Review #18: "The Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame

Favorite Quotes:

"he sat on the bank, while the river still chattered on to him, a babbling procession of the best stories in the world, sent from the heart of the earth to be told at last to the insatiable sea." -page 8

" The Mole never heard a word he was saying. Absorbed in the new life he was entering upon, intoxicated with the sparkle, the ripple, the scents and the sounds and the sunlight, he trailed a paw in the water and dreamed long waking dreams." -page 11

"we must all live and let live" -page 52

"and they braced themselves for the last long stretch, the home stretch, the stretch that we know is bound to end, some time, in the rattle of the door-latch, the sudden firelight, and the sight of familiar things greeting us as long-absent travellers from far oversea." -page 56

"Indeed, much that he related belonged more properly to the category of what-might-have-happened-had-I-only-thought-of-it-in-time-instead-of-ten-minutes-afterwards. Those are always the best and the raciest adventures; and why should they not be truly ours, as much as the somewhat inadequate things that really come off?" -page 151

About the Main Character:

The Mole is probably the main character of the story although there are four animals that take the lead at different parts of this novel. He lives a modest, uneventful life until he decides to venture away from his home one day. He quickly befriends the Water Rat and his adventures begin!

Another Character to Note:

Mr. Toad is the conceited, boastful, wealthy animal of River Bank. He keeps the story interesting with his constant mishaps. From stealing cars to breaking out of prison, he just can't quite figure it out. That is until he loses his home to a few unwelcome visitors from the Wild Wood.

Plot Breakdown:

This is a novel about the Mole, the Water Rat, the Badger, and the Toad and how they band together in friendship to explore the land they live in and all the trouble they can get into.

And that is basically it. The writing is very elaborate and each noun gets about six adjectives. 

 The kindness and dedicated friendship is my favorite part of the novel, but overall I found it to be a really slow and rather boring read.

Something Interesting to Note:

I don't know if this is something to note, but I couldn't decide for the majority of the novel what a "Water Rat" was? I still can't decide. I mean I'm assuming it's a rat, but did Grahame make up this "Water Rat" title because his personified character lived on the river? Or are there actual animals called "water rats"? I would love to know what anyone else thinks!

Should you read The Wind in the Willows before you die?

This one is a no for me. It's only 165 pages and I swear it took me over a week to read it because I was so bored. The stories are sweet, but way too fluffed up for my taste.