A River Runs Through It

THE RIVER OF ADVENTURE
By Enid Blyton
(Macmillan Children's Books, 192 pages)
When I wrote about The Mystery of the Pantomime Cat a couple of weeks ago, it was my intention to follow that up with reviews of all my favourite Enid Blytons.

And so, here is the second review, of my favourite book in the Adventure series, which comprises eight books, about Philip, Dinah, Lucy Ann, Jack and Kiki the Parrot.

The children live with Philip and Dinah's mother. In the first book they meet a British secret agent called Bill and they befriend him and help him with the case he's working on. By the time The River of Adventure happens, Bill is married to Philip's mother and has adopted all the children.

At the start of the book, you find that the kids have been ill and need to go away for a rest-cure. It just so happens that Bill has to go abroad on an undercover mission and so he decides to take his family with him so the crooks he's after will think he's just a family man, on vacation.

The family flies to a faraway exotic land and then embark on a river cruise on a houseboat. They are attended to by two native servants towards whom they are very condescending.

Philip, who loves all kinds of animals, gets himself a snake as a pet and Dinah, as usual, throws a hissy fit! Kiki makes everyone laugh with her imitations and Lucy Ann is delicate and timid.

Blyton sticks to her formula right down to the kids getting separated from the adults (Bill's enemies are on to him, and he and his wife are kidnapped) and living on tinned food (pineapple chunks, anyone?).

The children and Kiki go in search of their parents and stumble upon an ancient temple filled with a hoard of treasure.

It's all very thrilling especially the bits in which the river widens as their boat speeds along it and it seems like they are going to crash! I also like it when the kids explore the old temple and the description of the wonders they find there.

Best of all is Sinny Town, a bustling city that is a bit of mystery until the family get up close and realise what it actually is.

Re-reading the book now, it's pretty amazing how Bill is willing to expose his adopted family to danger. And one wonders how in the world he used to solve his cases before he met the children! Hmm ... one gets the impression he is really rather an incompetent secret agent! I mean, fancy getting kidnapped! Reading the scene in which Bill and Mrs Bill get lured out into the night, away from their kids, it's pretty obvious what's going on.

Still, I love the book and the others in the series. It's more exciting that the Mystery books because the stories are all set in strange, rather wild places, and the children come into contact with quite vicious thugs, not just petty village criminals.

When I was little Kiki, the Parrot amused me, but I could do with less of her now. Lucy Ann was my favourite character and I liked the close relationship she had with her cousin, Jack, who I think I had a crush on: He's so brave and kind! Now I think Lucy Ann is a bit of a wimp and prefer Dinah despite (or maybe because of) her fiery temper. She's also very gutsy - when there aren't any animals involved! (Yes, her fear of even the tiniest mouse is rather exasperating.)

I've seen the series in Times Bookstore, MPH and Kinokuniya. There are a couple of different editions including one that is based on the recent Australian TV series. I think these are abridged and they may even be re-written to reflect the telly show.

The Adventure Series

1. The Island of Adventure (1944)

2. The Castle of Adventure (1946)

3. The Valley of Adventure (1947)

4. The Sea of Adventure (1948)

5. The Mountain of Adventure (1949)

6. The Ship of Adventure (1950)

7. The Circus of Adventure (1952)

8. The River of Adventure (1955)