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Berkshire - The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame


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BERKSHIRE

 

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

 

Synopsis:

"Ho! ho! I am the Toad, the motor-car snatcher, the prison-breaker, the Toad who always escapes!"

 

Tired of spring cleaning, Mole ventures above ground into the sunshine and happens upon his friend Ratty. Together they picnic on the sparkling river, brave the sinister Wild Wood to visit the bad-tempered Badger, and take to the open road in a caravan with dear, silly old Toad. But when Toad's attention turns to motor cars, his reckless behaviour goes from bad to worse. Badger, Rat and Mole must save their friend from ruin, and Toad Hall from the clutches of the rascally Stoats and Weasels.

 

 

Other Berkshire books:

 

Three Men In A Boat by Jerome K. Jerome

The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde

Solar by Ian McEwan

Edited by chesilbeach
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  • 1 month later...

I read this book a couple of years ago, after being given a free copy from something like World Book Day (or some other initiative), but I have to say, I wasn't that impressed. I know so many people who love this book, but I just found it was very old fashioned. I didn't engage with the characters, in fact the only character I even remotely liked was Mole, and felt Toad selfish and vain with no redeeming characteristics at all. But I also didn't like how the book was written - most of chapters felt like short stories but not all of them. I would have been happier if they'd all been individual stories with a narrative threading through them all. I do enjoy reading children's books, and I can see why people who've grown up with it would love it, but I think I'm too old to read it for the first time. I do think, however, that it would make up a good book to read aloud to children.

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I still love it and listen to it being read quite often :blush2:  The early chapters are perhaps my favourites .. all that stuff about picnics and messing about in boats etc (and I love the Christmassy scene back at Mole's house and Mole being lost in the Wild Wood etc.) It has got THE most wonderful toast quote in it (my favourite one ever) which of course endears it to me though is hopeless as a recommendation to anyone else :giggle: 
I think ... out of the four main characters .. all of them bar Toad have good qualites. Toad is vain and selfish but I find him quite funny (and he's a pretty well written character ... wealthy selfish and indulged .. he goes about showing off to all and sundry and changing hobbies as quickly as he changes his very fashionable clothes .. I can think of a few celebs like that) but ultimately I think he does redeem himself.
It is a bit old fashioned .. but then I also think it's timeless .. I'm happy to read practically any story in which there's a strong possibility of crumpets being toasted over an open fire :blush2: I do believe I fell in love with it when Ratty and Mole started talking about the picnic ..

 

‘Shove that under your feet,’ he observed to the Mole, as he passed it down into the boat. Then he untied the painter and took the sculls again.
‘What’s inside it?’ asked the Mole, wriggling with curiosity.
‘There’s cold chicken inside it,’ replied the Rat briefly;
'coldtonguecoldhamcoldbeefpickledgherkinssaladfrenchrollscresssandwidgespottedmeatgingerbeerlemonadesodawater––’ :D
 ‘O stop, stop,’ cried Mole in ecstasies: ‘This is too much!’
‘Do you really think so?’ inquired the Rat seriously ‘It’s only what I always take on these little excursions; and the other animals are always telling me that I’m a mean beast and cut it very fine!’ :D 

 

I do remember feeling comfy cosy about it when I was a child so maybe that endears it to me more :smile: 

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I think it's perhaps lost on me because I didn't read it as a child, or even know the story.  This sounds a bit odd, but I always had it in my head as a child that it was a for "posh" people … that looks completely ridiculous as I type it here, but it's just the perception I had, that it was something that other families read to their children, while I stuck to the Enid Blyton!

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I didn't read The Wind In The Willows until I was an adult and absolutely fell in love with it, so it may just not be your type of book Claire. :)

Like you Poppyshake,  it makes me feel all comfy cosy and takes me to a lovely safe place.

A toast quote for you .....(I'm sure you know it already, but it's a rather nice one)

 

“When the girl returned, some hours later, she carried a tray, with a cup of fragrant tea steaming on it; and a plate piled up with very hot buttered toast, cut thick, very brown on both sides, with the butter running through the holes in great golden drops, like honey from the honeycomb. The smell of that buttered toast simply talked to Toad, and with no uncertain voice; talked of warm kitchens, of breakfasts on bright frosty mornings, of cosy parlour firesides on winter evenings, when one's ramble was over and slippered feet were propped on the fender, of the purring of contented cats, and the twitter of sleepy canaries.”
 

 
 
 

 

 

Edited by poppy
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A toast quote for you .....(I'm sure you know it already, but it's a rather nice one)

 

“When the girl returned, some hours later, she carried a tray, with a cup of fragrant tea steaming on it; and a plate piled up with very hot buttered toast, cut thick, very brown on both sides, with the butter running through the holes in great golden drops, like honey from the honeycomb. The smell of that buttered toast simply talked to Toad, and with no uncertain voice; talked of warm kitchens, of breakfasts on bright frosty mornings, of cosy parlour firesides on winter evenings, when one's ramble was over and slippered feet were propped on the fender, of the purring of contented cats, and the twitter of sleepy canaries.”

Yes ...thanks poppy :hug:  'tis my absolute favourite  :smile2: Toast talks to me in exactly the same way (well .. all except the canaries :D)

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  • 4 months later...

I've posted some of this in my book blog, so if it seems familiar then you know why! :P

 

I started listening to an audio book version of this whilst walking, but it quickly became apparent that it was an abridged version (which was such a shame – it was read wonderfully by Derek Jacobi).  Luckily I came across the book in the back of a cupboard a few weeks ago (I must have bought it about 18 years ago!) so I went back to the beginning and read it myself.

 

Toad is a proud animal.  He is wealthy and of high status and regard amongst the animals he associates with and he is always an aficionado of the latest fad – a fact which sometimes gets him into trouble.  Toad’s latest craze is that of the motor car.  But Toad is also very impetuous and when he spies a car in a local hostelry he decides to borrow it, which leads him into a lot of trouble.  Can his friends Mole, Badger and the Water Rat help save the day and make Toad see the error of his ways? 

 

I can’t believe I’ve got to the grand old age of virtually 48 without reading this book! And what a wonderful book it is!  The prose is simply beautiful.  For example:

 

…remembering the stranger’s origins and preferences

he took care to include a yard of long French bread, a sausage out

of which the garlic sang, some cheese which lay down and cried, and

a long-necked, straw-covered flask containing bottled sunshine

shed and garnered on far Southern slopes

 

 

Doesn't that conjure up such a beautiful image?!  :wub:

 

I don't really know Berkshire well as a county - I've visited various towns but I haven't 'done' the River Thames there, but despite this lack of knowledge I feel it probably really did capture the essence of the river, if not the county. 

 

I really enjoyed the story, the characters and the writing of this. I really wish I'd read it to my children when they were younger - I'm sure they'd have loved it too.

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