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sassmistress's review
emotional
hopeful
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Fatphobia, Abandonment, Body shaming, and Violence
Minor: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicide, and Death of parent
miss__manga__'s review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Why the hell did Miss Honey trauma dump on Matilda??? And then Matilda just blurts out “did she beat you?” What on earth? Loved the narration but I really don’t understand this book and don’t like it at all!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse
Minor: Death of parent
maseface's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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? No
4.75
This book meant a lot to young me. Reading it again I realize I saw it helped me through some of my darkest times. I imagine for other kids going through similar circumstances as me this book is so helpful and comforting.
Matilda is the hero every single abused and neglected child needs.
Matilda is the hero every single abused and neglected child needs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Child abuse
Minor: Murder, Suicide, and Death of parent
nehanaomi's review
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Bullying, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Fatphobia
scarlettoliver's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Bullying
Moderate: Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Physical abuse
Minor: Confinement, Murder, and Torture
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. 📚
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. 💍 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. 💍 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: Abandonment and Child abuse
Minor: Death of parent
ricksilva's review
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: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Death of parent
aquaria127's review
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, Suicide, Torture, Child abuse, Bullying, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse
emceehache's review
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: Classism, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Gaslighting
Minor: Death of parent and Panic attacks/disorders
withloveandlights's review
funny
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Abandonment
Minor: Suicide and Death of parent