The Battle for Gullywith cover art

The Battle for Gullywith

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The Battle for Gullywith

By: Susan Hill
Narrated by: Susan Hill
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About this listen

 A stone army, an enchanted castle, mysterious ancient powers - and some very clever tortoises - Olly finds there's more than meets the eye at Gullywith.

When his family moves to Gullywith Farm in the Lake District, Olly just can't imagine being happy in his new home. Gullywith is the coldest house in the world, and no one has lived there for years.

Then Olly meets KK, and she tells him locals won't go near the place. It does seem to be jinxed - the roof falls in, walls collapse but even more strangely, Olly notices that there are stones at Gullywith that can move around of their own accord - stones with ancient markings on them. He feels sure that they are angry about something. KK takes Olly to see the mysterious Nonny Dreever to ask his advice, and he tells them they must return the stones to Withern Mere.

As they search for the answer to Gullywith's secret, Olly is drawn into a world of myth, magic, and midnight adventure deep inside the surrounding hills. What is the ancient power that controls the stones and can anything be done to end their hold over Gullywith?

Susan Hill deftly weaves a tale of real life and enchantment to delight young readers.

©2007 Long Barn Books Ltd (P)2008 Long Barn Books Ltd Science Fiction & Fantasy

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Critic reviews

"This is a perfect family book because the adult reader will share the pleasure of the listening child." (The Guardian)
"Hill creates a colourful, magical world which you experience with every sense." (The Bookbag)
"The adventures are sometimes festive, sometimes perilous - all colourfully described. The story is so competently told and moves, in short chapters, so swiftly from one excitement to the next that readers haven't breath to question the magic." (Armadillo)
All stars
Most relevant  
I'm sure lots of children will enjoy this book 📖 my grandson enjoyed it

a guide child's book

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I have thoroughly enjoyed this book. I listened to it in one go and I was entranced the whole time. 71 years young and I still love books like this..

This is what books should be like.

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I enjoy fiction for all ages and whilst the story was satisfying the narration most certainly wasn’t. The narrator read the story as if to a three year old child. I am a retired English teacher yet I felt so patronised by the narrator that, had I not wanted to find out how the story was resolved, I would have stopped listening before the end. I can’t believe that the age group that this was aimed at would enjoy being read to in such a manner.

The Battle for Me to Listen to the Narrator of Gullywith

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A lovely children's story of a family uprooting to move to the country. It tells of the son Oliver's period of adjustment and his magical adventures as he attempts to save the home called Gullywith which the family has bought. It all happens during the long summer holidays and indirectly the adventures also help Oliver settle into his new school

A magical tale

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Easy listening for an adult but interesting, fun and engaging. Liked the real life family.
Hope there's more.

Gullywith wins

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Children's fantasy novel from the versatile Susan Hill. I'm sorry to say that I got bored and gave up about halfway through; it was my fault, not the book's, which turns out to have been clearly written for a pre-teen audience. I was looking for something a bit more all-ages and the blurb suggested a folkloric quality akin to Alan Garner, but 'The Battle For Gullywith' is nothing like that; it most reminded me of Susan Cooper's 'The Dark Is Rising' (it even has a similar period feel despite being written in 2008). On the plus side, Hill's narration was surprisingly professional (not many authors do their books justice), although the emphatic delivery underscored the children's book nature of the piece.

Nonny Dreever Said (The Polish Builders Are Back)

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Such a shame. Susan Hill is a great author but she makes the mistake of reading this like she's reading to very young children, and as I work with children, I know that the rather patronising style quickly palls with them, as well as me! Someone else e.g Nadia May? would do a much better job. Do it again, please!

disappointed

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What disappointed you about The Battle for Gullywith?

The story was laboured, confused and so slow to develop.
The narration was poor - just read as if an average reader was reading to to their child - no differentiation between characters and no real feeling to the storyline

Would you ever listen to anything by Susan Hill again?

Not after this!

What didn’t you like about Susan Hill’s performance?

As said - just a very unemotional reading

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Battle for Gullywith?

I gave up after an hour!

dull dull dull

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