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The Land of Far Beyond: A re-telling of 'The Pilgrim's Progress'
Based on John Bunyan's famous Christian fable, The Pilgrim's Progress, this is the story of three children who break free from their home in the city of Turmoil, full of strife, hatred and ignorance, to journey towards a new life in the beautiful Land of Far Beyond.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1942
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799 people want to read
About the author
Enid Blyton
5,134 books6,318 followersSee also:
Ένιντ Μπλάιτον (Greek)
Enida Blaitona (Latvian)
Энид Блайтон (Russian)
Inid Blajton (Serbian)
Інід Блайтон (Ukrainian)
Enid Mary Blyton (1897–1968) was an English author of children's books.
Born in South London, Blyton was the eldest of three children, and showed an early interest in music and reading. She was educated at St. Christopher's School, Beckenham, and - having decided not to pursue her music - at Ipswich High School, where she trained as a kindergarten teacher. She taught for five years before her 1924 marriage to editor Hugh Pollock, with whom she had two daughters. This marriage ended in divorce, and Blyton remarried in 1943, to surgeon Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters. She died in 1968, one year after her second husband.
Blyton was a prolific author of children's books, who penned an estimated 800 books over about 40 years. Her stories were often either children's adventure and mystery stories, or fantasies involving magic. Notable series include: The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, The Five Find-Outers, Noddy, The Wishing Chair, Mallory Towers, and St. Clare's.
According to the Index Translationum, Blyton was the fifth most popular author in the world in 2007, coming after Lenin but ahead of Shakespeare.
See also her pen name Mary Pollock
Ένιντ Μπλάιτον (Greek)
Enida Blaitona (Latvian)
Энид Блайтон (Russian)
Inid Blajton (Serbian)
Інід Блайтон (Ukrainian)
Enid Mary Blyton (1897–1968) was an English author of children's books.
Born in South London, Blyton was the eldest of three children, and showed an early interest in music and reading. She was educated at St. Christopher's School, Beckenham, and - having decided not to pursue her music - at Ipswich High School, where she trained as a kindergarten teacher. She taught for five years before her 1924 marriage to editor Hugh Pollock, with whom she had two daughters. This marriage ended in divorce, and Blyton remarried in 1943, to surgeon Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters. She died in 1968, one year after her second husband.
Blyton was a prolific author of children's books, who penned an estimated 800 books over about 40 years. Her stories were often either children's adventure and mystery stories, or fantasies involving magic. Notable series include: The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, The Five Find-Outers, Noddy, The Wishing Chair, Mallory Towers, and St. Clare's.
According to the Index Translationum, Blyton was the fifth most popular author in the world in 2007, coming after Lenin but ahead of Shakespeare.
See also her pen name Mary Pollock
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
September 8, 2021
A classic retelling of John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, thought I never realised that at the time!
Peter and his two sisters Anna and Patience must travel from the City of Turmoil to the City of Happiness in the Land of Far-Beyond, whilst having to carry heavy burdens of their bad deeds on their backs.
This childhood book has really stuck with me, I remember liking the adversities that the group encounters on their journey.
But the most striking aspect as I constantly re-read it was the cover illustration on my hardback copy, the picture of the heavy burdens completely fascinated me.
Peter and his two sisters Anna and Patience must travel from the City of Turmoil to the City of Happiness in the Land of Far-Beyond, whilst having to carry heavy burdens of their bad deeds on their backs.
This childhood book has really stuck with me, I remember liking the adversities that the group encounters on their journey.
But the most striking aspect as I constantly re-read it was the cover illustration on my hardback copy, the picture of the heavy burdens completely fascinated me.
June 26, 2022
The Land of Far Beyond by Enid Blyton is my ultimate favourite childhood novel. I think I read this book more than 50 times as a young girl, and then a teenager, and every time it made me happy and transported me to another world. I think this was my go-to book when I needed an escape everyday life. The story was read to me and a group of young PGA girls (Presbyterian Girls' Association) by one of our leaders at each of our fortnightly Friday night meetings; a chapter each meeting night and I loved it. On a holiday with my family to the Gold Coast in the 1970s, I saw the book on a stand in a shopping centre, and I purchased it with the holiday spending money I had saved the previous 12 months and it is still one of my most treasured possessions. The edition that I have has beautiful drawings in it which look like pictures from King Arthur's world, very mythical and beautiful detail. A very special story about children and the life-changing adventures they experience on their way to a new world, their lessons learned still have an effect on me as an adult. I love books that can do that. They simply never die.
February 1, 2020
The Land of Far Beyond is loosely based on The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan and is also an allegory or a story that has a moral meaning.
The story features three children, Peter, Anna and Patience, who live in the City of Turmoil, and have grown up in a world of selfishly dissatisfied adults and undisciplined and unruly children who lack any moral or ethical guidance.
A kind and beautiful stranger visits the city and comes across a group of children, including Peter, Anna and Patience, who are abusing a homeless dog. The dog escapes the children and the stranger, whose name is Wanderer, asks the the three children where he can find some water to help clean the dog’s wound.
They show Wanderer to the river and he starts talking to them and saying what a terrible place the City of Turmoil is to live. He shows great pity for the children who must grow up here with no love and kindness shown to them. He tells them that they all carry terrible burdens because of all their unkindness and sins. The children don’t believe him until he makes visible and huge burdens appear on their backs.
Once these burdens have appeared, the stranger tells the children they must carry them forever unless they travel to the Land of Far Beyond where they can have them removed at the City of Happiness. He warns them that the journey is arduous and long. During this conversation, two other children and five disbelieving adults gather around and their sins also become visible burdens as a result of their torment of, and disbelief, of the stranger’s story.
The following day, the three children, together with their two friends, Lily and John, and the five afflicted adults — Mr Scornful, Mr Fearful, Dick Cowardly, Gracie Grumble and Sarah Simple, set off to find the Land of Far Beyond in an attempt to get their heavy burdens removed.
The stranger has warned them to keep to the narrow path but they are beset by troubles and temptations on the way, causing them to stray from the path and into danger. Although Peter and his sisters finally make it to the City of Happiness, their companions do not.
Mr Scornful is the main adult character in the book and becomes the leader of the group and the mainstay for the children, particularly as the other adults all give up their journey’s, one by one. He was a rich and powerful man in the City and Turmoil and, although he mellows and becomes kinder and understanding but not enough for him to gain access to the City of Happiness when they eventually arrive. He is told that he can make the journey to another gate on the other side of the city and that he would be ready for entry by the time he had faced the additional hardships of this new journey. He swallows his pride and agrees to go around to the other gate.
The story features all sorts of fascinating mythological creatures and people, many of whose names indicate their characteristics in the story. The travelers visit the castle of the Giant Cruelty where he keeps Misery, Poverty and Pain as prisoners and makes them dance for him. They are helped to escape by two women, Mercy and Pity, and are chased by the giant’s pageboy, Fright. The travelers also visit the City of Vanity which is immeasurably difficult to escape from.
The Land of Far Beyond contains a message that is still valid in our modern world of greed, selfishness and vanity and is an excellent book for middle school children to read.
The story features three children, Peter, Anna and Patience, who live in the City of Turmoil, and have grown up in a world of selfishly dissatisfied adults and undisciplined and unruly children who lack any moral or ethical guidance.
A kind and beautiful stranger visits the city and comes across a group of children, including Peter, Anna and Patience, who are abusing a homeless dog. The dog escapes the children and the stranger, whose name is Wanderer, asks the the three children where he can find some water to help clean the dog’s wound.
They show Wanderer to the river and he starts talking to them and saying what a terrible place the City of Turmoil is to live. He shows great pity for the children who must grow up here with no love and kindness shown to them. He tells them that they all carry terrible burdens because of all their unkindness and sins. The children don’t believe him until he makes visible and huge burdens appear on their backs.
Once these burdens have appeared, the stranger tells the children they must carry them forever unless they travel to the Land of Far Beyond where they can have them removed at the City of Happiness. He warns them that the journey is arduous and long. During this conversation, two other children and five disbelieving adults gather around and their sins also become visible burdens as a result of their torment of, and disbelief, of the stranger’s story.
The following day, the three children, together with their two friends, Lily and John, and the five afflicted adults — Mr Scornful, Mr Fearful, Dick Cowardly, Gracie Grumble and Sarah Simple, set off to find the Land of Far Beyond in an attempt to get their heavy burdens removed.
The stranger has warned them to keep to the narrow path but they are beset by troubles and temptations on the way, causing them to stray from the path and into danger. Although Peter and his sisters finally make it to the City of Happiness, their companions do not.
Mr Scornful is the main adult character in the book and becomes the leader of the group and the mainstay for the children, particularly as the other adults all give up their journey’s, one by one. He was a rich and powerful man in the City and Turmoil and, although he mellows and becomes kinder and understanding but not enough for him to gain access to the City of Happiness when they eventually arrive. He is told that he can make the journey to another gate on the other side of the city and that he would be ready for entry by the time he had faced the additional hardships of this new journey. He swallows his pride and agrees to go around to the other gate.
The story features all sorts of fascinating mythological creatures and people, many of whose names indicate their characteristics in the story. The travelers visit the castle of the Giant Cruelty where he keeps Misery, Poverty and Pain as prisoners and makes them dance for him. They are helped to escape by two women, Mercy and Pity, and are chased by the giant’s pageboy, Fright. The travelers also visit the City of Vanity which is immeasurably difficult to escape from.
The Land of Far Beyond contains a message that is still valid in our modern world of greed, selfishness and vanity and is an excellent book for middle school children to read.
May 11, 2014
'The Land of Far-Beyond' (1942) has received very little recognition, despite being an unusual, challenging and well-written book. This is perhaps due to the fact that it was written by Enid Blyton, whose writing has been misunderstood and undervalued by critics. It is based on John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress (1678). The Land of Far-Beyond is an allegory and the journey within it is both spiritual and physical — a journey from sin to salvation.
In Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, Christian travels from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City, carrying with him for part of the way the burden of his sins. He meets various characters, some of whom accompany him for a while. Despite his determination to follow the narrow path he encounters many obstacles and is sometimes led astray, though he finally reaches the Celestial City. The Land of Far-Beyond has a similar framework. A boy named Peter and his two sisters, Anna and Patience, travel from the City of Turmoil to the City of Happiness in the Land of Far-Beyond, carrying the heavy burdens of their bad deeds on their backs. With them are two other children, Lily and John, and five adults — Mr Scornful, Mr Fearful, Dick Cowardly, Gracie Grumble and Sarah Simple. They have been warned to keep to the narrow path but they are beset by troubles and temptations on the way, causing them to stray from the path and into danger. Peter and his sisters finally make it to the City of Happiness but their companions do not. The opening sentence of The Land of Far-Beyond is written in the style of a fairy tale or legend: "Once upon a time, in the great City of Turmoil, there lived three children," yet in the next paragraph the setting seems modern: "The City of Turmoil was a great, noisy, dirty place, full of streets, houses, shops and market-places." This interweaving of traditional and modern elements continues throughout the book. The Pilgrim's Progress is concerned with Christian theology and characters debate issues such as the necessity of both good works and profession of faith in order to please God. Bunyan refers constantly to passages from the Bible and Blyton does too, although not so frequently. Before they are permitted to enter the Land of Far-Beyond, Peter and the others have to decide which is the greatest of Faith, Hope and Love, reminding us of Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 13: 13. Yet Blyton's book, unlike Bunyan's, is really concerned with general truths and morals, rather than specifically Christian ones. Peter and his sisters meet a Guide, who informs them that "It is always hard to win anything that is really worth while." He also says: "...do not be afraid of any dangers or difficulties you come to. Face them and they will grow small — run away and they will come after you!" These were philosophies in which Blyton firmly believed and they recur throughout her novels and short stories. This is a challenging and exciting read, children will enjoy it as an adventure story but also as a way of understanding allegory. Recommended for readers aged fro 7 upwards.
In Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, Christian travels from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City, carrying with him for part of the way the burden of his sins. He meets various characters, some of whom accompany him for a while. Despite his determination to follow the narrow path he encounters many obstacles and is sometimes led astray, though he finally reaches the Celestial City. The Land of Far-Beyond has a similar framework. A boy named Peter and his two sisters, Anna and Patience, travel from the City of Turmoil to the City of Happiness in the Land of Far-Beyond, carrying the heavy burdens of their bad deeds on their backs. With them are two other children, Lily and John, and five adults — Mr Scornful, Mr Fearful, Dick Cowardly, Gracie Grumble and Sarah Simple. They have been warned to keep to the narrow path but they are beset by troubles and temptations on the way, causing them to stray from the path and into danger. Peter and his sisters finally make it to the City of Happiness but their companions do not. The opening sentence of The Land of Far-Beyond is written in the style of a fairy tale or legend: "Once upon a time, in the great City of Turmoil, there lived three children," yet in the next paragraph the setting seems modern: "The City of Turmoil was a great, noisy, dirty place, full of streets, houses, shops and market-places." This interweaving of traditional and modern elements continues throughout the book. The Pilgrim's Progress is concerned with Christian theology and characters debate issues such as the necessity of both good works and profession of faith in order to please God. Bunyan refers constantly to passages from the Bible and Blyton does too, although not so frequently. Before they are permitted to enter the Land of Far-Beyond, Peter and the others have to decide which is the greatest of Faith, Hope and Love, reminding us of Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 13: 13. Yet Blyton's book, unlike Bunyan's, is really concerned with general truths and morals, rather than specifically Christian ones. Peter and his sisters meet a Guide, who informs them that "It is always hard to win anything that is really worth while." He also says: "...do not be afraid of any dangers or difficulties you come to. Face them and they will grow small — run away and they will come after you!" These were philosophies in which Blyton firmly believed and they recur throughout her novels and short stories. This is a challenging and exciting read, children will enjoy it as an adventure story but also as a way of understanding allegory. Recommended for readers aged fro 7 upwards.
May 30, 2018
I loved reading Enid Blyton's books as a child and so I thought I would take a walk down memory lane and have a read of this one. Enid Blyton wrote this because she felt John Bunyan's 'The Pilgrim's Progress' might be too hard for children of her day to follow. She says in her own introduction to the book that, "Now, in this book, I have written for you a kind of new Pilgrim's Progress, in my own words, and with my own quite different ideas. It cannot really be compared with the old Pilgrim's Progress, but I thought you might like to know that it was this grand old book that gave me the idea of writing a completely new one for you".
I felt that the allegorical elements were really well done and probably would have gone over my head as a child like it did when I first reads the Chronicles of Narnia. The book is not obviously religious until the end - in fact it concerns itself more with general morals and truths rather than the specifically Christian values.
I really liked the black and white illustrations by Horace Knowles in my edition. They really made the story come alive for me, especially ones like "the stranger and the injured dog". Unfortunately there were a few typos in my edition - on page 9 it said calling out rude 'named' to the man instead of names and on page 15 it said they cried 'our' in pain instead of out. Also, on page 26 it says whatever has 'happend' instead of happened and there was some missing punctuation on page 114.
However, with this being said I certainly felt this was a hidden gem and was quite sad to learn that it is now out of print. I would thoroughly recommend it.
I felt that the allegorical elements were really well done and probably would have gone over my head as a child like it did when I first reads the Chronicles of Narnia. The book is not obviously religious until the end - in fact it concerns itself more with general morals and truths rather than the specifically Christian values.
I really liked the black and white illustrations by Horace Knowles in my edition. They really made the story come alive for me, especially ones like "the stranger and the injured dog". Unfortunately there were a few typos in my edition - on page 9 it said calling out rude 'named' to the man instead of names and on page 15 it said they cried 'our' in pain instead of out. Also, on page 26 it says whatever has 'happend' instead of happened and there was some missing punctuation on page 114.
However, with this being said I certainly felt this was a hidden gem and was quite sad to learn that it is now out of print. I would thoroughly recommend it.
May 7, 2017
Peter, Anna, and Patience are three siblings who live in the City of Turmoil. They are dirty, undisciplined and cruel, as are their friends and many of the grown-ups. One day they meet a man called Wanderer who tells them they carry big burdens in their hearts, and on their exhortation, makes these burdens appear on their shoulders, as well as on several others. Now the only option left for these people is to go to the City of Happiness in the The Land of Far-Beyond to get rid of their burdens. Ten people set out on this journey, and this book is about the adventures they have on their way.
This book is supposed to be a Christian allegory, something that totally went above my head when I read it first as a child. I wondered whether the religious element would put me off this book and so, reread it. It stands the test of time pretty well. This book is pure fun! You want to know what will happen next and what terrible obstacles the travellers will encounter. It is very well-written, and enjoyable to read. The religious element is quite toned down as well.
Blyton often goes for moralistic preaching in some of her standalone books, some of which I really find outdated and misogynist. But this book was brilliant. I actually identified with the views in this book - things like 'sleep is good for you' and 'you must not be cruel to animals'.
I might go as far as to say this is perhaps one of Blyton's best books, simply because everything does not come right for everyone in the end.
This book is supposed to be a Christian allegory, something that totally went above my head when I read it first as a child. I wondered whether the religious element would put me off this book and so, reread it. It stands the test of time pretty well. This book is pure fun! You want to know what will happen next and what terrible obstacles the travellers will encounter. It is very well-written, and enjoyable to read. The religious element is quite toned down as well.
Blyton often goes for moralistic preaching in some of her standalone books, some of which I really find outdated and misogynist. But this book was brilliant. I actually identified with the views in this book - things like 'sleep is good for you' and 'you must not be cruel to animals'.
I might go as far as to say this is perhaps one of Blyton's best books, simply because everything does not come right for everyone in the end.
March 1, 2020
Lovely book based on the classic the Pilgrims progress. It’s a story well told and keeps you going from start to end. It delivers some memorably pithy sayings from personalities that the company meets along their sojourn, one of the most memorable comes from Mr. Kindly to Mr. Scornful “ better to have simple fare in a kindly house, than seek for better things in a place where there is no welcome”.
I also loved the consistency of the allegory to what I know of the Christian world view. Particularly the fact that almost all the people they meet have a pair except for one, the guide. There is only one guide needed to point the way, which reminds me of the exclusive call of the gospel.
Very good read.
I also loved the consistency of the allegory to what I know of the Christian world view. Particularly the fact that almost all the people they meet have a pair except for one, the guide. There is only one guide needed to point the way, which reminds me of the exclusive call of the gospel.
Very good read.
December 27, 2017
A very overtly religious story (obviously as based on The Pilgrim's Progress) and heavy-handed at times but still a great piece of British fantasy.
May 3, 2019
Enid, I love your work! It is the best! Make more books like these! (Who knows how this works???🙏)
October 19, 2016
This book is about three children and a few grownups who travelled to the land of far beyond to get their burdens off their backs. I like this book and I think it's more suitable for children than the original version, which is full of old english and more difficult to understand. Jessica, age 9
September 15, 2007
A child's journey of learning life lessons, this book, written many years ago, is full of moral lessons. Good for grown ups too--as a refresher course....
Read
January 20, 2008Found it very inspirational..... The right path may be tough but that the only way to live ... Gives beautifull leassons about right morals
January 23, 2013
It was one of the most amazing books i have ever read when i was a kid :)
Read
January 1, 2015I read this book so many times to my two daughters when they were little girls. Think I'll begin reading it to my granddaughter.
February 29, 2016
the illustrations of the burdons the children are given, with the hands instead of straps, used to freak me out a bit and could be why this story has always stayed with me.
November 21, 2018
I can’t wait to meet Enid Blyton in heaven!!!!
March 2, 2019
This book set me on a path of discerning between good and bad. As a teenager, it taught me things that weren't in the school syllabus which were just as important in life.
August 27, 2025
In this review, I briefly address two books inspired by The Pilgrim's Progress but with their own plots.
(I am not a fan of The Pilgrim's Progress, as I spelled out here. Fortunately, though, I also read three retellings of it, which adapt Bunyan's Christian story (Part 1, anyway) and mostly succeed in overcoming the problems that I think that plague the original book. My review of those three is here.)
Anyway, these are the two books I read which are not adapted from but rather inspired by The Pilgrim's Progress:
(1) The Pilgrim's Regress: An Allegorical Apology for Christianity, Reason & Romanticism, a novel by C. S. Lewis (1933). He wrote this not long after his reluctant return to Christianity, which was sparked by a conversation with his friends Hugo Dyson and Ronald Tolkien. (BTW, I recommend the graphic work that was published earlier this year, entitled The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien, by John Hendrix.)
In this dream, a man named John searches for an Island of which he once had a vision. How does the desire for the transcendent relate to religion?
This question is explored through John's interactions with allegorical figures such as the evil giant called the Spirit of the Age, the female knight called Reason, the pompous Mr. Sensible, and the odd Mother Kirk (representing Christianity).
TBH, I could have done without all the clunky poetry (which was yet another thing I disliked about the original Pilgrim's Progress, and which the other retellings chose not to emulate).
And a lot of the dialogue went over my head, not to mention a bunch of untranslated Latin phrases. (Sorry, Jack, not everyone knows Latin!) Footnotes would have been helpful. After I finished the book, I found a webpage that provides them, and I'd recommend them for Lewis fans who want to tackle this book.
(2) The Land of Far-Beyond: A Re-telling of The Pilgrim's Progress, a children's novel by Enid Blyton (1942). [That's the book you clicked on which brought you to this review.] Yes, it's the legendary British author whose 762 (!!!) children's books have been translated into ninety languages and have sold more than 600 million copies.
This book incorporates many elements of Bunyan's original, but the details are different. Sibs Peter, Anna, and Patience make a dangerous trip from the City of Turmoil to the City of Happiness in order to remove the burdens of their bad character traits. Two other children and five adults travel with them, but each one fails at some point (a bit like Wonka's chocolate factory tour).
Of the six books I read that relate to The Pilgrim's Progress, this was the most enjoyable to read. Perhaps coincidentally, it's the one that focuses the most on character and the least on religion. I thought I was going to be able to recommend it for Jewish kids, until I got close to the end. Spoiler alert! There's a deus ex machina, and his name is Jesus. Oh well! I still found it fun to read, and perhaps it would be great for Christian children.
(I am not a fan of The Pilgrim's Progress, as I spelled out here. Fortunately, though, I also read three retellings of it, which adapt Bunyan's Christian story (Part 1, anyway) and mostly succeed in overcoming the problems that I think that plague the original book. My review of those three is here.)
Anyway, these are the two books I read which are not adapted from but rather inspired by The Pilgrim's Progress:
(1) The Pilgrim's Regress: An Allegorical Apology for Christianity, Reason & Romanticism, a novel by C. S. Lewis (1933). He wrote this not long after his reluctant return to Christianity, which was sparked by a conversation with his friends Hugo Dyson and Ronald Tolkien. (BTW, I recommend the graphic work that was published earlier this year, entitled The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien, by John Hendrix.)
In this dream, a man named John searches for an Island of which he once had a vision. How does the desire for the transcendent relate to religion?
This question is explored through John's interactions with allegorical figures such as the evil giant called the Spirit of the Age, the female knight called Reason, the pompous Mr. Sensible, and the odd Mother Kirk (representing Christianity).
TBH, I could have done without all the clunky poetry (which was yet another thing I disliked about the original Pilgrim's Progress, and which the other retellings chose not to emulate).
And a lot of the dialogue went over my head, not to mention a bunch of untranslated Latin phrases. (Sorry, Jack, not everyone knows Latin!) Footnotes would have been helpful. After I finished the book, I found a webpage that provides them, and I'd recommend them for Lewis fans who want to tackle this book.
(2) The Land of Far-Beyond: A Re-telling of The Pilgrim's Progress, a children's novel by Enid Blyton (1942). [That's the book you clicked on which brought you to this review.] Yes, it's the legendary British author whose 762 (!!!) children's books have been translated into ninety languages and have sold more than 600 million copies.
This book incorporates many elements of Bunyan's original, but the details are different. Sibs Peter, Anna, and Patience make a dangerous trip from the City of Turmoil to the City of Happiness in order to remove the burdens of their bad character traits. Two other children and five adults travel with them, but each one fails at some point (a bit like Wonka's chocolate factory tour).
Of the six books I read that relate to The Pilgrim's Progress, this was the most enjoyable to read. Perhaps coincidentally, it's the one that focuses the most on character and the least on religion. I thought I was going to be able to recommend it for Jewish kids, until I got close to the end. Spoiler alert! There's a deus ex machina, and his name is Jesus. Oh well! I still found it fun to read, and perhaps it would be great for Christian children.
September 17, 2020
Since I love Pilgrim's Progress so much, it was inevitable that I would find this book to be a disappointment. It started out okay and I know not every element of the allegory is meant to be symbolic, but the missing piece for me was the lack of anything representing the Cross, and the sacrificial death of Christ. Unlike Christian in Bunyan's story, these travelers carry their burdens all the way to heaven's gates. Unable to remove them for themselves, they are finally taken off by Jesus, who cheerfully takes their burdens of sin upon himself this allowing them to enter the City of Happiness. This only conveys part of the Gospel message, leaving out the important aspect that Christ was punished for those burdens that were not his own. Again, unlike Bunyan, the biblical truths from scripture just don't come through as clearly, but seems to focus more on moralistic lessons, contrasting good character traits against bad. There's even an implication at the end that one character, when turned away at the city gate, may have success by taking another path around the other side. I suppose it's a story worth reading with children, as long as you're not expecting it to live up to Pilgrim's Progress.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 22, 2020
The Land of Far Beyond has a lot of good discussion topics for parents and their children, especially related to the road of sanctification with the difficulties of staying on the path of righteousness and the temptations of sin that so “easily beset us” pulling us off the road. I think the characters in this book give really good word pictures of what sin looks like by putting “clothes” on it, sort to speak, so that you can see its reality and consequences. I was glad to see some essence of repentance in the story, as well as substitutionary atonement for sin. There are some parts I’m not sure where the story was going, and other points might be outright wrong, but all in all, I think it was a good book with a lot of opportunities for great discussions. This book is very similar to Pilgrim's Progress, but better suited for younger children to listen to and understand.
December 1, 2018
This rating is based on what I remember thinking of it when I read it as a child. I was nine or ten at the time, and my mother bought it for me when I went into hospital for a routine operation. I read it while I was waiting to go into theatre, and finished it after I got home, while I was off school. I have fond memories of the book. I think at the time, as a young reader, I appreciated the story and the messages it gave. It tied in with my religious upbringing, as I was a regular church-goer. Overall, a good moral tale for youngsters, though I'm not sure I would think the same of it now. I may read it again, as I have a different edition of it now, having lost my old 1992 edition over the years (and am so disappointed that the only copies you can find are astronomical prices).
June 5, 2020
I had read this book many years ago, but recently it found its way back into my mind. It began with a tugging, as if there was something I was forgetting. Soon, I began to recall scenes from the book. Very specific ones, as if they had happened right in front of me and my memory was surprised I didn't know it. Over the course of a month, I had finally recovered enough of it to be able to suddenly recall the name of the book right before dropping of to sleep one night. I plan to re-read it again and am so happy with the reviews!!
April 2, 2020
I read aloud to my children this retelling of the classic Pilgrims‘a Progress. They enjoyed journeying with Peter and his sisters, Anna and Patience, from the City of Turmoil to The City of Happiness in the Land of Far Beyond.
I wish I had written down all the people whom the children met along the way and the places and things they encountered along the way.
My children asked for chapter after chapter to be read to them. I will definitely be reading this book again to them.
I wish I had written down all the people whom the children met along the way and the places and things they encountered along the way.
My children asked for chapter after chapter to be read to them. I will definitely be reading this book again to them.
February 7, 2020
One of my childhood favourites. Also one of the best rewrites for children of an adult story. Simplified language and more visual descriptions makes it easier for a child to relate - particularly the wearing of our “burden of sins” like a permanent backpack. I particularly loved the cottage of peace. It is something that has stayed with me my whole life.
December 16, 2023
My mum loves this book and often references it. She particularly refers to the dragons of fatigue, against which I often struggle only to find, as she always says will be so, that they are not so scary in the light of day.
Truly a wonderful book with much wisdom, and one which is very precious to me for a variety of reasons.
Truly a wonderful book with much wisdom, and one which is very precious to me for a variety of reasons.
April 22, 2020
I read this book when I was young, like 8 or 9 years old. I loved it and would periodically re-read it all throughout my teens and twenties even. I still have it and I want my kids to read it! Best Enid Blyton book ever.
December 15, 2020
I remember reading this back in third grade. This was the first 'novel' I had ever read. I have only good memories of reading this book. Though this b0ok carries a certain depth I was unable to perceive back then. Strongly recommend this book!
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January 7, 2025My favorite book of all time. A retelling of pilgrim's progress for young readers, I loved how relatable the characters were and how the story was crafted. Have read many times over as an adult and bought for the kids in my life.
November 20, 2025
I read this book as a child and have never forgotten it. I used Grok to help me find the title, and was amazed to learn it's based on an adult work and Enid Blyton wrote a children's version. Love it.
January 11, 2023
An excellent retelling of Pilgrims Progress for children. Very enjoyable for an adult too and plenty of good reminders
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