A review by james1star
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

As I’m revisiting Roald Dahl books as an adult, this was next on the list and yh… it was a decent read (*listen* - new narration by James Acaster which was great). The book follows a small orphan called James who’s sent to live with his horrible aunts Sponge and Spiker. Not long into the book, James is visited by a weird man who gives him these magic things but he trips and they make their way into the ground surrounding the peach tree. A solitary peach appears which grows and grows and James, seeking solace from his wicked aunts, travels into the peach’s stone core where he meets a bunch of giant insects. Each has their own personality and are nice despite the constant bickering. Without saying much more, James along with his fellow travellers embark on a journey using the peach as their ship which you’ll just have to read to find out about yourself. I do kind of remember the book (and movie adaptation) from before but not entirely and some parts did seem quite new to me as well. I enjoyed it and liked how funny it was in all honesty - Acaster certainly added to this humours element with different voices for the characters. The story isn’t a favourite of mine with maybe less lovable/relatable characters compared to some other Dahl books, similarly the messages weren’t that insightful. I guess the main one being the crucial role of insects in making the world go round. That being said, the adventure was entertaining and I certainly see it’s appeal for the intended children audience. 

Note: I used to have a bad relationship with this book because, being big myself, I was bullied in primary school and children would say ‘James is a giant peach’ when we read it as a collective… so yh there’s some trauma exposed on here. 
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