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    The Wind in the Willows
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    The Wind in the Willows
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    The Wind in the Willows
    Ebook205 pages3 hours

    The Wind in the Willows

    By Kenneth Grahame

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    About this ebook

    The Wind in the Willows is a classic of children's literature by Kenneth Grahame. Alternately slow moving and fast paced, it focuses on four anthropomorphized animal characters in a pastoral version of England. The novel is notable for its mixture of mysticism, adventure, morality, and camaraderie and celebrated for its evocation of the nature of the Thames valley.

    A book that we all greatly loved and admired and read aloud or alone, over and over and over: The Wind in the Willows. This book is, in a way, two separate books put into one. There are, on the one hand, those chapters concerned with the adventures of Toad; and on the other hand there are those chapters that explore human emotions—the emotions of fear, nostalgia, awe, wanderlust. My mother was drawn to the second group, of which "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" was her favorite, read to me again and again with always, towards the end, the catch in the voice and the long pause to find her handkerchief and blow her nose. My father, on his side, was so captivated by the first group that he turned these chapters into the children's play, Toad of Toad Hall. In this play one emotion only is allowed to creep in: nostalgia.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBookRix
    Release dateMay 21, 2019
    ISBN9783736808300
    Author

    Kenneth Grahame

    Kenneth Grahame was born in Edinburgh in 1859. He was educated at St Edward's School, Oxford, but family circumstances prevented him from entering Oxford University. He joined the Bank of England as a gentleman clerk in 1879, rising to become the Bank's Secretary in 1898. He wrote a series of short stories, married Elspeth Thomson in 1899 and their only child, Alistair, was born a year later. He left the Bank in 1908, the year that The Wind in the Willows was published. Though not an immediate success, by the time of Grahame's death in 1932 it was recognised as a children's classic.

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    Reviews for The Wind in the Willows

    4/5

    3,260 ratings73 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Absolutely Marvelous!
    • 5/5
      The first novel my father bought me. Read it for the first time as an adult. It is without doubt my favourite book of all time. Grahame is a master. Should be read every Christmas.
    • 1/5

      Five out of ten.

      Finding the secret of the wind is hard enough without Mole wandering off into the Wild Wood and getting caught in a snowstorm or Toad stealing motorcars and landing in jail. Between practical Water Rat and wise old Badger, the four of them manage, after many great adventures and much laughter, to settle down to a quiet roar with an understanding of the wind's song and the Wild Wood.

    • 2/5
      One of those 'books I feel I ought to have read by now'. And as a classic, I was expecting it to be better than it was. I enjoyed the descriptions of the scenery and the transitions of the year in the English countryside, but found the plot lacking and the portrayal of the characters strange and generally unconvincing. As was Toad's change of heart at the end. Rather an odd little book, really. I suspect it's something I would have enjoyed more if I'd first read it as a child.
    • 4/5
      Such a delightful tale. I really enjoyed the adventure as such and Grahame has some really nice things to say about life and friendsdhip. I look forward to reading more books by him.
    • 4/5
      It is great to read an old classic!
    • 4/5
      this work took some getting used to... Once I "learned the rules," I found myself enjoying the lyrical prose. This is certainly a well written series of stories, but they are a little strange.
    • 5/5
      UPDATE: Finished this book- twas well worth re-reading. I loved this edition, the illustrations were especially beautiful!






      I am reading this book once again. A different edition this time, this one illustrated by Inga Moore. The story, pictures and layout are relaxing and engaging, especially at this time in my life. Looking at meadows and streams and reading about carefree days is just what I need right now.
    • 5/5
      A classic of children's literature. Wonderful.
    • 4/5
      Substance: The story of two friends never gets old, and I love the chapter where they discover Mole's old home. However, be warned that the book is full of antiquated notions. Toad is only part of the story.Style: Not too dated yet.
    • 5/5
      I can't believe I hadn't read this book before now! Instant new favorite, reminiscent of all my favorite classic children's fantasies (obviously because it was written before all of them). That's said, it's not exactly a children's novel or an adult novel - it's a Book For People Like Me (particularly during chilly Januaries).
    • 2/5
      Perhaps if I'd had pleasant memories of this book as a child I may have a different view of it while reading it as an adult. It's beloved by so many that I wish I'd been introduced to it, unfortunately I was never able to find the charm in it or maintain any lasting interest.
    • 4/5
      This is a childrens book about four riverside animals the Water Rat, the Mole, the Badger and the Toad. It is an exciting and funny narrative about their adventures. The language is superb and it gives a good feel of the English countryside.
    • 4/5
      A great children's story. I recommend this for family-reading.
    • 3/5
      I *wanted* to like this book as a child. It was supposed to be good. It would somehow be "good" for me, like eating my vegetables. It was a "classic", and I liked all the other classic children's novels I had read. But I didn't think much of it at all, and I read it twice just to be sure. Granted I haven't given it a reread as an adult and I'm willing to admit there may be something there I missed when I was young.
    • 5/5
      A great series of stories that I loved as a kid and liked even more as an adult. A couple are slightly long for storytelling but many would be great for slightly older children.
    • 4/5
      This is one of the many long lost books of my childhood that I no longer recalled, but remembered enjoying. It was a pleasure to re-visit the tale. I found it somewhat ironic that a silly children's story about talking animals displayed such an intricate understanding of human emotion and relationships. All in all a fun read, with incredibly endearing characters. I could blather on and on about the book, but really all I can say is I am rather fond of it.
    • 4/5
      An important early science fiction allegory (obvious influence on Animal Farm) of closeted gay subculture in Edwardian Britain.
    • 3/5
      Surprisingly decent.
    • 4/5
      I like animals. So I choose this book.It was laugh out loud funny, especially the chapters about Mr. Toad. I loved it.This book characters have each personality. So I am not tired of this story.I want to go this book's world. This animals are very cute!!
    • 5/5
      Excellent comfort book for when the day has been just that bad.
    • 5/5
      This was perfect. I started stretching it out toward the end, only reading it in the evening when the mood was just right. I didn't want it to end. It was such a feel-good book. I totally loved the style of the writing. I think I'm going to take a look at a couple sequels that have been written but they weren't written by the same author so I'm not counting on anything.
    • 4/5
      Wonderful children's classic.
    • 5/5
      The Wind In The Willows by Kenneth Grahame is cool story in an old-fashioned way. It is about the adventures of Mole and The Water Rat, who live by the banks of a river in England. The beginning is a little childish, like The Hobbit, but if you don't think you're too "bad" you might like this story. Watership Down is another cool book that is similar to this one.
    • 3/5
      Very glad to finally take the time to read this timeless children's classic! The adventures were just what I would expect from a young child's imagination. The language, however, was a bit dry and stiff and I felt the writing style kept me from engaging fully in the clever, fun little characters. Glad to have read, but a bit disappointed in the entertainment value.
    • 5/5
      Priceless!
    • 5/5
      This was my favorite book when I was a child. When I read it years later to my own children, I still loved it, and they did too!
    • 3/5
      I had mixed feelings. Sometimes I enjoyed it. Sometimes I wondered why I was reading it. The book was a bunch of short stories, some related to others, a few stand alone. The adventure/thriller ones were more enjoyable to me than the fantasy type stories. It may be due to the book being written in the early 1900's, but I didn't understand some of the actions of one of the characters. It probably was more due to the character being a Toad.
    • 3/5
      Though quirky, I didn't find this book to be exciting nor engaging.
    • 4/5
      A fun book, but I have not read it in years.