Famous Five Art Nostalgia #12 – Part 3
Introductory post
Part 1
Part 2
Five Go Down to the Sea – Le Club des Cinq au bord de la mer
Original publication date: 1953 (UK), 1959 (France)
(Cover art by Jean Sidobre, 1984)
Plot summary (adapted from Wikipedia):
Siblings Julian, Dick and Anne, and their cousin Georgina 'George' and her dog, Timmy, spend a holiday at a coastal farm in Cornwall. There, they are nicely welcomed and hosted by the garrulous Mrs Penruthlan and her enormous husband, whose monosyllabic utterances they find incomprehensible and quite funny. The children encounter a young boy named Yan (Jan), as well as a group of travelling entertainers called the Barnies.
(Poor Dick has tyre problems again 🙁)
(An exciting train ride to Polwilly [Kermaneur]...)
(… followed by a lovely bike ride to Tremannon village [Trémanoir])
(Mrs Penruthlan does know how to make the Five feel welcome! 🍞🧈🥗🍗🥧🍮)
(A refreshing swim at the cove)
The children learn that long ago, villainous locals would shine a light on stormy nights to direct ships onto rocks to wreck them, and the vessels would be smashed and their cargoes washed ashore and stolen.
(Yan’s grandfather tells the Five stories about the Wreckers from his youth)
Julian and Dick discover a light is again being shone at night, so the children set out to solve the mystery.
(Dick and Julian find Mr Penruthlan quite suspicious)
The Five put their investigations on hold when the Barnies arrive at the farm, as they spend the day helping the Penruthlans clean up the barn and prepare the feast preceding the show.
(Yan approaches the Five who have been picking redcurrants for Mrs Penruthlan)
After the show, Dick and Julian get into a bit of mischief when they nab a horse costume and get stuck inside due to a malfunctioning zip.
(Clopper, the highlight of any Barnie show)
(Dick and Julian have a little mishap when they get stuck inside the horse costume…)
Resuming their investigations, the Five visit the tower from which the light was shone, but they get locked up in a cellar and told by the smugglers that they had come at an 'awkward time.'
(A striking view from the top of the tower)
Yan, who had secretly followed the Five, helps them escape through the Secret Way, a path used by the Wreckers of old.
(On their way along the cliff, the Five and Yan see someone rowing a boat, obviously involved in the smuggling business... Is it Mr Penruthlan??)
They go back to Mrs Penruthlan, in the misbelief that Mr Penruthlan is in league with the smugglers. When the Five and Yan discover that Mr Penruthlan is actually with the police and find out that his consistent "aahs", "ooohs" and "ocks" are because he didn't have his false teeth in, the Five quickly warm up to him.
(Mrs Penruthlan will not believe such preposterous tales impugning her husband’s character 😤)
After joining forces with Mr Penruthlan, the Five discover that the 'Guv'nor' of the Barnies actually is the exchanger of the goods the smugglers stole from the wrecked ships. Mr Penruthlan discovers a white package containing smuggled drugs inside Clopper, and in the end, after calling the police, Mr Penruthlan guffaws and hands Clopper over to Julian and Dick, and wishes them luck with it.
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Thanks for reading!
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