Charming!

This is a beautifully read Gothic tale for young people, fun for adults, too. Think The Secret Garden plus Dickens with just a dash of alternative world: those wolves!

5 people found this helpful

Loved this book when I read it in grade school

I still love it as an adult. I plan on reading her other books in addition😊

4 people found this helpful

Great story, not-so-awesome reading

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Wolves of Willoughby Chase?

I love this story, but the reading was slightly disappointing. It's probably because I grew up listening to this story on audiocassette and the reader was much livelier and more energized than this audiobook. I wonder if I hadn't experienced that at first if the reader wouldn't bother me as much.

3 people found this helpful

A classic comes alive!

Any additional comments?

I loved this book as a kid and I love it just as much as an adult. In The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Joan Aiken presents an exciting story filled with memorable characters, including plucky orphans, cruel villains, terrifying wolves, and a boy who raises chickens. The protagonists, cousins Sylvia and Bonnie Green, will earn a cherished place in your memory as clever, affectionate heroines who use courage, intelligence and ingenuity in a quest to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds.

In addition to being memorable and appealing, Aiken’s tale is a lovingly crafted pastiche, which pays tribute to several different genres, including ghost stories, Gothic novels, and the works of Charles Dickens (which truly are a genre unto themselves). The prose is both eloquent and elegant. When you read it, you will yearn for the days in which everyone spoke in grammatically correct sentences and children could be expected to know the definitions of words like, “slavering” and “reticule.” In short, Joan Aiken makes the English language sing.

I can think of no better narrator for this book than Lizza Aiken, whose performance is both natural and engrossing. The audiobook begins with an essay by Lizza Aiken in which she discusses her mother’s life and the process by which she wrote The Wolves of Willoughby Chase. Apparently, Joan Aiken gathered her two children together (Lizza has a brother, John) and read them each chapter of the book as it was written. You can almost hear Lizza channeling her mother as she narrates.

If you loved The Wolves of Willoughby Chase in your childhood, this audiobook will rekindle all of your glorious memories of it. If you are reading the book for the first time, you and your children will surely find it to be a great joy to which you will want to return year after year.

1 person found this helpful

Great story

Great story I love how much Sylvia and Bonnie care for each other The story is very exciting and adventurous.

1 person found this helpful

💖💗💓💕💞💝

This is such a great book and story and the overall performance was amazing love it

wonderfully written story

Good paced adventure. I loved that the narrator was British to go with a British story.

The wolves of Willoughby chase review

It was a thoroughly splendid, enjoyable, marvelously classical book! I would recommend it to anyone who wants to ditch comics and modern books and find enjoyment in the classical works of Joan Aiken, Louisa May Alcott, and L.M. Montgomery. Suitable for all ages above 9 and all sexes!

Classic

A childhood favorite, this does not disappoint for any age. The narrator is also lovely!

A beautiful story with lovely narration.

This is as one of my favorite books as a child. The narration is beautiful and not distracting, allowing the reader to get lost in the tale.