sammy_'s review against another edition
4.0
This was the first Famous Five book I ever read (yes, I started with book 2...) and will always be one of my favourites. It’s unusual for a Famous Five book in that the Five don’t travel anywhere, but all the action takes place inside Kirin Cottage over Christmas while the family are snowed in, giving it a sort of ‘cabin fever’ feel. A new tutor charms all of the grown ups and children, just as strange things behind to happen... and only George seems to see the truth. it’s essentially as close to a psychological thriller as our Enid got.
The only thing which surprised me, upon adult reading, was everybody’s cavalier attitude towards Timmy the dog, who is made to live outside for several days during a snowstorm, to punish George, which everybody seems to be morally fine with, even after Timmy starts to develop a bad cough. After several chapters of this the book had me shouting ‘JUST LET THE BLOOMING DOG INSIDE’ As with any Enid Blyton book, you’ll find the odd attitude or two that is of its time.
The only thing which surprised me, upon adult reading, was everybody’s cavalier attitude towards Timmy the dog, who is made to live outside for several days during a snowstorm, to punish George, which everybody seems to be morally fine with, even after Timmy starts to develop a bad cough. After several chapters of this the book had me shouting ‘JUST LET THE BLOOMING DOG INSIDE’ As with any Enid Blyton book, you’ll find the odd attitude or two that is of its time.
thelittlebookiex's review against another edition
5.0
These started my love affair with books as a child in primary school. I love them all!
imzadirose's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyable, but not as good as the first. These books written in the 40s sure had the same style. The old "I'm here for work" ploy. George was ok, but Trixie would have seen through it sooner and proved it sooner, and not whined about it the whole time. That's why Trixie is still tops for me, over these Famous Five and over that spoiled rich Nancy Drew. :)
sophiapeony's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
williams_a_i's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
destinugrainy's review against another edition
4.0
Lima Sekawan beraksi kembali. Kali ini mereka berusaha mengungkap misteri pencurian di Pondok Kirrin. Tentunya ada petualangan yang menarik menanti mereka. Setelah menghabiskan musim panas di Pondok Kirrin, anak-anak harus kembali bersekolah. George sekarang bersekolah di tempat yang sama dengan Anne. Di internat (asrama), mereka diperbolehkan membawa hewan peliharaan. Jadi Tim juga ikut “bersekolah” dengan George dan Anne. Sementara Julian dan Dick bersekolah di tempat yang berbeda.
Dalam liburan Natal, seharusnya anak-anak berlibur di rumah mereka di London. Tetapi ibu mereka terkena wabah, sehingga terpaksa liburan Natal dialihkan ke Pondok Kirrin. Ditambah lagi selama liburan mereka tetap harus belajar, karena sempat tertinggal beberapa mata pelajaran. Ayah Julian sudah meminta Paman Quentin mencari guru privat untuk anak-anak. Dan ketika Pak Guru Ronald datang, tiba-tiba saja Tim menunjukkan rasa tidak suka pada Pak Guru Roland. Pak Guru Roland sendiri juga tidak menyukai Tim, sehingga George pun tidak senang dengan Pak Guru Roland.
Kisah Lima Sekawan tidak lengkap tanpa petualangan. Mereka menemukan sebuah peta kuno di Kirrin Farm. Pada peta itu tertulis bahasa Latin “VIA OCCULTA” yang berarti Jalan Rahasia. Konon menurut Bu Sanders, petani yang tinggal di Kirrin Farm, ada jalan rahasia yang menghubungkan Kirrin Farm dengan suatu tempat. Jalan itu dulunya digunakan pada masa lampau untuk menghindari musuh. Tetapi tidak ada satupun tempat di Kirrin Farm yang sesuai dengan peta kuno itu. Apalagi mereka tidak bisa bebas berkeliaran di Kirrin Farm, karena Bu Sanders akan kedatangan tamu dua orang seniman dari kota. Lima Sekawan sangat penasaran dengan peta itu, dan mereka harus tetap belajar bersama Pak Guru Roland.
Ketidaksukaan Tim dan George ternyata ada hubungannya dengan peristiwa pencurian di Pondok Kirrin. Beberapa arsip penelitian penting Paman Quentin dicuri. Tidak mungin pencurinya orang luar, karena di luar rumah tumpukan salju sangat tinggi. George mencurigai Pak Guru Roland sebagai pencurinya, setelah dia melihat Pak Guru Roland bercakap-cakap dengan dua orang seniman di Kirrin Farm. Padahal di depan anak-anak, Pak Guru Ronald mengaku tidak mengenal kedua seniman itu. Kecurigaan George semakin menguat ketika dia mendapati Pak Guru Roland pernah mengendap-endap di ruang kerja ayahnya.
Petualangan Lima Sekawan di buku kedua ini lebih seru dibandingkan buku pertama. Suasana misterinya juga lebih kental. Ternyata Pondok Kirrin menyimpan banyak misteri yang tidak diketahui oleh Paman Quentin dan Bibi Fanny. Selain mengungkap misteri Pondok Kirrin, Lima Sekawan juga berhasil menangkap pencuri arsip Paman Quantine.
Seperti yang pernah saya sebutkan dalam resensi buku pertama, buku ini sangat menarik untuk dibaca oleh anak-anak yang berusia 10 tahun ke atas. Tetapi dalam edisi cetakan tahun 2009 yang saya baca ini ada beberapa umpatan kasar yang dilontarkan oleh Julian dan saudara-saudaranya. Ada juga tertulis bahwa Anne yang berumur 10 tahun membelikan hadiah Natal berupa rokok untuk Pak Guru Roland. Mungkin di masa Enid Blyton menulis kisah ini, rokok adalah barang mahal dan memberikannya kepada orang lain merupakan bentuk penghargaan. Jadi, untuk adik-adik yang membaca kisah ini mungkin ada baiknya didampingi oleh orang tuanya.
Dalam liburan Natal, seharusnya anak-anak berlibur di rumah mereka di London. Tetapi ibu mereka terkena wabah, sehingga terpaksa liburan Natal dialihkan ke Pondok Kirrin. Ditambah lagi selama liburan mereka tetap harus belajar, karena sempat tertinggal beberapa mata pelajaran. Ayah Julian sudah meminta Paman Quentin mencari guru privat untuk anak-anak. Dan ketika Pak Guru Ronald datang, tiba-tiba saja Tim menunjukkan rasa tidak suka pada Pak Guru Roland. Pak Guru Roland sendiri juga tidak menyukai Tim, sehingga George pun tidak senang dengan Pak Guru Roland.
Kisah Lima Sekawan tidak lengkap tanpa petualangan. Mereka menemukan sebuah peta kuno di Kirrin Farm. Pada peta itu tertulis bahasa Latin “VIA OCCULTA” yang berarti Jalan Rahasia. Konon menurut Bu Sanders, petani yang tinggal di Kirrin Farm, ada jalan rahasia yang menghubungkan Kirrin Farm dengan suatu tempat. Jalan itu dulunya digunakan pada masa lampau untuk menghindari musuh. Tetapi tidak ada satupun tempat di Kirrin Farm yang sesuai dengan peta kuno itu. Apalagi mereka tidak bisa bebas berkeliaran di Kirrin Farm, karena Bu Sanders akan kedatangan tamu dua orang seniman dari kota. Lima Sekawan sangat penasaran dengan peta itu, dan mereka harus tetap belajar bersama Pak Guru Roland.
Ketidaksukaan Tim dan George ternyata ada hubungannya dengan peristiwa pencurian di Pondok Kirrin. Beberapa arsip penelitian penting Paman Quentin dicuri. Tidak mungin pencurinya orang luar, karena di luar rumah tumpukan salju sangat tinggi. George mencurigai Pak Guru Roland sebagai pencurinya, setelah dia melihat Pak Guru Roland bercakap-cakap dengan dua orang seniman di Kirrin Farm. Padahal di depan anak-anak, Pak Guru Ronald mengaku tidak mengenal kedua seniman itu. Kecurigaan George semakin menguat ketika dia mendapati Pak Guru Roland pernah mengendap-endap di ruang kerja ayahnya.
Petualangan Lima Sekawan di buku kedua ini lebih seru dibandingkan buku pertama. Suasana misterinya juga lebih kental. Ternyata Pondok Kirrin menyimpan banyak misteri yang tidak diketahui oleh Paman Quentin dan Bibi Fanny. Selain mengungkap misteri Pondok Kirrin, Lima Sekawan juga berhasil menangkap pencuri arsip Paman Quantine.
Seperti yang pernah saya sebutkan dalam resensi buku pertama, buku ini sangat menarik untuk dibaca oleh anak-anak yang berusia 10 tahun ke atas. Tetapi dalam edisi cetakan tahun 2009 yang saya baca ini ada beberapa umpatan kasar yang dilontarkan oleh Julian dan saudara-saudaranya. Ada juga tertulis bahwa Anne yang berumur 10 tahun membelikan hadiah Natal berupa rokok untuk Pak Guru Roland. Mungkin di masa Enid Blyton menulis kisah ini, rokok adalah barang mahal dan memberikannya kepada orang lain merupakan bentuk penghargaan. Jadi, untuk adik-adik yang membaca kisah ini mungkin ada baiknya didampingi oleh orang tuanya.
bethcartwright's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
salreads's review against another edition
4.0
I took myself off for an adventure with George, Dick, Julian and Anne - oh and of course Timothy the dog. It was winter - hooray and the gang were off to Kirrin Cottage to stay at George’s house. Julian, Dick and Anne’s Mum has scarlet fever so they cannot go home…and Julian and Dick have missed lots of schoolwork through flu! The eccentric scientist Uncle Quentin hires a tutor…Timothy hates Mr Rowland and if a dog dislikes someone we know that they are a bad un…
Golly this was good and my favourite of the Blyton books I have revisited so far and I can understand why these books are still popular. Although there are are many things that date the book - the ‘gracious’ and ‘simply marvellous’ and ‘good little girl’ for example - but Blyton does write a darn good adventure with real bad guys, secret passages, stolen papers…and a hint of bigger dangers - this was published in 1943. As the snow closes in, with Timothy banished to the kennel, George to her bedroom Quentin’s secret papers stolen…this had all the tension of any great thriller.
George - not Georgina - is such a marvellous character and really stands out in this book - she is the one who can spot the enemy, who apparently never tells lies, who is fierce and determined in her protection of Timothy and her pursuance of what is right. Not fully understood by her cousins who pale beside he, George is described as ‘obstinate’’ and the cousins are frustrated by her refusal to toe the line. Interestingly George was said by Enid Blyton to be based on a girl she knew and then in her later life she admitted George was based on herself. George actually had her own spin off series called ‘Just George’
This is the 70th Anniversary edition with the cover illustration by Helen Oxenbury. The series was first known as ‘The Fives’ until it was named ‘Famous Five’ by the publisher. Apparently some modern versions have replaced dated phrases like ‘mummy and daddy’ with ‘mum and dad’ and taken out words like ‘golly’ and ‘marvellous’ …but ‘gracious me, old thing’ I would much rather read the original …
Golly this was good and my favourite of the Blyton books I have revisited so far and I can understand why these books are still popular. Although there are are many things that date the book - the ‘gracious’ and ‘simply marvellous’ and ‘good little girl’ for example - but Blyton does write a darn good adventure with real bad guys, secret passages, stolen papers…and a hint of bigger dangers - this was published in 1943. As the snow closes in, with Timothy banished to the kennel, George to her bedroom Quentin’s secret papers stolen…this had all the tension of any great thriller.
George - not Georgina - is such a marvellous character and really stands out in this book - she is the one who can spot the enemy, who apparently never tells lies, who is fierce and determined in her protection of Timothy and her pursuance of what is right. Not fully understood by her cousins who pale beside he, George is described as ‘obstinate’’ and the cousins are frustrated by her refusal to toe the line. Interestingly George was said by Enid Blyton to be based on a girl she knew and then in her later life she admitted George was based on herself. George actually had her own spin off series called ‘Just George’
This is the 70th Anniversary edition with the cover illustration by Helen Oxenbury. The series was first known as ‘The Fives’ until it was named ‘Famous Five’ by the publisher. Apparently some modern versions have replaced dated phrases like ‘mummy and daddy’ with ‘mum and dad’ and taken out words like ‘golly’ and ‘marvellous’ …but ‘gracious me, old thing’ I would much rather read the original …
pheebzoc's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0