Then There Were Five capitalizes on the country setting and young Oliver's fascination with nature. Charisse Gendron writes, "Enright expresses the wonder in nature and in children's feelings. This is most remarkable in the chapter 'Oliver's Other World' in which the child ... is visited one night by a Luna moth." She also praises the fact that the emotional effect of Owen Meeker's death on his young brother is not ignored.Cech, John (editor), Dictionary of Literary Biography: American Writers for Children, 1900–1960, vol. 22, Gale Research, 1983, p. 143.
