4 stars
| I have always been a fan of Roald Dahl. Sadly, up to this point I had never read Fantastic Mr. Fox or The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me. This is a shame, because these were my two favorites in this collection. So glad I rectified that tragedy. Anyway, this collection contains Fantastic Mr. Fox, Esio Trot, The Enormous Crocodile, and The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me. The first was amazing. It was so entertaining and Mr. Fox’s character was so charming, you can’t help but root for him throughout the story. I may be a little biased, because this story was read by Chris O’Dowd whose voice I absolutely love. I used to put on the show Puffin Rock before going to sleep because his voice is so soothing to me. Weird, but true. Moving on, Esio Trot is rather odd. I’ve read it before, but I still cringed at the idea. It’s meant to be funny and lighthearted, but if you give it anymore than two seconds thought, it’s very creepy. Still well written, but just a little too creepy. Geoffrey Palmer does a great job reading this one. The Enormous Crocodile is funny as well. Another one I have read before, but still enjoyed hearing again (especially since Stephen Fry read it for the audiobook). Entertaining book. Not a huge fan of the ending, but it is still good. And then there is The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me. I actually was not familiar with this one before getting this audiobook, but oh my goodness it was my absolute favorite. I loved it. It was the perfect amount strange, weird, funny, odd, and hilarious, which is what I love about Dahl’s stories. Absolutely fantastic. Also loved Hugh Laurie’s reading of it. As with any Roald Dahl story, there are some things that may not be a good fit for certain readers. Drunk foxes, crocodiles trying to eat children, and the like. Just a note for those who may not be entertained by such sillliness. Overall, this is a fantastic audiobook read by a star-studded cast of talented individuals. Entertaining and fun on the whole (even though Esio Trot is so weird). Great book. Only downside to the audiobook is that you miss out on the illustrations, but you get to listen to some amazing readings, so it’s a bit of a tradeoff. Goodreads |