Date finished: 10/01/2012
My rating: 4.5/5
The second Roald Dahl on the list, and I enjoyed Matilda slightly more than The Twits. I am trying to put my finger on exactly why, but I have to say that I'm not entirely sure. I think perhaps Matilda is aimed at an older age group (it certainly took me longer than expected to read - The Twits I could have read in a single bus journey), but that in itself is not reason enough as to why I enjoyed it more. I suspect it is more to do with a secret desire to have been so clever as a child that I could make things move with just the power of my eyes. Is that just me???
The magic of Dahl comes through again so clearly: the simple language he uses and the feeling that he is telling the story directly to you as the reader. I also love that he thinks that evil people must be ugly, but that ugly people needn't be evil. Furthermore, through re-reading Matilda I learnt what 'precocious' means, which I have spent my life thinking meant something quite different to what it actually does. You see, books for children can be educational even for us grown-ups.
So, who should read this book? Matilda, more than the other young kid's books on the list, would be good for someone who turns their noses up at re-reading the books from their youth. It's fun and sweet and the bully gets her comeuppance at the end. What's not to love? Good for children and grown-ups alike, I think.
Next book: Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
No comments:
Post a Comment