Do you have a favourite chapter/scene of ALL?

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Sally H
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Re: Do you have a favourite chapter/scene of ALL?

Post by Sally H »

This is an interesting thread and has obviously sparked off a few memories. There are some which have often moved me to tears and still do - some of my favourites:

1 Agree with John and Rob - the scene when Barney finds his father and his father says "I am looking for a son I lost for 15 years and I believe you have been looking for me" - and yes the final scene when the children watch them walk away and Snubby says that Barney will always be their friend - you really believe it.

2 The scene in Mountain of Adventure when Lucy-Ann offers to take Philip's place wearing the wings and jump out of the helicopter and he wraps his winged arms around her - and yes the "don't forget Bill Smugs" call. As a reader for the first time when I was 10 years old I remember feeling the extremes of horror and relief.

3 The scene in Vanished Prince when Chief Inspector Jenks says to Fatty, "brains are commendable, resourcefulness is rare but generosity crowns everything. One day, Frederick, I will be proud of you." This was Fatty at his best when he was trying to support Goon and showed his true leadership qualities.

4 The scene in Six Cousins at Mistletoe Farm (I love this series) when Roddy picks up his new puppy and walks back across the fields to take him back to his mother as he knows his own mother would treat the puppy cruelly. This was tough stuff. I have tears in my eyes as I write this now!

5 In Sea of Adventure when Bill asks the children why they didn't just make for the mainland instead of hanging around and they tell him they all voted for staying to find him. He wraps them all in his arms as he knows this act of love and unselfishness has undoubtedly saved his life. You feel that from that moment Bill's relationship with the children moves to a deeper level. This is probably my number 2 most memorable moment.
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Rob Houghton
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Re: Do you have a favourite chapter/scene of ALL?

Post by Rob Houghton »

Some great scenes, Sally! I agree with them all.

Another favourite scene of mine comes at the end of 'The Mystery of the Pantomime Cat' where Jenks makes Goon tear up the false 'confession' he has, and throw it in the fire, because once again Goon got it wrong and Fatty got it right! Brilliant stuff! :lol:
'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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MJE
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Re: Do you have a favourite chapter/scene of ALL?

Post by MJE »

     I couldn't possibly think up my one favourite scene of all - but, at various times, I'd be able to think of scenes that I do like a lot - either find funny, or just kind of moving.
     In the former category, I was always terribly amused by the "anchovy paste" (boot polish) prank played on Angela Favorleigh in the Malory Towers books. Last time I read it, I could hardly control my laughter. There are many other very funny scenes in the school stories and also in some of the Five Find-Outers books.
     In the latter category, I tend to be a sucker for the happy endings of many of the family-type stories, and also adventure stories where a lone child is adopted into the family they have got to know, such as "The Secret Island" or "Hollow Tree House". (I am personally of the opinion that such endings are a major ingredient of the incredible appeal to children of Enid Blyton's work, although I think I've debated this on this forum before and found that some didn't especially agree with me.)

Regards, Michael.
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Courtenay
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Re: Do you have a favourite chapter/scene of ALL?

Post by Courtenay »

Sally H wrote: In Sea of Adventure when Bill asks the children why they didn't just make for the mainland instead of hanging around and they tell him they all voted for staying to find him. He wraps them all in his arms as he knows this act of love and unselfishness has undoubtedly saved his life. You feel that from that moment Bill's relationship with the children moves to a deeper level.
I was just thinking of this as probably my own "favourite scene" — I think I almost had a tear in my eye as I read it for the first time a few years ago.
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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)
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Rob Houghton
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Re: Do you have a favourite chapter/scene of ALL?

Post by Rob Houghton »

Definitely agree that Happy Endings are an important part of Blyton's success. I think everyone likes happy endings, and even today most books or films have them! :-) As a child I always very much liked the endings where characters were adopted into the family, such as Jack in the Secret Island. In fact I liked it so much that when I wrote stories of my own aged 10 or 11 they invariably ended with a child getting adopted by the main family! :-D

I must admit, although I enjoy the 'anchovy paste' episode on one level, and think its outrageous, and can also see how its meant to be funny, I would have to put it in my 'most shocking/scary category. As someone who is a bit of a hypochondriac, I can't read that passage without thinking how terribly ill someone could be from eating shoe polish! I can't really enjoy the scene as a comic highlight because I'm too busy imagining sickness, diarrhoea, poisoning, hospital admissions or maybe even death! :shock: I find it quite shockingly irresponsible as a scene!
'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: Do you have a favourite chapter/scene of ALL?

Post by Courtenay »

Just thought of a couple of others that deserve a mention — the endings of two of my favourite series from childhood. In The Folk of the Faraway Tree, there's the quite thrilling adventure at the end to save the Faraway Tree from the wicked trolls who are cutting off its roots underground — but even after the trolls are driven out, the Tree seems damaged beyond repair and is dying. Silky has some old magic ointment that might heal the Tree's roots, but will it still work...? Of course it does, but when you're only 5 years old or so, that's an incredibly tense moment! :wink:

The other one I'm thinking of is the ending of the Galliano's Circus series, Circus Days Again, where Lotta rides away alone to find Mr Galliano and bring him back to save the circus from closing down. The moment when she reaches the hotel, almost completely worn out, only to be told by the porter to "go away" — and then suddenly she hears the enormous shout of "LOTTA! MY LITTLE LOTTA! What are you doing here?"... definitely another unforgettable scene.
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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)
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Wayne Pyer
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Re: Do you have a favourite chapter/scene of ALL?

Post by Wayne Pyer »

Lucky Star wrote:The Valley of Adventure scene where they enter the treasure caves. The journey through the caves of stalactites. stars and then into the actual treasure caves of statues, books, paintings and gold is magical.
Mine too John. Though the Barney/father scene is just perfect.
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MJE
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Re: Do you have a favourite chapter/scene of ALL?

Post by MJE »

Rob Houghton wrote:Definitely agree that Happy Endings are an important part of Blyton's success. I think everyone likes happy endings, and even today most books or films have them! :-) As a child I always very much liked the endings where characters were adopted into the family, such as Jack in the Secret Island. In fact I liked it so much that when I wrote stories of my own aged 10 or 11 they invariably ended with a child getting adopted by the main family! :-D
     While I like happy endings, I am not blind to the fact that they would be quite unsuitable for some stories. For instance I believe I once heard of some film version of George Orwell's "1984" where the film-makers saw fit to change the ending from what Orwell wrote, so that, at the very end, Winston Smith has just been released from police custody, and he yells out "Down with Big Brother!" and dies in a hail of bullets. Well, I guess you might wonder in what way that's a happy ending; but the "happy" aspect there, I suppose, is that the brainwashing of Winston has not succeeded and he dies defying Big Brother - a victory of sorts, under the criteria followed by the ruling Party. But it would of course be quite inappropriate to change to that, since the whole point of the novel is the omnipotence of the police state and how they control everyone. So the actual ending, where Winston continues on with his life, devoted and loyal to Big Brother, although I would call it a very downbeat ending (more than the "hail of bullets" ending), is entirely appropriate to the story as a whole, and I would not even consider changing it - still less having some kind of underground movement arise and overthrow the Party, so restoring freedom and democracy to the world (although in other ways that would be the most satisfying possible ending one could imagine).
     Still, I'm straying a long way from Blyton there, and if we return to her, I would say that happy endings are really quite appropriate, because the stories are not pretending to be a deeper examination of society or human nature or anything.
Rob Houghton wrote:I must admit, although I enjoy the 'anchovy paste' episode on one level, and think its outrageous, and can also see how its meant to be funny, I would have to put it in my 'most shocking/scary category.
[...]
I can't really enjoy the scene as a comic highlight because I'm too busy imagining sickness, diarrhoea, poisoning, hospital admissions or maybe even death! :shock: I find it quite shockingly irresponsible as a scene!
     Oh, gosh, Rob - I guess you must just be a more responsible, caring person than I am.
     When it comes to it, I have no idea what boot polish is made of, so is it seriously poisonous, or just disgusting to taste? Wouldn't the disgusting taste, in any case, prevent anyone from eating enough to pose a serious danger? It hardly seems to be like cyanide or something, where the tiniest quantity could prove fatal.
     I wonder how many other scenes there are in Blyton that are meant to be funny, or just exciting, which could actually in reality be far more dangerous than the narrative seems to allow for.

Regards, Michael.
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Re: Do you have a favourite chapter/scene of ALL?

Post by mynameisdumbnuts »

Matron knows the shoe polish contains a chemical that will irritate their insides, so possibly it's one present in multiple cleaning materials. Maybe something petroleum- or turpentine-based given the paste smells funny?
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Re: Do you have a favourite chapter/scene of ALL?

Post by MJE »

     Well, I think it would depend on what you mean by "smelling funny". If you were expecting to taste anchovy paste on your toast, I think just ordinary boot polish would smell and taste funny - although obviously not quite quickly enough to prevent Angela taking a mouthful of it.

Regards, Michael.
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Re: Do you have a favourite chapter/scene of ALL?

Post by timv »

I have several rather than one particularly favourite scene - and favourites from different series are on a different level of emotional engagement. Some are just especially memorable, others are emotionally 'powerful' too. The latter are particularly in the Adventure series, which has a level of description and danger deeper than that of the Famous Five or Find-Outers series; exciting moments in these are only rarely full of real danger except the odd moment with gun-wielding crooks (eg the finale of Go Off In A Caravan or when Rooky is trying to break into Mr Perton's study and capture Julian in Get Into Trouble).

My favourite Adventure series moments, which I think are some of the most powerful Enid ever wrote, are:
1. The Sea of Adventure, when Bill thanks the children for running serious risks to rescue him quickly rather
than going to get help and it's clear they've probably saved his life in doing so. He says they're the best friends he could have
2. The Mountain of Adventure - as already mentioned, the 'Don't forget Bill Smugs' line which reassures the children that the dangerous 'test flight' of the 'wings' is going to be aborted by Bill unknown to the crooks.

One of the best moments in other series is in the Galliano circus series, showing that this is not just a light-hearted 'wish fulfilment' series. This is the finale of Circus Days Again, where Mr Galliano turns up after being alerted to the problems at the circus by Lotta and tells Britomart the 'stand in' manager exactly what he thinks of his mismanagement and sacks him . A lesson for modern 'control freak' tendencies in management relations? Similarly, there is a powerful finale to the under-rated Come To The Circus when the missing Fenny turns up and it is clear she has not run away but just missed her bus , and 'frosty' (but near to a breakdown from grief) Aunt Lou 'cracks'.
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Rob Houghton
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Re: Do you have a favourite chapter/scene of ALL?

Post by Rob Houghton »

Talking of 'The Sea of Adventure', I think the last chapter...or maybe last two chapters, are some of the most powerfully tense chapters Enid ever wrote. I think its this ending that makes it difficult for me to decide which my favourite Adventure book is...Valley or Sea!
'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: Do you have a favourite chapter/scene of ALL?

Post by Julie2owlsdene »

I couldn't possible list all my favourite scenes in the books, I'd never to off the site. :lol: :lol:

8)
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Re: Do you have a favourite chapter/scene of ALL?

Post by Eddie Muir »

My feeling too, Julie. :wink:
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Rob Houghton
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Re: Do you have a favourite chapter/scene of ALL?

Post by Rob Houghton »

Eddie Muir wrote:My feeling too, Julie. :wink:
What a cop-out, lol! :D :wink:
'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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