“And don’t worry about the bits you can’t understand. Sit back and allow the words to wash around you, like music.”



In this wonderful, deep little book, Roal Dahl deals with difficult topics like child abuse, suicide and poverty; in his usual humorous, lighthearted way - accompanied by Quentin Blake's stunning illustrations and unique style.

The story of Matilda has been in my heart my whole life - much like many other Dahl's books - and I must have watched the movie at least 15 times. She is is such a strong, clever yet kind and humble little girl that you just can't help but falling in love with her, regardless of you age and gender. Of course, if you are a little girl who loves to read and feels a little bit like an outcast, then you love it even more.

Reading this book again as an adult made me chuckle, but also gave me so many strong emotions I really didn't expect. And it's not just nostalgia caused by re-reading a childhood favourite (I recently discovered that this book was published for the first time the year I was born - 1988!): it is simply a masterpiece, which can make a reader of any age stuck to the pages. I started this book one morning and read it top to bottom in one go. I can't remember the last time I had such a good time reading a book.



I couldn't help but noticing, as a grown-up, that this like many other Dahl's books deals with very serious and unconformable topics (like suicide and abuse), which are rare to find in a modern author who has the same target age. It is true that in the past children's books were much less lighthearted than we are used today, but it's still weird to think that I was reading about suicide at an age in which I barely understood the concept of death. As an adult woman, I can't help but wondering if I would let a future child read Dahl's books alone. I'd much rather read them to him/her, explaining what I can as i go. I believe that a child can and should be exposed to tough topics sometimes, but always with the guide of an adult.

Finally, I found out while I was looking for some pictures of this book, that in 2018 Quentin Blake re-imagined Matilda as a grown-up and created a series of illustrations of her as a 30 year old woman, and imagining what kind of career she would have picked... what do you think she would be as an adult? I do believe she became a teacher, much like her beloved Miss Honey!

I have short-changed this story by giving it 3 stars for so long. I ran out and bought this book for my little nieces for Christmas. No way they will grow up without Matilda in their life. She's brilliant! What a love for books and knowledge! Such a gentle, empathetic soul! I can't wait to share her with them.

8/28/17

Listening to this for the third time...I just adore Kate Winslet's narration. She's fantastic, perfect for children and adults.,

11/12/17

Audible relisten I️ just cannot get enough of this story. It’s whimsy and love of books keeps me entertained while I️ clean.

5/24/18 audio reread #55

1/16/19. I can never get enough of this book

7/10/19
I can’t go very long without listening to Kate Winslet’s amazing narration. I think I have many passages memorized by now. I could listen once a week and still be entertained. This is a perfect pairing of story and voice.

আমার মাটিল্ডা নাম শুনলেই সবার আগে একটা ছবি ভেসে উঠে মনের মধ্যে, একটা পিচ্চি মেয়ে অনেকগুলো বই বয়ে নিয়ে যাচ্ছে লাইব্রেরী থেকে, তার কারণ আমি মুভিটা বই পড়ার আগে দেখেছিলাম।

আরেকটা কথা মনে পড়ে 'লিয়নঃ দ্য প্রফেশনাল' - এর ছোট্ট 'ন্যাটালি পোর্টম্যান' এর অভিনীত মাটিল্ডার কথা। এই মাটিল্ডা ও আমার অনেক প্রিয়।

রোয়াল ডাল এর মাটিল্ডা আমার আগেই পড়া ছিল। কিন্তু কিছুদিন আগে যখন নাদিয়া আপু বললো এটার অনুবাদটা অনেক সুন্দর, তখন আর না কিনে থাকতে পারলামনা।

আচ্ছা আমরা তো ছোট্ট মাটিল্ডার কথা সবাই-ই জানি, তাইনা? যে খুব ছোটবেলায় পড়তে শিখে অন্য কারো সাহায্য ছাড়াই এবং নিজের পরিবার থেকে নিরুৎসাহ পেয়েও লাইব্রেরীতে গিয়ে বড়দের ও মোটা মোটা বই পড়ে শেষ করে ফেলে, যেগুলো কিনা পাঁচ বছর বয়সে কেউ পড়ার কথা ভাবতেও পারেনা। পরে যখন সে স্কুলে ভর্তি হয় আমরা জানতে পারি মাটিল্ডা আসলে একজন প্রডিজি। আমরা এটাও জানতে পারি সে কিভাবে খুব ভয়ানক মিস ট্রাঞ্চবুল কে সায়েস্তা করে মিস হানিকে তাঁর বাড়ি ফিরে পেতে সাহায্য করে।
এই গল্পের সাথে আমরা পরিচিত মাটিল্ডা না পড়লেও। কারণ আমরা 'নিতু ও তার বন্ধুরা' বইটা খুব ছোটবেলাতেই পড়েছি, আমি বলবো না এটা মাটিল্ডা থেকে কপি করা হয়েছে, তবে দুইটা বই-ই পড়তে আমার বেশ ভালো লেগেছে, কাহিনী মোটামুটি একইরকম হলেও।

আজকে মাটিল্ডাতে মিস ট্রাঞ্চবুলকে পড়ে আমার হ্যান্ডমেইড���্ টেলস্ এর আন্ট লিডিয়ার কথা খুব মনে পড়তেছে, যদিও মনে হচ্ছিল আন্ট লিডিয়া ট্রাঞ্চবুল থেকেও একটু কম অত্যাচারী। তবে হ্যান্ডমেইডস টেল বড়দের বই, তাও তুলনা করাটা এসে গেল, দ্যান এগেইন, আমাদের মাটিল্ডা ও তো বড়দের বই পড়ে, তাই বলাই যায়, না?

মাটিল্ডা কিন্তু ছোটদের বই হলেও বড়রাও পড়ে অনেক মজা পাবেন, তোত্তো-চান এর কথা মনে আছে? মাটিল্ডা ও ঠিক সেরকম আদুরে একটা বই।

আমি এখন অনুবাদ খুব কমই পড়ি, তারপরেও জি এইচ হাবীব, সালমান হক এদুজনের অনুবাদ এখনো পড়ি, নতুন করে শিমন শারমিন যোগ হলো। এই আপুর অনুবাদ এত্তো সুন্দর, আপনাদের মনে হবে রোয়াল ডাল এর মূল বইটাই পড়ছেন, অনুবাদ না। পড়তে পড়তে কখন যে একবসায় বইটা শেষ করে ফেলবেন নিজেও বলতে পারবেন না।

সবশেষে বলতে চাই আপনারা কেউ কখনো মাটিল্ডার বই পড়া জীবনের সাথে নিজেদের কখনো রিলেট করতে পেরেছেন? জানেন আমি পেরেছি, আমাকে ছোট বেলায় কেউ বই পড়তে উৎসাহিত করেনি, বড় হয়েও না, বরং বই কিনলে এখনো বকা শুনতে হয়।
ফ্যামিলি থেকে 'বই পড়া' জিনিসটাকে "আউট বই" পড়া বলে আখ্যায়িত করা কথাটা যে কবে দূর হবে!

তবে আমি বেশ প্রাউড ফিল করি আমার বই পড়া নিয়ে, কারণ এটা সম্পূর্ণই আমার তৈরী করা একটা ভালো অভ্যাসের একটা, যেটাতে কেবল নিরুৎসাহই পেয়ে গেছি সারাজীবন ধরে। আমারতো আর মিস ফেল্পস্/মিস হানি ম্যাম এর মতো কেউ নেই। ☹️

This is genuinely such a heartwarming story with great underlying themes wrapped in amazing storytelling, adventure and humour.

I absolutely love that Matilda found incredible pleasure in reading. Her relationship with Miss Honey was beautiful. I love that she took interest in her life and grew to care for her and the role she continued to play. Alongside the librarian who took Matilda under her wing, constantly supplying her with books, I feel they both majorly impacted Matilda's life, no doubt and I adore that that is the message that was highlighted. The great impact a teacher and a librarian can have on a child's life.

But also the problems absentee parents can cause, i.e. Miss Honey's childhood.

Overall, just a wonderful book.

Matilda is one of my favorite books of Roald. After reading his collection of stories in Boy is autobiography, many of the situations we see in this book came from his experiences in school.

I love that Matilda has the power to bring justice to her world. I hope we are all lucky enough to do this. I love this book

This might be one of the most perfect books for readers. It's about a reader who just wants to get her read on and bad people are trying to stop her.

Instant character attachment!

Fully involved in the "tumultuous" plot!

"Let my reader goooo...." sing the readers!

What a wonderful tale! Little Matilda is saddled with a nasty father, a fairly terrible mother and an indifferent brother. Matilda just wants to read. Why read when we've got the telly, wonder her disgusting parents. After being crapped on enough times, Matilda begins taking out her revenge in the whip-smartest ways and so ensues the fun!

Dahl's style is all over this. His bad guys are awfully bad, I mean really wonderfully rotten. His hero is intelligent and intrepid, with Dahl no doubt using his secret agent background to infuse even the simplest fairytale with spy-craft cunning. His story is episodic. You can see the acts/scenes play out with definitive beginnings and ends, as if he wrote a handful of short stories and plugged them into one book.

Negatives include some unbelievably bad bad guy moments that leave us boring adult readers thinking, "well that could never happen"...because we're dumb. Also, I don't think this needed the dip it takes into magical fantasy. It was doing perfectly fine without it. I rather liked that Matilda was solving her problems on her own without a supernatural assistance. It was more impressive.

Lots of adult subject matter herein (Suicide?!...shit dude, that's heavy) and I was taken back a bit at first. This is a kid's book after all. But I guess even I'd forgotten that kid's books used to dish out the tough stuff back in the old days. Now it's all about princesses and pretty pretty rainbow ponies, and if one of them gets a cold, it's a fucking big deal.

I was considering reading this to my niece, who just turned six, so I wanted to pre-read it first to make sure it was suitable. I wasn't actually worried about the subject matter (and I'm still not), I was more concerned about the length. She's not into long books yet, you see. Not much of an attention span on that girl, but I'm partly to blame. Historically speaking, when she's come to visit it becomes a whirlwind of "WHAT DO WE DO NEXT!!!", because when she was about 3 to 5 years old I just wanted to keep her entertained. I might've gone overboard. She's come to expect a circus for every visit to my house. Nonetheless, having finally read Matilda and knowing how much my niece loves to read, I do believe this will soon become an absolute favorite of hers as it as has so quickly become one of mine.

I've seen the movie three times already and always loved it but it wasn't until recently that I finally bought the book. Roald Dahl truly is the master storyteller everyone calls him!

Every book he wrote (of those I've read so far) seems to have sort of a signature style that makes the reader recognize the author while at the same time the tone of the book is different. The characters are unique and have wonderful depth - which is not self-evident since the books are fairly thin. Each story features a completely different topic but each story has its very own, very wonderful world.

In this case it's a kind of "normal" world. The world of a little girl with cruel parents (a second-hand car dealer and a housewife) that neglect her. However, that doesn't stop Matilda. She teaches herself to read and spell and calculate and becomes a wonderful little person. Eventually she also goes to school, meeting other children, a wonderful teacher, but also learns of the hardship other people sometimes have to face. Thus, the reader is plunged right into a funny adventure with mischievous children. It was a delight! xD

This edition, just like the one of Witches features cute little illustrations by Quentin Blake that round off the reading experience.

I think no matter how good the other stories by Roald Dahl, Matilda will always be my favourite because it's about a bookish, courageous girl that, despite her young age, knows right from wrong and teaches others a lesson or two (also, I taught myself how to read when I was 4 so I can identify with Matilda quite a lot)!

A surprisingly realistic book.

FULL REVIEW: http://abookandateacup.blogspot.com/2...

Matilda es infancia, es magia, es pasión, amor, amistad, valentía, fuerza...
Matilda es AMOR por los LIBROS.

Cuántas veces vi la película de niña. Me encantaba. Y hace 3 años leí el libro siendo ya adulta, y me encantó también. Creo que es un libro que no es solo para niñas(os) es para toda persona que quiera disfrutar de un buen libro.

Matilda, Roald Dahl

Matilda is a book by British writer Roald Dahl. It was published in 1988.

Matilda's parents have given their daughter ugly nicknames: "Trickster!"; "Stupid!"; "Unconscious!" "Lier!"; But to be honest, Matilda is a little genius girl. It remains to be seen, then, how Matilda can rise above her parents, and show the principal that she has exceptional talent and power.

Roald Dahl has been named Britain's Best Male Writer; He writes: "If you want to see the world through the eyes of children, kneel on the ground on all fours, and look at the adults who roll their eyes over your head and command and forbid you." The book's illustrator has won the Hans Christian Andersen Video Award.

عنوانهای چاپ شده در ایران: «ماتیلدا»؛ «متیلدا»؛ «ماتلدا»؛ نویسنده: رولد دال؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: ماه آگوست سال 1998میلادی

عنوان: ماتیلدا؛ نویسنده: رولد دال؛ مترجم: محبوبه نجف خانی؛ تهران، نشر چشمه؛ 1376؛ در 246ص؛ شابک 9646194532؛ چاپ چهارم 1384؛ چاپ پنجم 1386؛ در 266ص؛ شابک 9789646194533؛ ششم 1388؛ هفتم 1391؛ چاپ هشتم 1394؛ موضوع داستانهای طنز کودکان و مدرسه ها از نویسندگان بریتانیا - سده 20م

عنوان: ماتیلدا؛ نویسنده: رولد دال؛ مترجم: شهلا طهماسبی؛ تهران، نشر مرکز؛ 1376؛ در 218ص؛ شابک 9643053377؛ چاپ دوم 1379؛ چاپ چهارم 1382؛ چاپ هفتم 1385؛ هشتم 1386؛ شابک 9789643053376؛ چاپ نهم 1388؛ دهم 1389؛ دوازدهم 1393؛ سیزدهم 1394؛

عنوان: ماتیلدا؛ نویسنده: رولد دال؛ مترجم: علی پناهی آذر؛ تهران، گلدیس؛ 1379؛ در 216ص؛ شابک 9646837077؛

عنوان: متیلدا؛ نویسنده: رولد دال؛ مترجم: مهناز داودی؛ تهران، وزارت فرهنگ سازمان چاپ واننشارات، نشر زلال؛ 1380؛ در 237ص؛ شابک9644222148؛

عنوان: ماتلدا؛ نویسنده: رولد دال؛ مترجم: مرضیه نادری شهاب؛ تهران، نشر مرضیه نادری شهاب؛ 1385؛ در 232ص؛ شابک 9640687200؛

عنوان: ماتیلدا؛ نویسنده: رولد دال؛ مترجم: پروین علیپور؛ تهران، افق؛ 1386؛ در 269ص؛ شابک 9789643693619؛ چاپ دوم 1387؛ چاپ سوم 1388؛ چاپ چهارم 1389؛ چاپ پنجم 1390؛ در 323ص؛ چاپ هشتم 1392؛ در 323ص؛

عنوان: ماتیلدا؛ نویسنده: رولد دال؛ مترجم: علی هداوند؛ تهران، کارگاه فیلم و گرافیک سپاس؛ 1393؛ در 230ص؛ شابک 9786006767239؛

پدر تو چه‌ طور به دختر نابغه‌ ات می‌گویی: بی‌��عور

پدر و مادر «ماتیلدا» لقب‌های زشتی به دخترشان داده‌ اند: «حقه‌ باز!»؛ «احمق!»؛ «بی‌شعور!» «دروغگو!»؛ اما راستش را بخواهید «ماتیلدا» یک دختر کوچولوی نابغه است؛ پس باید دید که «ماتیلدا» چطور می‌تواند رودست پدر و مادرش بلند شود، و به مدیر مدرسه بفهماند، که استعداد، و قدرتی کاملاً استثنایی دارد؛ «رولد دال» بهترین نویسنده‌ ی مرد «انگلستان»، لقب گرفته است؛ ایشان می‌نویسند: «اگر می‌خواهید دنیا را از دریچه‌ ی چشم کودکان ببینید، چهار دست و پا روی زمین زانو بزنید، و به بزرگسالانی که بالای سرتان، چشم غره می‌روند، و به شما امر و نهی می‌کنند، نگاه کنید.»؛ تصویرگر این کتاب برنده‌ ی جایزه‌ ی تصویری «هانس کریستین آندرسن» شده است

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 28/07/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 10/06/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی

کاش در کودکی خوانده بودمش!

ماتیلدا، مشقِ ایستادگی و حفاظت از خود در برابر زورگویان است؛ فارغ از آنکه زورگو که باشد. این خصیصه در فرهنگ و آموزش ما ایرانیان گم و حتی مذموم است و جای خود را به فدا کردن خود و منافع خود برای حفظ منافع دیگری (عموما دیگریِ مقدس!) داده است.

بخوانید و به کودکان اطراف خود هدیه بدهید. به امید نسلی شجاعتر و پُرساتر!

n  n    “The books transported her into new worlds and introduced her to amazing people who lived exciting lives. She went on olden-day sailing ships with Joseph Conrad. She went to Africa with Ernest Hemingway and to India with Rudyard Kipling. She travelled all over the world while sitting in her little room in an English village.” n  n

~ Rating- 5 stars ~

I could never rate it lower.

This book just holds so much nostalgia for me.

I remember picking it up from my school library. It was a dusty, old copy with tattered pages but each and every word in it was worth the read. I vividly remember flying through the book. I was intrigued, skipped my meals and just sat with this book till it was over. And I read it several times again in the future.

n  n    “All the reading she had done had given her a view of life that they had never seen.” n  n

I really liked this book for all the important themes it explored and the way everything was portrayed. The characters were properly fleshed out and developed. The plot is interesting and kept me hooked. Everything about this book was amazing, and if you haven't read it, you need to read it now.

I cannot properly review this book, but I have read it so many times in the past. It was my comfort read in a way. I'm just going to gush instead.

n  n    “From then on, Matilda would visit the library only once a week in order to take out new books and return the old ones. Her own small bedroom now became her reading-room and there she would sit and read most afternoons, often with a mug of hot chocolate beside her.” n  n

Matilda as a character taught me that you don't have to fit it. Everyone doesn't need to like you for you to be happy in life. She taught me that you don't need to be dependent on others to act on something. She taught me that it is ok to not be ok, and she taught me to be fierce, brave and do what you must to bring yourself joy, but never at the cost of another person's happiness.

n  n    “So Matilda’s strong young mind continued to grow, nurtured by the voices of all those authors who had sent their books out into the world like ships on the sea. These books gave Matilda a hopeful and comforting message: You are not alone.” n  n

Mrs. Honey's character was an inspiration for me when I first read the book. I aspired to be like her, helpful and generous. I do not know if I achieved that, but I would say her character was one of my first role models in my life.

n  n    “What she needed was just one person, one wise and sympathetic grown-up who could help her.” n  n

Mrs. Honey taught me that everyone goes through their own struggles in life. You don't know what the other person is facing, but you can be their strength. You can show them kindness and gratitude, and you can let them know they are loved.

n  n    “There aren’t many funny bits in Mr Tolkien either,’ Matilda said.
‘Do you think that all children’s books ought to have funny bits in them?’ Miss Honey asked.
‘I do,’ Matilda said. ‘Children are not so serious as grown-ups and love to laugh.” n  n

Matilda's family taught me, that there will be people in your life who may not approve of you. They may not like how you behave, they may not like that element about you that makes you you. And that's ok. Improving yourself for the better is one thing, but these characters taught me that you do not have to change yourself to please others. You do not have to change who you are. You can still be you.

n  n    “There is little point in teaching anything backwards. The whole object of life, Headmistress, is to go forwards.” n  n

They taught me that just because someone is an adult, that doesn't mean that every single thing they do or say is right.

n  n    “I'm right and you're wrong, I'm big and you're small, and there's nothing you can do about it.” n  n

This book was a huge part of my life. If it wasn't for Matilda, my life would have been very different now. I might have still learned these lessons, but in a different way. This is a book I treasure with all my heart, and I am so thankful to Roald Dahl for writing it.

n  n    “Matilda said, "Never do anything by halves if you want to get away with it. Be outrageous. Go the whole hog. Make sure everything you do is so completely crazy it's unbelievable...” n  n

DISCLAIMER- All opinions on books I’ve read and reviewed are my own, and are with no intention to offend anyone. If you feel offended by my reviews, let me know how I can fix it.

How I Rate-
1 star- Hardly liked anything/ was disappointed
2 star- Had potential but did not deliver/ was disappointed
3 stars- Was ok but could have been better/ was average / Enjoyed a lot but something was missing
4 stars- Loved a lot but something was missing
5 stars- Loved it/ new favourite