The Enchanted Castle

By: Edith Nesbit

Narrated by: Johanna Ward

Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

"I'm going to believe in magic as hard as I can," said Gerald firmly when they found the beautiful garden with its lake, its yew hedges, and its roses. After which it seemed only natural to find a princess lying asleep in this enchanted place, and for Jimmy to wake her with a kiss (Gerald having declined that honor with some disgust).

"I haven't had anything to eat for a hundred years," said the Princess, whose name was Mabel, and she invited them into her castle to share her repast, though strangely enough the only food she could offer was bread and cheese and water! Next she led them to her treasure chamber and showed them all her jewels, removing their last lingering doubts of the magic by putting on a ring of invisibility - and promptly disappearing!

(P)1993 by Blackstone Audiobooks

Wonderful!

What made the experience of listening to The Enchanted Castle the most enjoyable?

Just loved this book and the narration is wonderful. My 5 and 7 year old children enjoyed this book.

Enchanted Castle fun and fast

EE Nesbit's turn of the century novel revolves about 4 kids who have stumbled onto a powerful talisman. The ring is understood to grant wishes to the bearer. Hijinks surround all of the characters at one time or other and always add to entertainment value.
The four children and the French governess have their characters developed the most. Kind of reminded me of old Steven King's Stand By Me movie.

An E Nesbit classic!

performance is exceptional! the characters come alive with Johanna ward's excellent narration. worth every penny

Not the best

I could not get into this book at all. I really really tried, but it was confusing and rambling and I found my mind wandering every few minutes.

It started out well, but I lost the thread of the story and wasn’t engaged enough to find it. I’m glad I didn’t pay for it because I would have definitely returned it.

Soooo long!

This was frustrating because it took forever to be done. Each new challenge was like the story was stretched on purpose… a one time only read for me.

The Enchanted Castle

Well...it just felt too young for me. I felt so happy it was over! it is a cute story tho.

Funny, lighthearted story

I’d recommend this book for any young reader. The chapters are engaging from the start, and the characters are relatable. It’s a fun read with plenty of ideas to inspire creativity and imagination. One thing to note is that it’s very similar to Edith Nesbit’s Psammead trilogy, and in places almost tells the same story with very similar characters.

A bit Tolkein-esque.... great storyline!

What a great story and what creativity she had! We wonder if JRR Tolkien got some of his ideas about the ring from the story. The narrator did a fantastic job with all the different accents and voices!

Beautiful!

Very imaginative! Beautiful imagery that paints vivid mental pictures! The ending ties everything together beautifully.

Well written. Well read. Enchanting!

If you want a book to help you escape for a time, this is it.

Great book, with not so great narration

I thought this book was rushed through by the narrator, and it stopped me from fully enjoying it. Wouldn't recommend the listen - buy the book instead.

Beautiful, enchanting narration

The narrator has such a lovely voice and also excellent acting skills that I listened raptly.
Lovely magical story.
Overall stands up better to the modern age than some books written later! You may need to explain to boys that emotional repression is no longer considered healthy if you are listening with children!

Brilliant

Incredible, this story is amazing it’s brilliant. One of The best story’s I’ve ever heard!!!!

okay.

Very old story with old words I didn't know but story was ok.
Won't listen again.

Lovely children's story.

If you like children's stories, then this is for you. Characters, narrator, and author very good.

Not as amazing as I expected

I didn't enjoy it at all. The story, I thought, was a little too dramatic and unpleasant for children at times and also had them lie quite often. The narrative was a little drawn out. The reading was pretty good.

Lovely

Beautiful story, very well read.
If you like classic children’s literature you’ll love this book!

delightful

written in 1907, and still enchanting us today with words that flow like music. a story for old and young

The perfect children’s story

I was utterly captivated by this story as a child and have read it several times since without it losing any of its delight. The presence of the magical within such a plausible normality made the story riveting, exciting and un-put-downable. As an adult this Audible version has brought it all back perfectly and it has lost none of its charm. Beautifully read, an absolute treasure.