What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

[Darrell71]

I can't remember what happened in each title now, but I recall a particularly dull camping trip and a weak and weary storyline involving slugs and lettuces.

Don't remember the slugs and lettuces but I have the camp one, and yes, it is plenty dull compared to EB.

such as Jake being too scared to play Hockey after injuring his beloved coach.

The mind boggles!

He (a hockey prodigy of sorts) injures the guy who has been like a father to him and is his hockey coach, in the eye, and so pretends to have a sprain to get out of playing hockey, which is discovered by Elizabeth, etc etc.

[Courtenay]

I had to look up the word "Fie". I might start using that!

I'm sure your distant cousin Shakespeare used it at times...

[Carlotta King]

Jack uses it in Sea of Adventure too. I'm sure you'll get to it soon!

[Moonraker]

Jack uses it in Sea of Adventure too. I'm sure you'll get to it soon!

I already had, hence my post. Come on, Cathy, keep up.

Yes, Courtenay, he certainly did!

[Carlotta King]

Oh.

Sorry, I must've been having a blonde moment. I thought your bit about not noticing things was to do with Bill's hair!

For some reason I thought the Fie comment was just because you might have heard it somewhere, and not to do with Jack, I'm obviously just having a daft five minutes.

[Lenoir]

I read "Secret Seven Mystery" a few weeks ago. Last night I suddenly had the urge to read a Famous Five and picked "Five go down to the sea".
It's something of a classic with a lot of traditional Famous Fives stuff. Lashings of hard boiled eggs and lashings of peas both get mentioned.
The most magnificent high tea of them all is described. The food theme is very strong and Mrs Penruthlan seems to have a thing about appetites.
It was quite interesting for me (as I had forgotten the detail) to read that one of Uncle Quentin's friends had stayed there and so that is why they went. Not the only time they had a holiday inspired by one of Quentin's scientist friends (Smuggler's Top and Demon's rocks come to mind).

[db105]

I just finished Five go down to the sea a few days ago, and it certainly has a classic feel with a lot of the elements we associate with the series. It suffers a bit because it's at this point when the series starts to feel a bit repetitive if you read it one after the other, but that's not a problem otherwise.

It was quite interesting for me (as I had forgotten the detail) to read that one of Uncle Quentin's friends had stayed there and so that is why they went. Not the only time they had a holiday inspired by one of Quentin's scientist friends (Smuggler's Top and Demon's rocks come to mind).

Uncle Quentin plays a surprisingly central role in the series, for an adult who mostly wants to be left alone and who dislikes having children around.

[Rob Houghton]

I must be very easy to please, as I don't really find any of the Famous Five books too repetitive. Some I find less good than others, but they all have various elements that are different, so I've never felt that, despite the fact I read all but two of them for the first time as an adult.

There are only three in the series I really am less keen on - Five On A Secret Trail (good in parts but always seems like it should have been a short story to me!) Mystery To Solve, and Together Again. The other 18 are all superb!

[db105]

I must be very easy to please, as I don't really find any of the Famous Five books too repetitive.

Well, they have their recurring elements. I think you notice it more when you read all the books one after the other.

[Rob Houghton]

I read them all one after the other last year, and was blown away by what a difference this made! Up until then, I had always read them out of order. Of course, I agree the themes sometimes repeat, but Enid always manages to include enough twists and turns that they still seem fresh, at least in my opinion.

I found it very interesting, reading them in order, how sometimes Enid would take a phrase or an idea used in one book and expand it in the next, sometimes into a full plot. I can't, unfortunately, think of an instance right now, but I noticed this several times when reading them in order.

There are of course a few times she reuses plots and I think the second use of the same plot is never so effective. One big example of this is 'Five Are Together Again' which is a much weaker version of the plot of 'The Rilloby Fair Mystery'. But most of the time the recurring plots still seem slightly different and fresh because of various added elements.

[sixret]

Recurring elements, yes. Plots, no.

I have read so many detective books and all the familiar recurring elements have been used in the books repetitively but the plots are totally different. Same goes with children adventure/mystery books or any other genres for that matter.

[Rob Houghton]

Inspired by Pete, who was talking about and recently bought 'The Yellow Story Book' I decided to reread my hardback copy, and I'm really enjoying it, in between rereading 'The Rilloby Fair Mystery' because I want to familiarise myself with the character of Uncle Robert due to a story I'm currently writing!

I'm enjoying The Yellow Story Book so far and I've just read one of the best 'consequence' stories Enid ever wrote, I think - very amusing and interesting. It's called The Untidy Gnome - and I found it very entertaining! The only thing about the first edition version I have (which only cost me £2.95 but doesn't have a wrapper) is that the illustrations are by Kathleen Gell - her illustrations are 'okay' but I've never been a big fan of hers.

[Wolfgang]

I started to read "Le mystère de vaisseau perdu" (= The Ship of adventure). As usual the French books are heavily abridged at the beginning (no passport photographs to grieve about, no one sick in the Bay of Biscay etc.), and some minor changes take place as well. I have to admit I liked Mme Lefèvre's (Aunt Allie) description of René Marchal (Bill Smugs) though: "Il est comme vous : il attire les catastrophes par sa seule présence" = He's like you (the children) - he attracts disasters just being there.
Another change is the fact that as soon as Aunt Allie learns that Kiki is aboard she informs the crew of the ship, so there's no hiding of Kiki and her finding by the stewardess and the steward.
What I couldn't follow though is that the book states the following thing : "Mais, chose étrange de la part de Jacques qui était bavard de nature". It means that Jack is a babbler by nature, which I consider rather strange. They use it to explain Jack's strange behaviour or rather his avoiding of talking about Porky and Kiki.

[Lucky Star]

Frankly these French editions just sound terrible to me. Do they have the Tresilian illustrations?

[Anita Bensoussane]

What I couldn't follow though is that the book states the following thing : "Mais, chose étrange de la part de Jacques qui était bavard de nature". It means that Jack is a babbler by nature, which I consider rather strange. They use it to explain Jack's strange behaviour or rather his avoiding of talking about Porky and Kiki.

I certainly wouldn't describe Jack as "a babbler by nature." It might have made more sense to say that Jack normally loved to talk about Kiki - and birds in general - if other people showed an interest.

Of course, it would have made even more sense simply to translate what Enid Blyton wrote!