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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
Brilliantly written and entrataining. As pure as a story told by a child with the lucid clarity of a man's memoir. This book makes you want to time-travel to Britain in the 1930s.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
This was the first English novel I read, about 10 years ago
'Boy' contains rather disjointed youth memories by the famous children's book writer. The book starts with the tale of Dahl's father and mother, then moves on to isolated youth memories. At best these memories can compete with the best of Dahl's children books, with the chapters on the grizzly hag who owned a candy store as a particular highlight. Other chapters are disappointingly dull, like the chapters on the happy summer holidays in Norway. In the end the book is too uneven to be counted among Dahl's best.
Most chapters concernt Dahl's stay at boarding schools, both prep and high school, which are both described as terrible, loathsome places, where corporal punishment run rampant. Especially the system of 'boazers' and 'fags' at Repton high school comes over as completely insane. No wonder Dahl could write so well about gruesome adults.
The texts are interspersed with copies of handwritten letters from Dahl to his mother, and by little drawings by Dahl himself. The end tells shortly about what happened after Dahl left school, something he would explore in more detail in 'Going Solo', which is by far the more exciting book of the two.
Most chapters concernt Dahl's stay at boarding schools, both prep and high school, which are both described as terrible, loathsome places, where corporal punishment run rampant. Especially the system of 'boazers' and 'fags' at Repton high school comes over as completely insane. No wonder Dahl could write so well about gruesome adults.
The texts are interspersed with copies of handwritten letters from Dahl to his mother, and by little drawings by Dahl himself. The end tells shortly about what happened after Dahl left school, something he would explore in more detail in 'Going Solo', which is by far the more exciting book of the two.
I laughed out loud so many times! I had no idea Roald Dahl had such an interesting life. His sense of humor is refreshing. Such a fun read. The narrator is wonderful.
Quite enjoyable although Dahl endured some awful events in his childhood including having surgery without pain killers (let alone anesthesia!), almost losing his nose in a car accident, and receiving multiple thrashing at the hands of cruel school masters. This book certainly shows how his childhood inspired his delightful but dark children's books.
lighthearted
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
This was a lovely book that I really wish was longer. Having a glimpse into the childhood of Roald Dahl is such a treat because it really illustrates how he got some of the ideas for his books. He can write proficiently from the perspective of a child because he has not forgotten what it was like being one. There are specific hardships and pleasures that young people experience and rationalize from their own perspective and it's wonderful that he has such a pure understanding of what that is like.
The book reads much like a Roald Dahl children's book, but is of course, more factual and a little less whimsical. It is illustrated and contains snippets of his letters to his mother, as well as family photos. I look forward to reading "Going Solo" - his follow-up autobiography about his older years.
The book reads much like a Roald Dahl children's book, but is of course, more factual and a little less whimsical. It is illustrated and contains snippets of his letters to his mother, as well as family photos. I look forward to reading "Going Solo" - his follow-up autobiography about his older years.