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Re: Listen-Through/Discussion of Famous Five Audio Books

Posted: 03 Mar 2017, 13:12
by db105
Five Go to Demon's Rocks

** spoiler alert **

Brief Summary by Poppy Hutchinson (from http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;): At first, the Famous Five can't believe that Tinker, a quirky young boy, with a pet monkey called Mischief – owns a lighthouse, on Demons Rocks! But then, when he offers to take them to spend the holidays, there – this extraordinary fantasy becomes an exciting reality – and they become involved in an adventure of undersea tunnels, a treasure trove of gold coins, and some ruthless villains, prepared to do anything to claim the fortune stored beneath the Lighthouse. The Famous Five and Tinker need to tell the Police: but then, they find themselves locked within the walls of the Lighthouse...


Random thoughts:

We are back at Kirrin Cottage for the start of the holidays. We get the usual Quentin-ness. His scientist friend is visiting sooner than expected, creating a problem for Aunt Fanny. Of course, Quentin doesn't think there's a problem, just get rid of those bothersome children. He already sees his own daughter too often, after all. Why, most vacations she spends at least a few days at home! And if they can't get rid of George, surely they can send Julian, Dick and Anne away! Only it's not so easy. Their parents do not show more inclination to want to spend holidays with their children, even though they are away at boarding school most of the time. All convenient for us, since we can get all the children together having adventures, but rather sad when you stop to think about it.

Anyway, Uncle Quentin's guest arrive, bringing with him his small son... and his son's pet monkey, Mischief. OK, I liked Tinker and Mischief, but Blyton tries too hard sometimes. In order to make Tinker quirky and interesting, he ends up making him tiresome with all his pretending to be a car, no matter how inappropriate the situation. How old are you, Tinker? OK, you're younger than the others, but you are acting like you are five years old!

Blyton herself seems to realize how bothersome it is, and once the children leave Kirrin Cottage Tinker forgets about pretending to be a car, which is something he was doing all the time at the beginning. It's so noticeable that Blyton decides to lampshade it, having the children comment on it and say that maybe Tinker is growing up. I was thankful he grew up so fast, in just a few days!

Anyway, George is a bit snotty about having another pet in the house, but Timmy shows himself to be more sensible and makes peace with the little monkey. Good for you, Timmy!

The two Quentins... I mean, the two scientists can't bear having children in the house making noise, so when Tinker reveals that he owns a lighthouse that happens to be near Kirrin (convenient coincidence!) they all are happy to go there for a short vacation. Julian takes care of hiring a taxi and everything (I hope the adults at least pay for it).

I have to admit that by now I'm very familiar with the quirks and tropes of the series, and reading all this is a bit like joining an old friend, but also it's becoming a bit too familiar, like I wish the stories would not be so similar. To be fair, I'm not in the age group of the target audience (children really enjoy being told a story they love time and time again), and also I have listened to all these books in a short period of time (reading one of this books a year is not the same as reading the whole lot in a couple of months).

Still, we are at book 19 of the series (out of 21) and, while I would have liked Blyton to introduce more new ideas, I think she's still producing worthy entries to the series. The lighthouse is a great new setting able to capture the imagination, even if we also come back to the familiar wreckers. Blyton loved her wreckers and smugglers, didn't she? (And her funny pets, and her undersea tunnels, and her sage old men telling old stories about the setting that turn out to be relevant and...)

The adventure is also adequate, if unoriginal by now. I missed George having more of a role. The series has grown more conventional in that sense, and she seems comfortable being given a "girl's role".

Reading other reviews, I find out that in the original the children do not buy sweets for the old seaman, but tobacco. I guess the powers that be decided that child readers could be perverted if exposed to the idea that an old sailor smokes.

I loved the storm scene. It really got across the fury of the elements and the experience of seeing it from the lighthouse.

To sum up, I enjoyed this story. It has all the familiar, effective elements of the series, and in fact its real problem is that it's too familiar and recycled after reading all the previous ones.


Next up: Five Have a Mystery to Solve (Famous Five, #20)

Re: Listen-Through/Discussion of Famous Five Audio Books

Posted: 03 Mar 2017, 14:08
by Rob Houghton
I agree about Toby's annoying car noises...and when I read the book I found it childish and irritating - but I don't think Blyton is quite so out-of-touch with this as people suggest. I remember when I was about 7 that the boy next door (two years older than me) was obsessed with making car noises. When he played with his toy cars, he'd make engine noises, digger noises, chugging noises - and often did the same when on his bike or just running arund. He was 9 at the time, so I guess Toby would be about the same age...?

Re: Listen-Through/Discussion of Famous Five Audio Books

Posted: 03 Mar 2017, 14:53
by db105
Yes, I think Tinker was 9 or 10, so maybe it's not so unrealistic... Still, what I found most annoying about that is not so much that he would make the noise, but that he was totally insensitive to the social situation, making the noises in front of adults who are already irate about the noise.

Re: Listen-Through/Discussion of Famous Five Audio Books

Posted: 05 Mar 2017, 11:17
by Anita Bensoussane
I love Tinker's energy and quirkiness. And gosh, he has a monkey and a lighthouse of his own! Wow! As a child I was completely awed.

Despite some elements seeming very familiar with this being the nineteenth book in the series, I find Demon's Rocks extremely enjoyable. When I was nine, I went on a school trip to South Stack Lighthouse in Anglesey. I was wildly excited because I'd read Five Go to Demon's Rocks several times and I really felt that I was going on an adventure. Quite a few of us had brought Enid Blyton books to read on the coach but we didn't so much read them as discuss them, talking about our favourite titles/passages. It was a wonderful day with idyllic Blyton weather and I loved climbing up to the lamp room and finding out how everything worked!
db105 wrote:Reading other reviews, I find out that in the original the children do not buy sweets for the old seaman, but tobacco. I guess the powers that be decided that child readers could be perverted if exposed to the idea that an old sailor smokes.
People under the age of 16 are no longer allowed to buy tobacco or tobacco products so that's probably why that part was changed. It's not as convincing though.

I agree that the storm scene is superb.

Re: Listen-Through/Discussion of Famous Five Audio Books

Posted: 05 Mar 2017, 12:03
by pete9012S
This is one of the very last Famous Five's I ever read as a child,in my Junior School.
I really enjoyed it and found it very atmospheric.

My school teacher had brought in hundreds of old Blyton's that belonged to her and her son and they were kept in a communal bookcase just outside my classroom - Nirvana!

I only ever read this book with the Eileen Soper illustrations in the Knight paperback and didn't come across Betty Maxey's pics until many years later.

ImageImage

I think Eileen and Betty both did an excellent job with their exciting front covers.I always thought George was wearing an earring in Betty's pic!

ImageImage
Chapter Thirteen
A PLEASANT MORNING - AND A SHOCK!

Where shall we go for our walk?’ said George, as they wandered through the village. ‘Oh look - there’s a tiny little shop with Tom the Tobacconist written over the door. Let’s get the tobacco while we remember.’
So in went Julian, and rapped on the counter. A very small man appeared like a hob-goblin out of a dark corner.
‘I want some tobacco for Jeremiah Boogie, please,’ said Julian. ‘I think you know the kind he wants.’
‘I do that!’ said Tom, scrabbling about on a shelf. ‘The amount that old Jeremiah has smoked since I’ve been here would keep a bonfire going for years. There you are, young sir!’
‘He tells a fine story,’ said Julian, putting down the money for the tobacco.
Great descriptive passage from Enid above.Edited now of course in the newer versions,as has been mentioned.

Re: Listen-Through/Discussion of Famous Five Audio Books

Posted: 05 Mar 2017, 17:25
by Rob Houghton
Anita Bensoussane wrote:People under the age of 16 are no longer allowed to buy tobacco or tobacco products so that's probably why that part was changed. It's not as convincing though.
It's actually 18 nowadays rather than 16!

Re: Listen-Through/Discussion of Famous Five Audio Books

Posted: 05 Mar 2017, 20:29
by Anita Bensoussane
Thanks, Rob. I'm a bit behind the times!

Re: Listen-Through/Discussion of Famous Five Audio Books

Posted: 20 Mar 2017, 23:57
by db105
Five Have a Mystery to Solve

Brief Summary by Poppy Hutchinson (from http://enidblytonsociety.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;): Adventure awaits, Julian, Dick, George, Anne and Timothy when they are asked to stay at Hill Cottage, in the company of Wilfred: an unusual boy, with a gift for communicating with animals. Not far from the shore, lies Whispering Island – a place which seems to be riddled with eerie secrets and legends, involving some strange gleaming statues, and armed men on the island! Can the Five piece together the mystery and uncover the secrets that surround Whispering Island?

Random thoughts:

It seems that Julian, Dick and Anne now live near Kirrin Cottage, which changes a bit the situation of the series, where a visit from the cousins was a big deal or at least involved some logistical difficulties. Not that it matters too much, since there’s only one more novel after this one, but still it’s a noticeable change.

Once together, the children can’t go out because they have to stay for tea (we are not in Kirrin Cottage, but at the cousins’ house). An old lady (Mrs. Layman) is very interested in talking to them. I can’t really blame the children for groaning, even if it’s not polite. Julian is there to remind everyone that Mrs. Layman used to be kind to them when they were little.

Mrs. Layman has to visit a sick relative (the usual way of getting rid of adults in Enid Blyton tales), and she wants to know if the children would like to live for a few days in her house overlooking the harbor, and keep company to his young grandson. Rather imposing, I would say. The Five need to abandon any plans they may have had and go play babysitters for a little boy. Wouldn’t it make more sense for Wilfred to come to Kirrin Cottage instead, where there is adult supervision? But of course the adventure requires the children to go, so they did not have any other plans and quickly accept the offer.

Wilfred turns out to have an uncanny ability to tame animals. Any little wild creature comes docile as a lamb when he calls. However, he is initially hostile to the children, saying he doesn’t need any company. He acts so snottily that at a certain point Anne turns into a tigress and throws a bucket of water on him! Good for Anne.

Surprisingly, Wilfred forgets everything about his hostility and soon becomes a good friend of the older children.

All this happens quite near Kirrin Cottage, and I have to wonder why the children had never heard of these places before. They went there by bike, and it was a very short trip. It looks as if Blyton can’t be bothered to write about travels any more.

There’s a moment with unintentional innuendo when Wilfred can’t find the flute he uses to call animals and Dick says “It must be in your pockets… here, let me feel around.” Oh, innocent times…

Meanwhile, they hear from several sources (including the typical old man with plenty of stories to tell) about the mysterious Whispering Island, where no one is allowed to set foot and there’s supposed to be fierce guardians willing to shoot anyone who tries.

Speaking of Wilfred. This follows a trend I have noticed lately of not having books where the only protagonists are the Five. We have had important guest stars all through the series, but in the last few books it’s starting to seem that the Five can not carry the book on their own, and Blyton needs to bring in interesting allies. And they are made interesting by giving them an interesting animal, or making them twins or, in this case, by making them a magnet for animals.

Of course, the children end up on Whispering Island, this time by mistake, since they were having a little boat trip and did not about the strength of the tides… As much fun as it is for children to have so much freedom, this sounds rather dangerous…

OK, let’s talk about setting. This is the standard Kirrin Island configuration: an uninhabited island with a castle and secret passages. To get more atmosphere, the island is made a whispering island (because of the noise of the wind in the forest), the cliffs are made the wailing cliffs… To a certain extent it works, but it seems to me that Blyton is taking shortcuts here. Instead of making the setting evocative and interesting through descriptions she takes the fast way out of making everything “whispering” or “wailing” or whatever. Nice image, the statues in the forest, though.

After being dragged by the tide to the island, the children don’t secure the boat properly and the tide drags it away. A bit careless, Ju!

Another thing that bothered me is that the children were in danger on the island and they had a perfect opportunity to escape and alert the authorities when Wilfred arrived with a boat, but they didn’t take it. Then, after being kept prisoners and escaping, they decide to spend the night on the island in spite of the presence of bad guys with weapons. Just get away, guys!

One thing I have noticed in this book is that it’s more dialogue-heavy than others in the series. A lot of it is narrated through dialogues, as if the characters were walking us through the story. Too much dialogue is not a good thing, in my opinion.

The adventure is pretty standard but not bad. A bit short, but in line with some other books in the series. The main problem is that we get the same kind of thing we have seen multiple times before. I would have welcomed some more original elements.

Once more, the plan of the bad guys is a bit silly when you stop to think about it. And I don’t understand why they did not run away when the children escaped.

One thing I liked is that Anne (yes, Anne!) is at her fiercest here. She had warned her brothers and cousins that she could turn into a tigress, and in this book she does, twice!

Then we get an anticlimactic ending, with the author informing us that the bad guys were arrested, but we don’t get to see it in first person.

All in all… well, this is clearly not Blyton at her best. But it is not too bad either. It doesn't sully the series.

Re: Listen-Through/Discussion of Famous Five Audio Books

Posted: 21 Mar 2017, 00:39
by Rob Houghton
db105 wrote: Another thing that bothered me is that the children were in danger on the island and they had a perfect opportunity to escape and alert the authorities when Wilfred arrived with a boat, but they didn’t take it. Then, after being kept prisoners and escaping, they decide to spend the night on the island in spite of the presence of bad guys with weapons. Just get away, guys!
This was something that stuck out very much when I read the book again last year - I had the same feelings as you - why didn't they just get off the island? It showed, I feel, that Enid's imagination was past its best by this point. It's also not very realistic for the children to decide to sleep over night on the island when they have just been chased by a bunch of men with guns! I know that these books aren't exactly 'realistic' as has been said before, but usually Enid manages to make the unrealistic aspects believable and the children staying on the island just isn't logical in any way.

The story is also very confused at times - with Mrs Layman at one time being Wilfred's grandmother and later on his aunt.

The main strength of the story, as I've said before in other threads, is that the setting is all based on real-life locations - and I've visited most of them - Enid's golf course, the moorland that goes down to the sea, the white cottage, and of course Whispering Island. :D

Re: Listen-Through/Discussion of Famous Five Audio Books

Posted: 21 Mar 2017, 08:53
by Anita Bensoussane
db105 wrote:The adventure is pretty standard but not bad. A bit short, but in line with some other books in the series. The main problem is that we get the same kind of thing we have seen multiple times before. I would have welcomed some more original elements.

Once more, the plan of the bad guys is a bit silly when you stop to think about it. And I don’t understand why they did not run away when the children escaped.

One thing I liked is that Anne (yes, Anne!) is at her fiercest here. She had warned her brothers and cousins that she could turn into a tigress, and in this book she does, twice!

Then we get an anticlimactic ending, with the author informing us that the bad guys were arrested, but we don’t get to see it in first person.

All in all… well, this is clearly not Blyton at her best. But it is not too bad either. It doesn't sully the series.
For me, Five Have a Mystery to Solve is the worst Famous Five book and Five Are Together Again (the final title) is the next worst, so the series ends lamely. Having said that, I don't consider the series to be sullied either. As there are 21 books in total, the less appealing stories soon get forgotten. People who don't want to finish on a disappointing note could always save one of the earlier books and read it last. I think Rob did that a year or two ago.

Anne turning into a "tiger" (or "tigress" as you say, Db105) seems contrived to me and I find it hard to warm to Wilfrid, who blows hot and cold.
Rob Houghton wrote:The main strength of the story, as I've said before in other threads, is that the setting is all based on real-life locations - and I've visited most of them - Enid's golf course, the moorland that goes down to the sea, the white cottage, and of course Whispering Island.
The note from Enid Blyton saying that the setting was real certainly intrigued me as a child. However, I'm not sure that it's a strength. The idea of Whispering Island being Brownsea Island disappoints me because the island of my imagination is wilder and doesn't have all the buildings, so I prefer to stick with the island I imagined as a girl.

This post that Nigel (Moonraker) wrote a while ago sums up a lot of my own feelings about Five Have a Mystery to Solve. Nigel was a fan of long posts in those days! :wink:
Moonraker wrote:So far, most of the FF books have been better than I had anticipated... Note that I said 'so far'— I was amazed and shocked by the downward-spiral in quality and style of Mystery to Solve. To begin, there is a special notice at the start:
Enid Blyton wrote:My readers will want to know if Whispering Island is real, set in the great blue harbour in the story—and if the little cottage on the hills is there still—and the golf-course in the story—and Lucas, who tells the children about the island. Yes, the island is real, and lies in the great harbour, still full of whispering trees. The little cottage on the hills is still there, with its magnificent view and its old well—and Lucas can be found on the golf course, nut-brown and bright-eyed, telling stories of the animals and birds he loves so much. I have taken them all and put them into this book for you—as well as the friends you know so well—The Famous Five.
Firstly, this begs the question why her readers should be so keen to know if WI is real—are they more interested to know this rather than the authenticity of Smuggler's Top, Kirrin Island, Owl's Dene and so on? Secondly, by making Brownsea Island and Poole Harbour the real locations in this story, she firmly sets Kirrin not only in Dorset, but very close to Poole, as it is a quick bicycle ride away from Julian's family home, which we now know to be close to Poole Harbour. A little odd that this branch of the Kirrin/Barnard family is now living near Poole when we have never heard mention of a move to this district. We see a boat in the harbour on it's way to a large seaside town, I imagine that would be Bournemouth. So, where is a small seaside village such as Kirrin is described, yet only a short cycle ride away? Answer, there isn't one. Therefore, bringing real locations into a fictitious land is both misleading and regrettable.

Gone (in my H&S First Edition) is the charming frontispiece illustration. Instead, we have four random Soper illustrations, two at each end of the book. Nothing new in the foreword, we have the same 'letter' from Enid that has appeared in several past stories.

We start at Julian's home and get to meet Cookie - a rather stern character with none of the charm of Joan/Joanna. They have a pet called Tibby-cat who is 'scared stiff' of Timmy, so is sent to the shed where a saucer of milk is provided. Much is made of Anne suddenly becoming a tiger? Didn't she lose her fear-virginity on the moors when a spook-train created a volcano—or am I getting muddled here? Cookie can't hold a candle to Joan, as Anne goes into a baker's and practically empties the shelves of cakes. Too many even to fit into her basket! Timmy doesn't like Cookie, and it seems the feeling is mutual. After Cookie says "I don't want that great hungry dog sniffing round me all the time, making out he's starving, when he's as fat as butter!" After Timmy 'stalked out in a huff', Julian laughed, saying, "You've wounded his pride, Cookie!" To which Cookie replied, "I'll wound him somewhere else, too, if he comes sniffing round me when I'm cooking!" Charming.

We also learn that Anne was top of her form, and captain of games. What a great little middle-class paragon of virtue she has turned out to be.

Now we come to the visitor. Mrs Layman—of whom we have never heard before. Yet Julian says: "Mrs Layman's a nice old thing—she was always giving us little treats when we were little." Really? Did Mrs Layman live in London at the time? However, in the following chapter, George says: "I say, who's this Mrs Layman who's coming to tea?" This suggests that Mrs Layman hasn't always lived near Poole Harbour—as surely it would be George who knew her and not Julian. However, when Mrs Layman arrives, Julian's mother introduces her to the others, saying, "This is Mrs Layman, children," — which seems to give the impression that in spite of being at the receiving end of 'little treats' when they were little, have now totally forgotten her in the past few pages.

The muddle over whether her grandson, Wilfrid, considers Granny to be his aunt has been mentioned, so I won't add to that. When Mrs Layman returns to the cottage as the Five are inside, wouldn't you think that she would come in and speak to them? No, she stands at the gate and calls them. :?

Now that Kirrin Cottage is just down the road from the Layman cottage, getting their clothes is not a problem.

"Is that an island in the middle of the harbour?" asks Anne. Seeing as Poole Harbour houses many islands, this seems to be a strange question from a top-of-the-form schoolgirl.

I have only read four chapters and am already confused. With only Five are Together Again left to read, I feel that Demon's Rocks should have been the last in the series. Goodness knows what else lies in store for me as I progress through this book.

In making the locations real in Mystery to Solve, Enid has far from clarified locations, she has muddied the waters so much that the former locations in previous books are now impossible to imagine. Malcolm Saville got it so right in his books, including maps of each area at the beginning of each book.

Trying to shed some light to myself on this deterioration, I can only admire the fact that Enid wrote hundreds of books and a colossal number of short stories, that to remember all the past events at an advancing age was probably too much to expect. However, to muddle up a major series so much is a great shame. It is so sad to witness the deterioration of a great mind into the ramblings of a second-rate author. Very, very sad.

Re: Listen-Through/Discussion of Famous Five Audio Books

Posted: 21 Mar 2017, 09:19
by pete9012S
I agree with Nigel's long post and the points he mad.I also enjoyed db105's audio review and Anita's comments.

Nigel's post mentioned every single point that stood out to me on my recent re-read.
I did however enjoy this book when I read it as a youngster.

The only two points I noted mentally back then was that the Kirrin's seemed to have moved house and why oh why did they fall asleep on the island instead of escaping as quickly as they could?

Re: Listen-Through/Discussion of Famous Five Audio Books

Posted: 21 Mar 2017, 09:39
by timv
It would be interesting to know if Enid ever set foot on Brownsea Island or just imagined it from her views of it from the golf course (about three miles away) and the Sandbanks ferry that runs across the mouth of Poole Harbour about 300-400 yards from the island. At the time of her main use of the golf course in the 1950s - early 1960s the island's eccentric owner Mrs Christie famously banned people from the island to keep it for the wildlife, and none of the former tenants of previous owners had been allowed to stay on there. I suppose Enid may have come across Mrs C (at a social event?) at some point, but it is unlikely she was allowed to visit the island even as Mrs C's guest. Possibly she went on a boat tour of Poole Harbour and saw the island at close hand?

I also thought Brownsea's layout and general atmosphere was not that similar to the idea I had received of W Island when first reading the book. However the sandy cliffs in which the Five discover the secret tunnel to the former mansion's cellars are real, on the W coast facing Enid's golf course (but not visible from the ferry which passes the SE corner). The gold statues that the children find littering the woods were real too, as they were Italian ones installed in the grounds around the castle and further afield by a former, Late Victorian owner of the island. I have come across written accounts of the ferocious guards employed by Mrs C (one a Swedish woman) confronting trespassers who landed on the island and pushing their boats off. Occasionally people were apparently pushed into the water too. So Enid had definitely got hold of real details from somehere - possibly local gossip relayed by her caddy 'Lucas''?

It seems out of character that the Five did not get off the island quickly after their escape from the cellars, but I assumed they were too tired to tackle the strong tides in the harbour as they rowed back to the shore (again, a real phenomenon) and needed a rest. Why they did not hide their boat in some bushes not leave it out on the beach is more surprising, as the guards would be looking for them - and why did Wilfrid not alert someone that they had not turned up and so must be trapped on the island? Was he too self-absorbed to notice? Wilfrid is the weakest character of this book to me, like a younger and feebler version of Philip Mannering and Tassie who Enid did not bother (or had lost her power ?) to engage with fully.

Re: Listen-Through/Discussion of Famous Five Audio Books

Posted: 21 Mar 2017, 10:16
by Anita Bensoussane
Interesting points, Tim. Yes, as you say, Enid Blyton may never have set foot on Brownsea Island.

Re: Listen-Through/Discussion of Famous Five Audio Books

Posted: 21 Mar 2017, 11:14
by Rob Houghton
For me, the real setting is a bonus - but then the descriptions of Whispering Island don't spoil it for me, because I have never been to Brownsea - so I see it in my imagination very much as Enid describes it and the effect isn't spoiled. I do think the fact that the golf course and the white cottage and harbour views were all real and known to Enid personally, enhances the book for me. When I said its a 'strength' I pretty much meant its the only thing of interest to me in the whole book! I dislike it intensely as a story and I think I agree with Anita that it's the worst Famous Five. Even 'Together Again' is marginally better!

You're right that I finished my read-through with an earlier book! I started with 'Adventuring Again', read them all through in order, then finished with Treasure Island. It was a much more upbeat way to finish my read through of the series in order! :D

Re: Listen-Through/Discussion of Famous Five Audio Books

Posted: 21 Mar 2017, 12:01
by John Pickup
I've been to Brownsea Island, quite a few years after first reading the book, and it was nothing like I'd imagined it. I don't think Enid would have set foot on the island, I believe at the time she wrote Mystery To Solve, the woman who owned the island didn't allow any visitors and was fiercely protective of her privacy.
This was always one of the weaker books in the series for me and I never liked Wilfred. Anne's transformation into a tigress and the plot in general doesn't make sense.