Has "The Secret Island" been cut?

[Irene Malory Towers]

Yes it is - I gave away my other copy but it was also quite old had loads cut out - but unfortunately I cannot remember what year is was from. Yes such a wonderful illustration. I did feel that the illustrator made the children look quite old and too glamorous actually but I liked the feel of them. I thought that and Golden Pavements were the best, I couldn't be bothered to read the very last - something about Maddy on TV as I heard it was dreadful.

[Judith Crabb]

'Maddy Alone' I think it was, Irene. Back in the fifties I think I bought a Nelson paperback of it (very attractive covers they had) and I didn't think it was awful, but I might now if I re-read it.

[Judith Crabb]

I just thought to check my 'Junior Sequels ' book. The last in the series was 'Maddy Again' - 'Maddy Alone ' was the second.

[Debbie]

'Maddy Alone' I think it was, Irene. Back in the fifties I think I bought a Nelson paperback of it (very attractive covers they had) and I didn't think it was awful, but I might now if I re-read it.

Bit of a derailment, but I thought Maddy Alone was dreadful. I love the other books in the series, but this came across as a Mary Sue with wish fulfilment thrown in. Maddie is a spoilt brat and everyone panders to her.

Roughly: <spoilers>





Maddie gets offered a big part in the movies after telling the well known director that the famous actress is wrong for main part. Maddie has strops about various items in the movie. Filming is held up for several days while no one knows what to do. Maddie gets her own way.
I told my children we hadn't got the book when they asked for that one.

It's strange because the other books are so well written.

Anyway back to The Secret island. I've got the 1956 reprint. I like the Secret island for the simpleness of it. They run away and work out how to live. Yes, some of it is stretching the point (would they really have managed to get a cow to the island?) but it makes a lovely story. I wonder how many children read it and wanted to do the same, despite lovely home lives? The idea of living on their own, being totally self-sufficient, building a willow house and living in a cave-all very exciting!
The reality would have been less pleasant, touched very gently on by mentioning a spell of bad weather. But we can dream about it! Anyone want to give me a spare island or two?

[Irene Malory Towers]

On holiday this year my son asked me to read Lord of the Flies which he had annotated as part of his English GCSE and as it a classic I felt I should read it. It is a good book, but so disturbing. It is written in 1954 so similar time to the Island of Adventure. The setting is not so dissimilar. a set of kids abandoned and lost in an island trying to make a life, but oh, the difference in sentiment. 2 kids gets killed at least - - I think one is lost, and there are 2 rival groups and very little sense of unity and community. I found it so disturbing. I definitely prefer the Secret Island. The resourcefulness of the kids is amazing, Jack can skin a rabbit, catch fish, Peggy can sew a rug out of rabbit skins. I can't do that now at over 50.

[Anita Bensoussane]

It isn't too hard to believe in the children fending for themselves on the island as Jack had looked after the farm/smallholding where he lived with his grandfather and had grown crops and cared for livestock. Also, he was already used to going out into the woods and meadows to catch rabbits and fish and gather fruit, mushrooms and nuts. The other children had had to do masses of jobs for their aunt and uncle so they were proficient at working in the fields and garden, washing clothes by hand, sewing and cooking. Jack had brought the cow (Daisy) up from a calf so it's plausible that he got her to the island without too much trouble.

[Courtenay]

On holiday this year my son asked me to read Lord of the Flies which he had annotated as part of his English GCSE and as it a classic I felt I should read it. It is a good book, but so disturbing. It is written in 1954 so similar time to the Island of Adventure. The setting is not so dissimilar. a set of kids abandoned and lost in an island trying to make a life, but oh, the difference in sentiment. 2 kids gets killed at least - - I think one is lost, and there are 2 rival groups and very little sense of unity and community. I found it so disturbing. I definitely prefer the Secret Island. The resourcefulness of the kids is amazing, Jack can skin a rabbit, catch fish, Peggy can sew a rug out of rabbit skins. I can't do that now at over 50.

Hi Irene,

I'm not sure whether you saw this when it was posted, but a while back, Anita introduced us to a fascinating "real life Lord of the Flies" story in this thread. The heartening thing is that when these six teenage boys were marooned on an island by themselves, instead of splitting into rival groups and descending into near savagery, they stuck together and worked together and looked after each other for over a year until they were rescued. So it turns out that Enid Blyton's vision of self-sufficient children on an island may actually be more true to life than William Golding's!!