Five Have a Mystery to Solve

[John Pickup]

Wilfrid was one of the reasons I never cared for this book. I did enjoy exploring Brownsea Island many years later though.

[GloomyGraham]

It reads ok but when you read 'Strange Ruby' they seem so derivative. I guess golf courses don't get mentioned in too many other books at least.

Also the "Anne is a tiger' theme annoys me a bit. Enid could've shown Anne as being braver/more assertive over a few books rather than dumping this idea into one book and then (seemingly) forgetting about it.

[StephenC]

Good to see that Mystery To Solve, finally gets a discussion of its own. Despite its faults, including the annoying Wilfred, who is too much like Tinker for my liking, Mystery To Solve is still an enjoyable read, in my opinion, and should have been the final book of the series, just like Look Out Secret Seven, which came out in the same year (1962). We would have then, all been spared the horrors of Fun For The Secret Seven and Five Are Together Again. Yes, the 'Anne is a tiger' theme is a bit strange, but it did breathe some life into the book, and show that Anne was growing up, and stepping out of the shadows of her two brothers and cousin. Anne has always been my favourite FF character, and it was a great pity that EB left it until the penultimate book in the series, to give her a really strong role. Mystery To Solve was one of those rare FF books, in which we meet Julian, Dick and Anne's mother. And in addition, the three siblings now live within cycling distance of Kirrin, which was a complete departure from earlier books. Not a great book, but not a bad book either. I certainly enjoyed Mystery To Solve a lot more than some earlier books, particularly Finniston Farm and Secret Trail. Many people will argue that the FF series should have ended with Demons Rocks, but I would have been happy if the series had ended with Mystery To Solve.

[Wolfgang]

Well, I think Tinker/Quimbo is more likeable than Wilfred.

[pete9012S]

Yes, I agree Wolfgang.
Got a prog rock question for you. Will post it in the music thread if that's ok?

[Moonraker]

Yes, the 'Anne is a tiger' theme is a bit strange, but it did breathe some life into the book, and show that Anne was growing up, and stepping out of the shadows of her two brothers and cousin. Anne has always been my favourite FF character, and it was a great pity that EB left it until the penultimate book in the series, to give her a really strong role.

I thought the "tiger" reference was in Five Go Off to Camp...

[Lucky Star]

I've always had a soft spot for Mystery to Solve. It has loads of great Blytonian elements. The sea, boats, a storm, a mysterious island, an old castle, hidden treasure.... It should have been a fantastic book. Unfortunately it all falls a bit flat, there is not the level of suspense or excitement that there should be. And yes, Wilfrid is annoying. But it's still an enjoyable book and I agree with StephenC that it would have made a better ending to the series than the awful Together Again.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Well, I think Tinker/Quimbo is more likeable than Wilfred.

I agree. Wilfrid blows hot and cold and we never really get to know him, but Tinker is lively and fun.

[IceMaiden]

I love Mystery to Solve with it's sense of unease, eerie statues in the woods and the well with a secret door in it. I think apart from Hike it was the worst done of the 1996 series though, feeling far too rushed and condensed. It would have been better as a two parter.

One thing that has struck me that didn't when I was a child is how claustrophobic some of the scenes in the books are. Enid regularly has characters who squeeze through holes and spaces, wander through tunnels that are so low the character has to bend double, swim in some of them (in darkness, underwater!) climb down wells on a rope and if that's not difficult enough climbing into tiny hidden spaces within it. I'm afraid to say no matter how exciting I couldn't bring myself to do any of those. I still believe that the most horrifying moment in the books is finding that poor ill man stuffed down a well into a tiny hidden chamber in Ring O'Bells. At least Julian had the choice to squeeze through a pokey well hole in Mystery to Solve.

[dsr]

One thing that has struck me that didn't when I was a child is how claustrophobic some of the scenes in the books are. Enid regularly has characters who squeeze through holes and spaces, wander through tunnels that are so low the character has to bend double, swim in some of them (in darkness, underwater!) climb down wells on a rope and if that's not difficult enough climbing into tiny hidden spaces within it. I'm afraid to say no matter how exciting I couldn't bring myself to do any of those. I still believe that the most horrifying moment in the books is finding that poor ill man stuffed down a well into a tiny hidden chamber in Ring O'Bells. At least Julian had the choice to squeeze through a pokey well hole in Mystery to Solve.

People (real ones, not fictional ones) actually did this back in those days. White Scar Caves, Ingleton were discovered in 1923 by a student exploring the area with a few friends. He found a hole in the hillside and crawled in. He crawled into the hillside for 2 hours before coming out by a waterfall where he could stand up and turn round. Then he had the chance to crawl back.

I can't imagine crawling into a hole that I couldn't get out of. Let alone keeping going for two hours. But this man Christopher Long did it, as did just about every character that Enid Blyton ever created!

[dsr]

I did love the expression on Laura Petela's face after chucking the bucket of water over Wilfrid. I can't remember how Jenny Thanisch did it.

[Viv of Ginger Pop]

I see that some years ago I described Wilfred as a hideous mixture of St Francis of Assissi and Violet Elizabeth Bott!

Viv

[Wolfgang]

Yes, I agree Wolfgang.
Got a prog rock question for you. Will post it in the music thread if that's ok?

Go ahead, though I don't know what I should know that you don't know. I'm no music expert.

[Nair Snehalatha]

Somehow it does not suit Anne's quiet nature to 'be a tiger' -- but Wilfrid was truly irritating -- a red flag to even a calm person like.Anne.

[pete9012S]

Wilfrid was truly irritating --

Poor, poor little Wilfrid was just misunderstood. He was sadly abandoned by his adult relatives who should have nurtured and loved him.
His compassion, love and interaction with all of God's creatures sets him far,far apart and above any other character Enid created.
He is a blueprint and a benchmark for every male on the earth to study and emulate if the world is going to be rejuvenated and made fresh and clean again.
I can picture him now, fondling the floppy ears of a newly tamed rabbit, a hedgehog is nestled against his perpendicular magic pipe and the birds twitter contentedly all around him...