Blue Door Venture

My thanks to NetGalley and Steerforth Press/Pushkin Press for a review copy of this book.

This is book 4 in Pamela Brown’s Blue Door series about a group of children, now young adults, who had set up an amateur theatre in their town of Fenchester (based on her home town of Colchester), and after training at drama school have taken their little venture professional. After running the Blue Door theatre as a repertory company for a few months with encouraging but slow results, the Blue Doors happen to come across a young man named Lucky who works his way into the company as their Box Office man when old Mr Chubb falls ill. But while he is very active and does a lot of good for the business increasing their earnings, one fine day he disappears, and with him all the money that the Blue Doors had made off their Christmas pantomime. Now, they can no longer pay off their loan, nor keep the theatre open. And their nemesis Mrs Potter-Smith is losing no opportunity to raise obstacles in their way or cast aspersions. Does this mean their dream of running a repertory company is at an end? The police don’t seem to be getting anywhere in tracing Lucky so the Blue Doors decide that it is up to them to do it. While Maddy has to return to the Academy, it is decided that the three boys with pursue Lucky while the girls will get jobs and earn enough to keep the venture going.

This was once again an exciting and fun instalment in the series. While at the start we are entirely immersed in theatre life with the Blue Doors, as they deal with day-to-day problems and with the loan that hangs over their head, to run the theatre which requires constant investment which they can’t at that moment afford. Once again, the experiences and struggles that the children have in running the theatre are very real, and while they try to handle everything as best they can, and do falter from time to time, one is still a little in awe of how they manage to run a professional company at such a young age. Once Lucky strikes, the story turns into more of an adventure as the boys begin to trace him to different places. While the chase may be fun, it isn’t easy as they must manage on what little money they have going without enough food or rest for days. The connect with the theatre remains, however, through the girls’ experiences as they get different jobs and try to help the boys as best they can. This part is very exciting reading (taking one into an Enid Blyton, Famous Five-ish story) as one sees them pick up each little clue, and follow Lucky, trying to pin him down and get back their money, and of course also makes it different from the other entries in the series. This was a fast paced, quick (I finished it pretty much in a day) and fun read which I thoroughly enjoyed (as I did the earlier books in the series). I can’t wait to see what they get upto next, though it would seem the only book left in the series focuses once again on Maddy’s adventures (like Book 2).

This book was first published in 1949 and is being republished by Pushkin Press on 23 July 2019!

The Blue Door kids are back in their home town of Fenchester, and they’re setting up for real! Having read three books of their adventures, I was so proud to see them start the professional company they’ve been dreaming of! Unfortunately, it goes to pot quite quickly when they are taken in by a con-man who steals all of their money, and the rest of the book is split between the boys searching for him, and the girls going back into small repertory theatre jobs to sustain them financially. It’s of its time, and a little bit sexist, but the fact that Vicky, Lyn and Sandra are supporting the whole group is at least something (Maddy’s now old enough to be in London at the academy, so she’s still separate from the group). This book is quite different from the others in having the mystery element, but it still spends plenty of time in the theatre, and has that same nostalgic feel.

The dream is now a form of reality for the Blue Door team.They have big plans and they set them into motion. There is systematic planning and the sun is not going to shine forever. This book takes the story a step further into seriousness with an odd obstacle coming their way. They have to regroup and access their situation. Their plan may seem extreme and unnecessary but the persevere. This episode might seem to be a little long but the adventure that they face defines them in never ways. 

The kids who first started Blue Doors on a whim now have education under their belt and experience with other small companies (for a few of them) and learn about all the kinds of people that make up the real world around them. It is an interesting study of the times and how the trust between a group of people maintains balance in their lives. There is not even one iota of romance in the classic sense in these tales and I think it works well as something younger audience can read (despite the odd cigarette and pipe smoking situation).There are enough to-do steps here to deter children from jumping on to the bandwagon after reading the book if they are not completely committed. Some of them learn harder lessons than others but by the end they have a new goal and a plan in place.

I highly recommend this series to anyone who thinks the synopsis or my review is even the remotest bit interesting. 
I received ARC of the reprints thanks to NetGalley and the publishers. My review is completely based on my reading experience.

You can’t go wrong with a book that is loved by Dame Maggie Smith! It was what convinced her to start acting in the first place.

This is the fourth book in the series and it’s one with as much drama as the others. If not more! The Blue Door Theatre Company has finally been launched in Fenchester, Of course their theatre isn’t the best and they have the troublesome Mrs Potter-Smith breathing down their necks!

They thought their worries were sorted when a gentleman called Lucky arrived to help. It wasn’t especially surprising when Lucky didn’t live up to his name and suddenly disappeared one day...with all their money!

I loved that the characters continued to fight for their passion even when faced with adversity in all corners. The boys decided to see if they could find Lucky and the girls tried to take up jobs to raise the money they needed to keep their theatre open. It shows any younger reader that sometimes you have to fight for what you love!

This was definitely a lot quicker than the other three to read but was totally worth it! Such a fun read and still relatable even though it was written in 1949!

This is book #4 in the Blue Door series by Pamela Brown about a group of seven children, who are now young adults, that had set up an amateur theatre in the town of Fenchester (a place based on the author's home-town of Colchester). Following their training at drama school, the group have turned professional.
I found this a compelling and hugely entertaining story. The first half of the book concerns the stress and hardship of the Blue Door Theatre Company in their first few months as professionals. The second half is less of a theatre story in Fenchester, and becomes more of a mission to succeed in their endeavours elsewhere. Despite the temptation to give up on their dream of running a theatre company, they all persevere with their goal.
Blue Door Venture is a mesmerising tale highlighting the values of honesty, loyalty, fulfilment, goodwill and many more. A wonderful read.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Pushkin Press via NetGalley at my request, and this review is my own unbiased opinion.