Wonderful

Loved all these William books as a child and as an adult. Martin Jarvis brings the scamp to life!!!!

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Excellent all round…

Martin Jarvis’s narration is superb and the stories are laugh aloud. Looking forward to the next volume. Thoroughly enjoyable.

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Fun stories excellently narrated

Another heart-warming William book - great fun for adults and children alike as I can attest.

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2 people found this helpful

Beautifully read and such a joy to listen to

The stories are always uproariously hilarious and Martin Jarvis has the perfect cadence in delivering them.

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it was so funny and it's amazing for adults and kids alike!!

I liked how the author wrote it in (the language) I thought it was hilarious and Martin Jarvis is definitely a brilliant reader!!!

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Funny, simple and timeless.

I loved this book and it brings back childhood memories. William is very much like my son and these stories hold him spellbound.

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The best I every way

Martin Jarvis brings the characters to life. I listen to these stories at bedtime and fall asleep with a smile. Thank you Martin. Thank you Richmal.

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The antidote to Enid Blyton

Martin Jarvis has made a nice little sideline of reading Richmal Crompton's William books on the BBC for ages. Then they appeared on tapes and CDs, and now they are available here. If you haven't heard them before, then you are in for a big treat, just so long as you can accept the conventions of early to mid-twentieth century British middle-class life. My own early life was a generation after William's, although I did go to school wearing grey flannel shorts, a school cap, blazer and tie, we had no servants at home, and the increase in road traffic curtailed my generation's capacity to roam widely.



Once you have projected yourself into this prelapsarian age then the antics of William and the Outlaws become compulsive. In much the same way that P. G. Wodehouse's books appeal to those who cannot have been acquainted with realities on which they draw, Richmal Crompton's stories set eternal themes and their inevitable conclusions in a way which often leads the reader, or in this case listener, to collapse in fits of uncontrollable mirth. This was proved by my grand-daughter, who is still eight, becoming a hopeless devotee of the stories. Her background could not be more different from that of William and his chums, but she will sit quietly for hours listening to Martin Jarvis's voice on her iPod.



And there, of course, is a major part of the appeal. Through many years of narrating the books Martin Jarvis has developed a capacity to inhabit the world and to animate the characters which adds considerably to the pleasure of the books. His sense of timing and delivery has been honed to a razor sharp edge, and the personalities and scenes come to life in a vividly entertaining way.



Of course, if your preferred children's book character is Rastamouse then you may find William unsatisfactory.

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13 people found this helpful

Really enjoyable

I love the way Martin Jarvis makes the stories come to life. How nice to find out that William has a really kind heart despite all the mayhem he creates.

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A pleasure to revisit a childhood friend.

If you could sum up William's Happy Days in three words, what would they be?

Amusing, warm and timeless. I loved these books as a child in the 80's, having no idea that they were set the 1940's. William's adventures have a universal appeal that feels real and new in any decade.

What was one of the most memorable moments of William's Happy Days?

Anything at all involving Jumble the dog.

What about Martin Jarvis’s performance did you like?

Jarvis didn't overwork the humour or sarcasm and gave William a voice that is believable and lively.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

William versus the world: This time it's personal.

Any additional comments?

I love revisiting childhood favourites as audiobooks ('Swallows and Amazons' are also well worth a listen,) and this didn't disappoint. The characters are still just as warm and somehow believable, and William's blunt charm is just as endearing as ever.

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5 people found this helpful