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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
Even though it has been many years since I have read this book, I can still remember my 8 year old self being extremely invested in the father and son storyline. I also remember desiring to eat pheasants because I had become curious of what it tasted like (if you read the book you’ll understand).
What a lovely book about a boy, his dad, and all their adventures together!
Not your typical Dahl and by that I mean nothing impossible, magical, or otherwise overly wacky happens at all. The best thing about it is the relationship between Danny and his Dad and the overall message to parents about their children. I loved it and my daughter (age 8) really liked it but thought it was a little boring at times.
- This story had all the charm and characteristics of a Roald Dahl book, but it was long. It felt long. Gnome enjoyed it though.
- I really liked that Danny's dad told him stories about The BFG. It was fun.
- The pheasant hunting was fun, but it took a while to get to it.
- I enjoyed the book alright, but there were a few slow parts, and I got bored at times.
- I liked all the characters.
Gnome's Thoughts:
- It had a good ending.
- There were funny parts.
- I really liked that Danny's dad told him stories about The BFG. It was fun.
- The pheasant hunting was fun, but it took a while to get to it.
- I enjoyed the book alright, but there were a few slow parts, and I got bored at times.
- I liked all the characters.
Gnome's Thoughts:
- It had a good ending.
- There were funny parts.
One of my favorite books as a kid and I'm thrilled to say that it's held up.
This was a re-read of a childhood favourite. Kid me would probably have rated it five stars, and I have very fond memories of it (and the Jeremy Irons film too). Now I was suddenly aware of all the subtext with the poaching and it took a bit of the joy out of it. Sympathising with Victor was definitely not something I did before. Still, even with that the father/son dynamic is still an absolute favourite of mine, and it is just a sweet tale of getting one over the Bad Guys.
(Also, more randomly, a few moments that had stuck with me for literal years were: the description of people smiling with their eyes, the idea of Danny's father writing a different fact every day for the schoolchildren and the image of the meat pie Danny gets given with eggs hidden inside of it like buried treasure. I don't even particularly like pie and his description of it was enough to get me salivating. I'm not sure what it means that those were the ones I chose to remember, but reading the lines again was like coming across old friends.)
(Also, more randomly, a few moments that had stuck with me for literal years were: the description of people smiling with their eyes, the idea of Danny's father writing a different fact every day for the schoolchildren and the image of the meat pie Danny gets given with eggs hidden inside of it like buried treasure. I don't even particularly like pie and his description of it was enough to get me salivating. I'm not sure what it means that those were the ones I chose to remember, but reading the lines again was like coming across old friends.)
My boys LOVED this book. We had great discussions about what poaching is and the line between right and wrong. They have been obsessed with all things pheasants!
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No