in her books very disturbingly negative. does anyone know if she had a bad run in or experience with Roma or Travellers? Or were these commonly held beliefs at the time? Bearing in mind many Roma peoples had been persecuted by the Nazis.

The illustrations are especially good being by Peter Biegal and Maurice Tulloch, who were both well known equestrian artists and illustrators.

[Rob Houghton]

I think that was just a generally held view about gypsies at the time. Even in the 1970's and 80's as I was growing up, the main thing I knew about gypsies was that they made clothes pegs, sold things door-to-door (I remember one woman coming selling lucky heather, and threatening us with a curse if we didn't buy some) and stole chickens from farms. They also liked playing fiddles and dancing with tambourines around camp fires. That was pretty much what I thought all gypsies did, until I was in my mid twenties.

I think The Six Cousins books are some of Enid's strongest, with some great situations, and I especially love Rose as a character - typical of the weak middle class women of the day who couldn't do very much without a maid or cook to do it for her. I think the 'bad press' given to the gypsies in this book is particularly relevant and realistic. My dad's brother is a farmer, and when we visited I can often recall my aunt complaining that gypsies were 'up yonder' and had visited the farm and knocked on the door. I think farms were particularly vulnerable to theft of animals while gypsies were around, or at least, they felt they were vulnerable.

[Anita Bensoussane]

These are among my favourite Blyton books. Some really serious issues tackled in these. Okay they are a trifle sexist and dated now but still relevant.

The Six Cousins books are among my favourite Blyton books too, Owl's Dene. They're engaging, thought-provoking dramas, and the adult characters are as interesting as the child/teenage characters.

I do find Enid's portrayal of Gipsies in her books very disturbingly negative. does anyone know if she had a bad run in or experience with Roma or Travellers? Or were these commonly held beliefs at the time?

Although gypsies are presented negatively in several Blyton books, there's a very positive portrayal of their life in Enid Blyton's Animal Lover's Book (1952), which contains a story of 26 chapters about Zacky (Zachary Boswell) the gypsy (spelt "gipsy" in this particular book). He's a friendly, honest man and his role is similar to that of Tammylan in The Children of Cherry Tree Farm. He shows Richard and Susan his clean, bright waggon on which he has carved all kinds of animals, and he shares his knowledge of wildlife with the children. He says in the chapter 'Tod the Fox', "I'm no hunter. I've been hunted away too often myself as a boy, because I'm a gipsy - and many folks can't abide gipsies. I've a feeling for the hunted, and I can't give them away." Patrins are mentioned, and Enid Blyton even introduces a few gypsy words such as "yokmush" for "policeman" and "disilo", which means "day comes". In the final chapter, Susan remarks that one thing she and Richard have learnt from Zacky is "to make friends with everything we can." She adds, "That ought to be Zacky's motto. He should carve it all round his waggon: I MAKE FRIENDS."

[Rob Houghton]

The Animal Lover's Book is one of the few I haven't read, and you've encouraged me to rectify that as soon as possible, Anita! It sounds an interesting book.

[Courtenay]

That does sound interesting, Anita - and gives some nice balance to the usual assumptions that Enid was prejudiced in various ways.

[Darrell71]

Split from another topic.

Warning: longish post
I just remembered that I completely forgot to share my thoughts on both the Six Cousins books, so here goes.
I found it interesting, first of all, how we got to see the entire picture of these kids’ lives - both their school months and holidays. Of course, we didn’t see much of the school stuff, but it was something, at least. I must say, though, that I would not like to live at Mistletoe farm - it must be beautiful and good fun, but cold baths in winter?! Being judged for wearing sandals? I love sandals! The relationships between both sets of parents was also well fleshed out, which is new.
As a whole I found both books to be mature, clever writing and a gripping read - for very different reasons for each book though.
Six Cousins at Mistletoe farm: this is much like Blyton's classic 'bad sorts turn good sorts' thing, times six (well, times five. I don't think Susan changed much). What I mainly loved was that she managed to portray all the children as nuanced characters, who were neither completely good nor bad, unlike in some of the school stories. It reminded me a lot of Those Dreadful Children, although I do think that book had a much better balance in terms of amount of change both parties went through. In 6C, the town kids seem to change much much more than the farm kids. Surprisingly it was the changes in Jane and Jack that I really appreciated, since they were far more subtle and unique. I also loved all the supporting characters, such as Twiggs (the Mr.Potts naming tidbit is her humor at its very best!) and the hermit dude, but also Linnie. I love how she's portrayed as a good, hard-working farmer's wife but with an appreciation for the fine arts - maybe this is another example of Enid being ahead of her times (?). I think overall it’s also a well paced story. My only disappointment, if any, would be that the mystery aspect is lackluster - the culprit is most obvious from the second the robberies are mentioned. I understand that that wasn’t the main theme of this book though.
Six Cousins Again: This is one I’ll probably skip next time. For one, much of the progress Melisande and Cyril made in the previous book seems to be just completely lost until the final third of the story. That’s a big shame. Then suddenly, when adversity strikes, they get it together, which makes sense I guess, but I don’t have to like it. Secondly, Rose goes from bad to good far too abruptly. There are small moments when she wonders if people feel genuine love towards her, sees the entire extended family having a jolly dinner together without her present, etc, but it doesn’t seem like much reflection and growth happens, really. Then suddenly she goes from weeping invalid to ‘proper mother’ in the span of, what, a night? Given that everyone seems to compare Rose and Linnie in front of Rose all the time before this happens, it’s insane that it takes her this long to get it together. The mind truly boggles. And her husband is a weak character too, apparently, not really able to frankly and strongly tell her his feelings even when her actions can mean their financial ruin. The constant talk of her good looks and them being compared to Linnie's also feels odd. Even if I set all of that aside, the worst part, for me, is how awfully depressing much of the book is. Blyton books always have their ‘ups and downs’, as the characters call them, but this one seems to be a long down with small 'up bumps' on it followed by a sudden, steep, shooting UP. I finished it in one sitting simply because I knew it would end on a high note and I couldn’t bear to set it down before reaching that high note. I’d probably only re-read the last few paragraphs where Roddy gets his Tinker. This is not to say I absolutely abhor this book, there were quite a few classic Blyton style clever scenes and passages of solid literature, but on the whole this book just didn’t do it for me.
I'm glad I got to read these new books, her writing is always refreshing.

[floragord]

I enjoyed reading your post, Sunskriti, I'd never read the Six Cousins books so found it most interesting. You'd not have appreciated our school, it was cold water baths all year round and the windows nailed open so we enjoyed plenty of fresh and frosty air... and sandals were forbidden both at school and at home, freedom was choosing to wear them when I could make my own decisions... Thanks for sharing.

[timv]

When I first read the series, aged about eight, I also noticed the way that Cyril and Melisande seem to go backwards in their behaviour in Six Cousins Again after the progress they made earlier. I suppose it's not unexpected given how domineering and demanding Rose is and how they both want to impress her, but it's disappointing all the same - a bit like Mirabel 'reverting to form' in the final St Clare's book. I suppose Melisande was to some extent taking after her father David, who I had the impression would do anything for a quiet life and let Rose have her way . At the time, I was cheering Roderick on for unexpectedly standing up to Rose!

It's noticeable that we see Rose as a poor judge of her employees compared to Linnie, who relies on the 'ordinary' and 'down to earth' but reliable and wise cook Dorcas. Rose is obviously impressed with her snobbish but unpleasant maid, brought from ?London, who falls for the 'gypsies'/ Romanies/ tinkers' fortune-telling and lets them into her kitchen despite David's orders. They then steal the silver spoons (a bit of a cliche!). By contrast, Rose ignores the more sensible but younger and blunter cook / maid Sally (Dorcas' niece) who ends up leaving in a huff - the 'canary in the coal mine' scene that warns that things are starting to go very wrong. Sally has to be retrieved to put things right, but Rose should have believed her earlier. Perhaps Enid was thinking of her own time trying to assess how reliable staff were at her houses (a common problem for inexperienced young middle-class wives in the 1930s) and recalling mistakes made by her acquaintances?

[mynameisdumbnuts]

I think Rose's overnight transformation is plausible if not realistic. Perhaps it was easy for Rose to dismiss as silly thoughts those previous moments when it seemed her family could do without her. But now here it is, plain as day, her husband and children saying yes, they can. Then we know Linnie tells Rose some home truths when they are alone. Linnie is clever, eloquent and has obviously thought about Rose's flaws. I like to think she left Rose with no doubt about her selfishness and weakness.

It must have been a tremendous shock for a woman who was used to getting her own way and felt superior to her sister-in-law. All those illusions disappear in one evening.

I find it less realistic that Rose is suddenly happy to adopt a puppy! Puppies are hard work, and I think it's reasonable for Roddy's parents -- both of them -- to tell him that now's not a good time.

It is odd that David expects Rose to all of a sudden churn butter, feed hens, bottle fruit, etc. when she's never had to do it before -- he tells himself she will surprise him as if she's been doing it all her life, or something. Meanwhile, Rose doesn't even realize what he expects of her. It's as though the two of them didn't even discuss what running a farm would entail and who would do what.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Great posts! It's lovely to see so many meaty comments on one of my favourite series (if a duo of books can be called a series!)

Although I like the first book very much, I like the second one even better and I think that's partly because I find Rose Longfield such a fascinating character. Children frequently have lessons to learn in Blyton books but mothers are often fully-formed founts of wisdom, cheerful and practical and caring, able to provide sumptuous picnics at the drop of a hat. Linnie is that type of mother, although we have an interesting insight into what makes her tick as an individual too - for example she loves poetry and classical music but puts her family and the farm first.

Rose is not that kind of mother at all. She is vain, selfish and lazy and provides no support even during a crisis. When she does do a job, her heart is not in it and she does it badly and unwillingly. I think that's because she has always viewed their farming life as temporary and assumed that she, David and the children would eventually be able to return to living in the town. I find it easier to believe in her transformation if I look upon it as a sudden realisation that there is no alternative if she wants to remain part of the family - that life on a farm is the reality for them now and that it might not be such a terrible existence if she puts her all into it and tries to do her best instead of just half-heartedly going through the motions and hoping it will soon be over.

I agree that there seems to be a distinct lack of communication between Rose and David, Mynameisdumbnuts. Let's hope that will improve now they're on the same page, and that they will enjoy making plans together for the future of their farm (with help from their children and advice from Linnie and Peter when needed).

Even if I set all of that aside, the worst part, for me, is how awfully depressing much of the book is. Blyton books always have their ‘ups and downs’, as the characters call them, but this one seems to be a long down with small 'up bumps' on it followed by a sudden, steep, shooting UP.

I must admit I rather enjoy all the doom and gloom, especially as it's a Blyton book and I know the ending will be positive no matter how bad things get!

Perhaps Enid was thinking of her own time trying to assess how reliable staff were at her houses (a common problem for inexperienced young middle-class wives in the 1930s) and recalling mistakes made by her acquaintances?

Reading the extracts from Enid Blyton's Ladies' Year Book - 1929 in the Journal, Enid seems to have been constantly hiring and firing domestic staff, many of whom lasted only a few weeks!

Being judged for wearing sandals? I love sandals!

You'd not have appreciated our school, it was cold water baths all year round and the windows nailed open so we enjoyed plenty of fresh and frosty air... and sandals were forbidden both at school and at home, freedom was choosing to wear them when I could make my own decisions...

I've always been puzzled as to why Cyril is ridiculed for wearing sandals. I thought that perhaps sandals were regarded as effeminate back in the 1940s, but Floragord's post suggests that they were frowned upon for girls too. I haven't heard any criticism of sandals during my own lifetime (I was born in 1970) so I'm mystified! Can anyone explain why Cyril was jeered at for wearing them?! Maybe it wasn't the done thing out in the countryside, where sturdy boots were the most practical footwear?

[GloomyGraham]

I always liked the Six Cousins books as they were a bit like some of the 'house' stories (eg Red-Roofs, Green Hedges) which showed families dealing with trying circumstances and not all of the main characters were Famous-Five-perfect.

With regards to sandals being considered effeminate, I remember buying some slightly trendy thongs (flip-flops for the Americans lol) in maybe the early 80s and my Dad saying 'I thought they were only for girls', so it wasn't just in the 40s that some kinds of footwear were considered inappropriate. I imagine sandals would have been frowned upon in many activities such as attending a church service - remember that in the 40s most men - even from the working class - wouldn't have left the house without a tie and a hat and would have even worn them on a trip to the beach.

And with the poster on page one saying they had a collection of three Six-Cousins books, I remember seeing a paperback collection about 20years ago which had the two Six Cousins tales plus (for some strange reason) 'More Adventures at Willow Farm', so perhaps they were talking about this particular edition.

[Rob Houghton]

With regards to sandals being considered effeminate, I remember buying some slightly trendy thongs (flip-flops for the Americans lol) in maybe the early 80s and my Dad saying 'I thought they were only for girls'

And 'flip-flops' in Britain too! 'Thongs' are something else entirely!!

[Anita Bensoussane]

I always liked the Six Cousins books as they were a bit like some of the 'house' stories (eg Red-Roofs, Green Hedges) which showed families dealing with trying circumstances and not all of the main characters were Famous-Five-perfect.

I think you mean Green Meadows but I agree that the Six Cousins books are "family" stories like the titles you mention, rather than "farm" stories like the Cherry Tree/Willow Farm series.

[Darrell71]

Good posts, fun to read. I probably should've searched for this thread before going off on a long rambly tangent in the other, more general thread.

It's noticeable that we see Rose as a poor judge of her employees compared to Linnie, who relies on the 'ordinary' and 'down to earth' but reliable and wise cook Dorcas.

Ooh, yes. This was one of the parts of the second book that I quite enjoyed, but forgot to touch on in my original post. Except for the Sticks in Five Run Away Together, I've found Blytonian home-help to be the most likable, friendly, sensible people, and good cooks to boot. It was an interesting, if somewhat distressing change.

I think Rose's overnight transformation is plausible if not realistic. Perhaps it was easy for Rose to dismiss as silly thoughts those previous moments when it seemed her family could do without her. But now here it is, plain as day, her husband and children saying yes, they can.
(...)
It is odd that David expects Rose to all of a sudden churn butter, feed hens, bottle fruit, etc. when she's never had to do it before -- he tells himself she will surprise him as if she's been doing it all her life, or something. Meanwhile, Rose doesn't even realize what he expects of her. It's as though the two of them didn't even discuss what running a farm would entail and who would do what.

That's a good way of thinking about it, and yes, perhaps that would bring about such a change. I'm still dubious though.
David had some ridiculous expectations, I must say. The minute you know you're going to be running a farm and all hands must be on deck, surely you'd tell those hands! I was totally sympathetic towards Rose, though of course she had to spoil it by being too heigh and mighty to ask Linnie for guidance, lol.

I remember buying some slightly trendy thongs (flip-flops for the Americans lol) in maybe the early 80s and my Dad saying 'I thought they were only for girls',

I am so, so, glad you put in an explanation in brackets . I would've thought about this sentence for ages if you hadn't.