The Willows and Beyond

Tales of the Willows #3

by William Horwood, Patrick Benson (Illustrator)

Toad of Toad Hall has his finest hour – in the final volume of William Horwood’s bestselling Tales of the Willows sequence. First in The Willows in Winter and then in Toad Triumphant, William Horwood returned to the idyllic setting of The Wind in the Willows and successfully brought back Kenneth Grahame’s much-loved characters in two new bestselling tales. Now he brings to a triumphant conclusion one of the world’s most popular stories – with over 60 illustrations by the award-winning Patrick Benson. It began, long ago, when Mole abandoned his spring-cleaning and first met Ratty, Badger, Otter and, of course, the exasperating Toad. Now we find the loyal companions approaching the autumn of their lives, reflecting on their many escapades together, and preparing to hand over to the next generation. But there are still plenty of surprises in store, for young and old – especially when their beloved River Bank way of life is suddenly threatened with destruction.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Classics, Childrens, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Nature

290 pages, Paperback

First published November 4, 1996

About the author

William Horwood is an English novelist. His first novel, Duncton Wood, an allegorical tale about a community of moles, was published in 1980. It was followed by two sequels, forming The Duncton Chronicles, and also a second trilogy, The Book of Silence. William Horwood has also written two stand-alone novels intertwining the lives of humans and of eagles, The Stonor Eagles and Callanish , and The Wolves of Time duology. Skallagrigg, his 1987 novel about disability, love, and trust, was made into a BBC film in 1994. In addition, he has written a number of sequels to The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.

In 2007, he collaborated with historian Helen Rappaport to produce Dark Hearts of Chicago, a historical mystery and thriller set in nineteenth-century Chicago. It was republished in 2008 as City of Dark Hearts with some significant revisions and cuts under the pen name James Conan.

Reviews

[_och_man_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Czy istnieje limit łez wylanych nad fikcyjną historią? Mija okrągła godzina, a ja nadal nie mogę się uspokoić.

Nie mogłam wymarzyć sobie piękniejszego (choć przy tym nie mniej bolesnego) zakończenia serii - w którym tak zręcznie przenika się nostalgiczna przeszłość i niepewna przyszłość. Ostatni tom, jaki wyszedł spod pióra następcy Grahame'a mogę uznać za najlepszy w jego dorobku. Uważam również (i piszę to z pełną odpowiedzialnością za swoje słowa), że nic nie stoi na przeszkodzie, by stawiać go na równi z dziełem pierwotnym.
Mam nadzieję, że ta część mojej duszy, która odeszła wraz z ostatnią przerzuconą stroną książki, powędruje Tam Dalej.

[Renee Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I doubt anyone but Mr. Horwood could have wrapped up the lives of the beloved Mole, Ratty, Toad, Badger, and Otter so lovingly. This is a poignant read, and brought tears to my eyes more than once. If you love THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS, you must read these follow-up books. It is the only time I have ever known a "different" author to successfully tackle a beloved classic.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The River Bank friends are getting older, and begin to pass the torch to the younger generation. Badger has his long-lost Grandson, Toad has adopted a distant toad cousin from France as his ward, and Mole has his Nephew to carry on the family traditions. Now Rat hears from an old friend from long ago, the Sea Rat, who needs his help, and all Rat's old feelings of wanting to travel and explore the world come back to haunt him. The River itself is undergoing changes as the modern world begins to encroach on the peaceful river banks.

My heart is too full. This book broke my heart! Seeing these dear characters, Mole and Ratty, Otter, Toad, and Badger all getting old and frail was so difficult, but a fitting end to their charming stories. And I loved seeing how they pass on their wisdom to the younger folks, and rejoice to see the young people thriving and carrying on the heritage of the River Bank.

I just adore the writing style, which is so similar to Kenneth Grahame's story-telling style that I can barely tell the difference. It's all old-fashioned charm and grace!

I love the plot and the new stories for all the River Bankers as they navigate through a new set of problems and adventures. Every plot line kept me interested and engaged with the story!

I love this whole series so much!

[Gina House · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75🌟 This might be my favorite book in the William Horwood Willows series so far!

Omg, I cried and cried throughout this entire book. Not only for heartbreaking parts, but for the touching, tender and lovely descriptions of friendship, bravery, growing old and beginning again.

I don't want to spoil anything for book friends who haven't read The Willows and Beyond, so I won't say too much. But, I was completely immersed and invested in this third novel as soon as I started reading. I had the flu at the time, so cuddling up with this book was such a comfort.

Patrick Benson's glorious illustrations are half of the reason why I love this book so much. The other half is William Horwood's thoughtful and beautiful writing style. You would never know that Kenneth Grahame himself didn't write these books. The combination of the well-written story, the charming illustrations and the lovable characters makes for the best reading experience ever.

The only reason I feel hesitant to give this book 5 stars is that I think I might like The Willows at Christmas a tiny bit more, so I have to leave room. Otherwise, all of these books can be counted as my favorite classic children's series of all time. (Probably even surpassing the Narnia series and Little House on the Prairie series!)

So much love and gratitude to my dearest friend Caro (@carosbookcase on Instagram) for suggesting that we read this series together. I thought I loved the original The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame so much, but these subsequent books might even be more of a favorite for me! The joy, coziness, comfort and laughter I've received from the entire series (with only The Willows at Christmas to read this December!) has been such a gift to me!

Very highly recommended (for any and all ages)!

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the concluding book of the series - where if you like one set of stories end and the next take their place however there is a sense of coming full circle so there is no need to tell more. The style and storyline read and feel just like he original and still hold their charm all these years after I read them first to my son. If you enjoyed wind in the willows this cannot be a more fitting finale - however read the others first - it would be a shame to cut the story short prematurely.

[Melanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

How dare he presume to kill off the Riverbankers! Never have I been so hurt and upset by the death of childhood characters. It wasn't his place to do so. The characters should've been allowed to live on for future generations to enjoy, without the cloud of this book hanging over them.

[Tonari · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was not easy to give a rating to this book, initially I intended to rate it just 3 stars, then 5, then I thought 4 could be more appropriate and at the end I changed my mind again and made it one of the few 5 stars book in my collection.
The fact is that William Horwood made a choice before writing the "Tales of the Willows": he chose to tell not just a story of the Riverbank, but THE story of the Riverbank. In the first book you won't notice his intentions and you will be just happy to read again about Mole, Ratty and the others; in the second book it becomes clearer because you see a new generation approaching, but still you would never expect what happens in last volume of the series, that is the passing of the company of the Riverbank.
I see from other comments that there are people unhappy with this. I understand them, they see the characters as immortals, which they were probably intended to be in Grahame's mind (thus the reason why they are simply named "Rat" or "Toad"). Letting them die was like seeing Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse die.
From my part I respect the author's choice and I am happy with his message: no one lives forever, we can only hope to survive in the spirit of our future generations, at least till the end of mankind.
In this sense William Horwood killed no one of his characters: there is a new Mole at the end, a new Badger, a new Otter and Ratty and Toad. They are still together. But they are different: nothing happens in the same way twice, but still nothing really changes.

This book made me sad (I cried when I saw the last trip of Mole and Ratty), worried (more than once, for Ratty and Toad), happy and wistful (in the Christmas part). It's true there is a sense of "decadence", of time passing by, but in the end I thought that I couldn't give less than 5 stars to a book that moved me such.
The Willows and Beyond is a great book, less adventurous and more introspective than the first two volumes. It is also better written.
I recommend it to everyone, but don't be fooled: this is not a kid book and needs to be read and understood very well to be enjoyed.

To all those who have been disappointed or even got angry by this novel, I would like to remind that this is not by any means an "official" sequel. The original "Wind in the Willows" is public domain in many countries and Horwood just told HIS story. Everyone else is free to make his own.

[Nigel Williamson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this to keep reading about Mole, Ratty, Toad, Otter and the lives of the Riverbank, but I forgot that all lives come to an end, at least Horwood seemed to think it was his duty to bring about the end of the story of the most wonderful people to ever stroll along the Riverbank, and so he does, thereby destroying the most cherished and positively last remnant of my childhood. Once upon a time I could sit down on a wet Sunday and read 'The Wind in the Willows' and bask again in the eternal 'now' of the Riverbank - not any more, so thank you, Horwood, you have done what recession, mortgages, marriage and advancing age have all so far not succeeded in doing - dropping a great big wet cowpat on my memories and fantasies of the world I wished I lived in. I may forgive you one day, but don't hold your breath.......

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good bye Toad, Mole, Ratty, and Badger. The last book in the wind in the willows series was beautifully written and full of heart and tears. After reading all the books arrow, I found this book to be my favorite. The story was a beautiful wrap up of the telling of dear friendship over the years. As hard as it was to see these characters grow old it was inevitable. In the end, I had tears streaming down my face as I waved good bye to the river bank and it’s furry inhabitants.

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming tale with a poignant ending.

[Hyaroo Hyaroo · Rating 4 out of 5]

There have been a lot of people over the years who have tried to write sequels to Kenneth Grahame's classic children's novel.

None of them, I would say, have ever QUITE managed to recapture the tone and feel of Grahame's masterpiece, or QUITE capture the personalities of the Riverbankers... but I think William Horwood is the one who gets the closest to managing.

Now, granted, Horwood does have a tendency in his sequels to retread old plot points, either used by Grahame, or by Horwod himself in previous books. This is the final Willows book -- do we really need yet another "Toad-gets-in-trouble-with-the-law" plot point? Does there have to be yet another farcical trial? Am I the only one who's a little sick of each book having to have at least one of the animals get sick and bedridden? Aren't the High Judge and his ilk thoroughly played out as villains at this point?

And sometimes Horwood gets oddly and specifically preachy about the weirdest things -- like in this book, an entire chapter is dedicated to how horribly, horribly wrong and mean it was for Mole not to let Rat go off to sea on a whim back when he got a touch of irrational wanderlust in Kenneth Grahame's novel. HUH?! This comes totally out of nowhere and just has me scratching my head.

He also has this unfortunate tendency to get long-winded, with the result that the book just DRAGS. "The Willows and Beyond" is definitely the book where this problem is most apparent; several scenes go on for much too long, and particularly towards the end there's a sense of fatigue. At least three times, the story felt like it should have ended right there, but it just kept going and going.

But.... All that said, when Horwood is on, he's REALLY on. He's great at turning a phrase and making the narrative and the character sound like they really were written back in Grahame's day, and the parodic look at rural England of the time remains intact; with the same surreal mix of mundane and weird that comes from how the characters are both human and animal at the same time.

Several parts are even laugh-out-loud funny, especially when Toad is involved, and I'd be lying if I didn't say Horwood didn't know just how to tug at the heartstrings, or get you to cheer loudly for the protagonists, at just the right time.

"The Willows and Beyond" is definitely the most melancholy of his Willows books, though. This is a book about endings, and about how the ever-changing nature of things means that everything we love and hold dear will one day be irrevocably gone, and sometimes there's nothing you can do except move on.

At the same time, it also shows that you CAN move on. When something ends, something else begins. The River that flows on might not be the same River as before, but it still flows. And that's a great comfort.

All in all, while "The Willows and Beyond" (as well as Horwoods other Willows sequels) has too many flaws and annoyances to deserve a perfect score, it's still a good read; alternately funny, tragic, heartwarming and melancholy.

[D.A. Fellows · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 stars. In terms of the writing, it’s as good as any of Horwood’s Willows, which is to say, almost as good as Kenneth Grahame’s original. The trouble with this one is: it’s all a bit grim. Politically relevant, yes...but anybody who reads a book about four cute anthropomorphic woodland creatures is likely to be against deforestation, anyway; the people who need to hear the message within this book are not going to read it! Instead, those who do are just left bummed out by something they can’t stop.

It certainly doesn’t help matters when Horwood becomes the Terminator in the final chapter and systemically wipes out each beloved character one by one. Yes: dying is a part of living, but it at least could have been implied, the older generation sitting together reminiscing on their old adventures.

It all makes for a less charming, less humorous adventure than the previous instalments, and leaves me with disappointment as the overriding emotion upon concluding the Riverbankers’ adventures.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, now I've read this last book of the Wind in the Willows series and feel a nice, cozy sense of closure-except the library didn't have Toad Triumphant. Funny thing is, yesterday I found it in the vintage children's books section of Half-Price Books! (Hardcover, with dust jacket, can I get a "Woo-HOo!"?)
Anyway, this book takes our dear friends all the way to the peaceful end and yet one feels the stories might continue, because their families do. One big surprise about 3/4 of the way through had me in tears (of happiness) and feeling rather sorry for myself that I wasn't some creature of the river bank myself. Sigh, none of Horwoods's books are 100% as wonderful as Kenneth Grahame's original, but they are darn near it I think. Definately worth reading.

[Malcolm Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is without a doubt the end of the series. It’s a very bittersweet tale of life and the passage of years and the end of things. I must confess I was a mess by the end of this one. Full of the delicate charm of the rest of the series, this one also packs one hell of a punch.

[pat Tonge · Rating 5 out of 5]

29/52 featuring the environment
Another beautifully written book about Ratty,Mole and Mr Toad.
The Wild Wood is about to be demolished to build a housing estate and the River Bankers are heavily involved in trying to prevent this.

[Dorthea Kinnaman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book to be more readable than the original classic.

[Kathie Harrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartwarming

A journey through friendship, hardship and new beginnings. A heartwarming end or beginning, it's all how you look at it.

[s · Rating 4 out of 5]

i cant believe i actually cried over them boom

[Mortisha Cassavetes · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the Rat, Mole, Badger, Toad and Otter are growing older, the Riverbank is changing and not for the good. Mole has taken in his young nephew, Toad has taken on the responsibility of taking care of his cousin, Badger has his grandson and Rat hears from his friend the Sea Rat and so Rat is dreaming of the sea while the river is suffering from the modern world encroaching on their homes. Such a heart touching story. I loved it! Highly recommend this book as well as the series.

[Kest Schwartzman · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not just that everyone dies it's the zoning meetings and the political corruption and the slow pollution and the sheer BLEAKNESS of the whole situation. The first half is very wind-in-the-willows, with the "beast" and even the arrival of Young Rat, but.... things just get real REAL dark from there.

[Christine McCann · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 A very strong finish to the series. Although it lacks Grahame's lyrical language, Horwood crafts an affecting story of deep friendships and really gives the reader a series of lessons of how to be a good friend in this tale. There are some high jinks, but deeper themes of change and the continuity of life underpin this story.

[John Bohnert · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final book in this Willows series was rather sad.
It meant the end of the folks who lived by the river.
However, I'm very glad that William Horwood decided to publish the three books in this series.
I recommend them to any fans of THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS.

[Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was lovely. Some of the passages were so beautifully written I had to pause and think about them. It also made me cry. The original Wind in the Willows is such a masterpiece, but this is a wonderful compliment to it.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely good and satisfying conclusion to this cute sequel series to Wind In The Willows. I really loved this book and the great characters in it. Fair warning, read the end of this one at home, there will be bittersweet tears. The ending was done extremely well and I loved it. 5/5 stars.

[Vanessa Dargain · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite of Horwood's " willows " books .

[Forrest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure magical!

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

The passing of the torch from the old guard to a new generation. In many ways a bitter sweet goodbye.

[Neil Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed it. Unsure how faithful it is to the original but its not an issue I had with the story.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This seems to be the final story featuring Mr. Toad, Mole, Ratty and Badger. They get quite involved with the building of new homes in the wild woods.

[happylittlebirdy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars