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A review by sharnibee
Five Go to Smuggler's Top by Enid Blyton
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I’ve just reread this for the first in many years because I found a beautiful copy in a second hand bookshop - and I really had a great time - it’s so dramatic, about everything.
There’s a lot you could say about the character of the men who are fathers in this story (Uncle Quentin and Mr Lenoir) and how their personality and temperament shape their families, often negatively (Uncle Quentin slacking on home maintenance almost ends fatally and Mr Lenoir seems so sketchy that kids just assume he’s involved and act accordingly)… and how the Mothers are demure to the point of having no personality but are very loved by their children… but I don’t know that I would necessarily spared this a single thought when I was racing through these stories as a kid (I do, however, remember being as outraged as George when she invariably got cut out of the action by the boys)
Anyway, the whole story is all drama, all the time - it’s wondering if Timmy is going to be ok in the secret tunnels because Mr Lenoir doesn’t like dogs in the house, it’s wondering if Block, the deaf servant is actually deaf, it’s wondering how many secret tunnels are accounted for and how many are yet to be discovered…
In parts of this, I wondered if Enid Blyton had a stepfather that she particularly detested - but I read her Wikipedia article - and there is definitely some tea there - as it made a point of mentioning that she did not attend the funeral of either parent (no mention of a step parent tho)
There’s a lot you could say about the character of the men who are fathers in this story (Uncle Quentin and Mr Lenoir) and how their personality and temperament shape their families, often negatively (Uncle Quentin slacking on home maintenance almost ends fatally and Mr Lenoir seems so sketchy that kids just assume he’s involved and act accordingly)… and how the Mothers are demure to the point of having no personality but are very loved by their children… but I don’t know that I would necessarily spared this a single thought when I was racing through these stories as a kid (I do, however, remember being as outraged as George when she invariably got cut out of the action by the boys)
Anyway, the whole story is all drama, all the time - it’s wondering if Timmy is going to be ok in the secret tunnels because Mr Lenoir doesn’t like dogs in the house, it’s wondering if Block, the deaf servant is actually deaf, it’s wondering how many secret tunnels are accounted for and how many are yet to be discovered…
In parts of this, I wondered if Enid Blyton had a stepfather that she particularly detested - but I read her Wikipedia article - and there is definitely some tea there - as it made a point of mentioning that she did not attend the funeral of either parent (no mention of a step parent tho)