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zuzubaloox 's review for:
The Witches
by Roald Dahl
During a visit to Norway to visit his Norwegian grandmother, a boy loses his parents in a car accident. That very boy later gets instructed by his grandmother on how to spot a witch. When a man appears at their house and gives instructions on the will of the dad, they are informed that both parents wish their son to remain in England and be educated there. Once in England, granny gets struck with pneumonia and, after recovering, can only holiday within the country. Will the boy be able to put the information on spotting witches to good use?
I wonder why Dahl is considered the “world’s number one storyteller”. Many of his books are boring, with flat, lifeless characters, and The Witches was no different. In fact, in this one, the characters, or at least the main characters, don't even get given names. The only redeeming quality Dahl has in many of his books is his ability for creativity and uniqueness - many words are nonsensical, and that adds a charm to them.
I realised that Dahl seems to have taken aspects from his life in this story. During childhood, he often visited his Norwegian grandparents during the summer holidays. The story of Leif sounds a lot like what his family did during their visits to Norway.
The whole story is weird. I do not understand how the witches continue always to have witches if they have such an intense, repulsed dislike for children. Or do the witches never die? It's also weird that the witches can only smell clean children. I'd have thought that an unwashed child would have a more pungent odour than a clean one and stand out more.
Also, the boy is beyond strange.He gets turned into a mouse and is happy about this. The idea of spending the rest of his life as a mouse sounds exciting. I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking such an idea sounds like a nightmare.
The grandmother is badass, though. You rarely read a book about a granny who smokes cigars and threatens hotel managers.
I wonder why Dahl is considered the “world’s number one storyteller”. Many of his books are boring, with flat, lifeless characters, and The Witches was no different. In fact, in this one, the characters, or at least the main characters, don't even get given names. The only redeeming quality Dahl has in many of his books is his ability for creativity and uniqueness - many words are nonsensical, and that adds a charm to them.
I realised that Dahl seems to have taken aspects from his life in this story. During childhood, he often visited his Norwegian grandparents during the summer holidays. The story of Leif sounds a lot like what his family did during their visits to Norway.
The whole story is weird. I do not understand how the witches continue always to have witches if they have such an intense, repulsed dislike for children. Or do the witches never die? It's also weird that the witches can only smell clean children. I'd have thought that an unwashed child would have a more pungent odour than a clean one and stand out more.
Also, the boy is beyond strange.
The grandmother is badass, though. You rarely read a book about a granny who smokes cigars and threatens hotel managers.