Thursday, February 17, 2005

The Wind in the Willows (by Kenneth Grahame)

So he's a toad... who puts on a dress... and makes everyone believe he is a woman... and then he rides a horse... so he's the size of a man... but in fact he's a toad. And his idiocy and vanity are supposed to be charming, because he is "irrepressible" or something. What the hell ever. You have to be seven years old to enjoy this book.

In fact, I cannot believe this dumb anthropomorphic frog book is on my reading list. Watership Down it ain't.

"Toad sat up slowy and dried his eyes. Secrets had an immense attraction for him, because he never could keep one, and he enjoyed the sort of unhallowed thrill he experienced went he wentand told another animal, after having faithfully promisd not to." (Page 86)

3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ah, so it is now time to lend you George Alec Effinger's "Two Sadnesses." Although considering that you didn't stumble upon just a little bit of affection for Mole and Rat, you may find yourself not even One Sad.

Really, though, the point of that story is not to make you sad, but to -- ah, whatever, I'll just make you read it. It's short.

2:23 PM  
Blogger mo pie said...

Oh, I liked Mole and Rat very much! I just thought they should have kicked Toad to the curb. Hard.

5:23 PM  
Blogger Janet Egan said...

I hated it at age 7 and suddenly loved it at 47. I want to live in Badger's cellar. Ratty is darn right about messing about in boats. Toad is a prick.

If you look at it as a male-bonding road novel about Mole and Ratty and view Toad as an unfortunate aside, it has merit.

7:47 PM  

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