Me too. We might consider them to be rubbish, yet they have generated no less than 48 pages of posts...Lucky Star wrote:Oh dear I had hoped we had heard the last of these "books".
Famous Five 'Adult' Books!
Re: Famous Five 'Adult' Books!
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- Rob Houghton
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Re: Famous Five 'Adult' Books!
That's because rubbish always sparks more interest and debate than anything positive.
You only have to look at the headlines on the front of any newspapers. As a nation we are obsessed with bad news!
You only have to look at the headlines on the front of any newspapers. As a nation we are obsessed with bad news!
'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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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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- pete9012S
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- Location: UK
Re: Famous Five 'Adult' Books!
It was interesting to get into Bruno's mind in the interview - he seemed to realise at the beginning at least the potential risk involved at releasing books like these.
" A kind heart always brings its own reward," said Mrs. Lee.
- The Christmas Tree Aeroplane -
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- The Christmas Tree Aeroplane -
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- Julie2owlsdene
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- Location: Cornwall
Re: Famous Five 'Adult' Books!
I listened for the first 2 mins, then had to close it down. Just not interested in the books at all.
Julian gave an exclamation and nudged George.
"See that? It's the black Bentley again. KMF 102!"
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"See that? It's the black Bentley again. KMF 102!"
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- Courtenay
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- Location: Both Aussie and British; living in Cheshire
Re: Famous Five 'Adult' Books!
I'm not interested in "Bruno Vincent aka Enid Blyton" either, thanks. However well-meaning he may be, I've tried several of the books and cannot get past the first few pages. They are just completely bland, rambling, uninteresting and totally unfunny — and unrecognisable as anything to do with Enid Blyton's original characters and stories. Surely one of the most basic and obvious rules of writing a good parody is that for a parody to be funny, it has to in some way resemble the original??
Mind you, now I think about it, the "adult" FF books don't seem to be nearly as ubiquitous (I like that word) in shops now as they were a year or so ago. At one stage they seemed to be just about everywhere, on prominent display in every bookshop, newsagents, gift shop and anywhere else that thought it could sell them. Now I hardly ever see them, or if I do, they're just squeezed onto the shelves among other books. Which suggests they haven't taken off nearly as well as the publishers must have hoped. Maybe once the novelty factor wore off, people started to realise that the books themselves actually weren't worth reading... (Meanwhile, the "adult" Ladybird books are still much more common and presumably selling well — the difference being that at least some of them are genuinely clever and funny.)
Mind you, now I think about it, the "adult" FF books don't seem to be nearly as ubiquitous (I like that word) in shops now as they were a year or so ago. At one stage they seemed to be just about everywhere, on prominent display in every bookshop, newsagents, gift shop and anywhere else that thought it could sell them. Now I hardly ever see them, or if I do, they're just squeezed onto the shelves among other books. Which suggests they haven't taken off nearly as well as the publishers must have hoped. Maybe once the novelty factor wore off, people started to realise that the books themselves actually weren't worth reading... (Meanwhile, the "adult" Ladybird books are still much more common and presumably selling well — the difference being that at least some of them are genuinely clever and funny.)
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It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn't do at all. (The Valley of Adventure)
It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn't do at all. (The Valley of Adventure)
- Eddie Muir
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Re: Famous Five 'Adult' Books!
The Famous Five 'Adult' books have a few uses: firelighters, door stops and draught excluders are three that spring to mind.
'Go down to the side-shows by the river this afternoon. I'll meet you somewhere in disguise. Bet you won't know me!' wrote Fatty.
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- Courtenay
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Re: Famous Five 'Adult' Books!
Or mulch.
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It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn't do at all. (The Valley of Adventure)
It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn't do at all. (The Valley of Adventure)
- Eddie Muir
- Posts: 14566
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- Location: Brighton
Re: Famous Five 'Adult' Books!
Indeed!
'Go down to the side-shows by the river this afternoon. I'll meet you somewhere in disguise. Bet you won't know me!' wrote Fatty.
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- John Pickup
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Re: Famous Five 'Adult' Books!
They can also be used as toilet paper by the children on the Secret Island, thereby eliminating another problem we've discussed lately.Eddie Muir wrote:The Famous Five 'Adult' books have a few uses: firelighters, door stops and draught excluders are three that spring to mind.
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-
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- Favourite book/series: Famous Five
- Favourite character: Dick
Re: Famous Five 'Adult' Books!
I’m waiting for Five On Love Island
- Eddie Muir
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Re: Famous Five 'Adult' Books!
John Pickup wrote:They can also be used as toilet paper by the children on the Secret Island, thereby eliminating another problem we've discussed lately.Eddie Muir wrote:The Famous Five 'Adult' books have a few uses: firelighters, door stops and draught excluders are three that spring to mind.
Great posts, John and Nigel.Nigel D wrote:I’m waiting for Five On Love Island
'Go down to the side-shows by the river this afternoon. I'll meet you somewhere in disguise. Bet you won't know me!' wrote Fatty.
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- Rob Houghton
- Posts: 16029
- Joined: 26 Feb 2005, 22:38
- Favourite book/series: Rubadub Mystery, Famous Five and The Find-Outers
- Favourite character: Snubby, Uncle Robert, George, Fatty
- Location: Kings Norton, Birmingham
Re: Famous Five 'Adult' Books!
Yeah - the adult Famous Fives are definitely past their sell-by, I think! You can always tell, when books start appearing in 'The Works' at cheap prices. I saw a load of them last week in our local Works.
'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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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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- Eddie Muir
- Posts: 14566
- Joined: 13 Oct 2007, 22:28
- Favourite book/series: Five Find-Outers and Dog
- Favourite character: Fatty
- Location: Brighton
Re: Famous Five 'Adult' Books!
There are lots in my local charity shops too.
'Go down to the side-shows by the river this afternoon. I'll meet you somewhere in disguise. Bet you won't know me!' wrote Fatty.
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- Courtenay
- Posts: 19320
- Joined: 07 Feb 2014, 01:22
- Favourite book/series: The Adventure Series, Galliano's Circus
- Favourite character: Lotta
- Location: Both Aussie and British; living in Cheshire
Re: Famous Five 'Adult' Books!
Oh yes!John Pickup wrote: They can also be used as toilet paper by the children on the Secret Island, thereby eliminating another problem we've discussed lately.
The mind bogglesNigel D wrote:I’m waiting for Five On Love Island
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It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn't do at all. (The Valley of Adventure)
It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn't do at all. (The Valley of Adventure)
- Wolfgang
- Posts: 3139
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- Favourite book/series: The children at Green Meadows/Adventure-series
- Favourite character: Fatty
- Location: Germany
Re: Famous Five 'Adult' Books!
It seems they try to give things a new angle:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Enid-Blyton- ... 2312193140
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Enid-Blyton- ... 2312193140
Success is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.