Enid Blyton is a famous children’s writer who endeared herself to growing children with nearly 600 books. She also created a series of books about a set of characters like the Famous Five and the Secret Seven. Her novels always focused on children as the main protagonists who solved many crimes and mysteries, long before the Police could. Enid Blyton was born in 1897 and died in 1968 of Alzheimer’s disease.
Enid Blyton and the writing of “Children of Green Meadows”
Enid Blyton also loved animals and this love was translated into several books. One of the most famous books is “Children at Green Meadows.” In the novel, Green Meadows is a large rambling house in disrepair, as the owners do not have enough money to repair it. The parents want to sell it, but the grandmother who owns the house is totally against it.
the history
The Marshal family who reside in this dilapidated structure have 3 children named Francis, Claire, and Sam. He had suffered an injury during Hitler’s war. The children do not have animals as pets, but they love animals and would love to have some. The story begins when a large apartment complex arises near his house. This complex has a rule that pets are not allowed. Enid now weaves a lovely story in which the people who come to live in the apartment complex have pets, and since they can’t keep them in the apartment complex, the children volunteer to stay with them.
The children, with the encouragement of their grandmother, soon build a mini menagerie of wild animals. The beauty of the book lies in the way Enid brings out the golden heart of the family, which won’t accept cash to keep the animals, but the owners find ways to make it up to the children and the Marshall family. This makes for a heartwarming story that is sure to strike a chord with both a child and an adult.
The message Enid sends is that good kids will do well. This novel is not as famous as Enid Blyton’s other books, such as the famous five series and the secret seven series, but in its own way, it is a charming and moving story that grips the reader from beginning to end. The book abounds in sentimentality and the reader will surely feel a lump in his throat.
Enid Blyton: personal life
Enid Blyton was born in 1897 and died in 1968. As a child, she was very close to her father and it was a traumatic experience for her when he left the family to live and sleep with another woman. This probably affected her a lot. Although she was married, she began to have a series of love affairs. She divorced her first husband and in 1943 she married a second time to a man named Darrell Waters. She took the unprecedented step of changing the last name of her two daughters from her first marriage to Waters. Her husband died in 1967 and Enid died a year later. her on November 28, 1968, at age 71. She was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium where her ashes remain to this day.
Enid Blyton as Writer
Enid Blyton writes simple prose that is endearing to young children. The language is simple and the sentences are well elaborated for boys and girls. The book has beautiful descriptions that show children’s love for animals. Of almost 600 books written by Enid Blyton, this book has a niche of its own and reveals what a master craftsman Enid Blyton was. Who could tell a simple tale and bring it to life? The fact that she has written over 600 books is testament to her prodigious talent.
controversies
No review of Enid Blyton’s books is complete without reference to the controversies surrounding her writings. Many times his books were banned from public libraries for making racist comments such as referring to a black “like a black with soot”. From 1995 his books have been reissued after their edition.
Where do we place Enid Blyton now in the 21st century? The fact is, his books have sold over 600 million copies and from 2000 to 2010 he was still in the top ten best-selling authors list, having sold £31.2 million worth of books in the UK alone.
His book “The Magic Faraway Book” was voted 66th in the BBC Big Read ranking. In 2008, the Costa Book Awards awarded her the title of Britain’s Most Beloved Author.