I loved this audiobook. In fact I loved it so much that I ended up buying it, even though it was included in the audible plus catalogue. It’s a lovely book full of fun, adventures, and magic. It was the perfect escape from real life.
There were so many funny moments throughout as the children went on adventures with both the carpet and the phoenix. Their parents were hardly around most of the time. Their father was at work, and their mother seemed to go off visiting relatives or getting away for health reasons, and just leaving the children with the servants. I know this book is over a hundred years old, but it was so odd!! The children weren’t bothered about being left by themselves, in fact they loved the adventures, because they were really bored stuck at home in Camden, in London.
I loved the BBC series when I was a child, but had never read the book, probably because it was considered a classic, and I didn’t read classics except for O’levels and the less said about that the better! I’ve just discovered a clip of the series from 1976 on YouTube and although it looks pretty ropey, it captures the book very well.
Johanna Ward’s narration was perfect, she brought all the characters to life brilliantly. I particularly liked her portrayal of the Phoenix, who although pompous at times was also good fun.
If you enjoy children’s books I highly recommend this lovely story, especially on audio.