I am now an official Roald Dahl fan! ‘Boy: Tales of Childhood’ is a sort of autobiography as the book covers the periodRoald Dahl was born in the South of Wales (his parents are Norwegian) and how his life changed when his father died, leaving his mother to care for 3 sisters, ‘an ancient half-sister’, a half-brother and him.
His summer holidays in Norway are really interesting and the incident involving the ‘ancient half-sister’s pompous boyfriend’ will make you laugh!
Dahl notes how impressed he was (I’m sure many mothers would be too today) at how his mother makes the travel and hotel arrangements in Norway for the huge family all the way from Wales. We REALLY shouldn’t complain about holiday planning now with the phone, internet and email…
Poor Dahl suffers greatly when he’s enrolled at an English boarding school (which his mother insists on, in honour of his late father’s wish).
The boarding school you read about in ‘Boy: Tales of Childhood’ is ENTIRELY DIFFERENT from the wonderful, romantic scenes from Enid Blyton’s boarding school stories.
At school, Dahl and his friends get ‘paddled’ on the butt, neglected (a boy actually died from a cold) and even having his weekly letters home cunningly monitored (and of course, censored by the boys themselves) by the business-minded headmaster, who later became the Archbishop of Canterbury!
This is one of the reasons Dahl is disillusioned by the idea of religion…how can someone who has been so cruel to kids become a head of a religious institution that preaches kindness and compassion???
Since his mother has no real idea of what goes on in school, she can only send weekly homemade goodies. Reading Dahl’s experiences will remind parents NOT to be too trusting of school authorities especially as those in administration tend to paint a brilliant, bright picture of what goes on in school…I know I’ll never send my children to boarding school (not that I can afford it anyway!)
Besides school stories, I was *truly horrified* when I read about his tonsillectomy without anaesthesia. People at that time really suffered without modern medicine. Definitely for readers aged 12 and above…
In case I’ve painted a bleak picture of ‘Boy: Tales of Childhood’, I’m sorry. The book has funny and fascinating segments (the trick played on the miserly Mrs. Pratchett, the sweet shop owner; his letters home; his travels to Africa when he worked with Shell…).
After all, if I’m now Dahl’s No. 1 fan, the book must be a good read, right? Absolutely – especialy for summer reading!!!
Rating: 
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I would LOVE to read that, it sounds fascinating. I am going to add that to my TBR list.
KittyCat – Chery, it IS a great read and I totally recommend it to anyone who loves Roald Dahl’s books. Gives you a real insight into the author and also the times in which he grew up.
roald dahl is my favourite author and it’s always a happy thing to find other people who love his writing. you should read his children books and adult short stories. nobody writes quite like him! my favourite children book by him is danny, champion of the world while for his adult stories, i love the novel my uncle oswald.
Nylusmilk – I’d actually started with Dahl’s “Tales of the Unexpected” and found “Matilda” later on. Then, it’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and now “Boy”. Will definitely check out his other kids’ books for my kid and me
Got “The BFG” on my shelf now and will keep a look out for “My Uncle Oswald” …
roald dahl is the best author in the whole world.my favourite book is the ‘Boy’
Roald Dahl is one of the few authors that writes children’s books that are witty and suitable for anyone from about 9 or 10 until 100+
Books I’ve read as a child I still enjoy re-reading to my children.
I’ve recently discovered his poems to be quite an enjoyable read too, witty to the core!
I hated it I could never ever read something more terrible then what I just read.!!!:(
rahvan – Great, another fan
intisaar – Thanks for the tip on Dahl’s poems. Didn’t know he wrote any. I’ve got to check them out.
Leah Alam – Ah, a different point of view. I always appreciate diverse opinions. Would you like to share why you didn’t like the book? I’d love to hear more of your thoughts.