Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - Matilda

Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Matilda by Roald Dahl

25 reviews

thaliareads's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful 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

5.0

I've read this book a lot throughout my life and enjoyed it just as much as an adult as I did as a kid. There's a little something for everyone, and as an adult, I almost wish the book could have been longer because I would have loved to spend more time with these characters and to have an opportunity to fill in some of the time gaps jumped to allow the plot to advance more quickly. Still a great read, no questions about it.

Content Warnings

katharina90's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark hopeful inspiring fast-paced

Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

The message at the heart of Matilda is so hopeful and uplifting. A David vs. Goliath story that encourages kids to fight their bullies and stand up for what's right. But you have to be ok with descriptions of pretty severe abuse and look past countless other issues including fatphobia and body shaming, sexism and misogyny, classism, and ableist language. Re-reading this now, I don't find it particularly funny and have to work hard to connect with the positive message at the story's core.

Content Warnings

sophie42's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

chiaraaaa's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

teamoxfordcomma's review against another edition

Go to review page

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.

Content Warnings

withloveandlights's review

Go to review page

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

thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

ive always heard of this book but just got the chance to read it, and now that i have, im not surprised it's so famous. it was great seeing a main character--and a young one at that--like matilda who's a book lover, and her surprisingly clever yet simple shenanigans to get back at the shitty adults both at home and school were super satisfying.

this book was also hilarious, morbidly so at some parts. dahl's frequent themes of the importance of and love for children, and the failure of adults and the system are once again explored here. my one critcism, however--and this pertains to dahl's other books as well--would be the fact that it negatively reinforces the correlation between a person's physical appearance and their morality, and the fact that many of dahl's antagonists are women, which is a tad disappointing.

Content Warnings