| May 2, 2008 – Anonymous says: Guys, what do you suppose happens to Jack, Philip, Dinah and Lucy Ann ? My opinion is that Jack became an ornithologist (as planned) and has now made a name for himself as a photographer of birds, his photographs selling briskly. Philip became a forest ranger (because he loves to do anything with animals) and now protects the animals from hunters, at the same time studying them. Dinah, adventurous she was, became an explorer and married. She now also has children. Lucy Ann married and became a housewife. She also has children and meets with the others regularly. All of them love adventure (even Lucy Ann now is not afraid of it) and respect nature, studying to solve its mysteries. |
| May 4, 2008 – Jenny says: I think your ideas are pretty spot on with what I'd imagine for Philip and Lucy-Ann - but I'd probably tweak it slightly for the others. My cynical mind suggests that while Jack would love birds to be his only focus, he's had to develop his photography in other areas too to make a living, as birds are found as interesting now by as many as they once were. And Dinah - while she was the more outgoing of the girls I think explorer is still a bit too extreme for her. I'm struggling to think of what else she might be, but I'm sure she is very successful at whatever she chose! |
| June 7, 2008 – Victor says: I think Dinah probably went into business and was quite successful at it. Philip I pictured growing up and becoming a vet. I agree that Lucy-Ann became a housewife - I have a hard time picturing anything else for her - and probably had a whole lot of kids. Jack I'm not sure of. I always suspected that birding would remain his hobby and he'd do something else to make a living. Given his childhood, I suspect he would have wanted a wife and kids and stable family life. |
| August 13, 2008 – Natalie says: What do you think of Lucy-Ann becoming an air hostess? Too stupid? |
| June 27, 2009 – Raff says: I think Jack and Philip work together on animals. Jack in charge of birds and Philip on other animals. I think Lucy Ann is a housewife, has a boy and girl and lives on a farm. I don't know what Dinah is though. |
| December 5, 2009 – Spitfire says: How about this?: PHILIP grew into a steady, determined young man but never lost his love of adventure. He studied at university and qualified as a veterinary surgeon and worked in a practice for a few years. However, after a few years he felt unfulfilled and restless. He got a job which entailed working in Africa, studying wild animals' habits in the interests of conservation. This fired him with ambition, and finding his life-purpose, he worked hard to set up a nature reserve in Africa and eventually suceeded. He married but was unable to have children. However, he loved to see his nieces and nephews when he could. His magical gift with animals stayed with him his whole life. JACK wanted to follow his childhood ambition of ornithology, but the money from his relatives wouldn't cover his studies. However, Bill encouraged him and he and Aunt Allie paid for Jack's education at university. To help support himself, Jack took photographs and often got them published in wildlife magazines. (One such occasion took him to Kirrin Island for sea-bird photos and he struck up a life-long friendship with George Kirrin though she tried to run him off the island at first!) He eventually became an environmental scientist who specialised in bird studies. Jack fell in love when still a young man; he married and had three children. They struggled financially in the early years but became more affluent as his career progressed He eventually became a respected figure in the ornithology world. DINAH left school and worked at first in an office (which she hated), then in various other jobs before setting up her own interior design business. She proved to have a very good head for business and became quite successful. She married in her late twenties and her husband was in politics. They had three children, sent them to boarding school and Dinah exclaimed in horror at the amount of food they consumed when they came home! LUCY-ANN became a children's nurse. She married a private investigator when in her mid-twenties and they settled down in a small rural village not unlike Peterswood. They had twins and Lucy-Ann discovered in herself a flair for story-telling, so much so that she started to write and eventually became a successful children's author when in her forties. The eight cousins often saw each other in their holidays and together they went camping, caravanning, exploring old castles, etc. |
| December 6, 2009 – April June says: I never thought they would grow up. I always felt they stayed how they were, always falling mysteries and having thrilling adventures, listening to Kiki's funny speeches, spying on the villains, getting captured and escaping -- all the things they did in the Adventure books. They never grew up, they just kept having adventures (with Kiki on Jack's shoulder, of course!) -- those adventures which I wish so much I could have! |
| December 6, 2009 – Anonymous says: I also think that Philip became a vet and Jack became a leading scientist, but in the personal lives department, I think that the four people probably ended up with each other. They say in one of the books that they are happy with each other and don't want anyone else's company. I have also felt while reading the books that Philip was very fond of Lucy Ann. He always seems to look out for her. I would expect Dinah and Jack also became much closer a few years later. Having shared so much together, and knowing each other so well it would be only natural if they did. |
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Fatty says: Hmm, an idea for Julie, here, I feel! The four carry on with their adventures, but all married to each other! |
| December 8, 2009 – Alicia says: Anonymous: according to you Dinah and Jack get married and Lucy-Ann and Phillip do as well? I can't see incest in their lives for some reason. But I think Phillip became a vet and happened to meet George (who moved, rather unhappily) when she bought Timmy in for a check-up. And Dinah became a lawyer and fell in love with Phillip (FFO), a math teacher, who she met at a cafe. Lucy-Ann became a musician after discovering her love for the violin. Jack became a photographer - he did all kinds of photos but his favourite were taking pictures of birds. He fell in love with Belinda Morris (MT), a professional artist, who he met at a bookstore. |
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Fatty says: How is it incestuous? Philip and Lucy Ann, and Jack and Dinah are not related to each other.. |
| December 9, 2009 – Anonymous says: Thanks Fatty. Alicia - how is the relationship incestuous? The Trents and the Mannerings are completely unrelated - they are not even cousins. And what have you got against poor Dinah that she has to end up with that insecure wuss Pip Hilton! I prefer Julie's@Owlsdene's arrangement for Pip :-). |
| December 9, 2009 – Ilsa says: When I read Anonymous's idea of the 2 pairs of siblings marrying I wondered about the legality of it too. When a child is legally adopted into a family does that make a future marriage between adopted siblings impossible? Were Jack and Lucy-Ann legally adopted or just fostered by Bill and Allie? It's an interesting idea though! |
| December 9, 2009 – Anonymous says: As long as the siblings in question don't share a biological parent, I don't think it matters. In Mansfield Park, the girl marries her cousin though she is adopted by his family. In one Agatha Christie story (I am not sure of the title), two adopted siblings get married. In the film Clueless, the girl ends up with her adopted step-brother etc. One more thing - across the Adventure books, the two brother and sister pairs refer to each other as friends, not as siblings. |
| December 10, 2009 – Alicia says: Anonymous, I have nothing against Dinah and I see no problem with her ending up with Pip. Well, my point was somewhat similar to Ilsa's. . . Maybe it's not really incest. . . But I wonder if doing that is legal. |
| December 10, 2009 – Alicia says: But if Phillip married Lucy-Ann Jack would be his brother-in-law - and if Jack was Phillip's brother-in-law, how would he be able to marry Phillip's sister? I wonder if marrying your in-laws is legal. |
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Fatty says: Perfectly legal. They are not related by blood - the Trents have no connection with the Mannerings. |
| December 10, 2009 – Anonymous says: Alicia - I think you didn't see my reply to Ilsa when you sent your post, but I hope that reply addresses your point. Since these people are not blood relatives or biological siblings (and don't seem to consider each other their siblings), the law shouldn't come into it. Ilsa - the books are not very clear on whether the Trents were legally adopted or fostered. In one of the books Mrs. Mannering tells someone that the Trents are just friends of her children who live with them, but in another she uses the word adopted. So it is hard to tell. Since both the Trents call her Aunt Allie till the last book (and refer to Dinah and Philip as their friends) my feeling is that the Trents were never formally adopted and Mrs. M was using the word for convenience. I am enjoying this discussion with you and Alicia : -). |
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Fatty says: You might give us your name - it is difficult to have a conversation with an anonymous person! |
| December 11, 2009 – EF says: LOL! Right Fatty - this is 'anonymous' here : -) Actually I would reverted to my screen name sooner, but everyone kept addressing me as 'anonymous', so I thought it was best to keep it that way to avoid confusion : -D. |
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Fatty says: Ho! Enid Fan, eh? |
| December 11, 2009 – EF says: Smart work, Fatty ; -) EF is just a contraction I use when I am tired of typing out Enid Fan. |
| December 11, 2009 – Alicia says: I had absolutely no idea marrying your in-laws was legal actually, Fatty. But I can't picture that happening. . . It's just weird (no offence meant). I'm enjoying this conversation as well (: . At least the perverted side of me is. |
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Fatty says: We must meet up some day, Alicia! :-) |
| December 12, 2009 – Alicia says: I wish we could too Fatty. I've always wanted to know what Christmas was like in the 1940's :D |
| December 12, 2009 – EF says: Actually Alicia marrying someone from your sibling's in-laws' family happens more than you think. I know of one family where two brothers are married to two sisters. There is nothing weird about it : -). PS: Alicia - moving away from real life to fiction, in Jane Austen's Emma, the siblings, of the two leads who get married in the end, are also married to each other.... that is two brothers marry two sisters. |
| December 18, 2009 – Kylie Paris Ruby Jackson says: I prefere them to just be kids and help children get entertained, can't imagine them as grown-up, sorry!! Alicia: It would be pretty cool meeting you! And Christmas was the same as today according to my grandmother! |
| December 19, 2009 – Alicia says: Kylie, really? Why thanks (: . I don't know, I think the tree decor was different then. And I'm sure candles were used more than Christmas lights. Anyway, on the brighter side, WINTER BREAK HAS STARTED! And my exam results were unbelievably good :D (Second from top!). And I will be decorating my tree today and tempting my poor diabetic brother with candy canes and Christmas cookies. |
| October 6, 2010 – Katrina says: I can't really imagine them as grown-ups, but if they were I can see Dinah as being a manager or something like that - someone who gets to boss others around and be temperamental. |
| August 20, 2012 – Anonymous says: What happened to Jack, Philip, Dinah and Lucy-Ann? Well, after the last adventure the called a meeting and discussed that EB wasn't going to write any adventures for them so they will get into adventures themselves and won't writing it up! |
| May 30, 2014 – Sarah Drego says: I think that Jack was too big at the end of the last adventure if, in their 1st adventure he was Fourteen and if they had I adventure a year then he would be 21 at the River of Adventure. If they had 2 adventures a year then he would be 18. Jack will have to be in college or working by then. Didn't think of that, did you Anonymous? |
| June 14, 2014 – Philip Ion says: Sarah Drego, I was just thinking that. Having two adventures a year seems not unreasonable. I think at the start of the books, Jack was 14, Philip was 13, Dinah was 12 and Lucy-Ann was 11 (I don't think Philip's age is ever specifically stated as such, but he's older than Dinah and younger than Jack, so that's how old he'd be). Two stories a year would put their ages at the end as being 18, 17, 16 and 15 respectively, and I think there was a general feeling that they were sort of growing up by then, so those ages would probably be about right. |
| October 16, 2014 – Evie says: I reckon Jack became an Orthonoloist, or whatever it was. Philip probably became an animal tamer, or a dog trainer, or something- his skills would come in very useful then. Lucy Ann is a housewife, obviously. Dinah would make a good explorer if it wasn't for the fact that she is terrified of animals-but I suppose she might grow out of that. Maybe she was a politician, because she was very determined. |
| January 11, 2015 – Evie M says: And I'm not very sure about marriage. They are not related so they could marry. But I don't think Jack likes Dinah that much really and Philip and Lucy-Ann would not make a very good couple. I don't think Dinah will marry anyone because she won't want to, she's very independent. Lucy-Ann probably marries someone from another series, like Snubby as was in some fanfiction. Not sure about Philip and Jack. |
| January 11, 2015 – Evie M says: Hi it's me again! I had some ideas for who they could marry. The reason I don't think Dinah with Jack and Philip with Lucy-Ann works because they were close friends for years, so for them it might feel kind of weird being married. Also, everyone says Philip seems to care for Lucy-Ann a lot. I have been through this when we were discussing what happened to the FFO characters! Philip cares for Lucy-Ann in a big brother/little sister way, not a romantic way! The reason he 'looks out for her' is because she is a wimp who can't fight her way out of a paper bag. I do not think they have any romantic feelings for each other WHATSOEVER. Sorry if you think I'm being mean to Lucy-Ann, but that's my opinion. Anyway. Rant over. Who they DID marry: Jack probably ended up with George from the FF, like Spitfire said. Dinah. Hmm. Like I said before, I can't see her wanting to marry. Not sure about her job either. She is an interesting and unique character so it is hard to guess what she would do for a job. Maybe a firefighter, she is very brave? Philip marries Clarissa from MT because of their love for animals, although Clarissa's is mainly horses. He becomes a vet but later opens his own animal sanctuary called Mannering Animal Shelter. Lucy-Ann marries Dick from FF and has lots of kids. She is a nurse but leaves her job when she has kids. She then becomes an author because she has a good imagination. What do you think, Fatty? |
| January 11, 2015 – Tinky says: Sally Neary has some very good stories on the fanfiction page about Dinah - she falls in love with Barney at an early age but he marries Diana (from his series) so she hides her love and marries no-one else. |
| January 11, 2015 – Evie M says: Poor Dinah! I will have to read that story. But Dinah is very tough I'm sure she will cope. She isn't the sort of girl who gets upset because of soppy romance. |
| January 11, 2015 – Tinky says: Yes, if you read all the stories in that section, you will find that Lucy Ann marries Snubby. They're very well written actually. And I'm looking forward to your next one coming out too :) |
| January 12, 2015 – Evie M says: I want to write an Adventure story Tinky, I have had one or two good ideas :) |
| February 21, 2015 – Evie M says: In response to Anonymous- please explain to me how Pip Hilton is an 'insecure wuss'? |
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Fatty says: As that was written over 5 years ago, I think you have left it a bit late to query it! |
| February 22, 2015 – Evie M says: I know, but I can't just sit there while my favourite character has been insulted and not say anything. |
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Fatty says: I'm sure you more than make up for any criticism levelled at Pip, Evie! |
| February 23, 2015 – Evie M says: What exactly do you mean by that, Fatty? :) :) |
| January 28, 2018 – Nina says: I thought I might bring this discussion back to life since I have my own particular ideas of what became of the four adventurers. (I wrote fanfic about it, so my ideas are rather detailed, at least in regards to their early adulthood. ) Let‘s start with Jack: I do agree with those who said he became a photographer - I think he did make a living by publishing his (mostly birds) pictures, and maybe after a while he began writing for nature magazines as well. He traveled a lot too! I don't see him becoming a scientist, though, for I always imagined him being rather bad at school (EB mentions it at her introduction of his character, saying, "he is clever but he just doesn't bother" through Lucy-Ann. ) Actually in my book he dropped out of school after coming of age (during his last year) because a journalist offered him to participate in a project for a magazine (he got more than an earful for this from Aunt Allie and they had a long argument going after that!) As for Philip: I do agree that with those who think he became a vet. After university he moved back to the town where his mother lived with Bill and became the assistant of a local vet who ran veterinary clinic. Later when his boss became too old Philip bought the clinic from him. He could have taken a more fancy job (such as moving to the wilderness or work in a famous zoo) but I thought he was always very considerate towards and also worried about his mother so he chose to stay close to her (despite her having Bill now). As for Dinah: I think she was ahead of her time regarding women's ambitions; she became a medical doctor. She also chose to live in her home town and be close to her family and she worked in a local hospital. As for Lucy-Ann: I don't think she was as ambitious as Dinah was but she worked too, as a nanny for very small children, maybe in a kindergarten (if this kind of thing existed in her times) or in the household of a wealthy family with several kids! As for their love lives: I agree with those who think that they would have ended up with each other, although it took them a few years to realise that it was what they wanted. I think that Jack had very few dates (if any at all) during his early twenties, since he was busy with traveling. But on his trips I‘m sure he had some short-lived romantic adventure or other! He always harbored a lot of secret admiration for Dinah but never acted on it, thinking it unfair because he was spending so much time out of the country. They did end up with each other later though, but their way to love was a bumpy one. Dinah, I imagine, was a bit lonely before that because she wasn't the kind of woman the men chased after - too fierce, too prickly, too self-confident. She and Jack never married or had kids and they carried on through life being together on and off. Meanwhile Philip and Lucy-Ann had a, let's say, more regular relationship although they didn't get together until their mid-twenties either. Lucy-Ann was a lot more popular with men than Dinah, being smaller, more timid and affectionate. She was on many dates but never warmed up to any of the men taking her out. Philip had a few short-lived relationships with young women too, most of whom had no ambitions of their own other than getting married. After the two of them realised their love for each other, they remained almost inseparable for the rest of their lives. They married when they found out that Lucy-Ann was pregnant about a year after they got together (before the child was born!), and I think they had two or three kids and next to being a wonderful mother Lucy-Ann helped Philip run his vet clinic when their children were older. |
| February 16, 2024 – Florence says: I know it's been years and years since this has been last spoken on but here goes: I feel like Jack would be a photographer for magazines and newspapers. I actually disagree with those saying Phillip would be a vet because, although he loves animals, I just can't picture him working in an office with dogs and cats coming in. No, I think he would work in the wilderness, perhaps a naturalist. I think Dinah couldn't be a housewife, but she would be a journalist for crime stories, because she got inspiration from Bill. I agree with everyone saying Lucy-Ann would be a housewife, because she wasn't the most adventurous of the 4. Marriage-wise, I think they would all marry. Jack would definitely marry a woman who loves birds aswell and given his childhood and he would want to have a very stable and happy family. (Thanks Victor from 2008 for that idea). He would probably have 2 kids. As for Phillip, he also married an adventurous woman who soon got used to all the pets he was constantly bringing home. He would have 2 kids aswell (who also found that they had a knack for animals too). Dinah would have had a lot of boyfriends but not found the right one, but finally found her true love in her late twenties. They would have 2 kids too. Lucy-Ann married young and had 6 children. All of them lived close in the country and Lucy-Ann and Jack were next door neighbours. The kids went on to have adventures together like their parents. |
Enid Blyton
The Official
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Keith Robinson