My Favorite Detective Stories ~ I
It is a dark night. some one knocks. Open the door. Who’s there? Silence ~~
How many times we have read stories beginning like this, never failing to thrill us and creating goose pimples?
I have always loved reading and watching mystery and detective stories from young. Ranging from children’s stories to more adult, serious, dark stuff. I just love the thrill and excitement at uncovering and solving something which puzzled people for long. I just love the whole air of suspense and discovery. The human aspects of it. There have been many such heroes/heroines/characters/stories for me. After all, the biggest selling point about mysteries are that they cater to the basic instinct of humans, curiosity.
My fondness for these stories started from a young age, when I started reading Enid Blyton’s famous stories Famous five series, Secret Seven series and The Five find outers. I just loved reading about their ring exploits, their adventures, the yummy food, the team spirit, the fights, the places, the castles, the villains, the trips. While the Famous Five is about Five cousins led by Julian, Dick, George, Anne and Timmy; The secret seven is about seven kids with a dog called Scamper and The Five find outers, again another five children and a dog Buster, led by the self appointed leader Fatty ( Frederick)
Blyton through her books created the image of daring, adventurous kids, who had the where withal to accomplish things which adults would not dream of. The only issue I had with Blyton’s stories, were that girls were stereotyped into either tomboys (george) or extremely domesticated ones (anne). Though, there were times when Anne did show spunky spirit. I don’t think that is a true assessment of girls per se. In spite of that, I thought her creations were wonderful.
In case of The Five Find Outers, the stories are quite interesting and gripping and involve some rather memorable characters like Mr Goon and Ern. I love how she characterises the relationship between Mr Goon and Buster as mutual enemies. Again, by the second or third story, Fatty becomes the overwhelming leader. He rather pushes everyone into the background.
For kids ( no pun intended, as i am still a kid) like me, who could only adventure within the confines of their imagination, these books were a blessing. I have read and read and read them over and over again. Still do. Especially, when I want to go back to childhood..Some of these stories were also dramatised for television. I enjoyed both the versions of the Famous Five.. More about this another time..
And you missed epic Sherlock Holmes ?
no yaar..check the post title..it is part I. There are more posts to come
at intervals
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Surprisingly these are the very books I used to read during my childhood days..Enid Blyton..Nancy Drew..and even my regular Chandamama Amar Chitra Katha ..comics of Ritchie Rich..Mandrake ..Phantom etc. ..I used to travel to a different world with the characters of these books..
I used to imagine myself , identify with the characters in the book and get lost in their world..My summer vacations were spent in these wonderful story books .. wow I am just remembering those days..used to sit by a window from which blew cool breeze from a neem tree just outside the window..A bowl full of snacks and Enid Blyton Sherlock Holmes in my hand from the nearest library..and to say these books were a blessing for me as I used to be a lonely kid with no siblings and had busy working parents..Books were my soul companions during those days..when there was least addiction to this Idiot box of TV and now am too very busy with life and work .. hardly get to read a book..Am missing all those days of no care had enough time to stand and stare .. how I noticed everything minutely and remained in awe and wonder of it..retaining my innocence ..
Slowly the transition to books of Mills n Boon as I entered the teens..haha:D I used to get carried away with those books too imagining the TDH guys..but then soon realized such things are not to be and better concentrate on my education and make a life for myself..
How I wish to rewind my life .. get back to those days of Story books and my precious childhood..That is never to be ..though !
Naice post JYO
) Love ya..
hmm…you also reminded me of many things of the past..i am sentimental now..
No choice left..but to bask in those memories..smile and move on..
I really miss those days..
wish it were so easy to forget..
Absolutely true Jyothi!
Reading them during our formative years is the gift of our times. It is the one contributing factor that enhanced our English writing, reading and speaking skills. It did expand our imagination to a world that was not and would not have been conceptualized in our minds given the fact that no place in India, then, would have remotely resembled that sort of a world. The romance, the different automobiles, the superlative attires, the fantastic mansions, the majestic gardens so on and so forth would all have been alien to our imagination had it not been for these superb authors. Similarly, the Phantoms, Tarzans, Mandrakes and Archie comics gave astonishing flair to not only our language but also to our constricted imagination.
Your blog is a wonderful tribute to all those greats like; John L. Goldwater, Vic Bloom, Bob Montana, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Lee Falk, Barbara Cartland, Enid Blyton, Edward Stratemeyer, and the several others who have and still continue to enchant us with their gifted talent.
I too join you in humble obeisance to these greats!
Glad and kudos to you for thinking out this wonderful subject.
Famous Five, Nancy Drew, Secret Seven, Hardy Boys, Sherlock Holmes, P.G Wodehouse, Agatha Christie…. the list goes on…
Reminiscing the (g)old days can not be done better without reading them!! Nice post…really…a walk down the memory lane!!
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