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A review by marinaschulz
Six Cousins At Mistletoe Farm by Enid Blyton
5.0
After all this time, I still remember "Six COusins at Mistletoe Farm". I read this book a long, long time ago. I used to go to a Portuguese school when I was younger, and, as a young book curious bilingual girl who had barely finished *really* teaching herself how to read in English, a feat I've always been proud of, I remember feeling extremely compelled by the meagre section that existed in our little nook of a library.
My school went from first to ninth grade, but I recall, maybe wrongly, that most of the books *felt* as though they were meant to be for people older than me. All the books were big and heavy and dusty and old, but I loved to look through that wee little bookcase. The only author I recognised was Enid Blyton...
I'd never been too much of a fan of her books. The Famous Five, even back then, had always stricken me as being overly thought out and unrealistic. But still now, and I might be buyist, I remember feeling very attached to this few books that I read over and over, and I doubt have been appreciated properly since I've left. The plot is much more pure and simple; it's about some children who have to move into their aunt and uncle's when their own family looses money. These kids are spoilt and initially feel out of place, but end up growing up and into its fabrics.
The book can be sexist at times, I still remember when a female character is chastened for having dirty nails; a dishonour to her family. But it's simple and involving, and the rotten children changing their ways doesn't even feel forced, or coerced into not being themselves, but real growth, which, really, even now is so hard to come across. I enjoyed how everyone had flaws and personality. Inside the ever present two dimensional characters that live in children's books, each person was their own self, and everyone grew from the experience. Nobody was precious from the get go, and everyone learnt something from the clash between such different families.
I definitely recommend this; it's part of growing up.
My school went from first to ninth grade, but I recall, maybe wrongly, that most of the books *felt* as though they were meant to be for people older than me. All the books were big and heavy and dusty and old, but I loved to look through that wee little bookcase. The only author I recognised was Enid Blyton...
I'd never been too much of a fan of her books. The Famous Five, even back then, had always stricken me as being overly thought out and unrealistic. But still now, and I might be buyist, I remember feeling very attached to this few books that I read over and over, and I doubt have been appreciated properly since I've left. The plot is much more pure and simple; it's about some children who have to move into their aunt and uncle's when their own family looses money. These kids are spoilt and initially feel out of place, but end up growing up and into its fabrics.
The book can be sexist at times, I still remember when a female character is chastened for having dirty nails; a dishonour to her family. But it's simple and involving, and the rotten children changing their ways doesn't even feel forced, or coerced into not being themselves, but real growth, which, really, even now is so hard to come across. I enjoyed how everyone had flaws and personality. Inside the ever present two dimensional characters that live in children's books, each person was their own self, and everyone grew from the experience. Nobody was precious from the get go, and everyone learnt something from the clash between such different families.
I definitely recommend this; it's part of growing up.