The Circus of Adventure - Review

The seventh book has been my favorite one in the series. That has a flip side as well. While I had forgotten some of the events in the other books, I remember this one vividly and even the dialogues came to my mind before they were said. So it was not as enjoyable a read as I hoped this to be.

The series was supposed to originally conclude with the sixth book but guess given the popularity of this series, the publishers wanted more. But still she wrote only 2 more. I don't know why this did not wind up long like Find Outers series or Famous Five. More so since I consider the last two books the best in the series.

This book has it all - quaint English countryside settings as well as exotic foreign setting, lots of excitement without any peril to their lives. Lot of things happen in the story while maintaining a cheerful mood throughout. Jack does his bird watching and Phillip has a lion's share of animals - dormice, badgers and towards the end his biggest conquest yet. His abilities here however seem more realistic compared to what was seen in Mountain of Adventure.

The first part of the story is full of fun and lot of teasing and cozy family setting. A car ride from their city home to countryside, humor around their interactions with foreigner Gussy etc. But right from the beginning it is clear, there is a mystery around Gussy and things soon begin to heat up. That way the mystery begins from page 1. The story then moves to a foreign country and then a circus. A circus is a setting Enid Blyton is only too comfortable with - her famous Galliano's Circus and all that. And then there is a grand rescue and a grand escape from an enemy city where soldiers are looking for them.

One thing though - as it is the girls have limited role to play in the series. In this series, they are totally marginalized. They might have as well not been there, especially Dinah. Lucy Ann has a few sentimental moments with Bill in the beginning. Dinah does nothing except attacking Gussy in the early part of the book. As far as the adventure goes, they have absolutely no contribution. Its all a Jack and Phillip show. Even Phillip is kind of pushed to the background except for one grand act with dangerous animals. This is more or less a Jack story.

Overall a pacy read with lot of interesting elements and events. I really wish I could forget this and read it again as a new story.