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A review by trike
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming
5.0
I tend not to like fiction audiobooks because my mind wanders as the reader drones on, but this was exceptional. The narrator, Andrew Sachs, was brilliant. If every audiobook were read like this, with such charm, enthusiasm and obvious delight, I’d listen to more of them. Absolutely entertaining, start to finish.
As for the story itself, it is much less terrifying than the film and far lower stakes. Despite the ominous intonations that the Pott family was frequently in “morrrtall dangerrr”, one never feels they are, really. Since this is a children’s book, that strikes just the right balance. It’s thrilling without being overly scary.
The film did carry over many of the key elements, but the addition of the child snatcher was a bridge too far, in my opinion. In this book the kids, Jeremy and Jemima, are far more active and clever. Again, as a children’s book should. As with all Fleming stories, the woman gets short shrift, as Truly Scrumptious has very little to do other than to exclaim in fear or delight. The 60s were a tad more sexist, after all. That said, a couple times throughout the story Fleming does underscore the fact that mothers are generally correct when they lecture children about the dangers of the world. So it’s not a total loss.
All in all, though, I really enjoyed this. I see that someone has put this up on YouTube, so if you have kids, you might consider playing it for them.
As for the story itself, it is much less terrifying than the film and far lower stakes. Despite the ominous intonations that the Pott family was frequently in “morrrtall dangerrr”, one never feels they are, really. Since this is a children’s book, that strikes just the right balance. It’s thrilling without being overly scary.
The film did carry over many of the key elements, but the addition of the child snatcher was a bridge too far, in my opinion. In this book the kids, Jeremy and Jemima, are far more active and clever. Again, as a children’s book should. As with all Fleming stories, the woman gets short shrift, as Truly Scrumptious has very little to do other than to exclaim in fear or delight. The 60s were a tad more sexist, after all. That said, a couple times throughout the story Fleming does underscore the fact that mothers are generally correct when they lecture children about the dangers of the world. So it’s not a total loss.
All in all, though, I really enjoyed this. I see that someone has put this up on YouTube, so if you have kids, you might consider playing it for them.