Terry Prone: Childhood books were so dark — they’d make your heart sink

Enid Blyton has been criticised for racism and xenophobia but the Grimm Brothers fairytales presented a world of poverty and sadism and Aesop's fables were doses of moral reward or retribution

Enid Blyton writing in the garden of her home in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, 1949; her work has been criticised during her lifetime and after for its racism, xenophobia, and lack of literary merit. Picture: George Konig/Keystone Features/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Outdoor lunch seems such a lovely simple idea. Until they tell you they can certainly take your Friday booking.

No problem. Three weeks down the road. Even when a second restaurant accepts a booking, it’s so early it’s nearly at breakfast time.