What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

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Courtenay
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Re: What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

Post by Courtenay »

Fair point, but in every other story I'm aware of where Enid has male and female twins — usually children — she makes a point of them looking alike. So she seriously was doing the Shakespeare mistake.
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Re: What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

Post by Daisy »

That is how I have always interpreted it, Rob.
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Re: What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

Post by Courtenay »

Then why did they have to be "twins"? :roll: My point is, whichever way you slice it, Enid made a really stupid mistake.
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Re: What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

Post by Rob Houghton »

Courtenay wrote:Fair point, but in every other story I'm aware of where Enid has male and female twins — usually children — she makes a point of them looking alike. So she seriously was doing the Shakespeare mistake.
I generally agree - although to 'joe bloggs' twins might look alike at a glance, in a very superficial way, which I've always presumed was what Enid meant, especially as there was always that fad of dressing twins in identical clothes etc.

Panto Cat is a bit different though in my opinion - even two unrelated people might be said to look alike if dressed as the same character, as long as they were roughly the same build. Maybe that's just my interpretation though. :-)

I do agree that they didn't need to be twins...and its a shame she does make that mistake. They could have just been brother and sister, in my opinion.
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Re: What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

Post by Courtenay »

Well, I often wish there could be a TV series version of the Find-Outer mysteries, so if I ever got asked to help write the screenplay, I'd take out the bit about them specifically being twins. :wink: I do agree, as you say, with the help of makeup and costume and so on, the sister could believably pass as her brother playing a woman. (Cross-dressing in Enid Blyton?? Who said she was old-fashioned... :lol: )
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Re: What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

Post by Rob Houghton »

Courtenay wrote:Well, I often wish there could be a TV series version of the Find-Outer mysteries, so if I ever got asked to help write the screenplay, I'd take out the bit about them specifically being twins. :wink:
Yes, I agree - I think I would too - and also the constant references to the fact the Find Outers don't need to bother to check Alec's alibi because he had loads of people watching him on the night of the robbery. Without those constant references, the plot would have been a lot more mysterious!

Its still one of my top favourite Find Outer books though - maybe because it was only the second one I read (after Missing Necklace) as a child. :D
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Re: What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

Post by Courtenay »

Rob Houghton wrote:and also the constant references to the fact the Find Outers don't need to bother to check Alec's alibi because he had loads of people watching him on the night of the robbery.
Ah, now that's one of the "red herrings" I didn't pick up on when I first read it — I didn't suspect Alec at all, precisely because his alibi seemed too obviously watertight! Now if Enid had made a repeated point of what a nasty, irritating, smarmy character he was, like the culprit in Invisible Thief, I probably would have twigged... :wink:
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Re: What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

Post by Moonraker »

Courtenay wrote: I do agree, as you say, with the help of makeup and costume and so on, the sister could believably pass as her brother playing a woman. (Cross-dressing in Enid Blyton?? Who said she was old-fashioned... :lol: )
Blimey - I thought we had Paul Austin back. It seems to me you just want to enjoy the book and not do a thesis on it. :roll:
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Re: What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

Post by Stephen »

The mystery that disturbed me the most as a child was Spiteful Letters. Most of the villains in the series, and indeed Famous Five and Secret Seven were doing what they did to get rich which made perfect sense to me. But suddenly, we have someone who is a baddie just because they're being deliberately nasty. Funnily enough, I could imagine us children behaving like that, but not grown-ups. When the anonymous letter writer is exposed, their reaction was quite upsetting to read as well.
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Re: What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

Post by Courtenay »

Moonraker wrote: Blimey - I thought we had Paul Austin back.
Oh gosh, please — I'm not that bad yet, am I?? :shock: :( Seriously, I'm sorry if I've irritated anyone with my comments. I usually do just enjoy Enid Blyton books and don't like to over-analyse them!

I agree, Stephen, there's something quite creepy about Spiteful Letters. It's one of my favourite Find-Outers books that I've read so far and shows how even just harassing and threatening other people, without actually stealing from them or causing physical harm, is still a crime. When you think of how young people (and not-so-young) suffer from cyber-bullying today, I'd say it's still a very relevant plot.
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Re: What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

Post by Rob Houghton »

To be fair, Paul's obsession was usually with pubescent girls...and still is, from what I've seen on the main page of this website. :evil:

Anyway - talking of Spiteful Letters, I always smile a bit at that one, thinking of the lengths the culprit went to - an ABC book to help them form the letters correctly, and a dictionary to help them spell the words, lol! However, I do agree it has an extra sense of menace, because the crime is committed for no real gain, except to show people up and make them feel ashamed.

One of my favourite plots is 'The Mystery of the Strange Messages' because it has elements of this, but with a more down-to-earth reason. Its the strength of this book that makes Banshee Towers look so weak, in my opinion.
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Re: What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

Post by Courtenay »

Rob Houghton wrote:To be fair, Paul's obsession was usually with pubescent girls...and still is, from what I've seen on the main page of this website. :evil:
Exactly — that's why I was genuinely upset at the comparison. :evil:
Rob Houghton wrote: Anyway - talking of Spiteful Letters, I always smile a bit at that one, thinking of the lengths the culprit went to - an ABC book to help them form the letters correctly, and a dictionary to help them spell the words, lol!
True, but that particular need is also what makes the culprit less obvious until that final sack of surprising clues turns up. When the Find-Outers collect samples of the various suspects' handwriting, and one of them turns out to mix up capital and small letters liberally on account of having little schooling, it looks at once like that person is off the list... :wink: This was another one where I know I didn't guess who it was before all was revealed.
Rob Houghton wrote: One of my favourite plots is 'The Mystery of the Strange Messages' because it has elements of this, but with a more down-to-earth reason. Its the strength of this book that makes Banshee Towers look so weak, in my opinion.
Ah, see, I haven't read Strange Messages at all yet, so I can't compare. No spoilers please! :D
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Re: What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

Post by Wolfgang »

Courtenay wrote:Well, I often wish there could be a TV series version of the Find-Outer mysteries, so if I ever got asked to help write the screenplay, I'd take out the bit about them specifically being twins. :wink:
I'm pretty sure there're one or two articles about the mystery series TV show in the journal... was it three years ago?
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Re: What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

Post by Moonraker »

Courtenay wrote:
Rob Houghton wrote:To be fair, Paul's obsession was usually with pubescent girls...and still is, from what I've seen on the main page of this website. :evil:
Exactly — that's why I was genuinely upset at the comparison. :evil:
Oh, don't be so sensitive. It was only a t-i-c comment. For goodness sake don't start over-analysing me as well! :D
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Re: What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

It's probably best to avoid making comparisons with people who no longer post on the forums. Personally, I'm happy for forumites to analyse the books as long as it's done with sincerity (as was the case with Courtenay's comment) and not with the aim of causing a stir.
Wolfgang wrote:
Courtenay wrote:Well, I often wish there could be a TV series version of the Find-Outer mysteries, so if I ever got asked to help write the screenplay, I'd take out the bit about them specifically being twins. :wink:
I'm pretty sure there're one or two articles about the mystery series TV show in the journal... was it three years ago?
The Japanese Find-Outers TV series, which ran for 113 episodes in the 1960s-70s, was discussed by Nick Hopkins in Journal 57, July 2015. I believe the tapes were wiped, which is a shame as I'd have loved to see what the series was like (preferably with English subtitles!)
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