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daisyfont's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Car accident, Animal death, and Child death
miriamana's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
I read this book as a young child who adored Roald Dahl's books for children. In 'Boy', I was absolutely fascinated and enamoured by the descriptions of the young Dahl getting into trouble and surviving ordeals in a world so unlike my own but so strikingly close to the fictional worlds he wrote about. Cruel adults, fiendish pranks, and grand ambitious adventure are all fixtures of the Dahl story that quite naturally mirror his fiction. The narration is very like Dahl's fictional narration, which makes his recounted memories sound like tall tales, but it's as fun and engaging as any Dahl story about childhood. I hadn't realised that Dahl wrote 'Boy' just a few years before his death - I used to cry as a child thinking of how I would never be able to meet my favourite writer... but as an adult now, perhaps I'm glad I didn't! The charm and adventure and prosperity of Dahl's life retold in 'Boy' that was so enthralling to me as a child now grates on me, but maybe I'm jaded and bitter from realising the questionable undertones of Dahl's work and character. I was certainly watching with glittering eyes the world around me as a child and seeing magic everywhere - I have to give Dahl credit for that, and this book is undoubtedly marvellous for fans of his children's stories.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Child abuse
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