The Folk of the Faraway Tree: 1 (The Magic Faraway Tree)

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Connie's fault is being curious. This is in itself curious. Part of it is the use of the word 'curious' in place of nosy. Though I suppose if that was the extent of it Blyton could have brought in Nosy Nelly. Another element does appear to the the now-anachronistic view that curiosity, particularly in girls, is an undesirable trait. The book is over 70 years old though and even in the 'sanitized' versions some evidence of its age will show through. In the 'grand battle' at the end the girls are all sent up the tree with Silky to wait while the boy, Moonface and male small-folk sort the trolls out. Out of the three stories I would say The Magic Faraway Tree was the better of the three and I would've given this story alone 4 stars. The Enchanted Wood and The Folk of the Faraway Tree I would only give 2.5stars each. The finale is a threat to the tree itself, which appears to be dying. There's a failed attempt to breach the gem-caves beneath the tree (wherein trolls are damaging the tree's roots) - these 'caves' seem to be ... um ... earth caves as the only thing that stops rabbits burrowing in from underneath is a stone floor. An entrance is eventually effected by using a type of enlarged caterpillar to chew down through the tree and out through the roots into the cave. This seems highly improbable (what about the earth/stones?) is hard to visualize, and makes you wonder why the caterpillars couldn't chew through the cave doors far more easily ... but hey. I will always know Enid Blyton as the author whose name is written so unclear on the books, to my non-English eyes, it could be read as Enicl, Gnid, or Enid. So for many many many years I never actually knew what the name really is.

But in this and some other modern editions, the corporal punishment – and any sense of threat – has just been silently removed. It wasn’t only a tree, it was a home for lots of little people and the path to strange adventures far above.”The Faraway Tree series were particular favourites of mine however, and I had been hankering to revisit them for some time. I knew I was taking the risk of marring my rose-tinted memories of this series but decided to proceed, regardless. One day they discover a tree which seems larger than the others and decide to climb it, uncovering a host of magical people and creatures that actually live in between the branches in cosy little homes. My only complaint is I remember this seeming longer and them having loads more adventures but I think it would have just taken me longer to get through this book as a kid.

The third and final book of The Faraway Tree series, The Folk of the Faraway Tree has a new guest staying with the three children - their cousin, Connie. Connie is curious about everything and this obviously leads to several adventures. The girl also obviously disbelieves the tales about the magic wood and the tree, which annoy the others. But really, who would believe such things without first experiencing them?! Given the recent furore over rewriting Roald Dahl, I wonder if we'll ever get justice for the Faraway Tree? n as the Faraway Tree. The woods are called the Enchanted Woods. The Faraway Tree is home to several different characters, Silky the Elf, Moon Face, the Angry Pixie, Dame Washalot, Saucepan Man, Watzisname and a few others. The Faraway Tree is so tall it reaches into the clouds and up in these clouds a new land swings by (like a rotating turntable of lands) every couple of days. These lands can either be fantastic like the land of Take-What-You-Want or horrible like the land of Slaps.

This book has several interesting lands like the Land of Nursery Rhymes and the Land of Know-Alls. But the adventures the children go on don't have much to do with the lands themselves. Instead, they have to go to Dame Slap's school again voluntarily to have tea with Saucepan's mother. This leads to chaos again. And when the Faraway Tree appears to be dying, they all have to find out how to rescue the tree and cure it so that they could save the homes of the folk of the faraway tree and keep their pathway to future adventures intact. The person who visits Jo, Bessie, and Fanny is their mother's friend's child. The author loved not only to name stuff naughtily, she liked to write up naughty characters. Connie Haynes is one such example. Although I remembered that Moonface loved toffee, I had forgotten about the amazing food they eat. I really want to try a Pop Biscuit! They sound so yummy! Enid has always been good at the written food porn!

Review by Terry Gustafson Brief Summary by Robert Houghton: When Curious Connie comes to stay with Jo, Bessie and Fanny, the three children are keen to introduce her to their magical friends in the Faraway Tree – but Connie doesn't believe in magic, or fairy-folk, and pours scorn on everything she sees. Even so, they explore a host of lands, including Nursery Rhyme Land, the land of Dame Slap, and climb up the Ladder That Has No Top, but then disaster strikes: The Faraway Tree is dying – its leaves curling up and no fruit growing on its branches. What is wrong with the magical tree, and can it be saved before it's too late? But now grim times are upon them. Troll Thieves are cutting at the roots of the Faraway Tree in search of jewel stones, and the tree is now dying. There are no fruits anymore, and the leaves are old and withered. It's a dim and dark age, and the Folk grow sad and worried. Come with them and their new friends Silky the fairy, Saucepan Man and Moonface, as they discover which new land awaits them at the top of the Faraway Tree. All across the USA, people are showing up dead. The deaths don't appear to be connected in any way until one particular death occurs and gets the Secretary of Defense's attention. He arranges for a task force to investigate.So I say to anyone, read this to your young kids, it is brilliant. Full of fantasy and adventure but really simplified. There are no in-depth plots, it is just one adventure after another, no slow character build-ups, just in your face - these are the characters, now let's go. Rereading a childhood favourite can sometimes prove hazardous. Often, what so appealed to our younger selves we later find riddled with plot holes, become distanced from the young protagonists, or find them just generally unsuited for an adult readership. For this reason I had stayed away from my once beloved Enid Blyton, for so long. Originally published in the month of May in 1939, this was first brought out by the publisher George Newnes. Setting up the characters and the premise, this is the first book in the series of ‘The Faraway Tree’, as it sees them arrive for the first time. It also establishes the world it’s set within, as it depicts the magic and wonder of it all, allowing it to come alive for all the young readers.