The Faraway Tree



One of my blogging friends from India posted this link this morning about Enid Blyton’s Faraway Tree books being made into a live action film.

The Faraway Tree 

I was so excited to hear this and thought it was cool that some of my friends in India also read Enid Blyton books when they were kids.

Enid Blyton is a British children’s writer who lived from 1897 to 1968. She was a prolific writer who wrote many books in her 71 years. I was happy to hear she was a pantser like I am who would have the basic idea and then see how the stories would unfold. 

I have only read one of the Faraway Tree books, “The Folk of the Faraway Tree” and still have it. Enid Blyton wrote this book in 1946 but I got it in the 1960's and it was on the ninth printing by then.


I was totally enchanted by this book as a kid and would read it again and again as well as looking at the illustrations.

I loved Enid Blyton’s imaginative stories and how she could connect with kids so well. She knew how to show kids dealing with life’s struggles while still telling an entertaining story.

The basic story involves siblings Jo, Bessie and Fanny along with Connie, a nosy and spoiled girl who comes to stay with them. Because of Connie’s curiosity and snootiness, she gets into all kinds of trouble at the Faraway Tree.

Even now I can’t forget heartwarming characters like MoonFace, Silky and Saucepan Man who live in the Faraway Tree. There is an element about this book that is reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland with the zany characters and scenes.

The characters in The Folk of the Faraway Tree were all so lovable and distinctive. Well, maybe not Connie but you have to have the antagonist to stir things up! We do have empathy for Connie though and feel for her.

I remember how I loved the idea of there being a strange land at the top of the Faraway Tree and it was such a fun idea that the land moved on to be replaced by another. Sometimes it was a wonderful land with many delights for children and sometimes it was downright awful. 

Many claim that Enid Blyton’s books are dated, being too sexist and even racist but I still think they have merit. Generations of children have enjoyed her books with her great characters and fun plots. That’s what’s most important, after all. 

I look forward to the series and hope I will be able to see the films here in Canada.


I am writing something every day for the Yeah Write NoMo Challenge for November. http://yeahwrite.me/november-2015/ - See more at: http://cattitudeandgratitude.blogspot.ca/2015/11/risque-romeo.html#sthash.KtgV5VWA.dpuf

I am writing something every day for the Yeah Write NoMo Challenge for November. http://yeahwrite.me/november-2015/ - See more at: http://cattitudeandgratitude.blogspot.ca/2015/11/risque-romeo.html#sthash.KtgV5VWA.dpuf

I am writing something every day for the Yeah Write NoMo Challenge for November. http://yeahwrite.me/november-2015/

I am writing something every day for the Yeah Write NoMo Challenge for November. http://yeahwrite.me/november-2015/ - See more at: http://cattitudeandgratitude.blogspot.ca/2015/11/risque-romeo.html#sthash.KtgV5VWA.dpuf

Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 6, 2015 at 7:00 PM

    We must be reading the same blogs and I needed this introduction to Enid Blyton. So thank you for this! I can't believe I haven't come across her before.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownNovember 8, 2015 at 4:41 PM

      Thanks very much for dropping by my blog. Much appreciated. Yes, Enid Blyton was a big part of my childhood in the 1960s. I'm sure my writing has been influenced by reading her books.

      Delete
  2. Shilpa GupteNovember 6, 2015 at 11:43 PM

    I remember reading Enid Blyton when I was a kid. I used to feel superior to those kids who didn't exhibit as much interest in reading books ss I did, and would love to flaunt my collection! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownNovember 8, 2015 at 4:42 PM

      Great to hear you were also an Enid Blyton fan, too, Shilpa. Did you have a big collection? I still have three of her books that were my favourites.

      Delete
  3. IndywritesNovember 7, 2015 at 12:37 AM

    Cat, almost all city kids would have read Enid Blyton or the famous five or some other book of her in India too. She is a global phenomenon! I loved her writing and books. She is just the best kids writer :) I might be biased but I love her works. Hope to catch the movie too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownNovember 8, 2015 at 4:43 PM

      So cool to hear about how you liked to read Enid Blyton in India, too. She was a global phenomenon even before the Internet which is quite a feat.

      Delete
  4. UnknownNovember 8, 2015 at 11:33 AM

    I absolutely devoured Enid Blyton books when I was a kid, as I was lucky enough to have a Grandma who scoured used book shops to find them for me! What a great memory.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownNovember 8, 2015 at 4:44 PM

      Thanks for sharing about your Grandma scouring used book shops for Enid Blyton books, Laurel. That's fun.

      Delete

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