The Famous Five - Five Go Adventuring Again by Enid Blyton

The Famous Five Julian, Dick, George, Anne and Timothy the dog.

 

The Five's second adventure together.

 

At Kirrin Cottage for the Christmas holidays, the Five were not expecting an adventure...But they found one - and some crocks - and became involved in a running battle underground. 

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I was recently disheartened to find that the Famous Five books were slowly being altered to make them more politically correct. I find this wrong in so many ways. Books often reflect the time in which they were written and this includes both the good and bad elements. Altering a book whether fictional or not shouldn't be done, how are we to reflect and consider the differences in time periods if all of our literature has been changed. 

 

Even though it is a work of fiction I strongly feel that it should be left as it was originally intended, giving the reader the opportunity to reflect upon its contents. I was lucky enough to find an almost complete set of Famous Five books from 1978 which is where this edition has come from.  The narrative is complete and I plan to keep this set for my own children/niece and nephew to read one day. I actually remember the Famous Five television series from which the photo cover is taken from (it was the first VHS video my family owned lol). I also love the fact it states the original UK price as 50p!

 

 This book was very fun to read. I enjoyed it and found it has aged very little. Yes the language used by the children is no longer the normal kind used by today's youth but I don't see that as a bad thing. The language is much more adult in its sentence structure and the words used. In this way it would be a refreshing change and possibly a challenge for children to read. However this is not a negative, it is most definitely a positive. The story is simple to follow and exciting in parts. I enjoyed the fact it was based during the Christmas holidays which is why I decided to read in the week leading up to Christmas. 

 

It is the perfect book for escapism. As a child I didn't read every Famous Five book but I remember loving the ones I was lucky enough to get hold off. They make you want to run about the countryside and have adventures of your own. The best part of the book is the overall friendship and support of the children who never fail to believe each other and always strive to protect their group. Its a quick fun read and I recommend it to everyone, whether a child wanting a bit of adventure or an adult (like myself) going back and reading the classics I missed as a child. 

 

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

I really enjoyed this story. It was exciting, fun and transported me back to a simpler time. The difference in language and writing style was also refreshing and entertaining in itself when comparing it to modern language.

 

I, Alex Cross by James Patterson

A Cross family member is murdered, and the case catapults Alex into a world where power masks unfathomable evil. 

You can't run.

Detective Alex Cross is pulled out of a family celebration and given the devastating news that his niece, Caroline, has been found brutally murdered. Cross vows to hunt down the killer, and soon learns that Caroline was mixed up in one of Washington's wildest scenes. And she was not this killer's only victim. 

You can't hide.

The hunt for her murder leads Alex and his girlfriend, Detective Brianna Stone, to a place where every fantasy is possible, if you have the credentials to get in. Alex and Bree are soon facing down some very important, very protected, very dangerous people in the levels of society where only one thing is certain - they will do anything to keep their secrets safe. 

Alex Cross is your only hope to stay alive.

As Cross closes in on the killer, he discovers evidence that points to the unimaginable - a revelation that could rock the entire world. 

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This is the first book by James Patterson that I have read and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I have seen movies based on some of his books such as Along Came a Spider which Is the first in the Alex Cross series. However I had never taken he plunge and read the books. I picked up this book during the past week simply because Mr P had bought a hardback copy for himself from a charity shop at the bargain price of 99p! Lets just say he still hasn't even looked inside because I have been busy flicking through it myself haha!

The story was very fast paced and this was aided by the author using very short chapters. In some cases they where simply two sides long. The mystery itself seemed a very basic story at the beginning, girl is murdered and detective needs to find her killer. But then sprinkle on the fact that the girl in question is the detectives niece and add a bit of money, powerful connections and a cover up and the story begins to spin in a vast number of direction. I loved that!

The voice of the story is mainly Detective Alex Cross, but as the story progresses other characters do speak which adds a bit of depth and clarity to the story. The main one of these characters comes in a bit later on and I was never a fan of him, but did almost pity him towards the end of the book. The way the author allows us to hear these characters thoughts shows them as real people. With Cross especially we are able to see his vulnerable side as well as his cop persona. It really adds something special to the narrative which keeps you turning the page at break neck speed. 

Now I'm not very good at figuring out who did things when watching crime movies or television shows. Nine times out of ten I am sat there thinking the killer couldn't possibly have done x,y or z because they are portrayed as x,y and z.  I am also very bad at the game Cluedo and never win. Ever! But I do enjoy crime fiction and this book is one of the best I've read. I am definitely planning to read the other books in the series. In fact this book has already hinted on the next case/book during its final chapter. This has wet my appetite and I look forward to curling up with another James Patterson book in the very near future. 

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

The story was exciting, heartbreaking and intriguing. I really enjoyed the journey it took me on and how I was kept guessing until the very end. It has left me eager for more and excited to read the rest of the series.

 

True Grit by Charles Portis

On a trip to buy ponies, Frank Ross is shot dead by Tom Chaney, one of his own workers, for a horse, $150 cash, and two Californian gold pieces. When Ross's unusually single-minded fourteen-year-old daughter Mattie arrives to claim his body, she discovers that the authorities are doing nothing to find Chaney. Then she hears of Rooster - a man, she's told, who has grit - and convinces him to join her in a quest into the dark, dangerous Indian territory to hunt Chaney down and avenge her father's murder...

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My goodness this book was such an exciting read. I really enjoyed it and read it cover to cover in less than twenty-four hours. The story follows fourteen-year-old Mattie as she attempts to extract revenge for her fathers murder. It is made clear from the first chapter that she is no ordinary teenager. This girl has courage and is not intimidated by men or any obstacle that may stand in her way. 

The book also has two strong male characters, but it really is Mattie that keeps you reading. I did like Rooster, he comes across as gruff and cross but I think deep down he was a nice guy. I'm really not sure if that is how everyone would feel about him, he was more likely written as a character to dislike but I didn't always feel that way. 

The one thing I really found annoying about this book was the chapter lengths. I am a reader who likes to stop reading  at the end of chapters and not for example at the top of a page within a chapter. However the some of the chapters really went on for what felt like forever. For example, one chapter went from page 108 to page 168! Now that is simply down to personal taste but I really gained nothing but annoyance from this. 

The pace was nicely set and I was on the edge of my seat in many parts. It isn't overly gruesome or graphic although it does have some deaths. I am not a fan off great detail when it comes to death so liked the way that was dealt with. Overall the story was gripping and I really was hooked to the very last page.

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

I loved the story and found it a thrilling read. However the chapter length was disappointing at times which did cause some annoyance.

Flowers in the Attic by Virginia Andrews

Up in the attic, four secrets are hidden. Four blonde, beautiful, innocent little secrets, struggling to stay alive...

Chris, Cathy, Cory and Carrie have perfect lives - until a tragic accident changes everything. Now they must wait, hidden from view in their grandparents' attic, as their mother tries to figure out what to do next. But as days turn into weeks and weeks into months, the siblings endure unspeakable horrors and face the terrifying realization that they might not be let out of the attic after all. 

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This book moved me to tears, it was so very heartbreaking. Its a book that I have planned to read for many years but never got around to it. I am pleased I finally found the time to do so but what a roller coaster of emotion it sent me on!

The book is well written in the sense that the story and plot move along quickly. I enjoyed the fact that even though the book is just over 400 pages it still felt short. It was really more like what I would consider a quick read and I didn't feel like I'd read more than 200 pages. 

The storyline was gripping and I couldn't understand the motives of the mother in the book. Oh, I grasped that she wanted to gain her inheritance and I do believe that in the beginning she had the best of intentions but as the story progressed I just wanted to shake her.  

The characters of Chris and Cathy had some many levels, I really enjoyed watching them mature. At points I cried because of how the situation was changing them and the lack of control they had over their lives. I wanted more than anything to protect, hold and shield them from the lives and fears thrust upon them. 

It was truly heartbreaking at points and it was obviously the position they were placed in by the adults that was effecting the present. The grandmother was very misguided when believing the past of her daughter would reflect on the future through the 'evil'  children she bore, she was blind to her own hand in the situation.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars 

It was a good book and I really enjoyed reading it. I was completely transported into the story. 

Fragment Friday

Flowers in the Attic by Virginia Andrews

'That's because I am stupid! You, Christopher, have all the brains!' With that I burst into tears and fled from the attic, racing past all the paper flora and fauna. Run, run, run for the stairs. Fly fly, fly down the steep and narrow wooden steps, daring fate to make you fall. Break a leg, a neck, put you in a coffin dead. Make everyone sorry then; make them cry for the dancer I should have been.

 I threw myself down on my bed and sobbed into the pillow. There was nothing here but dreams, hopes - nothing real. I'd grow old, ugly, never see lots of people again. That old man downstairs could live to be a hundred and ten! All those doctors would keep him living for ever - and I would miss out on Halloween - no tricking, no treating, no parties, no candy. Oh, I felt sorry for myself, and I vowed somebody was going to pay, pay, pay for all of this, somebody was, somebody was!

Wearing their dirty white sneakers, they came to me, my two brothers and my small sister, and each sought to give me comfort with small gifts of cherished possessions: Carrie's read and purple crayons, Cory's Peter Rabbit story book; but Chris, he sat and looked at me. I never felt so small.