Book Review: Matilda by Roald Dahl

Posted by Alka

EtherealJinxed | Book Review | Matilda by Roald Dahl

Confession time: I had never read any Roald Dahl before this book. Ya ya, you may tell me I do not belong to this earth and how I grew up without reading these. It is not that I had not heard of Roald Dahl but only as part of the reading group community of children which I joined just a year back. Quite recent, no? So, if you know any kid or even not if you yourself had not read any Roald Dahl, you must must pick at least one book of his. Just imagine the impact this one book had on me, the one which I read last month.

Matilda, the name of the protagonist as well, is a fantasy book for children, not very very young but a little grown up, I guess aged around 8; just ensure that you give the right message while reading this book with them. This is the story of a child prodigy and who does ‘shararat‘ (gets naughty) when people do wrong in her eyes (well the description is from the eyes of the girl herself and the adults do seem petty). I mean as adults, it is an eye-opener to see the qualities of a kid and not dismiss their thoughts and actions as mere child-like. And the kid loves reading even though she does not have friends, which makes it seem like the story of my school-life. See the quote from the book:

The books transported her into new worlds and introduced her to amazing people who lived exciting lives.

The book is an out-and-out fun read; I totally loved it, but may be others may not like it to such an extent for Matilda will herself seem to be un-respectful. I even liked the ending happy happy (no no, no spoilers ahead).

And for the next few reads, those are going to be children books only, the next one in tow is Ms. Bixby’s Last Day by John David Anderson.

Keep watching my blog for more book reviews!

Book blurb:
Matilda is a little girl who is far too good to be true. At age five-and-a-half she’s knocking off double-digit multiplication problems and blitz-reading Dickens. Even more remarkably, her classmates love her even though she’s a super-nerd and the teacher’s pet. But everything is not perfect in Matilda’s world. For starters she has two of the most idiotic, self-centered parents who ever lived. Then there’s the large, busty nightmare of a school principal, Miss (“The”) Trunchbull, a former hammer-throwing champion who flings children at will and is approximately as sympathetic as a bulldozer. Fortunately for Matilda, she has the inner resources to deal with such annoyances: astonishing intelligence, saintly patience, and an innate predilection for revenge.

She warms up with some practical jokes aimed at her hapless parents, but the true test comes when she rallies in defense of her teacher, the sweet Miss Honey, against the diabolical Trunchbull. There is never any doubt that Matilda will carry the day. Even so, this wonderful story is far from predictable. Roald Dahl, while keeping the plot moving imaginatively, also has an unerring ear for emotional truth. The reader cares about Matilda because in addition to all her other gifts, she has real feelings.

About the author:
Roald Dahl was a spy, an ace fighter pilot, a chocolate historian and a medical inventor. Later he became a British novelist, short story writer and screenwriter of Norwegian descent, who rose to prominence in the 1940’s with works for both children and adults, and became one of the world’s bestselling authors.

He was also the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG, and a treasury of original, evergreen, and beloved children’s books. He remains for many the world’s No. 1 storyteller. He also had a successful parallel career as the writer of macabre adult short stories, usually with a dark sense of humour and a surprise ending. Many were originally written for American magazines such as Ladies Home Journal, Harper’s, Playboy and The New Yorker, then subsequently collected by Dahl into anthologies, gaining world-wide acclaim. Dahl wrote more than 60 short stories and they have appeared in numerous collections, some only being published in book form after his death. His stories also brought him three Edgar Awards.

13th September is celebrated as Roald Dahl Day worldwide.

Website: roalddahl.com
Twitter: @roald_dahl

Rating: 9/10