I hear of this book all the time in my reading. Apparently it has been a favorite of lots of children. Not my cup of tea. Too far out there and not enough grounding in reality for my taste. This edition has illustrations by Mark Beech also not my favorite. They are lovely, colorful, fantastical and just right for the text. So there is no fault in his work. I'm just a fan of cuter art in children's books. I'm glad to have read it so that I understand the references when I find it mentioned so often in British literature. ( )

At least i didn't want to chew my arms off from boredom like the [b:Wishing Chair|480019|Adventures of the Wishing Chair|Enid Blyton|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348521498s/480019.jpg|769336] stories.
I maintain that Blyton is by every measure a terrible writer. She has a decent amount of imagination but its mostly of the 'Alice in Wonderland' variety, ie only interesting because its so random.
I suspect a lot of the joy people find in her books is due to her psychological attacks on the reader. The characters and narrator are constantly telling you how 'exciting', 'delightful' or 'fun' the adventures are. I guess if you tell people something often enough they will start to believe it ;) .
Anyway i didn't hate this it was fun enough for what it was. Its the childrens book equivalent of a slocky B-Movie and i have been watching a lot of MST3K lately, so who am i to judge :) . ( )

Second book in a series by Enid Blyton, published in 1943. Essentially, the continuing adventures of Joe, Bessie and Fanny in the magical tree, its zany inhabitants, and the various lands that can be accessed at the top of the tree, including adventures therein. They are joined by a cousin named Rick, who seems incapable of staying out of trouble. Also, Moonface really should lock the door to his house. A bit simplistic, probably because of its age. ( )

Really, how could anyone not enjoy this trippy wartime (published in 1943) tale of escape to magical places with truly interesting residents? The Faraway Tree was introduced in [The Enchanted Wood], which I didn't know before picking this one up. I don't know if I'm missing some crucial stuff by not having read that book first, but I never felt more than the ordinary sense of needing to know what was going on that comes with reading a new-to-me book.

What happens in the course of the kids' adventures in the various faraway fairy realms was fun...I ***really*** want to visit the Land of Topsy-Turvy!...but not a patch on the fact that these childrens' mother/aunt, the Responsible Party of Record for their safety, blithely lets them go off for an entire day, no idea where they are, and when they come home and share their adventures, she doesn't reach for the phone to get a shrink STAT but indulgently laughs and allows them to do it again! (After they finish all their chores, of course. Which they do uncomplainingly. Which is how you know this is a novel.)

And then, then!, she allows one of them to SPEND THE NIGHT in parts unknown to her! Now times were different in 1943, but that one's just not on. No responsible adult has *ever* let a kid spend the night somewhere without knowing 1) where and 2) who and 3) when and how Sweetums will be going there and coming home.

So while this is a fun little fantasy of life in worlds where people are called Moon-Face and Dame Washalot and trees grow the fruits that will best suit your needs at that moment to a kid, to a grandpa it's an astoundingly different and really quite uneasy-making fantasy.

I decided to read this book because Henry Bird, of the 10th season of The Great British Bake Off, made a showstopper cake using this book as its theme. He is, or was depending on when you're reading this review, a literature student at university, and this book was one of his childhood favorites. So why not, it's only $3.99 on the Kindle, and getting out of my usual literary haunts is always a good idea.

I didn't love it, but I didn't expect to; in fact I liked it quite a bit more than I expected to and that is a wonderful thing for a reader in his seventh decade of reading. ( )

Dick thought it would be dull in the country with Jo, Bessie and Fanny. But that was before he found the magic Faraway Tree!
The four children have the most extraordinary adventures with the Saucepan Man,
Moon-Face and Silky the fairy. They only have to climb through the cloud at the top of the huge tree to be in the Land of Spells, or Land of Topsy-Turvy, or even the Land of Do-As-You-Please!

What do I really like about this story? (Well, apart from the abundance of humour and fantasy throughout this book) - When a friend needs help, they all work together as a team and find a solution - it's absolutely charming!

What fun! - These characters are marvellous. Fabulous illustrations. This book is perfect for young children who like to use their imagination.

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