Date Finished: 20/06/2011
My Rating: 4/5
I read a lot of Roald Dahl as a child, and it was lovely to go back to some. OK, I admit I've read at least a couple of his stories as an adult, but I hadn't revisited The Twits in the that time. In fact, I don't even think I owned a copy in the first place. I remember my best friend had it on tape, and I was definitely very jealous. Thou shall not covet thy best friend's story-tape.
Anyway, it's a great book, and I could easily have read it in less than an hour. I had to pace myself on the bus to make sure I had some left to read on the way home. I think the reason I like Roald Dahl books so much is that it feels like he is not just telling a story, but that he is telling you a story. I'm not even sure that makes complete sense, but he manages to make it feel so personal when you read it, and I love that. To use a couple of Dahl-isms, I thought The Twits was phiz-whizzing and whoopsy-splunkers.
The Twits are a horribly ugly couple, both in looks and personality. In fact, Dahl makes a point of saying in the book that even if you start out quite pretty, ugly thoughts will lead to an ugly face. They are nasty to each other, and they are nasty to the monkeys that they have caged in the garden. They have no windows in their house so that people can't see in, they superglue the tree in their garden to catch birds for pie, and, as any good baddy in a Roald Dahl book should, they hate children. As luck should have it, the monkeys are able to exact revenge on the Twits, with the help of a Roly-Poly Bird, and the couple come to a perfectly Dahl-like revolting end.
So, who should read this book? Anyone. It won't matter whether you're under 10, over 80 or anywhere inbetween, I bet you'll enjoy it. You could read it over a cup of tea.
Next book: Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
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