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.

what i'm listening to: may

 

"That's What Up"....Lennon and Maisy

 

"Where You Lead"....Carole King and Louise Goffin

{I blame Gilmore Girls for this one!}

 

"Pennies From Heaven"....Louis Prima

 

"Take Me As I Am"....Faith Hill

 

"All About Your Heart"....Mindy Gledhill

 

"I Can Love You Better"...Dixie Chicks

 

"I'm Trying To Be Like Jesus"....Emily Brown

{I dare you not to get choked up listening to this one. Dare you!}



L+L Reader Survey!!

I started this blog to share literature and life experiences, but I also really, really wanted to connect with others! In order to better do that, I've created a little {well...kind of little} reader survey so I can get feedback from YOU to take into consideration in future posts.

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Review #17: "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell

Favorite Quote:

"'Be a realist. The world is made up of two classes--the hunters and the huntees. Luckily, you and I are hunters."

"Whenever he looked up from his plate he found the general studying him, appraising him narrowly."

"'God makes some men poets. Some He makes kings, some beggars. Me He made a hunter.'"

"'There is no greater bore than perfection.'"

"'I have electricity. We try to be civilized here.'"

"'Hunting at night is so much more exciting than by day, don't you think?'"

"like some prehistoric beaver, he began to dig."

About the Main Character:

Sanger Rainsford is an experienced hunter from New York City who revels the sport. He is on a boat headed for the Amazon to hunt jaguars when he accidentally falls overboard and is stranded on a mysterious island. His hunting and reasoning skills serve him well as he tries to survive all that awaits him there.

Another Character to Note:

General Zaroff is the millionaire who owns and resides on the mysterious island Rainsford happens upon. He, too, is an exceptional hunter who became so great at hunting that he got bored of such primitive prey. He decided to go after a more dangerous opponent...no matter the moral cost {and let's be real...he doesn't seem to notice any immorality issues!}

Plot Breakdown:

With this being a short story, it's hard not to give away the entire plot when summarizing it. Essentially Rainsford is faced with a dilemma on the island that changes some of his major perspectives in life. It's about right and wrong and how the line can be blurred by simple disregard for anyone else's well-being but your own. This story is face-paced and charged with action which keeps you reading until you're done and then starting over again because you can't quite believe what happened!

Something Interesting to Note:

Connell writes with a very clear and calculated plan. General Zaroff is deeply intrigued by Rainsford cunning ability to reason. So as Connell introduces us to Rainsford he tells us that he can tell time by the position of the sun; Rainsford's happy that he heard a pistol fired because that means there are men with food on the mysterious island; he can tell what kind of gun was shot by simply looking at the cartridge; and he can pick up a trail easily by finding hunting boot tracks. 

These skills will serve him well while on the island and Connell made his experience more believable because he included these details early on in the story.

Should you read "The Most Dangerous Game" before you die?

At first, I wrote a paragraph as to why I didn't think this was a must read, but my reasons didn't out-weigh the fact that this is simply entertaining, engaging, and well-written....so it's a yes!!