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The Wind in the Willows
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The 100 Best Novels > Week 38 - The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

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message 1: by Jenny (last edited Jun 09, 2014 02:24AM) (new)

Jenny (jeoblivion) | 4893 comments After last week's '???' this is bound to find a bit more applause. Week 38 brings us The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.

from the article:

The Wind in the Willows began as bedtime stories and letters addressed to Grahame's troubled son, a sickly boy known as "Mouse" who possibly inspired the wilful character of Mr Toad and who eventually committed suicide, aged 20, while at Oxford. Indeed, so personal were these stories that Grahame never intended to publish his material. The manuscript was first given to an American publisher, who rejected it. After the publication of The Wind in the Willows by Methuen in 1908, it found an unlikely transatlantic fan in US president Theodore Roosevelt who, in 1909, wrote to Grahame to tell him that he had "read it and reread it, and have come to accept the characters as old friends". Elsewhere, the critical response was more mixed, and it was not until AA Milne adapted parts of the book into a popular stage version, Toad of Toad Hall, in 1929, that it became established as the evergreen children's classic it is known as today.

read the full article here


message 2: by LauraT (last edited Jun 09, 2014 02:29AM) (new) - rated it 4 stars

LauraT (laurata) | 14372 comments Mod
How I've loved this book when I had both kids little! We've read it several times...


Maggie | 537 comments I loved this book too - all the characters, especially the naughty Mr Toad!


LauraT (laurata) | 14372 comments Mod
Maggie wrote: "I loved this book too - all the characters, especially the naughty Mr Toad!"

He made me laugh so much!!!


Amber (amberterminatorofgoodreads) It was a pretty good book. I read it this year and it was my first time too. :-)


message 6: by [deleted user] (new)

I love this book, too. I vaguely remember a tv series or film I enjoyed as well.


Leslie | 16369 comments Like Amber, I read this first as an adult. I listened to it as an audiobook, and found it a lot of fun.


LauraT (laurata) | 14372 comments Mod
Leslie wrote: "Like Amber, I read this first as an adult. I listened to it as an audiobook, and found it a lot of fun."

Me too!


message 9: by Alice (last edited Jun 09, 2014 01:10PM) (new) - rated it 5 stars

Alice Poon (alice_poon) Amber recommended this book to me a short while ago. I absolutely loved it! Mr. Toad made me laugh out loud several times! I gave it 5-stars and wrote a review:-

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


message 10: by [deleted user] (new)

I have had a copy of this book sitting on my Children's Literature shelves for years now. I remember loving the movie when I was younger. My sister and I would watch it over and over again. As to reading it, alas, I have not. YET.


message 11: by Paulfozz (last edited Mar 06, 2015 12:09PM) (new) - rated it 4 stars

Paulfozz | 1001 comments An absolutely wonderful book; I knew the story from my youth and thought I may have read it, though it was one of those classics where I couldn't tell if I'd read it or knew it solely from cultural knowledge and the film/tv adaptations. When I did read it a year or two back It entirely surpassed my expectations and was an utter delight to read.


message 12: by Shirley (new) - added it

Shirley | 4177 comments Paulfozz wrote: "An absolutely wonderful book; I knew the story from my youth and thought I may have read it, though it was one of those classics where I couldn't tell if I'd read it or knew it solely from cultural..."

I don't think I have read this, nor do I own a copy. I shall add this to my wishlist and will definitely get around to reading it at some point!


Paulfozz | 1001 comments Well I hope you enjoy it Shirley!


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