Heidi
Classical Stories · No. 97 — The mountain that heals: a grandfather, goats, and open sky.
- Classical Stories
- 47 min
- Ages 15–99
- 7 chapters
About this audiobook
Little orphaned Heidi is brought to live with her stern, reclusive grandfather in his hut on a high Alpine pasture, where the villagers fear the gruff old 'Alm-Uncle.' But Heidi's warmth and delight in everything — the goats, the wildflowers, the mountain sunsets, her friend Peter the goatherd — slowly melt the old man's hardness, and the two become devoted to each other. Then Heidi is taken away to the city of Frankfurt to be a companion to Clara, a kind, wealthy girl who cannot walk. Heidi and Clara become dear friends, but Heidi grows pale and sleepwalks, wasting away with a homesickness so deep it becomes a real illness, until a wise doctor says the only cure is to send her home. Back on her mountain, Heidi blooms again — and when Clara comes to visit, the fresh air, goat's milk, and Heidi's joy work a gentle miracle, and Clara, step by trembling step, learns to walk.
Why it's worth a listen
A cheerful orphan is left with her gruff, solitary grandfather in a hut high in the Swiss Alps — and her sunny warmth thaws the old man's heart, until she is taken away to the city and pines so badly for the mountains that she falls ill with homesickness itself. Johanna Spyri's beloved classic about the healing power of home, kindness, and open mountain air.
A question to keep
What does a person need to truly thrive — and can homesickness itself be a kind of illness?
Chapters
- Up to the Alm
- Wind in the Pines, Gold in the Grass
- The City of Stone and Rules
- The Shadow on the Stairs
- The Only Cure
- The Mountain Heals Its Own
- A Question to Keep