The Willows in Winter

A sequel to a well-loved children's story that isn't a patch on the original The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame but is charming nonetheless. The book also seemed to be split into two stories with a very tenuous thread linking them. I could see that this could be worked out in a film but reading it was a bit disjointed. It wasn't really the story though that the book didn't really succeed on for me, it was the characters.When we read a book we get a distinct idea of the characters within [...]

It having been some time since I last read 'Wind in the Willows' my approach to this sequel, picked up in a second hand bookshop a while ago, was uncertain. I could remember the names of the characters, I could recall the general outline of the Kenneth Grahame's classic but I could not really call to mind the way the individual characters react and relate to one another in that story. This was probably a blessing. I read this book without my placing the rather unfair pressure on the new writer o [...]

Usually I am pretty skeptical of sequels not written by the original author, but from the very first sentence I completely forgot that it wasn't Kenneth Grahame himself writing this book! This is a PERFECT imitation of Grahame's writing! It just wraps you up all cozy like a warm familiar blanket, and sweeps you away to the magical world of the Willows. The illustrations are delightful. Every character is perfectly as they should be. They pop right back to life! Each story line is interesting, fu [...]

Well lets see. This one wasn't available via e-book so I bought it in December last year. Today was a cloudy and rainy day to I decided it is the right weather and day for this book. This is a sequel to the beloved classic of Kenneth Grahams story The wind in the willows written in the 19th century. And one of my most favourite books. I have read it many times and the story of the Wild Wood,of Toad Hall,of the river bank,of Ratty,Mole and Badger is and has been a delight.So I was very curious to [...]

HAVE ADDED A VIP Post Script!!!see below.Once I have read the two completions of Jane Austen's unfinished "Sanditon" - I've already read "Rebecca's Tale", Sally Beauman's sequel to Daphne du Maurier's classic "Rebecca",(Goodness!!!Was that whirring sound dear Daphne spinning in her grave???)- I think I will get stuck into this sequel to "Wind in the Willows".And William Horwood has written not only one sequel but several!!A regular feast for the desperate lovers of the Original.(I may well be on [...]

Mr. Horwood has brought us his own story about Mr. Grahame’s beloved characters. Here are Mole, Rat, Otter, Badger and the irrepressible Toad all brought to life once more without a note out of place. The voices of the characters are just as you remember them, their exploits, habits and mannerisms as endearing as that of old relatives. Toad appeared reformed by the end of The Wind in the Willows. But a leopard can’t change its spots and Toad’s subsequent bad behavior has him falling off th [...]

Re-read details: BBC7 29th November 2010-------The further adventures of Toad, Ratty, Badger and Mole. Not the first time, and probably not the last, where another author tries to carry on with a character or theme already well-loved. I think of James Bond, Sherlock Holmes, Lord Peter Wimsey as examples.It very rarely works does it, not in terms of artistic prowess. Of course sales are high as all us 'holics are curious, however high sales do not indicate reader satisfaction.So taking this as a [...]

This is an admirable sequel to one of the greatest childrens works of all time, but it has one flaw: it is not for children.Oh, it keeps the same characters, they get into the same amusing scuffs, their emotional upheaveal isn't too far in the forefront, and for the most part, Horwood follows the language Graham used so artlessly and so beautifully. However, it is simply too long for the children the original was aimed at, and if a book is unattainable by its target audience, its not quite perfe [...]

If you missed William Horwood's 1990s continuation of The Wind in the Willows, you're in for a treat - especially if you, like Horwood, finished that great work and thought, "Toad altered! I don't believe a word of it!"Nor should you. For this time around, Toad's obsessive nature has left off motorcars in favor of something Bigger, Louder, Faster and BETTER: an aeroplane.Of course, of course adventure and escapades ensue. And meanwhile, poor MoleBut I shan't say any more.The Willows in Winter is [...]

Horwood did a good job with the characters but he didn't have to keep calling Ratty "Water Rat". The original book generally called him Rat or Ratty. While reading the book I kept hearing the voices from the Cosgrove/Hall series. The characters stayed true to the original.

Winter has moved in with cold and snow, even putting ice across the River. Mole has settled in with his nephew. Then Portly, the young otter, arrives gasping for breath. Unfortunately he quickly gets drunk on the bracer Mole offers him so his message is garbled.Mole sets out to aid his friends Otter and Water Rat. Instead Mole is left in need of rescuing.Toad has been behaving himself under the watchful eyes of Badger, Water Rat and Mole. Then he sees an airplane and is again obsessed. Soon he a [...]

This book is so precious and brings me right back to reading The Wind in the Willows as a child, as well as watching the old TV animated movie which we had on VHS. Even though this "sequel" isn't written by Kenneth Graham, it successfully captures the whimsical vibes of his words so that you still feel you are in that same quaint, woodsy little world of his. And, spoiler alert, not only are our favourite loveable characters still as wonderful as before, but our favourite nuisance, Toad, even red [...]

Something about this book deeply resonates with me. I loved it! The atmosphere, the characters, the writing style, the pure BRITISH-NESS of it all! It warms my heart. I could easily connect with each character's thoughts and emotions, and how Horwood depicts their circle of friendship reminds me of Tolkien. I would also applaud how Patrick Benson perfectly illustrates the world of "Willows In Winter!"

This was fun, and a good attempt at sort of "fan fiction" - but of course it can't match the original!

Skeptical at first, I can say that upon finishing this it was wonderful. If you've read & enjoyedThe Wind in the Willows, you ought to read this as well. William Horwood has absolutely done a fantastic job writing this in the vein of Kenneth Grahame. It was enjoyable & I plan to readToad Triumphant as well."Toad, you terrible and wicked Toad!" he struggled to call out, though recriminations now were too late to save either of them from the dire consequences of Toad's selfish action. (p. [...]

Almost as good as the original.

Poop Poop

"Here, at last, is thye stunning recreation of the much-loved world of Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows that we secretly all know we wanted, but never dared hope we might find "For now, in an act of homage and celebration, William Horwood has brought to life once more the four most-loved characters in English literature: the loyal Mole, the resourceful Water Rat, the stern but wise Badger, and of course, the exasperating, irresistible Toad. Published in England in 1993, it was a resound [...]

I was thrilled to find a sequel to The Wind in the Willows, so picked this book up. Although I thought it odd to be by another author, W. Horwood, instead of K. Grahame. I have mixed feelings about this book. At times, it was difficult to read follow as the vocabulary and writing was not smooth. At other times it was very enjoyable. I used this as a read aloud to my 8 yr old son. I had already read The Wind in the Willows to him. I would highly suggest reading that book before this one, since th [...]

Having read the original Wind in the Willows as a bedtime story to my littles and all of us becoming huge fans of the book I chanced across this in a charity shop.Initially, it was great catching up with how Mole and all were getting on and the opening plot element was dramatic and had us all engaged. But Horwood is not the same writer that Grahame was. The poetry of his writing was lacking and the prose felt stodgy and thick. The middle of the book felt unrefined and the children lost interest [...]

I owned the wind in the willows for quite a while as a child before I managed to read it. it was just too slow the first time and I was confused that toad had a car. also when I was a child, my mother selected a book from the library for me, as she was wont to do, called duncton wood, about moles. by william horwood. it was 580 pages or something like that - the longest book I'd ever read at that point. it took me forever to get through it, I had to keep renewing it. it was no watership down, le [...]

Usually I'm sucpicious of books by different authors, but somehow my grandma convinced me to get this book. I'm sort of glad I did, it continued the story oringally told by Kenneth Grahame in a cute way--True, there are some dashes were there should have been periods, and Mole End was oringilly underground, but all in all it was a good book. Near the end the story really picked up. I'm glad I read this, it was interesting, but Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows will always be a speical ge [...]

Bello :)Lo spirito dell'opera originale è intatto e questa è la cosa più importante. Tasso, Talpa, Ratto, Rospo, ci sono tutti e sono tutti esattamente come li ricordavo, vividi e convincenti.Letto con l'arrivo dei primi freddi mi ha messo nel giusto spirito di questo autunno inoltrato. Belle anche le illustrazioni.Particolarmente gustosa la scena del processo, comicamente grottesca, per quanto (view spoiler)[risolta con un po' troppa facilità (deus ex machina bello grosso, ma lo perdono) (h [...]

Picked up in a charity shop - it did that 'look at me, you know you'll regret not buying me' thing! I was a little disappointed, as I expected it to live up to Grahame's classic. I guess a bit unfair & once I'd got over that, it was a nice story, on familiar ground & with the usual characters. Not as 'ethereal' & cosy as 'Wind', but not objectional & a brave attempt. I live/work by the river & the author's background also helped me to like the book! Overall I was glad I have [...]

3/5 stars. I read this aloud to/with my better half and welle liked it. I thought it was OK, and I'd guess it's in keeping with the original but I can't say for sure as I've not read it yet. There was some noticeable fluff in the middle where a couple of characters discuss "Beyond", a fruitless conversation in the context of this book as it came to absolutely nothing (although I think a future instalment returns to this theme). The animals teared up a little too often for my liking; it seems tha [...]

Well, I have recently become infatuated with the Wind in the Willows so thought this might be worth a glance. I hate the beginning 'cos he makes dear sweet Mole such a disagreeable old coot. I continued reading just to find out how he'd treat Toad and Rat and the story did improve. I did notice straight away the lack of those beautiful descriptive passages K.G. did so well. This is okay though, just no poetry, simple prose only.

It was a very enjoyable, really fast-paced and really heartwarming children's fantasy chapter book. It had really well-drawn illustrations, great characters, great humor, great adventure and a very interesting story. I haven't read this book in a very long time. This is a very nice sequel to "The Wind in the Willows." I'm looking forward to read more "Tales of the Willows" series include "Toad Triumphant" and "The Willows and Beyond." I would recommend this book to fans of the original.

I wanted to love this sequel but in the end it turned out to be just OK. The characters just didn't have the same life within them and while I had fun reading it out loud at night to my fiancee I just wouldn't have been able to do it any other way. This is unfortunate but I don't know why I would expect anything else. Regardless when some day I have children it will be read to them as well because the adventures of Mole, Badger, Water Rat, and Toad are a must for any childhood to be complete.

This is an unofficial sequel to 'the Wind in the Willows', and carries on the adventures of Toad, Mole, Rat, Badger, and the other animals. Even though it's written by another author, he does manage to capture Grahame's writing style very well and it flows well from the first book. Obviously not one for the puritians, but I quite enjoyed it. It's great to see what might have happened next to the characters that I've grown up with.

this is the second time i have read this book - the first was to my son years ago. It is as fun to read now as it was then, i will admit i am no fan of sequels written in the name of departed authors (i am sure we can all think of a few) this was not one of them, the style reads just and easily and comfortably as is Grahame himself had written it. I think i will read the rest not and see the tales of the river bank to their conclusion.