"But E.V.Lucas, however perceptive he might have been about Conrad's sea,
did not appreciate Kenneth Grahame's river: he called 'The Wind in the
Willows', when it was published in 1908, 'a book with hardly a smile in it
...Grown-up readers will find it monotonous; children will hope in vain for
more fun.' ... he added that 'as a contribution to natural history the work
is negligible'."
from 'Critical Times: The History of The Times Literary Supplement' by
Derwent May.(pp 76-77) Harper Collins, 2001.
--
David Bircumshaw
Website and A Chide's Alphabet
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.bircumshaw/
The Animal Subsides http://www.arrowheadpress.co.uk/books/animal.html
Leicester Poetry Society: http://www.poetryleicester.co.uk
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