2019 Audio Update ... Still an amazing story. Dan Stevens is the narrator for this audio book, and he does a wonderful job. I normally listen to my audiobooks at 1.25 speed, but this was a story that needed to be experienced at 1.0 speed. It felt wrong to speed it up. What a llfe Roald Dahl led! What a different world he lived in. I wouldn't want to go back to World War II, but I'd love to live in a world where the middle east and the wonders of Africa were a little better accessed by the western world ... but then I guess that easier access is part of what led to the issues we have today, so ... maybe not. I'm just glad that I got to live a little vicariously through Dahl's wonderful storytelling. Still a five star book!

If I was at a magical dinner party with lots of famous authors from all time, I would totally want to be sitting right next to Roald Dahl. Why? His life experiences are AMAZING. What a life! Going Solo only tells a short three year portion of that life, but every bit of it was fascinating.

The story begins with his service with an oil company in Northern Africa shortly before the start of World War II. The details he shares about Africa at that time in history were so interesting. It was so different than the Africa of today. The British still had a colonial presence in so many places in that region, and the British citizens who resided in these areas had their own little culture. Add to the interesting people a good dose of African culture, and it made for a great story. This was not a story that was heading on a pre-determined course, beginning to end. Instead I felt like I was getting to come along for the ride as a young British citizen had the experiences of a lifetime in a simpler world. I loved his fear of snakes and his horrible encounters with the deadly mambas of Africa. I loved every time he encountered a large group of native African animals. Can we even do things like this any more? Maybe I am a total coward, but I couldn't imagine heading across Northern Africa by myself in a car, passing by huge wild animals as well as a group of African tribesman carrying spears galore. But Roald did it, and I loved sharing the ride with him.

The second part of this auto-biographical story begins when World War II breaks out, and Dahl volunteers as a pilot for the RAF. Had he done any flying before? No. Did he get a lot of training before he was sent into combat? No. It was terrifying to think of how little experience these young men had before being sent out by the RAF into hostile situations. At the time that Dahl was flying the German air force was vastly superior to the RAF. It seemed absolutely impossible, and to see these men go up again and again despite receiving practically suicidal orders from their superiors was hard to comprehend. But it was so interesting to get a first hand account of what life as a pilot was like at this time in history. So brave.

This is not a book that I would have picked up on my own, but it is my son's favorite book of all time, and he wanted me to read it. I'm glad that I did. Dahl has an attention to little details in life that often escape others as they describe events. He made each scene of this book come alive. I especially loved the pictures he had taken at the time which were scattered throughout this book. In addition there are a few letters and telegrams that he sent home to his mother. So sweet! Thisis a perfect book for middle school readers, but as an adult I loved it as well. If you are looking for a change of pace, a quick read that brings history to life, pick up this one. You won't be disappointed. Five stars!

Great stories from a great story-teller. Bonus points for having a bunch of stories about WWII from the Mediterranean theater which is something no American ever talks about.

Also read Fall 2015.

Жаль, что Роальд Даль закончил свои воспоминания на лете 1941 года. Очень интересно, что же было потом. Эх, ну вот на самом интересном месте закончилась книга! А вообще я абсолютно не ожидала, что Даль так крут. Одно дело - читать его забавные повести для детей, а другое - знать, что всемирно известный писатель был ещё и пилотом Британских ВВС и тысячу раз находился на волоске от гибели. Чудесное чтение и чудесный Даль, горячо рекомендую эту книжечку к прочтению.

I read the book in 2 days. It felt like ages since I had binge read a book.

Roald Dahl is a brilliant story teller. He was able to make me laugh in the most grim situations. I was engaged throughout the book and wanted know about the next part of his adventure. He was 23 at the time the book's story started. He really had one hell of an adventure in his 20s.

Going Solo by Roald Dahl is a wonderful autobiography. Dahl liked adventures and wrote the book to entertain people and tell them about his life. He was an RAF fighter in WWII where he traveled down to Africa to work for Shell Oil. The theme of this book is adventure. He traveled a lot and talks about the action during his travels. Dahl’s writing style is very descriptive. When he writes, he gives good details about flying, describes what the planes, and what he saw on his travels.

While Dahl was in Africa, he tells stories about himself there and how he goes to the RAF because he thinks he will be a good pilot. He met a man in the RAF named David Colce, a nice man who gave him flying tips against the Nazis. Colce was born of royal blood and could have been the Earl of Leicester. ”When attacking the ju 88 from the astern make quite sure you get well below him so the rear gunner can’t hit you” (GS.131). This is one piece of advice s given by his friend. Some of the book’s strengths are the details about what is going on and the summary of his life told in one story. Some weaknesses are when Dahl writes in the British vernacular because it sometimes does not make sense and is boring.
t
I liked this book because it talks about war. He doesn’t tell stories about war and how it is good but instead he talks about his personal experience. I like how the plot has recurring themes throughout each chapter. He always finds beauty in dangerous things. I like when he talks about the black mamba that was going to kill his gardener. He noticed how beautiful the black mamba and gardener looked right before they attacked each other. I would have liked the story a lot more if he did not write in the British vernacular. I would have been easier for me to understand. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes action, adventure and autobiographies.

This (These) books surprised me like not many have ever before.
.
#theguywiththebookreview presents Boy And Going Solo by Roald Dahl.
.

I also read this book as as child, but for some reason I forgot to add it until just now when I re-read it. It was as entertaining as ever!

Another Dahl book I distinctly remember reading at school, although only the section about Mambas. I think I probably read a heavily censored version given the level of violence that's actually in this one. I mean, most of it revolves around WWII so I shouldn't have been that surprised. I'm not normally a fan of books about the Great Wars, however Dahl has a way to pull you into a story and make you care for the people he writes about. There's so much death, so much luck involved in his story, it really is a miracle he made it home at all.

My favourite part is still the bit about the snake man and the green mamba though.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, Roald Dahl sure knows how to tell a story.

And what a story his life is. Full of exploration and wonder for the world, his autobiography of him as a young man, first time being employed and given the chance to travel the world is both interesting and at pivotal moments, reflective. As I read about his past involvement with WW2, his naivety and wonder if juxtaposed with the task he unapologetically signed up to do. I think his reflections on this nativity as a young lad are important.

Friendship, yearning, and the beauty of going solo in life from time to time, this book was a marvellous read as I embark on my next adventure with my best friend in Mexico.

I think it is a great story of roald dahls life there is another book that explaines his young life going solo is when he grows up and goes to work I think his life was interesting to know what he did when he was a grown up

Before reading this book, I had only known Roald Dahl as a children’s author through reading his novels to my children when they were young. It turns out he wrote for adults too, including this autobiography which covers his life from about 1938 to 1942. You’ll learn of his life in Tanzania before WW2 began, and his time in the Royal Air Force in North Africa, Greece, and the Middle East. It’s a miracle he survived. The horror of war is brought home by his comment that of the sixteen men he trained with, two years later thirteen were already dead.
Superbly written and with some excellent observations. For example, driving from Tanzania to Nairobi in Kenya to sign up to become a fighter pilot, he watches a family of elephants and describes them as living a life of 'absolute contentment' - no predators to fear except for ‘foul human hunters' - and as creatures wiser and with a better life than him who was off to kill Germans or be killed by them.
I loved this book.

Starts with the author working for Shell in Tanzania, then signing up in Egypt and flying a Hurricane in Greece.
With very unrealistic dialogue, I suspect this has been lightly fictionalised. I don't know who the target audience is.
What should have been an interesting war memoir by an established author was instead simplistic and tedious. How do you make crashing a plane in the desert in the middle of a war boring?
A disappointing read.