The Wind in the Willows

Kenneth Grahame (author)

John Gaden (reader)

ABC Audio, Australia; abridged; 3CD set

ISBN: 0642562873

Genres: adventure, animal, allegory, classic, fantasy

Issues: community, ethics, friendship, loyalty, values

For those who are not familiar with the story, the shy Mole has felt the call of fresh air and adventure, and left his safe little home to explore the wider world. The first animal he meets is the kindly Water Rat (Ratty), who is horrified by Mole's limited experience of his beloved River, and promptly invites him on a picnic.

They get on very well and Ratty invites Mole to live with him in his hole in the Riverbank for a while so that he might get to know his neighbours, and learn more about life on the river. Ratty warns him firmly about the dangerous folk in the ‘Wild Wood', with the exception of the shy Mr. Badger whom the Mole meets later. Ratty then introduces the Mole to the gregarious and rather vain Mr. Toad of Toad Hall, a hilariously inconsistent character who is constantly developing ‘a passion' for various past-times.

Toad welcomes the Mole in a typically friendly and open-hearted manner and urges the two river dwellers to join him in his new gypsy-style horse-drawn caravan on a ramble around back roads of the surrounding countryside. The three friends have a pleasant enough time until the horse is frightened by a noisy motor-car, travelling far too fast, and the caravan is overturned.

The Mole and Ratty are appalled, but Toad has discovered his next ‘passion' - motor-cars. Back at the Riverbank, the Mole and Ratty keep track of Toad's car accidents but hope the craze will soon pass if they ignore it. Toad, however is incorrigible and gets himself into terrible trouble with the law by stealing a motor-car and crashing it badly. Sentenced to twenty years in prison, the Toad is sure his motoring days are over, but finds an unexpected ally in the gaoler's daughter, who helps him escape. Terribly proud of himself, Toad returns, only to find that, in his absence, the Stoats and the Weasels from the Wild Wood have taken over his mansion. Helped and guided by the stern Badger, the reliable Mole, and the loyal Ratty, Toad attempts to recover his ancestral home, and is forced to realise that he must try to live a more sensible life in future.

Despite being an abridged version of this classic story, this is still a very enjoyable piece of listening, and the cuts to the text are not too gratingly obvious. John Gaden reads well, providing sufficiently distinctive voices for the main characters that the listener does not become confused during rapid exchanges of dialogue between them. The minor characters, such as the judge, the gaoler's daughter, and the barge woman, are also well voiced.

Various pieces classical music serve as segues between chapters or scenes and have been carefully selected to reflect the mood or narrative pace of the story. These also, of course, introduce the younger listener to a range of well-known pieces such as Lyadov's ‘Musical Snuffbox', Respighi's prelude from ‘The Birds', and the prelude from Grieg's ‘Holberg Suite'. This use of music is particularly effective in the chapter relating to the search for Otter's son, who is found sleeping at the feet of the god Pan, and serves to draw the listener into the world of the River and its inhabitants.

Truly a delightful introduction to this superbly crafted story.

Highly recommended.