Toad Triumphant

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as the first two
Review: I thought the original Wind in the Willows and the sequel Willows in Winter were better executed than Toad Triumphant. Toad Triumphant is a little disjointed, the characterization a little unbelievable at times (e.g. mole's depression) and the story sags in parts (although things pick up with Horwood's clever ending). On the other hand, Patrick Benson deserves high marks for his excellent illustrations which accompany the text. I suppose Mr. Horwood wanted to try something a little different by delving into the histories of the river bank animals and bringing romantic love into their world, but I don't believe this approach worked as well. I feel the book is better than average, but as I said, I like Kenneth Grahame's orginal and Horwood's first sequel better.

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as the first two
Review: I thought the original Wind in the Willows and the sequel Willows in Winter were better executed than Toad Triumphant. Toad Triumphant is a little disjointed, the characterization a little unbelievable at times (e.g. mole's depression) and the story sags in parts (although things pick up with Horwood's clever ending). On the other hand, Patrick Benson deserves high marks for his excellent illustrations which accompany the text. I suppose Mr. Horwood wanted to try something a little different by delving into the histories of the river bank animals and bringing romantic love into their world, but I don't believe this approach worked as well. I feel the book is better than average, but as I said, I like Kenneth Grahame's orginal and Horwood's first sequel better.