Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
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
This book was always one of my least favourite Roald Dahl stories, I think the plot is quite boring and doesn’t keep the reader captivated enough even though it is only a 55 page book.
Loveable characters:
No
Middle-aged love; nothing can get any cuter.
Esio Trot is actually the word tortoise spelled backwards. This book supplied me with the knowledge that there was a time when a tortoise can easily be found in any pet shop and bought at a cheap price.
The story is set at that time. Mr. Hoppy, a retired mechanic lives in a flat and below him lives a middle-aged woman; Mrs Silver, a widow. Secretly, Mr. Hoppy has a huge crush on Mrs. Silver, who gives all her love to a tortoise, resulting in Mr. Hoppy feeling jealous towards Alfie (the tortoise).
Everyday, when Mr Hoppy looked over his balcony and saw Mrs Silver whispering endearments to Alfie and stroking his shell, he felt absurdly jealous.
Mrs Silver wishes for Alfie to grow bigger and for Mr Hoppy, this is a huge chance for him to impress Mrs Silver.
"As he looked down at Mrs Silver's smiling face gazing up to his own, he thought for the thousandth time how pretty she was, how sweet and gentle and full of kindness, and his heart ached with love."
My, my, Mr Dahl. I never knew you were such a romantic.
Esio Trot is actually the word tortoise spelled backwards. This book supplied me with the knowledge that there was a time when a tortoise can easily be found in any pet shop and bought at a cheap price.
The story is set at that time. Mr. Hoppy, a retired mechanic lives in a flat and below him lives a middle-aged woman; Mrs Silver, a widow. Secretly, Mr. Hoppy has a huge crush on Mrs. Silver, who gives all her love to a tortoise, resulting in Mr. Hoppy feeling jealous towards Alfie (the tortoise).
Everyday, when Mr Hoppy looked over his balcony and saw Mrs Silver whispering endearments to Alfie and stroking his shell, he felt absurdly jealous.
Mrs Silver wishes for Alfie to grow bigger and for Mr Hoppy, this is a huge chance for him to impress Mrs Silver.
"As he looked down at Mrs Silver's smiling face gazing up to his own, he thought for the thousandth time how pretty she was, how sweet and gentle and full of kindness, and his heart ached with love."
My, my, Mr Dahl. I never knew you were such a romantic.
funny
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
funny
inspiring
relaxing
slow-paced
very very creative. The Mr Hoppy is so bad, so clever I mean.
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A quick read, Esio Trot is a simple story with lovely illustrations but harmful lessons for children.
I’ll start with the good. First, the book is about two older adults finding love. Older people and particularly their experiences of new love are underrepresented in the romance genre, so it’s refreshing to see these two characters fall for each other. I also appreciate that Dahl makes a story about older adults accessible to children, demonstrating that they too have needs and wants and aren’t automatically villains or doting grandparents.
Second, Quentin Blake’s illustrations really shine in this novel. Because the story is so short, literally almost every page features an illustration. The pictures are fun and quirky and bring the characters to life, capturing important moments in the story with wonderful details. I particularly enjoyed the lush garden on Mr. Hoppy’s balcony.
Unfortunately, the story itself is every kind of wrong and horrible. SpoilerMr. Hoppy has secretly pined after his downstairs neighbour, Mrs. Silver, for many years from afar. Though the harbouring-a-secret-love trope is popular in romance, it’s a creepy one. Worse yet, Mr. Hoppy deceives Mrs. Silver in order to gain her gratitude and love, and their entire relationship is based on his trickery. Fooling someone into love is not love—it’s abuse and manipulation.
The crown on Mr. Hoppy’s deceit is that he steals Mrs. Silver’s beloved pet, Alfie, and replaces him with another who is the “right” size. Pets are family. They are not disposable. That poor Alfie is stolen as a pawn in Mr. Hoppy’s plot because the tortoise is too small for his owner is atrocious. And to insult Alfie further, Mrs. Silver doesn’t even notice he’s been replaced. What kind of pet owner is she?
The whole premise of this story makes me angry, and I don’t understand why Esio Trot is often included in lists of Dahl’s must-read works. Though I’m glad to see a romance about older adults, this story is not a healthy or positive representation of such, and I wouldn’t recommend it.
I’ll start with the good. First, the book is about two older adults finding love. Older people and particularly their experiences of new love are underrepresented in the romance genre, so it’s refreshing to see these two characters fall for each other. I also appreciate that Dahl makes a story about older adults accessible to children, demonstrating that they too have needs and wants and aren’t automatically villains or doting grandparents.
Second, Quentin Blake’s illustrations really shine in this novel. Because the story is so short, literally almost every page features an illustration. The pictures are fun and quirky and bring the characters to life, capturing important moments in the story with wonderful details. I particularly enjoyed the lush garden on Mr. Hoppy’s balcony.
Unfortunately, the story itself is every kind of wrong and horrible. SpoilerMr. Hoppy has secretly pined after his downstairs neighbour, Mrs. Silver, for many years from afar. Though the harbouring-a-secret-love trope is popular in romance, it’s a creepy one. Worse yet, Mr. Hoppy deceives Mrs. Silver in order to gain her gratitude and love, and their entire relationship is based on his trickery. Fooling someone into love is not love—it’s abuse and manipulation.
The crown on Mr. Hoppy’s deceit is that he steals Mrs. Silver’s beloved pet, Alfie, and replaces him with another who is the “right” size. Pets are family. They are not disposable. That poor Alfie is stolen as a pawn in Mr. Hoppy’s plot because the tortoise is too small for his owner is atrocious. And to insult Alfie further, Mrs. Silver doesn’t even notice he’s been replaced. What kind of pet owner is she?
The whole premise of this story makes me angry, and I don’t understand why Esio Trot is often included in lists of Dahl’s must-read works. Though I’m glad to see a romance about older adults, this story is not a healthy or positive representation of such, and I wouldn’t recommend it.
One of the few Roald Dahl children's books I didn't like. The hero lies to women, mistreats animals and is eventually praised for it. Children will probably read the story differently and focus on the nicer things, but I couldn't see through it.