The Enid Blyton Society

Years ago I jotted down some ideas for a non-episodic Faraway Tree book, which I planned to write just for my own amusement. However, I never did get round to writing it.

Now's your chance!!

I don't think we've ever had a Faraway Tree continuation novel on the site here, have we? I'm sure I wouldn't be the only one interested in reading it...

Here is some info about previous continuations, but it goes back a few years:

ENID BLYTON CONTINUATION SERIES—FANTASY:

THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE/THE ENCHANTED WORLD

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This series could have gone on endlessly if it had been a success, but it seems it wasn't one, so it came to a rather abrupt end. I think they didn't even publish the last parts in German, at least I didn't see them anywhere.

I've finished The Wishing-Chair Again, a truly wonderful book! I first read it nearly forty years ago, and it took me right back to those more innocent times. Some things stayed with me all those years such as the enigmatic Mr. Spells, the terrifying Mr. Grim and his School For Bad Brownies, and Winks! Even though he only appears in half a book, Winks is one of my favourite of all Blyton's characters. Truly likeable, and yet just can't help being naughty and mischievous. I even remember at the time Winks reminding me of one of my school friends!

There were other aspects I'd forgotten about, but they came flooding back. Pin Village, the new green and yellow wings made from ointment, Chinky hanging upside down by his foot as the Chair flew off, and the almost psychedelic Land of Spells. But other things I had no recollection of. Perhaps aged 5-6, I was a little bit too young to read it all the way through properly and just picked up on certain things.

I see this was published in 1950, thirteen years after 'Adventures of the Wishing Chair'. Is this the longest gap between consecutive books in an Enid Blyton series? I notice that Rene Cloke's drawings of Peter and Mollie vary between the two books. Mollie even seems to resemble Elizabeth Allen in a couple of the illustrations. And, as I had originally read the books in reverse order in my childhood, I couldn't really understand why the previously straight haired Peter had appeared to have acquired a perm in 'Adventures'!

I noticed the absence of Peter's and Mollie's father in 'Adventures'. He appears once and is referenced a couple of times in 'Again', but is very much a background character. The mother seems far more prominent.

My next book up is Stories For You. I certainly don't remember reading this as a child, so I must have got it in recent years from a charity shop!

I've just finished Five Are Together Again, a sad and muddled book to end a great series, it's many years since I last read it. But next I shall read The Mystery of the Pantomime Cat, written when Enid was at the height of her powers.

I seem to remember quite liking the unpopular Five Are Together Again, although we are talking thirty odd years ago. I'm intrigued to read it again to see what all the fuss was about!

I've finished Stories For You. As I'd never read it before, it didn't evoke the same nostalgia as 'Stories For Bedtime', and a fortysomething man isn't going to find it the greatest book in the world. But there were a few interesting morality tales there. It's quite disturbing in 2018 to read how much antisocial behaviour there was in Enid Blyton's time. There were some right unpleasant characters in it!

My next book is Five Have A Mystery To Solve. I've read it about two or three times, but not since the 1980s. I seem to remember a golf course and an island with gold statues. But isn't this the story where Enid openly admits to basing one of the characters on a real person?

Stephen wrote: My next book is Five Have A Mystery To Solve. I've read it about two or three times, but not since the 1980s. I seem to remember a golf course and an island with gold statues. But isn't this the story where Enid openly admits to basing one of the characters on a real person?

Yes, it is. And of course the island is based on Brownsea Island opposite Poole harbour.

Ah, interesting. I've never been to Poole Harbour, but I've certainly been near it. When I was seven, we stayed in Swanage. I was fascinated by an Ordnance Survey map of the local area in the lobby of the hotel we were staying in. As I couldn't really work out the scale compared with the rest of the country, it almost looked as if this gigantic bay of water might have been taking up a large percentage of England!

Lucas, the groundsman at the golf course, is based on a real person. The golf course is Enid's own golf course, and even the cottage where the children stay is a real cottage.

Michael Portillo was on Brownsea Island in his Railway programme a week or so back. I was hoping he was going to mention something about Enid or the golf course but he did a piece about the Scouts instead. It was still nice to see images of the island though, it might be on the bbc iplayer.

Stephen wrote:My next book is Five Have A Mystery To Solve.

Kate Mary wrote:I've just finished Five Are Together Again, a sad and muddled book to end a great series...

I find both those books terribly weak and weary. What a pity the series fizzles out like that.

Stephen wrote:I've finished The Wishing-Chair Again, a truly wonderful book! I first read it nearly forty years ago, and it took me right back to those more innocent times. Some things stayed with me all those years such as the enigmatic Mr. Spells, the terrifying Mr. Grim and his School For Bad Brownies, and Winks! Even though he only appears in half a book, Winks is one of my favourite of all Blyton's characters. Truly likeable, and yet just can't help being naughty and mischievous. I even remember at the time Winks reminding me of one of my school friends!

There were other aspects I'd forgotten about, but they came flooding back. Pin Village, the new green and yellow wings made from ointment, Chinky hanging upside down by his foot as the Chair flew off, and the almost psychedelic Land of Spells.

The Wishing-Chair Again is better than Adventures of the Wishing-Chair in my opinion (though I like both books!) because the various adventures are longer and more involved.

Pin Village made a great impression on me too. It's a little disquieting, being so "proper" and still. Even though there's no duck pond, I was reminded of Pin Village when I came across these almshouses in Greenwich as they all have the same blue doors and the same kinds of plants around a neat lawn:

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Another thing that has stayed in my mind is the titbit dish which has a different snack inside it every time the lid is opened. I thought Peter was incredibly generous when he gave it to Winks.

Stephen wrote:I notice that Rene Cloke's drawings of Peter and Mollie vary between the two books.

Yes, it disappoints me that Rene Cloke has Peter and Mollie dress more conservatively in The Wishing-Chair Again. The costumes they wear in the first book are delightfully quaint.

Stephen wrote:I see this was published in 1950, thirteen years after 'Adventures of the Wishing Chair'. Is this the longest gap between consecutive books in an Enid Blyton series?

It may well be!

IceMaiden wrote:Michael Portillo was on Brownsea Island in his Railway programme a week or so back. I was hoping he was going to mention something about Enid or the golf course but he did a piece about the Scouts instead. It was still nice to see images of the island though, it might be on the bbc iplayer.

Julia Bradbury walks along the coat to Old Harry Rocks in one of her walks programmes (it was repeated last week) and mentions Enid Blyton a couple of times, as well as showing the Agglestone and the golf course etc.