Book info

• Title The Wind in the Willows
• Author Kenneth Grahame
• Year 1908
• Genre Childrens

Moly, the courteous and altruistic mole, goes out of his quiet underground burrow and reaches the river, tired of his spring cleaning. There, Ratty becomes his friend and accompanies him on his first boat voyage. As these two friends visit the boisterous and pompous Mr.Toad, the proprietor of the Toad Hall, and the compassionate Mr.Badger of the Wild Wood, the fun and adventure begins. Join the quartet as they journey from one adventure to the next, from Mr. Toad's automobile crashes and imprisonment to the quartet's battle with the weasels and stoats.

Thoughts

Once again, this is a book that I have attempted to read before, when I was younger, and failed miserably. I can vividly recall the nice hardcover book with its pictures, and I’m sure my mum and dad still have it somewhere in amongst their bookshelves.

I don’t know why I couldn’t get into it, it’s not exactly hard to read. What I do know is that I don’t find Mole a particularly likeable character, so perhaps when I was a kid I didn’t have the patience to read about him too much. Everyone else is so nice to him for no apparent reason, and he’s always falling down and ruining things. It quite surprised me when he redeemed himself towards the end of the book.

I wasn’t aware that Toad was written as such a spoilt character either, but no matter what I think about the characters themselves, the fact I can form opinions shows how well written they are.

Rating: 3 / 5