a childhood favorite

When I was growing up, I would answer the question “what is your favorite book?” with this tale of Roald Dahl’s. To clarify, this book is multiple stories, with the tale of Henry Sugar being the titular story (and my favorite!) The others are short stories - some silly, some weird, some very dark, some true. It should be noted that all have an unfortunate amount of racism and bigotry. Rereading this book as an adult was an interesting experience, and I can’t say I was as fascinated by it as I was long ago. However, I am intrigued that it was made into a short film, and plan to watch that soon. I give this book 5⭐️ because that’s what teenage me would have wanted. But I probably won’t read it again.

This is one of my favorite books for kids. I remember my Mom reading it to us as kids during our Cape Cod vacation. I read it with Hope, Gracie and Henry (he loves the name of the book). It is a great story about how people can change & has a metaphysical bent. Read it aloud to a kid.

Having discovered this book through Netflix promos, I was intrigued by the diverse tales within "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More."

The Boy Who Talked to Animals:
This story portrays the plight of a sea turtle caught by conflicted fishermen. A young boy, endowed with the ability to understand animals, pleads for the creature's release, creating a compelling narrative.

The Hitch-hiker:
In this quintessentially quirky Dahl story, a hitchhiker turns out to be more than just a passenger, showcasing Dahl's storytelling prowess with a touch of larceny.

The Mildenhall Treasure:
A historically grounded tale unfolds as a farmer discovers a valuable Roman treasure, exploring the repercussions of unearthing such a significant artifact.

The Swan:
While a bit disturbing, this story exposes the dark side of human cruelty as bullies coerce a timid child into perilous stunts involving a mother swan. It's a chilling narrative that elicits discomfort.

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar:
Surprisingly enjoyable, this story traces the transformation of a wealthy, arrogant man seeking yogic secrets to a compassionate and generous individual. The narrative skillfully navigates the moral journey of the protagonist.

Lucky Break:
Dahl reflects on his writing journey, incorporating events from "Boy" and "Going Solo." The narrative encompasses both the challenges and joys of his time at boarding school, ultimately revealing the path that led him to become a writer.

A Piece of Cake:
This autobiographical account recounts Dahl's experiences as a fighter pilot, unraveling the complexities behind seemingly simple tasks. The title symbolizes the unexpected challenges encountered during his wartime service.

Among these stories, three stood out for me. "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar" captivated me with its well-executed transformation of the main character. Dahl's autobiographical reflections in "Lucky Break" provided insightful glimpses into his early writing career, and "The Boy Who Talked with Animals" resonated deeply with its magical and compassionate narrative.

While "The Swan" was a compelling story about bullying, it was emotionally challenging, making it a one-time read for me.

Despite these differences in impact, each story contributed to the book's unique blend of fantasy, humor, and Dahl's distinctive storytelling style. Among them, "The Mildenhall Treasure" stood out as my favorite, offering a captivating exploration of history and human behavior.

Roald Dahl is a gift to children & adults alike. These stories lit up my life! They brought me joy, immersed me, & one kind of horrified me... But they were incredibly entertaining. Out of all the stories, I loved “Piece of Cake” the most. Mostly because I really enjoyed knowing it was his first story he ever wrote & he didn’t even mean to write it that well

Un libro simpático con cinco cuentos y dos textos autobiográficos (el primero es sobre cómo Dahl se convirtió en escritor, y el segundo es el primer relato que escribió en su vida, sobre su experiencia en la guerra contra Alemania).

Aunque me esperaba mucho más de este libro, de todos modos me resultó entretenido y Dahl me cayó bien: es un narrador amable que cada tanto te saca una sonrisa, porque hasta en sus pasajes más oscuros mantiene un tono alegre. Sus historias giran en torno a hechos insólitos —a veces realistas, a veces más cerca de la fantasía— y tienen un aire como de caricatura que las hace fáciles de leer, aunque pueden parecer un poco planas.

Mi favorito (y el más cruel de estos cuentos): “El cisne”.

Jumping back into Roald Dahl literature has been one of the best experiences in terms of reading this year.

I never considered that I would enjoy short stories so much. Stories that you start and finish before going to bed. Such a refreshing feeling. As a lover of Roald Dahl's stories in childhood, his writing style is one of the most easy to read and grabs-you-by-the-writing-and-plot-and-never-lets-you-go. This was such a great read and overall, my rating was based on my enjoyment.

Ratings for each short story:
The Boy Who Talked with Animals: 2/5
The Hitch-hiker: 4/5
Mildenhall Treasure: 4.5/5
The Swan: 2/5
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar: 5 BRILLIANT STARS/5
Lucky Break: 4/5 (3.5)
A Piece of Cake: 4/5 (3.5)

The Boy Who Talked with Animals, I found it to be kind of pointless. The title is the story. (spoilers) Basically a boy begs a fisherman not to sell the enormous turtle so the fisherman lets the turtle go. Next day parents say their boy is missing and police are searching for him. Natives who were fishing tell police they see a boy riding a turtle into the horizon. They see the boy but he gets on turtle and rides off into the sunset.

The Hitch-hiker was damn hilarious. This hitch-hiker with a career he won't speak off, has the most interesting banter with the main character and the story was absolutely genius.

Mildenhall Treasure was amazing to believe that Roald Dahl had written this story of someone's recount of finding treasures that is now in the British Museum. Roald Dahl had written this story with the pure motive of telling the true story of how these treasures were found after seeing an article in the newspapers.

The Swan, for a birdlover, was like being stabbed in the throat. A twisted story with a twisted moral.

THE WONDERFUL STORY OF HENRY SUGAR WAS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL STORIES I HAVE EVER READ THAT IS ALL. READ IT NOW. THANKS.

Lucky Break went into details on some parts Dahl has written about in Boy: Tales of Childhood and Going Solo. I enjoyed seeing his perspective/role in history like World War II and the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour.

A Piece of Cake, though the lower rating, was quite a good story. A story he wrote not with the intention of it being a story, was one of humour and a life threatening situation.

All in all, a great compilation of stories and I recommend it to people who love Roald Dahl or short stories :)

It's the first time that I read this author and I was very flabbergasted by the versatility of this book, first of all I was very surprised because some of the stories were violent and full of moral dilemmas in which the characters had to do the best they can thinking not only with their minds but with their souls and hearts.

Personally I really enjoyed some stories more than others, so my favorites were The Boy Who Talked With Animals, The Swan and The Hitch-hicker. I hope to read more of this author soon and I will watch the adaptations made by Wes Anderson.

Mijn tienjarige dochter vond dat ik dit moest lezen, want het is één van de beste boeken die ze tot nu toe gelezen heeft, zeker het titelverhaal en het verhaal over hoe Roald Dahl schrijver werd. Ik heb het met plezier op haar aanraden gelezen. Zelf was ik op die leeftijd ook enorme fan van Roald Dahl - en liet ik mijn moeder onder lichte dwang Matilda lezen - maar dit boek heb ik destijds niet gelezen. Bonus: over enkele weken verschijnt er op Netflix een verfilming van het titelverhaal.

A bit of a mixed bag. All of the stories are very readable, but not all of them go anywhere - some of them end quite oddly. Henry Sugar comes to a certain point, the author intrudes thoroughly, and then takes the story off in an almost apologetic way that seems at odds with what's gone before. Similarly in The Swan, one of Dahl's typically grim and nasty pieces, we have an ending that connects in no way with what is an otherwise realistic story.
And there's that odd amoral feeling about some of them that you find in some of his other longer stories, such as Danny, the Champion of the World. Here, in The Hitch-hiker, Dahl seems to delight in the fact that the law is made a fool of. I often wonder what message children take out of his books...
The two non-fiction pieces, The Mildenhall Treasure, and Lucky Break are interesting to read, but feel as though they've been well and truly dramatised. And is Dahl serious in telling us that he wrote a piece that was worthy of publication when he'd never written anything like that before?

This is a fantastic collection of stories by a brilliant author, where no two stories are anything like the same.

The Boy Who Talked with Animals: A story set in Jamaica which feels worryingly plausible. A turtle is caught by a fisherman and a group of people get very excited by the prospect of turtle soup. One small boy is unhappy with the way the turtle is being treated though. The best thing about this is the ending, quite dark but rather satisfying all at the same time.

The Hitch-hiker: Usually stories with hitch-hikers involve a murder but this is light-hearted. The hitch-hiker that is picked up keeps what he does a secret but the curious driver is desperate to know what it is. It turns out to be very pleasing and has a great little twist at the end.

The Mildenhall Treasure: This is actually a non-fiction story about a farmer finding some treasure, although if Dahl hadn't said it was true you would assume it was a work of fiction. A great telling of something that really happened, capturing the magic of the classic treasure-finding story.

The Swan: I didn't like this one as much as the others. A boy is bullied by two louts who keep going further and further with their torments. It has a weird supernatural ending which I just didn't feel worked very well.

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar: Idle rich man Henry Sugar learns an impossible talent, to be able to see through playing cards. Now he can make even more money but is that really what he wants to do. A good story with a unique idea in it but far longer than it really needed to be.

Lucky Break: Less of a story and more of an essay on how Dahl got into writing. It's a bit like a speedy autobiography of the first part of his life, going through his school days, his first job and his time in the Second World War. Nothing particularly outstanding here but as you read you realise Dahl was one of those people who lived a remarkable life.

Piece of Cake: The first story Dahl ever wrote it tells of his experience as a pilot in the war. It's really well told although the extended bizarre dream towards the end feels a bit unnecessary. Still, you feel like you are actually there and it is another case of Dahl telling a non-fiction story so magically it feels like it must be a fiction story.

All in all an enjoyable and speedy read. I didn't think it was quite as good as some of his other short story collections as here the stories are toned down, they don't really go very dark and are light, easy reads. However there are lots of good things to be said about the collection and it reminded me of just how brilliant an author Roald Dahl was.

¡Qué maravilla cómo escribe este hombre!
Me han gusto mucho los relatos, bueno, unos más que otros, pero lo que es innegable es que su forma de escribir es adictiva. Te sumerge en la historia que cuenta y no puedes parar. Algunos finales te sorprenden y otros no, pero todos enganchan.
Además ese relato contando su vida es

After falling in love with Dahl (via Matilda), I read this fantastic collection of short stories. A couple are actually written for adults but were tame enough to transfer well to a younger audience. The tales had such a profound effect on me that I remember them clearly to this day (despite not having read this collection since the umpteenth time when I was in my teens), and I still think fondly about one of them in particular on a regular basis. If I were to be trapped on a desert island with just a handful of books to read again and again, this would definitely be one of my picks.