Flashback Friday: Famous Five

12:05 Cilla 0 Comments

I planned to do this yesterday, but things came up. So, here it is now, a Flashback Friday, even though it is Saturday.

My family's study recently suffered from termite infestation. Not only did it lead to a ridiculous amount of books and shelves hauling and cleaning (bloody hell we own a lot of books), it also broke my heart to see holes in books we have owned for years. On the bright side, it made me actually look at them again. So Flashback Friday is where I share my appreciation of the books that had helped start my love for reading.

This week, it's all about the Famous Five, by Enid Blyton.

My love for them has its roots in my mother and aunt's love for them. See how there are books that have white spines instead of coloured ones in the picture above? Those belonged to my mother and aunt, bought when they were in primary school and then given to me when I was in primary school. Oh, and if the titles baffle you, it's because they're in Indonesian. (I actually have never read Famous Five in English, so recent news about the lingo getting a 21st century update fascinated me. I wonder if I read my copies again, I would find the language dated too despite it being in Indonesian.)

If you didn't grow up with Famous Five, here is the summary provided by Enid Blyton's website: 'The Famous Five are a group of children who have the sort of adventures most kids dream about, in a world where ginger beer flows and ham rolls are a staple diet.' Now I don't remember much about ginger beer and ham rolls, but I remember Kirrin Island, and every member of the Five. Julian was probably my first book crush, long before I know what book crushes were, I saw myself in Anne, and occasionally wanted to be George. My imagination featured a lot of picnicking on a private island (though in reality I was a city kid who hated camping), exploring castle ruins and old houses, and - of course - solving mysteries. 

I don't know if I'd have turned out any different as a person if I had never read Famous Five. I still love reading detective stories and independent characters though, and I think I have them to thank for it.