Toad Triumphant

I loved reading The Wind in the Willows with my kids and was glad I came upon that piece of literature for my own sake that I wouldn't have otherwise. I was concerned a sequel by another author would ruin it. But The Willows in Winter lives up to the original and is a joy to read, and this one is almost as good.

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.