Thank you, I was worried my edition was heavily edited! I agree that they are too harsh on Lucian, he's a bit of a wimp but he's not a bad guy. Also in "Ship", Lucy-Ann didn't know what a labyrinth was, at 11-12, that also seems a bit drippy to me..Daisy wrote:I'm not sure, without checking, that it was more a threat to hit poor Horace, although I know when he had told Bill that Lucy-Ann was the worst, she was highly indignant as she said she was the only one who had said she couldn't.
The children treat Lucian in a kind of bullying way - in fact I know someone who won't read Ship again, because he is so incensed with their attitude. Again, I don't think they physically attack him.
The Adventure Series!
Re: The Adventure Series!
- Darrell71
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Re: The Adventure Series!
Terrible vocab for an English child of her age.stardust wrote: Also in "Ship", Lucy-Ann didn't know what a labyrinth was, at 11-12, that also seems a bit drippy to me..
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Re: The Adventure Series!
I'd guess it's just Enid's regular device of having the youngest child in the story not know an unusual word and ask what it means, which allows Enid to explain it (via one of the older characters) for the benefit of any younger readers who might also not know that word. She does it a lot with Bets in the Find-Outers books — with words like detectives, clues ("glues" ), inspector, insurance, anonymous, alibi, and so on.
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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)
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Re: The Adventure Series!
I agree with you, Courtenay.
Re: The Adventure Series!
I bit like writing 'vocab' for vocabulary!Darrell71 wrote:Terrible vocab for an English child of her age.stardust wrote: Also in "Ship", Lucy-Ann didn't know what a labyrinth was, at 11-12, that also seems a bit drippy to me..
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Re: The Adventure Series!
I think I learned from "Ship" what an archipelago is.
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Re: The Adventure Series!
I think I did, too - although it still sounds like a musical term to me!
'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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- John Pickup
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Re: The Adventure Series!
I don't think it odd that Lucy-Ann didn't know what a labyrinth was. I only knew because I read Enid Blyton books, she obviously didn't.
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- Rob Houghton
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Re: The Adventure Series!
Yes - I don't think I would have known what a labyrinth was, either, as a child. Its easy for younger members to forget that even back 15 years we didn't have access to information via the internet, and so we weren't so well-informed as people might be these days. As children we really only knew as much as our parents or teachers (or Enid Blyton!) told us.
'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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Re: The Adventure Series!
Her grasp of biblical and historical knowledge in The River Of Adventure is noteworthy.
" A kind heart always brings its own reward," said Mrs. Lee.
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- The Christmas Tree Aeroplane -
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- Chrissie777
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Re: The Adventure Series!
And I learned from "Valley of Adventure" how to distinguish stalagmites and stalactites.Wolfgang wrote:I think I learned from "Ship" what an archipelago is.
Chrissie
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"For me, the cinema is not a slice of life, but a piece of cake."
Alfred Hitchcock
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"For me, the cinema is not a slice of life, but a piece of cake."
Alfred Hitchcock
- Chrissie777
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Re: The Adventure Series!
Also the term "lagoon" in "Sea of Adventure" was a first for me thanks to the book.
Chrissie
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"For me, the cinema is not a slice of life, but a piece of cake."
Alfred Hitchcock
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"For me, the cinema is not a slice of life, but a piece of cake."
Alfred Hitchcock
- John Pickup
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Re: The Adventure Series!
All the so-called experts who said that Enid had a limited vocabulary and all of us on here learnt many new words by reading her books in childhood.
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- Rob Houghton
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Re: The Adventure Series!
Completely agree! I'm guessing though that those critics probably only read a few Famous Fives (or maybe even Noddy) and were basing their 'findings' on just those!
'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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- Chrissie777
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Re: The Adventure Series!
You are right, John!John Pickup wrote:All the so-called experts who said that Enid had a limited vocabulary and all of us on here learnt many new words by reading her books in childhood.
Plus she made me read much more books by other authors even though I have to admit that other children's books authors couldn't write as gripping as she did. But that's just my humble opinion.
Last edited by Chrissie777 on 10 Feb 2018, 20:53, edited 1 time in total.
Chrissie
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"For me, the cinema is not a slice of life, but a piece of cake."
Alfred Hitchcock
Society Member
"For me, the cinema is not a slice of life, but a piece of cake."
Alfred Hitchcock