Roald Dahl is renowned for his remarkable talent in writing fiction. However, his childhood memoir is equally captivating and enjoyable to peruse.

He commences by providing some background details about his parents, including the incident where his father lost his arm. Dahl then regales the readers with numerous entertaining anecdotes regarding his school life. He vividly describes the idiosyncrasies of some of the teachers and older students.

This was a bygone era, devoid of the Internet, cell phones, and TV. As a result, the education system had certain resemblances to ours, yet it also differed significantly in many aspects. It truly feels like a time warp, and Dahl's explanations and descriptions are so lucid that they make it easy for us to envision.

All in all, it is truly a wonderful childhood memoir that offers a fascinating glimpse into Dahl's early years.

I read this book in year 7 for English and I absolutely loved it.

Personally, I usually have a strong aversion to school books. However, this particular one was distinct. I truly had a great liking for it. It was incredibly interesting. I can still recall half of the events that took place in the book. That's how deeply it has remained with me. I highly recommend this book not only to the fans of Roald Dahl but also to those who are not fans. This book is different from all of his other works.

The differences are good.

I still wholeheartedly recommend it. The events that occur and the way he describes them are just...

That is the only word that can accurately describe the book.

Such a brilliant and sparkly review.

I firmly believe that Roald Dahl is perhaps the finest children's storyteller.

When my teacher in the third grade read "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" to our class, I recall thinking, "This person is truly excellent."

However, as great as "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is (or "The Twits" or "The Witches" or "Matilda" or choose your favorite), it is "Boy", his memoir of childhood written for children, that I have read numerous times.

The copy I discovered in my basement last week is completely torn to pieces.

He writes for children as children, not treating them as less intelligent adults.

I can only envision that I will continue to reread this book in the future.

Perhaps I should invest in a new copy.

Roald Dahl's works have a unique charm that captivates readers of all ages.

His vivid imagination and engaging storytelling make his books a joy to read.

"Boy" offers a fascinating glimpse into his childhood, filled with趣事 and adventures.

It is a book that can be enjoyed again and again, uncovering new details and insights each time.

Whether you are a child or an adult, Roald Dahl's books are sure to leave a lasting impression.

I truly relished this book.

It doesn't matter if you aren't particularly interested in Roald Dahl himself. Even if you're just curious about what it was like to grow up in the 'olden days', you should most definitely read it.

I have a full review on my blog --> http://lebookchronicles.weebly.com

Question: Does anyone actually visit my blog?

I wonder if there are really people out there who take the time to go to my blog and read my reviews.

It would be great to know if my thoughts and opinions on books are reaching an audience and making an impact.

Maybe someone out there is inspired to pick up a book they might not have otherwise considered because of my review.

Or perhaps they just enjoy reading about my experiences with different books.

Either way, I hope that my blog is providing some value to its readers.

Like so many children, I grew up with Roald Dahl’s classic tales: James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Matilda. I was aware that he had published work for adults, too, but hadn’t experienced any of it until I was asked to join a blog tour in advance of Roald Dahl Day (September 13th).

Last year Penguin brought out an eight-volume paperback set of Dahl’s short stories, grouped thematically. I focused on Innocence: Tales of Youth and Guile, which opens with a reprint of Boy (1984), the closest thing to an autobiography that Dahl wrote. That’s in spite of his prefatory disclaimer:

An autobiography is a book a person writes about his own life and it is usually full of all sorts of boring details. This is not an autobiography. … throughout my young days at school and just afterwards a number of things happened to me that I have never forgotten. … Some are funny. Some are painful. … All are true.

Dahl’s father was a one-armed shipbroker who’d moved from Norway to Wales for the coal. His mother, Harald’s second wife, was also from Norway, so Dahl was a full-blooded Norwegian. After his father’s early death, he attended Llandaff Cathedral School and then boarding school and public school in England. Sofie Dahl, quietly tough, tended her brood of six children and stepchildren, giving them magical summers on a Norwegian island and keeping her cool during the car accident in which Dahl’s nose was almost severed.

Any time they were separated, Dahl wrote to his mother once a week, without fail. The book includes facsimile excerpts from some of these letters, along with black-and-white family photographs and drawings. This is more of a scrapbook than a straightforward chronological memoir, especially in the way that it moves between playful and disturbing vignettes from Dahl’s school days. It’s particularly delightful to spot incidents that inspired his children’s books, such as a plot to plant a dead mouse in the mean sweet shop lady’s gobstopper jar and the boxes of new-recipe Cadbury’s chocolates that would arrive at Repton School for testing by eager boys.

Pranks and larks and holidays: these are all here. But so is crushing homesickness and a bitter sense of injustice at being at the mercy of sadistic adults. Dahl had his adenoids removed without anesthesia, and at school he received and witnessed many a vicious caning. Aware that such scenes are accumulating uncomfortably, he addresses the topic directly:

By now I am sure you will be wondering why I lay so much emphasis upon school beatings in these pages. The answer is that I cannot help it. All through my school life I was appalled by the fact that masters and senior boys were allowed literally to wound other boys, and sometimes quite severely. I couldn’t get over it. I never have got over it.

When he graduated, instead of going to Oxford or Cambridge, he wanted to see the world and have adventures, so he spent the summer of 1934 exploring Newfoundland and joined the Shell Company at age 18. His first placement was to East Africa for three years; soon afterwards he would become a fighter pilot in the Second World War. In the short years he spent as a London commuter, he realized how easy a 9-to-5 office job is compared to making a living as a writer. (I could sympathize.)

The life of a writer is absolute hell compared with the life of a businessman. The writer has to force himself to work. He has to make his own hours and if he doesn’t go to his desk at all there is nobody to scold him. If he is a writer of fiction he lives in a world of fear. Each new day demands new ideas and he can never be sure whether he is going to come up with them or not. … A person is a fool to become a writer. His only compensation is absolute freedom. He has no master except his own soul.

I don’t often like reading books from a child’s perspective (particularly novels with a child narrator) because I find that the voice can ring false. Not so here. Nearly 60 years later, Dahl could use memory and imagination to fully inhabit his childhood self and give a charming survey of the notable events of his life up to age 20. I’d highly recommend Boy to fiction and nonfiction readers alike.

[I dipped into Trickery: Tales of Deceit and Cunning and particularly liked “The Wish,” in which a boy imagines a carpet is a snakepit and then falls into it, and “Princess Mammalia,” a Princess Bride-style black comedy about a royal who decides to wrest power from her father but gets her mischief turned right back on her. I’ll also pick up Fear, Dahl’s curated set of ghost stories by other authors, during October for the R.I.P. challenge.]

Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.

Normally, I would only rate this book around three stars. However, I recall being completely captivated by it during my childhood. Currently, I believe that there is very little substantial content within its pages. I managed to read it while my girlfriend was having dinner, for goodness sake! And she didn't take an overly long time, I'd say not even as much as an hour. But of course, what is there is written beautifully and is great fun. You can clearly observe the beginnings of Roald Dahl's remarkable books within his autobiography. It's not just the major concepts, but also the sense of amusement and even the manner in which he describes things.

Moreover, it's enjoyable because he includes photographs, letters, and other such miscellaneous elements from his life. These additional details add an extra layer of interest and make the reading experience even more engaging. It gives us a unique peek into the life of this renowned author and allows us to understand his journey and the inspirations that led to his great works.

Roald Dahl is truly a remarkable phenomenon in world children's literature. He is sharp-witted and sweet-tongued, provocative and inspiring.

From the resourceful and kind-hearted boys and girls, to the good giants who spread dreams and the extravagant owners of chocolate factories, his characters are beloved by many. And several generations have grown up with Dahl's books.

But where does the author's seemingly inexhaustible inspiration come from? Is it possible that his own childhood was no less exciting, scary, and fun than his own fantasies? You will learn this from his autobiographical work "Boy" (published by "Enthusiast"). Read the review on "Book Wings":

https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/201...

It is a remarkable collection of memories neatly arranged by age. These memories have left an indelible mark on a truly great storyteller and an intrepid Indiana Jones-like adventure seeker.

Only when he reaches adolescence in the book does he commence making value judgments about the events that befall him. He vividly recounts his childhood through the lens of a child's纯真feelings, rather than with the jaded interpretation of an adult.

He recalls with disbelief the moment when he saw that the person who became the Archbishop of Canterbury and crowned the current queen of the UK was the same unknown school principal who had once made his life a living hell. This principal punished his students with a viciousness bordering on sadism, and this experience distanced him from a religion that preaches love while meting out fierce punishments.

The other wonderful aspect of this book is that it allows the child within each of us to soar freely. We can recognize in real people the unforgettable characters from his stories. We are just a step away from imagining ourselves making the passage from reality to fantasy, just like in books such as Matilda, the Witches, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It seamlessly blends the everyday with the enchanting world of fantasy, and of all the reasons one could think of to relish a good book, this is perhaps one of the very best.

This book is kind of recognized as the autobiography of Roald Dahl, but it is by no means a tiring biography at all.

The book is full of vivid stories from Roald Dahl's personal life, and by reading this book, we can see to what extent his own personality has been influential in creating his stories.

I really liked the character of Roald Dahl's mother. Someone who, despite Roald being her only child and her husband also passing away when her child was still young, doesn't let herself be overcome by grief. Only when it comes time for her to go to East Africa, instead of longing for her child like most mothers do when they are separated, she encourages him! In short, his mother was inspiring and praiseworthy for me.

Roald Dahl was born a century ago. This fact, combined with his remarkable command over simple expressions, seems to wash the reader with a sense of anachronistic nostalgia.

The book in question serves several purposes. Firstly, it vividly paints a palpable picture of Norway's natural settings. The landscapes are not only beautiful in their atypical sceneries but also in the ways they have shaped the locals.

Secondly, it presents a too-real image of the life of a child in an era when anesthesia was often considered unnecessary for minor surgeries, and spanking with a cane stick was a prevalent form of discipline.

Thirdly, it offers a gentle exploration of the different influences that Dahl claims to have been affected by. However, this is more of a secondary concern and mostly a side-effect of his attempt to recreate the wonder of his childhood.

The book succeeds in drawing the reader into the same plane of weightless wonder as "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". For me, the highlight of the book was the multiple letters written by Dahl to his mother from childhood onwards. It is truly a joy to read a letter signed as "From Boy".

My only complaint lies with the repeated anecdotes regarding the cane-stick spankings. Although the author is appropriately appalled by them, spending so many pages on this topic could have been better budgeted for other aspects of the narrative.

Recommended to me by my 10-year-old (she wanted me to read the one about the adenoids), this is truly just a lovely book. The word "lovely" is a precious adjective, and it applies perfectly to this particular book. It's not really a traditional autobiography. Dahl has the wisdom to spare us the tedious and mundane details and instead focuses on the truly good bits. This makes the book not only a great read for anglophiles (and perhaps even norwegiaphiles if such a term exists), but also provides a revealing glimpse into an era when children were treated in ways that would make modern parents blanch. It's a fascinating look back at a different time, told through the engaging and unique voice of Roald Dahl.

Funny and moving account of a 1920s childhood in Wales, England and Norway, written by a master storyteller.

This captivating narrative takes us on a journey through the early years of the 20th century, across different countries. The author, a true master of storytelling, skillfully weaves together the humorous and heartwarming tales of growing up in Wales, England, and Norway during the 1920s.

We are introduced to a world filled with unique characters, charming traditions, and the simple joys of childhood. From the bustling streets of Welsh towns to the quiet countryside of England and the fjords of Norway, the author brings each location to life with vivid descriptions and engaging anecdotes.

As we follow the protagonist's adventures, we can't help but be entertained by the humorous situations they find themselves in. At the same time, the story also tugs at our heartstrings, revealing the universal experiences of love, loss, and friendship that shape our lives.

This account is not only a delightful read but also a valuable historical document, offering a glimpse into a bygone era. It reminds us of the importance of family, community, and the power of storytelling to connect us across time and space.