Had so much fun reading this. Just like Matilda, this book was heartwarming, hilarious and had some heartfelt messages that I just loved. He's such a brilliant storyteller and has the perfect balance of entertainment and lessons in his books.

Amore per il cioccolato

Il permissivismo sempre più dilagante da parte dei genitori costruisce veri e propri mostri, difettati nella sensibilità e scarsi di comprendonio: l'umiltà e la generosità pagano sempre.
L'idea della fabbrica è un pretesto, incredibilmente suggestivo, sulla quale l'autore costruisce la semplice e importante morale di fondo.

I have watched both the movie versions of this book, one (Johnny Depp's version) more times than the other (Gene Wilder's version) and I have to say that it is Tim Burton's movie that really stays true to the book and adds a little bit extra to it by showing a bit of Willy Wonka's past as a child.

Coming to the book, it is an absolute joy ride! The thing about Roald Dahl's books is that you really don't need to be a child to enjoy them....you can be an adult and still find his books enjoyable because they allow you to tap into your inner child which, I believe, is always present within us all.

Now if only I could get my hands on one of these :D

The movie always fascinated me--both as a kid and adult--so I was really eager to jump into this and see if I could figure it out. But dude, i'm still stumped. I'm not sure if Willy Wonka is supposed to be mad, a genius, or a mad genius. There's just so many priceless lines of dialogue that the movies also captured so well, and this book is so whimsical and wholesome, yet dark with sort of a fable-esque message about greed and whatnot from the Oompa-Loompa's songs/poems.

I took a star off because of shaky footing with the portrayal of certain features in this book, such as recurring fatphobia (also present in his other books), and the weird savior portrayal of Wonka in relation to his using Oompa-Loompas basically as slave labor in exchange for food and not much else. Maybe i'm reading too far into it, but it seems like a very unethical capitalistic scheme and instead of seeing Oompa-Loompas as people eager to make some chocolate, they seemed rather treated as inferior. (This is definitely not something 10-year old me picked up on as a child, but I can't unsee it, nonetheless)

Ennesima rilettura, questa volta con la mia Lucia, di uno dei classici della letteratura dell'infanzia, che serve solo a riconfermare Dahl in cima alla lista dei miei autori per bambini preferiti. Ho solo il rimpianto di non averlo letto quand'ero piccola anch'io ma, meglio tardi che mai, per avventurarsi tra gli Umpa-Lumpa, solcando fiumi di cioccolato su una barca di caramella, assaggiando fili d'erba zuccherina e gustose praline. Ma, attenzione a non lasciarsi tentare da pericolosi capricci o il signor Wonka avrà un castigo bello e pronto per chi non rispetta le regole! Ne sanno qualcosa gli sventurati compagni di viaggio di Charlie Bucket...
La filastrocca dedicata agli effetti nocivi della TV sui bambini è la ciliegina su questa torta da maestro! Se non la conoscete, correte a leggerla subito! Voto: ★★★★★

'What used the darling ones to do?
'How used they keep themselves contented
Before this monster was invented?'
Have you forgotten? Don't you know?
We'll say it very loud and slow:
THEY ... USED ... TO ... READ! They'd READ and READ

The first time I read this book, when I was a kid, there was only one Charlie and the chocolate Factory movie, and I had never seen it. So I had the privilege to imagine my own Willy Wonka and give a personality of my choice to all the characters. Re-reading it as an adult, I can't help by picturing the actors' faces in certain scenes, so I guess some of the fun has been spoiled for me (even though I adore both movies).


Anything I can say about this book is true for the majority of Roal Dahl's work I read so far: magical, twisted, whimsical, imaginative and full of characters of questioning morals! Seems like this crazy genius couldn't care less about the implications of insulting children - or adults, for that matters - for being fat, ugly or spoiled; or for matching any of his pet peeves (chewing a gum, watching the telly, owning toy guns). I reckon he would be good friends with my 90-yar-old neighbour who yells at kids for owning smartphones. Dahl just said what he wanted, without mincing his words, and boy did I love that when I was a child! I was so used to wholesome, sweet Disney fairytales that this odd little fella was my escape from everything sugary (pun not intended) and full of hidden morals! I mean, are there even kids who choose to learn how to behave correctly when they can learn, instead, how to creatively insult any category of people?

As an adult, I wonder if I would let a child read any of this. But then I remember all the fun I had as a child reading about a fat kid being stuffed in a chocolate pipe and I am almost ready to throw politically correct in the trained squirrels' garbage incinerator. So, the moral of the story, is that there is no moral: pick up this book if you want stunning illustrations, one of the most imaginative and game-changing plots in the history of children's literature, and a sprinkle of fairydust which may or may not turn you into a giant blueberry.

Es una historia muy bonita y creativa.
Me gustó mucho, me hizo pasar buenos momentos y me dió unas valiosas enseñanzas. De niño hubiera estado obsesionado con la historia, pero no es el caso.
Esta edición traía el primer capítulo del siguiente libro. Me aburrió enseguida, así que lo evitaré, creo.
La narrativa no es simple, creo que es bastante única y poderosa. Es de las mejores narrativas que he leído.

La narración de Roald Dahl me da cien años de vida. Era como transportarme a mi niñez.
Este era yo cada que abría el libro:

بأنصح أي واحد أو واحدة بيفكروا يعملوا رچيم ، لا يتفرجوا على الفيلم ولا يقرأوا الرواية :)

This tale starts with little Charlie, living in utter misery in something like a hermit’s hut, with four elderly people laying all day in the same bed. This is quite dreadful in itself, but hold on, it’s just an aperitif.

Next, little Charlie and a bunch of other children win a devilish marketing sweepstake and are invited to visit Mr. Wonka’s super-secret-chocolate-factory. A ticket to paradise possibly, since everything in there is just a “garden of earthly delights,” complete with chocolate bars and sweets, caramel eclairs, ice-cream, vanilla fudge delights, bubblegums, double-decker cakes, warming candies, toffee rolls, mint balls and rivers of hot cocoa… “everything in this room is eatable.” The cherry on the cake would be an edible Katy Perry in her fluffy bikinis: “Bon appétit, baby.”



But I suppose none of these poor kids has heard of Hansel and Gretel or of the dangers of nibbling on the hag’s gingerbread shack. Truth be told, since this is a morality tale, except for Charlie perhaps, all the other kids are insufferable sinful brats. Each child epitomises gluttony (Augustus), greed (Veruca), pride (Violet), sloth (Mike), and decidedly deserves eternal shame and damnation. In the end, underneath the comical and sweet fourth-graders’ novel, there is an undercurrent of cautionary, grotesque, even creepy imagery. The happy ending is a bit far-fetched.

Tim Burton’s 2005 adaptation is quite respectful of Roald Dahl’s story (Deep Roy’s performance as the Oompa-Loompas is priceless). In comparison, the 1971 movie is second-rate.

Catching up…

To be honest, I saw the movie first. And I absolutely had a crush on Gene Wilder who played Willy Wonka, the eccentric founder and proprietor of the Wonka Chocolate factory.

But…It was because of the movie, that I felt compelled to finally read the book.

And…It was donated to my Little Free Library Shed so many different times, I felt it was a sign. Okay, I admit, it took that many years to do so…

But…I did eventually read it. I know my kids and grandkids beat me to it!

This is a classic tale. 5 kids win a chance to tour Willy Wonka’s mysterious candy-making factory. It’s vividly told with amusing, cartoon-like sketches that keep kids excited and laughing. (I have been told by my grandkids.)

Reading along…

Charlie lives a life of poverty that’s portrayed as bleak and depressing, although the love between him and his family makes their day-to-day struggles more bearable. Charlie is captivated by his grandfather’s stories about Willy Wonka’s mysterious chocolate factory, so he is excited when he wins one of the tickets to tour it, along with 4 other rather spoiled children.

The movie, as mentioned, with Gene Wilder was made in 1971. The movie with Johnny Depp was made in 2005. The audio book read by Monty Python member Eric Idle was also released in 2005.

This was a message book…

Spoiled, greedy kids…Lessons will be learned.

And… Even if there were so many symbols of what happens if you don’t behave, the messages could be translated as being given with good intentions.

But…If you are a good kid, dreams can come true.

Besides…This is also a book that takes kids into a magical world constructed entirely of chocolate and edible sugar. Who wouldn’t be in heaven on earth surrounded by all that chocolate?

Not every story has the ability to give the same excitement when one re-reads a book of his childhood. But Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is one of those pleasant exceptions to this. Loved reading the book again.

Also loved this poem/ prose about TV: (only certain parts of it are posted)

"The most important thing we've learned,
So far as children are concerned,
Is never, NEVER, NEVER let
Them near your television set -
Or better still, just don't install
The idiotic Thing at all..

IT ROTS THE SENSES IN THE HEAD!
IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!
IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!
IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND
HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND
A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND!
HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!
HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE!
HE CAN NOT THINK - HE ONLY SEES!

'All right!' you'll cry. 'All right!' you'll say,
'But if we take the set away,
What shall we do to entertain
Our darling children! Please explain!'

THEY.. USED... TO... READ! They'd
READ and READ,
AND READ and READ, and then proceed
TO READ some more.

Oh, books, what books they used to know,
Those children living long ago!
So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,
Go throw your TV set away,
And in its place you can install
A lovely bookshelf on the wall."

“Of course they're real people. They're Oompa-Loompas...Imported direct from Loompaland...And oh what a terrible country it is! Nothing but thick jungles infested by the most dangerous beasts in the world - hornswogglers and snozzwangers and those terrible wicked whangdoodles. A whangdoodle would eat ten Oompa-Loompas for breakfast and come galloping back for a second helping.”
― Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

So much magic and beauty in this little book.


“Of course they're real people. They're Oompa-Loompas...Imported direct from Loompaland...And oh what a terrible country it is! Nothing but thick jungles infested by the most dangerous beasts in the world - hornswogglers and snozzwangers and those terrible wicked whangdoodles. A whangdoodle would eat ten Oompa-Loompas for breakfast and come galloping back for a second helping.”
― Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

So much magic and beauty in this little book.

OK, I won't do a review. (Because I'm tired and just did several reviews) .

What I will say is that it's among the few books that stand eternal in winsomely wrapping themselves around me. 

I mean, even in today's times, there are so many references. The Golden Tickets. The Oompa Loompas. I  along with millions adored it as a child.

I suspect, in the ever-flowing world of books, that this is that rare one, that one would be hard pressed to find many who dislike it.

Short people, tall people, men, women, children, adults , I mean everyone will always remember it, right?