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sophie42's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Child abuse
Moderate: Torture and Abandonment
readingwithmeredith's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
nannahnannah's review against another edition
1.0
Oooh, yikes. I think I watched the movie version of Matilda a couple months ago and still enjoyed it thoroughly, but reading the book opened my eyes to a lot of troublesome things, and I have to say I didn't enjoy it at all.
Ugh. I'm so disappointed. It's one of those things you loved when you were little, only to discover it's incredibly problematic and lackluster when you grew up.
For one, the tone is so fatphobic it's sometimes hard for me to read the book without contempt. Many of the book's characters the audience are supposed to like are continuously described as "small", "thin", "tiny", etc., while the villains are fat and large and bulging. Fat people are described with such disgust that I'm just revolted by the author. I know this wasn't written recently, but it's just hard to read.
Not only that, but this author seems to project his own anti-feminist, anti-butch lesbian views onto this children's book. Miss Trunchbull is literally the personification of the radical feminist of his time: ugly, manly, large and bulky. She acts like a man, too, participates in what could be seen as stereotypical men's sports, has no need for marriage - in fact, she looks down on it when one of the children sings back Miss Honey's rhyme "Mrs. D Mrs. I Mrs. F F I, etc." and Miss. Trunchbull exclaims "Why are all these women married?".
Miss Trunchbull also hates anything feminine (aka the little girl /growing out/ her pigtails), and hates children. She also literally killed the patriarch of her family so she could be in charge. Reading this as a butch lesbian myself just made me roll my eyes every other page.
The plot started slowly, and then rushed faster and faster until the end just ... happened, and I was left feeling like the book ended without actually finishing, if that makes sense. There was no feeling of an actual conclusion.
And the relationship between Miss Honey and Matilda made me incredibly uncomfortable. The prose even mentions Matilda as a grown-up child rather than an actual child. And that Matilda and Miss Honey were equals. Which could make their relationship ... really weird. It's basically how Miss Honey "opens up" about her past. But she really just blurts out "my father killed himself" to a six-year-old girl. This all reads so awkwardly and worryingly. It doesn't matter if this kid is the most intelligent girl in the world, of all time! She's still a child.
Anyway, yeah ... I didn't enjoy this.
Ugh. I'm so disappointed. It's one of those things you loved when you were little, only to discover it's incredibly problematic and lackluster when you grew up.
For one, the tone is so fatphobic it's sometimes hard for me to read the book without contempt. Many of the book's characters the audience are supposed to like are continuously described as "small", "thin", "tiny", etc., while the villains are fat and large and bulging. Fat people are described with such disgust that I'm just revolted by the author. I know this wasn't written recently, but it's just hard to read.
Not only that, but this author seems to project his own anti-feminist, anti-butch lesbian views onto this children's book. Miss Trunchbull is literally the personification of the radical feminist of his time: ugly, manly, large and bulky. She acts like a man, too, participates in what could be seen as stereotypical men's sports, has no need for marriage - in fact, she looks down on it when one of the children sings back Miss Honey's rhyme "Mrs. D Mrs. I Mrs. F F I, etc." and Miss. Trunchbull exclaims "Why are all these women married?".
Miss Trunchbull also hates anything feminine (aka the little girl /growing out/ her pigtails), and hates children. She also literally killed the patriarch of her family so she could be in charge. Reading this as a butch lesbian myself just made me roll my eyes every other page.
The plot started slowly, and then rushed faster and faster until the end just ... happened, and I was left feeling like the book ended without actually finishing, if that makes sense. There was no feeling of an actual conclusion.
And the relationship between Miss Honey and Matilda made me incredibly uncomfortable. The prose even mentions Matilda as a grown-up child rather than an actual child. And that Matilda and Miss Honey were equals. Which could make their relationship ... really weird. It's basically how Miss Honey "opens up" about her past. But she really just blurts out "my father killed himself" to a six-year-old girl. This all reads so awkwardly and worryingly. It doesn't matter if this kid is the most intelligent girl in the world, of all time! She's still a child.
Anyway, yeah ... I didn't enjoy this.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Child abuse and Suicide
also: lesbophobia (specifically anti-butch)chiaraaaa's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, and Abandonment
teamoxfordcomma's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Big shocker (not): I still adore Matilda as much grown up as I did when I was a child. đź“š
What I love most about Roald Dahl books is that he treats children like the intelligent beings they are. His are some of the only MG stories I read where it doesn't feel like the author is pandering to young kids, dumbing down language so their little baby brains can comprehend. It's suitable for kids to read, but it doesn't require being a kid to appreciate the book.
Matilda is one of the stories most near and dear to my heart. Both the book and the movie – which, as it happens, is one of the best book-to-movie adaptations I've ever seen. I related to Matilda so, SO much as a kiddo. Though I didn't have a headmistress who would straight up yeet kids by the pigtails, I most certainly was a voracious reader who read way above my grade/reading level and who got that way as a means of escaping a... less-than-ideal home life situation. I used to wish a Ms. Honey would show up in my own life.
Speaking of Ms. Honey, as an adult, I can conclusively say I'd marry her in an instant (if she were real, of course). Wowzers. đź’Ť I went from loving her as a child to being in love with her now. Both the movie version and the book version have my heart skipping BEATS. One thing I didn't remember from the book and that they changed in the movie is just how poor Ms. Honey was. Like literally, she didn't have a bed, running water, electricity... I was honestly a little shook, but it did make her rightful inheritance of the Red House all the sweeter.
This is a sweet story that made me laugh. It was so familiar, reading it again. Like slipping into an old, cherished sweater. I'm happy this existed for me to grow up with, and I'm thrilled it lives on to reach another generation of young readers.
What I love most about Roald Dahl books is that he treats children like the intelligent beings they are. His are some of the only MG stories I read where it doesn't feel like the author is pandering to young kids, dumbing down language so their little baby brains can comprehend. It's suitable for kids to read, but it doesn't require being a kid to appreciate the book.
Matilda is one of the stories most near and dear to my heart. Both the book and the movie – which, as it happens, is one of the best book-to-movie adaptations I've ever seen. I related to Matilda so, SO much as a kiddo. Though I didn't have a headmistress who would straight up yeet kids by the pigtails, I most certainly was a voracious reader who read way above my grade/reading level and who got that way as a means of escaping a... less-than-ideal home life situation. I used to wish a Ms. Honey would show up in my own life.
Speaking of Ms. Honey, as an adult, I can conclusively say I'd marry her in an instant (if she were real, of course). Wowzers. đź’Ť I went from loving her as a child to being in love with her now. Both the movie version and the book version have my heart skipping BEATS. One thing I didn't remember from the book and that they changed in the movie is just how poor Ms. Honey was. Like literally, she didn't have a bed, running water, electricity... I was honestly a little shook, but it did make her rightful inheritance of the Red House all the sweeter.
This is a sweet story that made me laugh. It was so familiar, reading it again. Like slipping into an old, cherished sweater. I'm happy this existed for me to grow up with, and I'm thrilled it lives on to reach another generation of young readers.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Abandonment
Minor: Death of parent
ricksilva's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Child genius Matilda figures out how to take revenge on her callous and incompetent parents through a series of pranks. Eventually, she finds herself attending a school ruled by the iron fist of Olympic-hammer-thrower-turned-headmistress Miss Trunchbull.
But when she discovers that the powers of her mind have continued to grow, Matilda makes a plan to save her beloved teacher from the headmistress' abuse.
This story worked best in its serious moments, with the best characters being the figures who showed kindness toward Matilda, especially classroom teacher Miss Honey. The author uses the book to convey his love of literary classics through they eyes of Matilda, always hungry for beautiful words and stories. The conversation between Matilda and Miss Honey where Miss Honey's abusive childhood comes up is handled gently but with powerful emotion.
When the book tries to be silly, it does not do as well, although the lighter bits are definitely needed for the overall balance of tone. Unfortunately, the various pranks played by Matilda and others are neither imaginative nor funny, and the over-the-top cartoonish violence of Miss Trunchbull is always just on the line between ridiculous and uncomfortable.
Some of the plot twists are very abrupt, and while I appreciate the effort of getting a surprisingly complex plot into such a short book, the effect in a bit jarring, and the book seems to be having a lot of trouble figuring out what it wants to be.
But when she discovers that the powers of her mind have continued to grow, Matilda makes a plan to save her beloved teacher from the headmistress' abuse.
This story worked best in its serious moments, with the best characters being the figures who showed kindness toward Matilda, especially classroom teacher Miss Honey. The author uses the book to convey his love of literary classics through they eyes of Matilda, always hungry for beautiful words and stories. The conversation between Matilda and Miss Honey where Miss Honey's abusive childhood comes up is handled gently but with powerful emotion.
When the book tries to be silly, it does not do as well, although the lighter bits are definitely needed for the overall balance of tone. Unfortunately, the various pranks played by Matilda and others are neither imaginative nor funny, and the over-the-top cartoonish violence of Miss Trunchbull is always just on the line between ridiculous and uncomfortable.
Some of the plot twists are very abrupt, and while I appreciate the effort of getting a surprisingly complex plot into such a short book, the effect in a bit jarring, and the book seems to be having a lot of trouble figuring out what it wants to be.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent
aquaria127's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, Torture, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
joshuaedwardcrowe's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
After seeing Matilda performed live in the West End over a decade after I first watched the film, I was inspired to read the book before watching the movie again and gain the full narrative experience.
Reading Matilda as an adult was, honestly, a dark experience. I'd never read it as a child, but even walking away from the film as a child, I'd had a weird yet optimistic outlook on the story. Dahl does a very good job of representing a child's outlook on an extravagant world often dimmed by rationality. Matilda's characters, especially represented in the West End production, are bright, expansive, bold characters. While the novel lacked the camp singing and dancing that would lift any viewer up, it definitely captured the magic of Matilda
Though, a dark experience it remained. You can expect a happy ending, so don't fret. To get to that happy ending is a journey in and of itself. Adult me sees parental abuse where there is ridiculous home life, and educational abuse where there is strict teaching and a disciplinary headmistress. Reading Miss Truncuhbull's behaviour while enrobed into Matilda's world is sincerely upsetting and at times can be quite off-putting during the read. Trunchbull's ending doesn't feel like it is exaclty jut deserts to some of the violence she ensues.
Matilda is a classic everyone should read, but I am shocked this is technically a kid's title.
Reading Matilda as an adult was, honestly, a dark experience. I'd never read it as a child, but even walking away from the film as a child, I'd had a weird yet optimistic outlook on the story. Dahl does a very good job of representing a child's outlook on an extravagant world often dimmed by rationality. Matilda's characters, especially represented in the West End production, are bright, expansive, bold characters. While the novel lacked the camp singing and dancing that would lift any viewer up, it definitely captured the magic of Matilda
Though, a dark experience it remained. You can expect a happy ending, so don't fret. To get to that happy ending is a journey in and of itself. Adult me sees parental abuse where there is ridiculous home life, and educational abuse where there is strict teaching and a disciplinary headmistress. Reading Miss Truncuhbull's behaviour while enrobed into Matilda's world is sincerely upsetting and at times can be quite off-putting during the read. Trunchbull's ending doesn't feel like it is exaclty jut deserts to some of the violence she ensues.
Matilda is a classic everyone should read, but I am shocked this is technically a kid's title.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse
emceehache's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Re-reading this as an adult in 2022 was an interesting experience. I was five or six when the movie came out. I think I read the book before I was a teen.
Here are some things I noticed:
Here are some things I noticed:
- The other children in Matilda’s class are also relatable and funny
- Ms Honey is more human with her struggles than my childhood recollections.
While it’s fantastical that she found a cottage for 10p a week, her poverty is more obvious this time around. It’s also more apparent that she’s traumatised by being raised by the Trunchbull. Ms Honey asks for Matilda’s consent and yet it feels problematic that she shared her experience with a child, no matter how precocious. - Matilda is the magic, and her powers are just the icing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Classism
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Death of parent
annibear_bookworm's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse