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    Heidi
    Heidi
    Heidi
    Audiobook (abridged)2 hours

    Heidi

    Written by Johanna Spyri

    Narrated by Teresa Gallagher

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    The evergreen tale of the Swiss orphan girl Heidi has charmed and intrigued readers since its original publication in 1880. Heidi comes to live with her grandfather in the Swiss Alps where she befriends the animals and children – in particular the goatherd Peter. She is later taken away to the stern and confining home of the invalid Clara where she enriches the lives of those around her but longs to return home. After many adventures she returns to her grandfather’s cabin in her beloved Alps.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNaxos Audiobooks
    Release dateJul 1, 2002
    ISBN9789629544287
    Author

    Johanna Spyri

    Johanna Spyri (1827-1901) was a Swiss writer of children’s books. She began writing during the Franco-Prussian War to raise money for the Red Cross. Her best-known work, Heidi, was adapted for film several times.

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    Reviews for Heidi

    4.5/5

    111 ratings63 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This was my first chapter book, which my dad read to me nightly as a seven year old because I could never get past the first chapter on my own. I remember liking it, but had no recollection of the plot beyond the fact that Heidi is a little Swiss girl. As it turns out, there's not much more to it.Rereading as an adult, I still enjoy the book, but it lacks the weight of great literature that accompanies some other children's classics. It is a simple moral tale and does a marvelous job of presenting the world through a child's eyes. Heidi seems to warm the heart of everyone she meets, and points to God as one who will do good to the faithful in His perfect timing. The message is saccharine but not cloying, and helped by the refreshing respite of descriptive detail provided about Heidi's Alpine home (and if you've ever visited Switzerland, you'll know that it is just as rejuvenating a place as Spyri claims). The characters at times could have been better fleshed out; you never find out why, for example, Heidi's grandfather has turned his back on the town, and though the heroine is equal parts ornery and adorable, she lacks the spunk of an Anne Shirley or a Jo March. However, this is a nice book to introduce children to rich descriptive language about places and not just about plot details or characterisation, and an adequate precursor to those beloved novels. Think of it as a fine Christmas dessert, to be enjoyed, in moderation, at a specific time in life, but not to be feasted on regularly, and you and your children will probably have as much fun with it as I did as a seven year old.
    • 4/5
      3.5 stars5-year old Heidi, an orphan, has been raised by her aunt since she was a baby, but now Heidi’s aunt feels that it’s time Heidi went to live with her grandfather on a mountain in the Swiss Alps. Heidi loves the mountain and the goats who belong to the goatherd neighbour, Peter. Heidi, later, is recruited to go to Frankfurt to be a companion to Clara, who is in a wheelchair. But, oh, she misses her mountain and her grandfather so much!I remember that I read this as a child, and I loved it! I didn’t remember much about it, except that Heidi lived with her grandfather on a mountain. I remembered nothing else (until the characters were introduced: oh, yeah – Peter the goatherd and Clara, the girl in a wheelchair!). I started off thinking I’d rate this read of it (an audio) 4 stars, I decided on 3.5 (good). I suspect it might have been better to read it, rather than listen; however, fond memories remain. I did enjoy the reminder of what actually happened in the book (although it does seem I missed bits and pieces, here and there – I suspect I wouldn’t have if I’d not listened to the audio).
    • 4/5
      I loved this book in a way I could never love Little Women or Anne of Green Gables, and I have no idea why. I think something about it just appealed to me. However, the sequel is actually BETTER.
    • 4/5
      I read this when I was a child and reread it recently. I hadn't realized the Christian sensibility; it turns out many of the books I read as a child had this perspective. But Spyri excels at describing the mountain and the natural settings, exquisitely.
    • 3/5
      nearly as old as me. Quite tatty.
    • 3/5
      I read this book so often as a child that the covers fell off, the binding broke, and I lost about half the pages. Heidi is almost insufferable in her Merciful Christian Perfection--but only *almost*. There's a spark of fun to her, and I was absolutely enthralled by her simple, earthy lifestyle. As an urban kid in the 20th century, the idea that soft bread could be a luxury blew my mind (to the extent that twenty years later, Heidi's meals with Clara are still the main thing I remember about this book). Didn't much like the grandfather or the goats.
    • 5/5
      Heidi is a great book. Its full of adventures for this little girl. Its about her going to her grandfathers who is a very grumpy old man but in the end he turns out to be caring, loving and full of joy! She starts out as a 6 year old trying to find fun in her life and then she meets a boy called Peter and he helps with all the goats. Peter has got a sweet blind old granny that loves the sound of Heidis voice when she reads the old lady wondorous storys. Its my FAVOURITE book.
    • 4/5
      I was a little worried when I started reading this that because it is a childrens book it would be too far below me and I wouldn't enjoy it. But I never read it as a kid and I wanted to know what it was about so I gave it a try. It turned out to be totally enjoyable. Yes, it was a little young, but not to the point of making it boring. It was a little too preachy for my tastes, increasingly so as the story progressed, but overall it was fun.
    • 5/5
      Digital audiobook performed by Johanna Ward. 4.5**** This classic of children’s literature tells the story of Heidi, a young orphan girl who lives with her gruff grandfather up on a Swiss mountain. She befriends Peter, the goatherd, and becomes beloved by all the villagers. I’d seen the Shirley Temple movie about a million times when I was a child and absolutely loved it, but I had never read the book. It’s a wonderful story about a child who has lost much but relishes all that she has. She’s intelligent, open-minded, hind-hearted and has a great generosity of spirit. She comes across several mean-spirited (and downright nasty) people, but her cheerfulness wins over many people and she eventually prevails. I listened to the audio performed by Johanna Ward. She does a marvelous job, with clear diction and a pace that isn’t too fast for younger listeners to absorb.
    • 4/5
      "Heidi" Maby everyone know her name and this story is very famouse in Japan. Heidi is pure and charming girl. Sometimes there are some troubles, but She overcome and live happy in great nature. This book warmed me especialy for the sake of the character of Heidi. As you know, she is very cute girl. If you read this book, you like her more and more.
    • 3/5
      Wholesome, rather religious, fresh-air and exercise stuff, complete with naughty goats, moaning grannies and a tortoise.
    • 4/5
      I liked this when I was a child. Now I'd find it a little to simple and wholesome.
    • 5/5
      A wonderfully written children's book that this "boomer" still loves to read.
    • 3/5
      I'm surprised find myself enjoying this book with its evocative descriptions of the mountainside and its layered characters. Who would have thought that a book written in 1881 could "talk" to me, 130 years later? I also wonder why no translater has been given credit in this edition (which is Aladdin, but published in 2000).
    • 5/5
      very good book
    • 4/5
      Schmaltzy, yes, but also endearing. Who doesn't want to run from yucky Frankfurt into the Alps and live on goat milk?
    • 3/5
      Normally I have a very high tolerance for old-fashioned stories featuring unrealistically saccharine children; I'm very fond of A Little Princess, The Five Little Peppers, and the like. I have to say, though, Heidi exceeded my limits. Part of it is that I have a distinct dislike for preachy characters; Heidi gets religion partway through the book (for no reason other than that someone tells her to do so), and for the rest of the story is prone to breaking out in lectures about how good God is and how one must never forget to pray. It isn't so frequent that I couldn't have overlooked it, but I didn't find the rest of the story charming enough to make up for it. There's far too much telling rather than showing in the narration; aside from one cute interlude in the schoolroom, we are generally only informed that Heidi shakes up the Sesemann household and makes it more interesting and cheerful. Mostly what we are shown is Heidi moping around and bursting into tears because she's homesick for the Alps, and it's not terribly clear why most of the household seems to find her such a treasure. When she's in the Alps, she tends to be a bit of a broken record about how beautiful everything is or how she wants to do X to help Y/is going to do X to help Y/is so happy she got to do X to help Y; it gets extremely repetitive, even for a children's book. The other characters weren't any more interesting; Heidi's friend Peter is a sullen little thing who rarely does anything aside from get violently jealous whenever Heidi pays attention to someone else (to the point that it's vaguely disturbing), and the grandmother apparently exists only to be an object of pity. Heidi's grandfather is supposed to be a grouchy old man melted by the sheer force of Heidi's charisma, but seeing as this transformation takes place more or less five minutes after they're introduced, it's not terribly convincing; even the infamous Little Lord Fauntleroy pulled it off more gracefully. The Sesemanns don't get enough dialogue to be very interesting as individuals, aside from Fraulein Rottenmeier, who is intended to be unlikeable. I did like Sebastian the butler, but then I also kept accidentally replacing him with Sebastian from Black Butler in my mind's eye - which was a terribly entertaining thought, of course, but had little to do with the story as written. The plot is fairly meandering, and not enough really happens to compensate for the weak characters. (It did make me laugh once, though, when Heidi's Aunt Dete comes to the grandfather's hut in her floor-length, sweeping skirts and the narration points out that there are things on the floor of a goatherd's hut that do not belong in a dress.) The descriptions of the Alps were lovely, of course, and if all you're interested in is the scenery, go ahead. Otherwise, there are plenty of books about adorable, cheerful little girls spreading sweetness and light in their wake, and I'd choose a different one.
    • 5/5
      Heidi is a book for those who want to become lost in another world. The story is full of happy endings and finding joy in frustrations and sorrows, but it is meant to be a very feel good kind of thing. This is a world where good mountain air cures everything, including the inability to walk. This is also exactly the way the story should be. Heidi is a classic for a very good reason and all children should experience it at least once in their lifetime.For me, the most memorable thing about the story, aside from all of the good that is done for others, are the pictures my mind was able to paint when reading the words. Heidi has always been a very visual experience for me, even when reading a copy that doesn't have illustrations, as my copy does. This is the kind of thing you can easily and honestly put before your mind and come up with a crisp, clear image that makes you want to stay in that place forever. I don't reread it often enough.
    • 4/5
      The descriptions in this book allow the reader to feel the mountains around her. Heidi is an honest, caring, open child--almost a cross between a present day Junie B. Jones and Amelia Bedilia. She finds herself in trouble due to her absolute purity and innocense, but she is loved deeply by those she encounters. The story begins as she trudges up the mountain to meet her grumpy old grandfather, but it doesn't take him long to experience joy in Heidi's presence. Peter, the goatheard, finds great friendship with Heidi, and his grandmother loves her voice, especially when she learns to read. She spends time in Frankfurt as a companion to Clara, a disabled girl, but she returns to her grandfather on the mountain as she becomes horribly homesick. Clara comes to visit Heidi on the mountain, and Peter becomes very jealous leading to a transformation in Clara.
    • 4/5
      I haven't read this one since childhood, but I distnctly remember staying up late, hoping my parents didn't notice the light on, and trying desperately to finish this before falling asleep. A truly enjoyable story.
    • 3/5
      I have mixed views about this book. On one hand, it is sickeningly twee, with a heavy dose of religion thrown in. On the other hand, it was written over 130 years ago in God-fearing times, when people respected the upper classes. Still, Heidi's endless selflessness and do-gooding is rather nauseating.
    • 3/5
      The best part of the books was that the grandfather opened his heart.
    • 4/5
      Reread this as background reading for a trip to Switzerland. Yes, it's rather sickly sweet, and a bit heavy with God making all right, but I still enjoyed this tale of the irrepressibly good Heidi
    • 4/5
      I owned this book as a child and I read it over and over again. I don't think I've read it since I was about 11. My main memory is how evocatively it described the Alps. It truly made me want to go there (which I have yet to do, but some day...!). Oddly enough, I have never felt the need to go to Frankfurt.Heidi remains a fast, pleasant read, full of gorgeous scenery. I didn't recall the heavy Christian message, though that's certainly in keeping with the time period--right along with the 'heal yourself through nature' theme. I think looking at the book in the historical context is pretty important, as otherwise the book comes across as trite and predictable with lots of stereotyped characters, though this is the book that established many major tropes.I actually saw the Shirley Temple movie based on the book recently. As a kid, I vastly preferred the book because it is more centered in nature and had a better ending, I thought (even 1930s Hollywood felt the need to end everything with a dramatic chase scene). The book gives Peter a lot more nuance with his learning disability, selfish inclinations, and guilt complex.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this book. I liked how not only Heidi grew but her grandfather grew as well. I was very pleased that in the end they were able to stay together.
    • 4/5
      I was actually surprised at how much the kids really enjoyed this book. This story has a very simple charm although for me I will have to say the charm was tainted a little when I read that it was supposedly autobiographical. It just seems wrong to paint yourself as a saint. But as a fictional character Heidi is the epitome of sweetness, light and charity. Even the antagonists in the story are very mild. Everything about this story was a little saccharine but apparently the kids enjoy that because they begged for more. Oh and the goats, we loved the German names of the goats!
    • 4/5
      I loved "Heidi" as a little girl and having just revisited it, it was still a sweet read. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of the beautiful Swiss Alps, which I was lucky enough to visit last year.
    • 5/5
      Heidi, by Johanna Spyri, is one of my favourite books. It is heartwarming to read about Heidi’s sweet personality and how she brightens the lives of her grandfather, Clara, and so many others. I can easily imagine Heidi’s adventures in my mind, and find Heidi a very memorable story.
    • 4/5
      Heidi lives with her grandpa in his little wooden house, high up in the mountaines of Switzerland.One day her aunt comes and takes her to Frankfult. And then, Haidi met Clara,who has lost the use of her legs.This story is very famous in Japan. so, I watched many times on the TV when i was little.no matter i know this story well, i would enjoy this warm story.
    • 4/5
      The big idea of Heidi focuses on caring for friends and family, and staying positive in life. Visually, the illustrations were a little plain. They did not capture my attention like other colorful illustrations have before. The third person point of view was a good choice for this story, because it allowed the audience to understand all of the characters emotions. The characters were very well developed in that I really felt close to them by the end of the story. I believe the author accomplished this by giving us background knowledge on each character. For example, telling about Klara’s condition and saying she needed a companion due to her impairment introduced her, a character who uses a wheelchair. Examples like this will help the reader feel more emotionally connected to characters. The author also does a good job at providing good context for the era this story takes place in by subtly talking about the contemporary issues of the time. Overall, I really enjoyed the sweet plot and characters of this story.