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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
A very nice person gave me this book as a present. RIP
I am totally sorry to say so but it really do not like it and the way Dahl writes. Every story has this nightmarish feeling to me. Don’t get me wrong I like a good horror story now and then. What makes it even worse sometimes I don’t agree with how Dahl seems to think about what should happen to bad people (that are usually only terrible people but not bad ones).
I am totally sorry to say so but it really do not like it and the way Dahl writes. Every story has this nightmarish feeling to me. Don’t get me wrong I like a good horror story now and then. What makes it even worse sometimes I don’t agree with how Dahl seems to think about what should happen to bad people (that are usually only terrible people but not bad ones).
An absolutely fantastic collection of short stories by one of the greatest authors of all time. Although Dahl is mainly known for his creepy, weird, creative, and hilarious children's books, this collection is intended for adults. Every time I began to read, I had an extremely difficult time putting the book back down. The stories are almost all comical, but they also all tend to have pointed moral lessons or social commentaries within them as well. And, quite unexpectedly, all of the stories tend to have twists which are entirely unexpected. A great read, and I definitely plan to pick up some more collections of his short stories as soon as I can.
Siendo un excelente escritor de literatura infantil, sus relatos para adultos no podían defraudar.
Mordaz, inquietante y siempre, siempre sorprendente.
Mordaz, inquietante y siempre, siempre sorprendente.
More reviews on my blog, Exploring Pages.
There's no doubt about it: Roald Dahl is one of the greatest writers who has every lived. His stories are compelling, heart-breaking; keep you on the edge of your seat and is read by thousands of people all across the globe. I can understand why people are saying things like this about an author as him. I personally have heard nothing but positive reviews about Roald Dahl and his fantastic stories. When it comes to his adult literature, however, I knew very little about them or what they were like. Turns out they are a bunch of short stories, all with an extremely vague tone to them.
Let's say a huge amount of focus was needed when I read Tales of the Unexpected. So much it eventually gave me a headache. It felt like if I ever missed one word, I would have to read the entire page all over again. After a while the book really started to weigh on me, and in the end it was all too much. The fact that it's written by the Roald Dahl didn't take away the feeling of wanting to throw it out of the window.
Believe it or not, but upon finishing the book I was left so confounded I actually had to do some research to understand what I had just read. All had to do with how vague the stories were. Not some stories, all of them. None had a solid ending, they just left the reader wanting more if that was the case. What I did like about this book, hence the two stars, was how good some stories were put together. There was a lot of thought and time put into them, and that's something I can only appreciate from a writer. I also couldn't ignore Roald Dahl's fabulous writing style. He has his way with words and there were scenes when I had to stop for a moment and read a certain passage over again. Not because I found it to be vague, just beautifully written. For that only, Roald Dahl earns every respect in the world he can get.
All in all, Tales of the Unexpected is a title which connects greatly with all the stories, every single one of them. I did not expected them to turn out as they did, yet I don't mean that in the most positive way.
"If this is about what I am beginning to suspect it is about, she told herself, then I don't want to read it.
Can one refuse to read a letter from the dead?"
-- Roald Dahl, Tales of the Unexpected
There's no doubt about it: Roald Dahl is one of the greatest writers who has every lived. His stories are compelling, heart-breaking; keep you on the edge of your seat and is read by thousands of people all across the globe. I can understand why people are saying things like this about an author as him. I personally have heard nothing but positive reviews about Roald Dahl and his fantastic stories. When it comes to his adult literature, however, I knew very little about them or what they were like. Turns out they are a bunch of short stories, all with an extremely vague tone to them.
Let's say a huge amount of focus was needed when I read Tales of the Unexpected. So much it eventually gave me a headache. It felt like if I ever missed one word, I would have to read the entire page all over again. After a while the book really started to weigh on me, and in the end it was all too much. The fact that it's written by the Roald Dahl didn't take away the feeling of wanting to throw it out of the window.
Believe it or not, but upon finishing the book I was left so confounded I actually had to do some research to understand what I had just read. All had to do with how vague the stories were. Not some stories, all of them. None had a solid ending, they just left the reader wanting more if that was the case. What I did like about this book, hence the two stars, was how good some stories were put together. There was a lot of thought and time put into them, and that's something I can only appreciate from a writer. I also couldn't ignore Roald Dahl's fabulous writing style. He has his way with words and there were scenes when I had to stop for a moment and read a certain passage over again. Not because I found it to be vague, just beautifully written. For that only, Roald Dahl earns every respect in the world he can get.
All in all, Tales of the Unexpected is a title which connects greatly with all the stories, every single one of them. I did not expected them to turn out as they did, yet I don't mean that in the most positive way.
These stories are almost all really very good. A couple of them are honestly just too mean spirited for me but they're still well written and clever.
Re-read for a book club on problematic faves. This is a classic, and the stories still send shivers down my spine - I actually can’t bring myself to read all of them again. While his children’s books mostly have happy-ish endings, these stories for adults have an additional level of discomfort to them, albeit guiltily satisfying in some cases.
3.5 stars
I read a lot of Dahl's books in my childhood, but this was the first one aimed at adults. Also my first book of short stories. I really liked the writing style. The stories themselves varied though, and I didn't get all of the endings.
I read a lot of Dahl's books in my childhood, but this was the first one aimed at adults. Also my first book of short stories. I really liked the writing style. The stories themselves varied though, and I didn't get all of the endings.
Even though Dahl is known best for his children's fiction I think it's in the short story form that his writing excels. Dark and morbid with just a hint of a twist to intrigue, the collection reads almost like a gathering of first chapters. It's frustrating to hit the ending and realize that you'll have to continue the rest with your imagination.
Great collection, but I gave it 3 stars because halfway through the novel I realized most of these were also published in Kiss Kiss, which I loved but unfortunately read first.
Great collection, but I gave it 3 stars because halfway through the novel I realized most of these were also published in Kiss Kiss, which I loved but unfortunately read first.
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes