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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Great and wonderful book full of weird macaber stories of the story telling writer Roald Dahl. At times I could not put this book down, at times I wanted to lay this book down because it was a lugubrious story.
(add a half star, please)
Grandpa Madel lent me this book two weeks ago after we got to talking about Roald Dahl's short fiction for the adult set, and I'm so glad he did. It's full of odd little stories, some of them fantastic and some of them a bit too much. All of them, however, are enjoyable and precisely written.
There are a couple ("Royal Jelly" and "Genesis and Catastrophe") I'd read while in college, both in short fiction anthologies; though these two certainly weren't my favorites. I prefer the stories told first person from an observer--"Taste," "The Boy Who Talked with Animals," "The Umbrella Man," and "Man From the South." These stories are immediate, through that first person experience, as well as indirect, since none of the narrators are protagonists. It's an interesting and appealing technique.
Some of the stories have a hint of magic or supernaturalism (not a word, I know), some have realistic but suprisingly odd little twists, and some are curious observational slices. You can bet that anyone acting selfishly in one of Dahl's stories will almost certainly get his comeuppance, which is pretty gratifying and fun. Dahl's language is economical but descriptive, perfectly paced, clean, and smart. These stories are really a joy to read.
Grandpa Madel lent me this book two weeks ago after we got to talking about Roald Dahl's short fiction for the adult set, and I'm so glad he did. It's full of odd little stories, some of them fantastic and some of them a bit too much. All of them, however, are enjoyable and precisely written.
There are a couple ("Royal Jelly" and "Genesis and Catastrophe") I'd read while in college, both in short fiction anthologies; though these two certainly weren't my favorites. I prefer the stories told first person from an observer--"Taste," "The Boy Who Talked with Animals," "The Umbrella Man," and "Man From the South." These stories are immediate, through that first person experience, as well as indirect, since none of the narrators are protagonists. It's an interesting and appealing technique.
Some of the stories have a hint of magic or supernaturalism (not a word, I know), some have realistic but suprisingly odd little twists, and some are curious observational slices. You can bet that anyone acting selfishly in one of Dahl's stories will almost certainly get his comeuppance, which is pretty gratifying and fun. Dahl's language is economical but descriptive, perfectly paced, clean, and smart. These stories are really a joy to read.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
You won't find much substance in Dahl's short stories. Nor will you find the charm and magic of his juvenile fiction. However, you will see bits of Dahl laced throughout all the stories. His dark and playful humor colors all of these stories. Most of his stories involve gambling, fine wine/eating, and an emphasis on the unsavory side of human nature. His characters are likeable not because they are virtuous but because they are bizarre, unusual, and out of this world.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
I first read these as a young woman and was enthralled to learn Roald Dahl was so scintillatingly twisted. Re-reading it with more life experience, I am inexpressibly grateful not to have been born a woman in the time of Dahl's England. The short stories are still saucy and well composed. Occasionally they escape his usual thematic preoccupations, and there is more than one substantially good idea lurking in their pages. All told, I can no longer read his work without mild revulsion, hence, four stars.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A collection of wacky stories from the master storyteller himself
I love Dahl's writing, and frankly, that was the reason I kept reading.
Most of the stories were very disappointing.
Most of the stories were very disappointing.