The Real Enid Blyton is a fairly balanced and realistic biography of the iconic and prolific children's author by Nadia Cohen. Originally released in 2018, this reformat and re-release from Pen & Sword is 168 pages and will be available in paperback format in late 2022. Most other formats are currently available now.
The book is a recitation of the facts of the author's well documented life, with a fair bit of additional well reasoned detail extrapolated from the circumstances surrounding her early life, the breakdown of her parents marriage, and her own relationships and infidelities.
Ms. Cohen writes well and readably. It's not an academically rigorous book, and it isn't annotated. The author hasn't included a bibliography or references, although the facts of Blyton's life are well documented. There are a number of black and white photos included in a gallery at the back of the book of the houses in which Enid lived and worked, and some personal items including editions of her work, and a black golliwog doll which seems appallingly racist given the current social climate.
Four stars. It's a serviceable biography of a phenomenally prolific and beloved children's author. Recommended for particularly engaged fans of the author's work, as well as biography and memoir readers. It would also be a good choice for public library acquisition.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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