Esio Trot

Esio Trot, the story of the elderly Mr Hoppy's unrequited love for Mrs Silver who loves only her tortoises, was never one of Dahl's best. The central joke of Mr Hoppy wheedling his way into Mrs Silver's affections by making it seem as if her beloved tortoise is growing, would have quickly worn thin had it not been for Quentin Blake's charming illustrations. On tape, therefore, the story quickly does wear thin and the laborious joke of tortoise language - English spelt backwards - though quite amusing to pore over in print, is reduced to a pore over in print, is reduced to a feeble recitation of 'pu', 'pu' as 'up' is turned around. Guaranteed to produce a titter but not a great addition to the story.