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Post by Ewan O'Rout? on May 28, 2009 9:04:54 GMT
I was never introduced to "The Famous Five" before now, but am enjoying reading it to my off-sprog, and she's enjoying listening.
We just finished the compendium of the first three books & went back to the library and asked if they had any others in stock. She pointed me to the right section where I found some of the originals and also some newly written ones including, something like, "The case of the skater dude who was so rude". I had a quick look inside and the tone and settings are totally modernized and politically-corrected: so no more ginger beer and "What ho!".
The only subtle difference between the book covers is that the originals are "Enid Blyton, The Famous Five" whilst the newly written ones are "Enid Blyton's Famous Five". Both have the Enid Blyton as the signature.
Is this fair?
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Post by Eema Braazkumov on May 28, 2009 10:05:12 GMT
Hmmmmn, tricky one. I suppose the Blyton name owns the Famous Five as an idea, but to have her signature on the new books implies she had something to do with the new stories, when really, it's only the creation of the characters she's responsible for in these modern novels.
I suppose it's akin to the new Star Trek film, in that it's not strictly Gene Roddenbury's Star Trek in that he had nothing to do with this new film, but he was responsible for creating the Star Trek universe, so did get a nod in the credits.
The new Famous Five books should really bear the name of the author who wrote that particular book, with perhaps 'The Famous Five as created by Enid Blyton' somewhere on the book cover, so she is not forgotten as the lady who started it all.
Maybe it's a legal thing and the writers are happy to write under her name... anyway, I'll always love the old books and still have quite a few of them. What ho!
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Post by Ewan O'Rout? on May 28, 2009 10:38:22 GMT
I don't really take issue with extending the catalogue of Famous Five books; as you say it happens with many (most) other successful franchises. Nor do I have a problem with ghost writers and I can understand modernizing it if it is horribly outdated.
But changing the tone and settings cuts against the grain for me.
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Post by Glen B Ogle on May 28, 2009 19:59:43 GMT
It always annoys me a bit when the name of the original creator is much (much much sometimes) larger than that of the actual author.
I've even seen what was effectively a whole rewrite of an Alistair McClean book, under the same title, that was very confusing.
I'm a bit unconvinced by the modernised versions - at the end of the day the originals were a different world/time to I lived in, but I enjoyed them for all that.
Glen
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Post by Eema Braazkumov on May 28, 2009 21:00:26 GMT
To be honest, they may as well now be books about any group of kids with a dog that run around solving crimes for all they probably have in common with the books of old... The Famous Five were what they were, and I don't think that should change. Ginger beer, shiny red apples and all.
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Post by tigerlily on May 29, 2009 12:44:03 GMT
Gosh Aunt Fanny, you're a brick!
Lashings and lashings of ginger beer!
And so on.
That's the Famous Five to me, and ever will be. First book I remember reading (at 3) was Five Go to Lighthouse Rock. I wasn't as keen on the Secret Seven, but I did love the Far Away Tree books and the books with the four children and Kiki the parrot.
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Post by Eema Braazkumov on May 29, 2009 13:04:18 GMT
Gosh Aunt Fanny, you're a brick! Lashings and lashings of ginger beer! And so on. That's the Famous Five to me, and ever will be. First book I remember reading (at 3) was Five Go to Lighthouse Rock. I wasn't as keen on the Secret Seven, but I did love the Far Away Tree books and the books with the four children and Kiki the parrot. Oh Tigs, I was absolutely besotted with the Folk of the Faraway Tree! Those books were fantastic and showed that Enid Blyton could do fantasy fiction as well as young crime stories. I'm trying to get some from that well known bidding site, but they're like hens' teeth! Very rare!
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Post by Ewan O'Rout? on May 29, 2009 13:27:18 GMT
Gosh Aunt Fanny, you're a brick! Lashings and lashings of ginger beer! And so on. That's the Famous Five to me, and ever will be. First book I remember reading (at 3) was Five Go to Lighthouse Rock. I wasn't as keen on the Secret Seven, but I did love the Far Away Tree books and the books with the four children and Kiki the parrot. Oh Tigs, I was absolutely besotted with the Folk of the Faraway Tree! Those books were fantastic and showed that Enid Blyton could do fantasy fiction as well as young crime stories. I'm trying to get some from that well known bidding site, but they're like hens' teeth! Very rare! The Faraway Tree: another series of stories that the off-sprog enjoys. And The Wishing Chair. But the faraway tree now has steps instead of the chute at the bottom (that's for obvious health and safety reasons) and also has had a lift installed for wheelchair users.
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Post by Slowan on Jun 3, 2009 12:13:10 GMT
Secret Seven! Brill!
Though my all-time favourite has to be The Boy Next Door.
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Post by Caddi Fuller-Teabags on Jun 14, 2009 13:10:47 GMT
Did anyone read 'Shadow the sheepdog' by Blyton? It was my favourite book when I was about 8 and then my friend was taken into hospital with scarlet fever and I lent (I thought) it to her, but I never got it back because she was in quarantine.
I wonder if it was as saccharine and mawkish as I now suspect it was!
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Post by idiotmittens on Jun 19, 2009 14:59:17 GMT
It seems totally pointless to me, to modernise books that were written in, and for, a certain era.
Does Julian smoke dope? Do we catch Ann getting wrecked on Bacardi Breezers? Is Dick gay (although I think we all knew which side George batted for)? As for Timmy..............
It would be as worthless as setting Jeeves & Wooster in a 1970's Glasgow council estate
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Post by paul Zernikazof on Jun 19, 2009 18:30:16 GMT
A while ago I picked up a copy of Swallows and Amazons in a charity shop, I had really enjoyed these as a child and it brought back memories when I read it again. Although I don't suppose you could get away with a name like Titty, for a girl in a childrens book nowadays
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Post by Slowan on Feb 20, 2010 0:17:44 GMT
Did anyone read 'Shadow the sheepdog' by Blyton? It was my favourite book when I was about 8 and then my friend was taken into hospital with scarlet fever and I lent (I thought) it to her, but I never got it back because she was in quarantine. I wonder if it was as saccharine and mawkish as I now suspect it was! I read that - when I was about 8 and it scared me! But I did re read it quite a few times!
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Post by ivy noidea on Feb 20, 2010 20:57:10 GMT
It seems totally pointless to me, to modernise books that were written in, and for, a certain era. Does Julian smoke dope? Do we catch Ann getting wrecked on Bacardi Breezers? Is Dick gay (although I think we all knew which side George batted for)? As for Timmy.............. It would be as worthless as setting Jeeves & Wooster in a 1970's Glasgow council estate Butlers were de rigeur in Glasgow council estates in the seventies.
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