krtek a houby
Kick me again Jesus
I had Noddy first, then the Famous Five and eventually the Secret Seven. Good kids stuff but very much of their time.
Enid Blyton wrote one f*** of a lot of books.
- Thread starter mrs quoad
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fakeplasticgirl
Keirleader
QueenOfGoths
Fuck you Dave!
I never read her books same as I never read any Beatrix Potter - not due to any objection on the part of my parents or myself but just that I was a quite a horrid, lazy contrary child who refused to read. Except Dr. Seuss, but that had pictures so I forced myself!
krtek a houby
Kick me again Jesus
QueenOfGoths
Fuck you Dave!
I used to love Enid Blyton's books. They had an 'old England', 'jolly hockeysticks', 'midnight feast' kind of feel to them that I only had access to through books.
Can't tell you how gutted I was at 14 to be told by one of my mum's beautiful, young (enough to fancy by a 14 year old) work friends that Enid was a old fashioned bigot and then given a tape of Julia Fordham to listen to instead. I went home and re read a few. I couldn't believe I'd missed it all before... my experience of England was so far removed from the England of the books that I didn't make a connection. They were almost like historical fiction. But viewed in a more contemporary context the stereotypes, bigotry and classism were so obvious that I put them down again, and in my misery put on the Julia Fordham album.
As good and 'right on' as it was... I can't help feeling that I got the shitty end of the poostick on that one.
In a semi-interesting addendum to that story, Julia Fordham's brother rehearses at my studio. I told him his sister damaged my childhood years. I am now officially at war with the Fordhams.
Can't tell you how gutted I was at 14 to be told by one of my mum's beautiful, young (enough to fancy by a 14 year old) work friends that Enid was a old fashioned bigot and then given a tape of Julia Fordham to listen to instead. I went home and re read a few. I couldn't believe I'd missed it all before... my experience of England was so far removed from the England of the books that I didn't make a connection. They were almost like historical fiction. But viewed in a more contemporary context the stereotypes, bigotry and classism were so obvious that I put them down again, and in my misery put on the Julia Fordham album.
As good and 'right on' as it was... I can't help feeling that I got the shitty end of the poostick on that one.
In a semi-interesting addendum to that story, Julia Fordham's brother rehearses at my studio. I told him his sister damaged my childhood years. I am now officially at war with the Fordhams.
*Miss Daisy*
Suck a Big Hairy....
I loved Enid Blyton...Famous 5 and The Enchanted Wood Series (Magic Faraway Tree) - I'm currently reading The Enchanted Wood to my son
DotCommunist
So many particulars. So many questions.
Mallory Towers 
Plumdaff
joy in people
I read St Claire's and Mallory Towers avidly as a kid, mostly for the midnight feasts and outdoor swimming pool envy - but even then, I remember thinking the "heros" could be awful petty bitches and there was some class snobbery going on. As a younger kid I loved the Magic Tree books as well. I think they're fine for kids of a certain age and they will move on to something more interesting soon enough - isn't repetition of vocabulary useful in learning - one of the reasons small children like stories over and over - up to a certain point too?
weepiper
I fix the machines that fight climate change
I read tons of Enid Blyton as a little kid... Faraway Tree etc were my favourites but I read a lot of the detectivey ones too. Yes they're formulaic but they're considerably more interesting than the formulaic kids' series that are out there now (Rainbow pissing Fairies, Beast Quest, Horrid Henry etc etc)
quimcunx
imprimeo, lamino, distribuo
Mallory Towers
Quite right too, dotty. They were good stuff. I don't want to see you complain about the Harry Potter books again, though. St. Clares had Carlotta. I may have had a girl crush on her.
As a little scottish girl I thought that their names had more to do with being English than being posh or outdated, or that English people were like this and all had names like Amelia and Veronica and needed a good slap. However I seem to have neatly blanked out that my own name is very Enid Blyton.
krtek a houby
Kick me again Jesus
In the telly series in the 70s I used to have a crush on Anne
Mrs Magpie
On a bit of break...
I spent most of my early childhood really badly wanting to live in South London rather than the world of the Famous Five. Dreams can come true!I spent most of my early childhood really badly wanting to live in the world of the Famous Five rather than south London
why am I still in a council house then?
Mrs Magpie
On a bit of break...
I have no idea. I only do downwardly mobile.
tim
EXPLODED TIM! (Help me!!!)
She wrote a lot of books, but I don't remember this one from my childhood
BBC News - Seven plead guilty to violent disorder during riot
BBC News - Seven plead guilty to violent disorder during riot
Seven plead guilty to violent disorder during Hartlepool riot
Several others enter pleas of not guilty following outbreaks of violence across Teesside.
www.bbc.com
Happy Tree
maagilises metsas
Faraway Tree, Secret Seven, Famous Five, Mallory Towers, Mr Pink Whistle. My favourite books were The Adventurous Four and Tuppeny, Feefo and Jinks. All the classics. I never saw the appeal of Ginger Beer, however.
DaveCinzano
WATCH OUT, GEORGE, HE'S GOT A SCREWDRIVER!
I was never particularly into the Famous Five or Secret Seven or Noddy books, but I loved the various linen-covered, landscape ones published by Brockhampton, featuring characters like Bom the Little Drummer Boy and Mary Mouse
stellabooks.com
Rare Books, Collectible Books & 2nd Hand MARY MOUSE Books
13 rare books, collectible books & second hand books listed in the "MARY MOUSE" category.
Sasaferrato
Super Refuser!
I dunno, but Agatha Christie...was enid a racist do you think?
Elpenor
a clown’s heart and a mandolin
Things I recall from Enid Blyton famous five books
Policeman are hefty and have stentorian voices.
Foreign looking people and gipsies are swarthy and bad.
Awful politics and downright racism really. Gender roles fairly rigid too though George was a bit subversive for the time.
That said having fun adventures outside as a kid is good, and reading about them is a decent second best.
I preferred the Arthur Ransome Swallows and Amazons books plus Biggles personally though there a few things in those which are of their time.
Policeman are hefty and have stentorian voices.
Foreign looking people and gipsies are swarthy and bad.
Awful politics and downright racism really. Gender roles fairly rigid too though George was a bit subversive for the time.
That said having fun adventures outside as a kid is good, and reading about them is a decent second best.
I preferred the Arthur Ransome Swallows and Amazons books plus Biggles personally though there a few things in those which are of their time.
editor
hiraethified
Estimated at 700 books and 2,000 short stories according Mr Gemini on Google.
weltweit
Well-Known Member
Wow, in the 1940 she wrote loads ,,
StoneRoad
heckling from the back!
Began reading well before I started school.
Both brother - who started with Ladybird - and I went through a Blyton stage but quickly graduated - via some intermediate stuff - onto Biggles, Chalet School, Swallows and Amazons plus a whole range of others, gradually maturing into other authors / fields.
Would say that stuff I read as a youngster was very much of it's time, and most would be considered horribly racist / sexist etc today but some of it still could past muster against modern criteria [teaching examples of real teamwork, for example]
Both brother - who started with Ladybird - and I went through a Blyton stage but quickly graduated - via some intermediate stuff - onto Biggles, Chalet School, Swallows and Amazons plus a whole range of others, gradually maturing into other authors / fields.
Would say that stuff I read as a youngster was very much of it's time, and most would be considered horribly racist / sexist etc today but some of it still could past muster against modern criteria [teaching examples of real teamwork, for example]
krtek a houby
Kick me again Jesus
Similar. Although the books were pretty basic at age 2-4. Was 5 when started reading comics, and 6-7 started reading Blyton and Doctor Who.
Sesame Street was very educational for me during the pre-school years. Like to think that it cancelled out the Blyton vibe.
scifisam
feck! arse! girls! drink!
I loved Blyton as a kid. Sometimes you just want comforting jolly adventures. The Adventure series, actually, was my favourite - they always somehow managed to find a cave with natural bookshelves and a cold stream nearby to keep cold food in.
Blyton was an odd woman, though, as well as a massive racist and classist. She used to invite kids round for parties and considered them her friends.
762 books; it's in the first link in the thread. And it's not an estimate, since books are easy to count up. I suppose it's a bit better than the usual AI results though - don't know why anyone with at least half a brain uses it, TBH.
Blyton was an odd woman, though, as well as a massive racist and classist. She used to invite kids round for parties and considered them her friends.
762 books; it's in the first link in the thread. And it's not an estimate, since books are easy to count up. I suppose it's a bit better than the usual AI results though - don't know why anyone with at least half a brain uses it, TBH.
I love that sketch and yes, it gives me Blyton vibes.
I'm mainly into the Malory Towers/Secret Seven books and the Naughty Children books are hilarious. Quite a lot of mild body horror and kids getting punished for the heinous crimes of biting their nails or not walking properly.
On the subject of Girls' Own, using a certain meme:
- Broke: Enid Blyton
- Woke: Elinor M Brent-Dyer (the Chalet School books were very samey and went down the toilet once they went to Switzerland and the GOAT Mary-Lou left, because Len Maynard was too much of a doormat to carry the series, but the vocab is more complex and there's a lot of discussion of religion and history)
- Bespoke: Antonia Forest (I don't know if her books were aimed at kids, they had very adult vocabulary and concepts at times)
