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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
Ok, so this is my second attempt and the review better not be lost again. Grrr.
So what to say about this great dramatisation? First of all, there are two books that were adapted here:
1) Boy - in which Roald (named after Roald Amundsen, the famous explorer after whom the Amundsen Scott Base in Antarctica is named) describes his childhood, family tragedy, how they moved to England, the tricks he played on other people, the English school system (more about money for the headmaster than education, lots of thrashings) and his time as a tester for a nearby chocolate factory.
2) Going Solo - which is divided into two parts. The first part deals with a now yound adult Dahl who starts working for Shell and is sent to Africa (his dream come true)! There, he encounters colonialism (I know it was accurately described but I cringed every time somebody called one of the natives "Boy!"), a lot of VERY silly British people and basically has a good time. In the second part, war is declared and he becomes an Air Force officer.
It is clear right from the start that life was never actually easy on Roald. His mother was very sweet but other than that, it really is a miracle that he was able to see so many good and funny things in life. It begins with
There are a few incidents that really made me burst from laughter - not because they were actually funny (young Roald almost lost his nose once) but because of the way Roald Dahl told the story.
But it doesn't get much better later. Apart from colonialism, there is of course WWII. Roald Dahl never had ANY training but was suddenly made an officer and got a few flying lessons. That qualified him. Honestly, I was shocked and appalled when hearing about the immense incompetence of the British military in those days. No wonder the Germans managed to win so many battles!
Especially the stories in Greece and, later, Lybia were awful and I kept wondering how this strapping young man managed to keep his spirits up when all around him was nothing but darkness and despair. In the end, so he returns home to his mother with whom he had an immensely close relationship until her end (he wrote letters to her every week). Which is where the book ends.
For anyone interested, he didn't stay in England long. In 1942 he was sent to Washington DC and even became a spy for the British government.
In 1953 he married the Hollywood actress Patricia Neal with whom he had 5 children and was married for 30 years before they got divorced (apparently so he could marry his second wife because that came VERY shortly after). His second marriage apparently remained childless. When aged 7 (ironically when thinking of Roald's sister), his oldest daughter, Olivia, died (of measles). Seven years after getting married, Dahl himself died of pneumonia.
What I didn't know was how much he was involved in charity work regarding neurology, hematology and illiteracy. Moreover, I also didn't know that Gremlins was penned by Dahl (it was his first ever children's book). When he needed money in the 60s, he also wrote a few screenplays such as 2 adaptations of Ian Fleming's James Bond stories or the screenplay for his very own book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (the one with Gene Wilder).
There were, of course, darker sides to Dahl too. Such as the alleged anti-semitism. He once wrote:
“There’s a trait in the Jewish character that does provoke animosity […] I mean there is always a reason why anti-anything crops up anywhere; even a stinker like Hitler didn’t just pick on them for no reason.”
Apparently it is for that reason that the Queen never knighted him (which is stupid considering what other people were knighted despite their imperfect characters and things they said, but whatever).
Anyway, what I learned here is that world views were fundamentally different when Dahl was a child and young adult and that despite the sheer insurmountable odds, he seems to have barely ever been afraid. He did what had to be done and was pracmatic enough to say that feeling terror or dread helped no-one. Nevertheless, he was never cold or indifferent. Quite the contrary. His courage in WWII despite not actually having known what he was doing at first, coupled with his constant curiosity (he always questioned and scrutinized everything) and his way of seeing something comical in the darkest of moments, made him a special person in my eyes (not to mention his absolutely brilliant books).
So what to say about this great dramatisation? First of all, there are two books that were adapted here:
1) Boy - in which Roald (named after Roald Amundsen, the famous explorer after whom the Amundsen Scott Base in Antarctica is named) describes his childhood, family tragedy, how they moved to England, the tricks he played on other people, the English school system (more about money for the headmaster than education, lots of thrashings) and his time as a tester for a nearby chocolate factory.
2) Going Solo - which is divided into two parts. The first part deals with a now yound adult Dahl who starts working for Shell and is sent to Africa (his dream come true)! There, he encounters colonialism (I know it was accurately described but I cringed every time somebody called one of the natives "Boy!"), a lot of VERY silly British people and basically has a good time. In the second part, war is declared and he becomes an Air Force officer.
It is clear right from the start that life was never actually easy on Roald. His mother was very sweet but other than that, it really is a miracle that he was able to see so many good and funny things in life. It begins with
Spoiler
Roald's father losing his arm to an incompetent doctor when he was only a teenager. He becomes relatively successful nevertheless and marries young, for love. Sadly, after giving birth to her second child, the wife dies. Roald's father became depressed but realized that he needed to remarry, for the children's sake (no comment). He marries Roald's mother and together they have 4 more children. However, the oldest daughter (from the first marriage) dies of a burst appendix aged 7 which throws the father into severe depression and ultimately kills him only weeks after (pneumonia). In his last will the father declared that the family should move to England because the education was better there. *snorts*There are a few incidents that really made me burst from laughter - not because they were actually funny (young Roald almost lost his nose once) but because of the way Roald Dahl told the story.
But it doesn't get much better later. Apart from colonialism, there is of course WWII. Roald Dahl never had ANY training but was suddenly made an officer and got a few flying lessons. That qualified him.
Spoiler
But before he could see much action, he crashed his plane in the Lybian desert. This was mostly due to bad intel which made him unable to find his squadron.Especially the stories in Greece and, later, Lybia were awful and I kept wondering how this strapping young man managed to keep his spirits up when all around him was nothing but darkness and despair. In the end,
Spoiler
it is the medical aftermath of his very first crash that gets him a medical dischargeFor anyone interested, he didn't stay in England long. In 1942 he was sent to Washington DC and even became a spy for the British government.
In 1953 he married the Hollywood actress Patricia Neal with whom he had 5 children and was married for 30 years before they got divorced (apparently so he could marry his second wife because that came VERY shortly after). His second marriage apparently remained childless. When aged 7 (ironically when thinking of Roald's sister), his oldest daughter, Olivia, died (of measles). Seven years after getting married, Dahl himself died of pneumonia.
What I didn't know was how much he was involved in charity work regarding neurology, hematology and illiteracy. Moreover, I also didn't know that Gremlins was penned by Dahl (it was his first ever children's book). When he needed money in the 60s, he also wrote a few screenplays such as 2 adaptations of Ian Fleming's James Bond stories or the screenplay for his very own book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (the one with Gene Wilder).
There were, of course, darker sides to Dahl too. Such as the alleged anti-semitism. He once wrote:
“There’s a trait in the Jewish character that does provoke animosity […] I mean there is always a reason why anti-anything crops up anywhere; even a stinker like Hitler didn’t just pick on them for no reason.”
Apparently it is for that reason that the Queen never knighted him (which is stupid considering what other people were knighted despite their imperfect characters and things they said, but whatever).
Anyway, what I learned here is that world views were fundamentally different when Dahl was a child and young adult and that despite the sheer insurmountable odds, he seems to have barely ever been afraid. He did what had to be done and was pracmatic enough to say that feeling terror or dread helped no-one. Nevertheless, he was never cold or indifferent. Quite the contrary.
Spoiler
When his sergeant shot that German civilian shortly after WWII had broken out, he was apparently very much shocked and not very happy. Equally, he always mourned the senseless loss of young lives during the war.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Zo leuk! Roald Dahl <3
Ook fijn om te zien hoe enkele dingen die Roald Dahl meemaakte in zijn leven een inspiratie zijn geweest voor zijn latere boeken.
Ook fijn om te zien hoe enkele dingen die Roald Dahl meemaakte in zijn leven een inspiratie zijn geweest voor zijn latere boeken.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Boy is a 5 star book, and I’ve loved it since I was a kid. Going Solo isn’t nearly as joyfully nutty and is a solid 3-star. There just isn’t as much wackiness in Dahl’s later life.
Ik vond het heel leuk om te lezen hoe Roald Dahls leven is geweest en hoe hij heeft gevochten in de oorlog. Hij is één van mijn grootste idolen. Roald Dahl is gewoon één van de beste kinderboekenschrijvers op de hele wereld en zo zal het ook altijd blijven.
I really liked this! It was great getting to know the author on a more personal level and seeing how various little incidents throughout his life influenced his work. What striked me most about it is the subtle dark tone in some chapters especially those detailing the horrors children faced in schools back then. Dahl didn't shy away from tackling such dark themes and was sure not to make light of them,even when it seemed he was masking them with humor, I think it was just dark cynicism. Overall this was an immensely interesting read and I would especially recommend it to fans of Dahl's work.
I read it in school and did not enjoy it. At times it was boring, but it was also funny and interesting. The stories he told about the candy shop or about the summer when they were out at sea. I won't read it again but it was good in some senses.
XoXo Annie
XoXo Annie