Matilda by Roald Dahl


Image from goodreads

I loved all movie adaptations of Roald Dahl books but I haven't read a single one *hangs head in shame*, up until now. I remember being completely taken with Disney's James and the Giant Peach, then there was Matilda and the more recent releases of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Fantastic Mr. Fox. All of which I really enjoyed. So, I was exceptionally pleased when I got Matilda at a bargain price, making this my first Roald Dahl experience. 
Summary From Goodreads:

Poor, misunderstood Matilda fights back against an unappreciative world through a hidden talent: Matilda is the world's greatest practical joker! Little effort is needed to put one over on her obnoxious parents, but can shy little Matilda handle the formidable headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, and win the respect of every kid in school? Yes!

Since I was familiar with the movie adaptation, there are  bits and pieces of the story I already knew but still the entire book held my attention. I have always been a sucker for genius or bookish characters and Matilda happens to be both! This girl is such a delight. But she's far from your typical smart kid, those mostly portrayed as an academic achiever and a follower of rules. Matilda on one hand is quite a mischievous bender and creator of her own rules. Her father has had first hand experience of Matilda's ingenious ways along with the rest of her neglectful and extremely unpleasant family as well as the formidable headmistress, Mrs. Trunchbull. There's superglue, ghosts, talking bird, extra strong hair dyes, newts, chocolate cake, pigtails and a whole lot of craziness. This book is funny, silly, and heartwarming all at the same time. A great first foray into the witty humor of Roald Dahl. 


Any of you remember the movie adaptation? Danny Devito as Harry Wormwood was hilarious. And Pam Ferris was absolutely spot on for Ms. Trunchbull. You all probably remember her as Aunt Marge in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Image from Wikipedia
Now, I'm ready for a second Roald Dahl read. Any suggestions?    

Comments

  1. AnonymousJuly 7, 2011 at 5:52 AM

    Same here. I've seen the movies never read the books until recently. 2011 was the influx of Dahl books on my shelf. We're actually featuring his work on our sept/oct bimonthly theme if i'm not mistaken.
    Anyway, i suggest the BFG, the Witches and the twits. Though the giraffe, the pelly and me is quite cute to.

    I just bought my copy of James and the Giant Peach over the weekend. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. TinJuly 7, 2011 at 5:57 PM

    @gatheringbooks Hi! It's great to hear that you'll be featuring Dahl books soon! I'll definitely look forward to that.

    I'll take note of the BFG, Witches, Twits, and the Giraffe, the Pelly, and Me. The titles all seem like it will be a fun read, I'll go look up the plot of the stories :)

    Oh that's great! Which edition did you get of James? If I'm not mistaken there's one illustrated by Lane Smith, probably looks the same as the Disney movie and of course there is also one done by Quentin Blake. :P

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJuly 8, 2011 at 8:27 AM

    @Tin
    I got the one by Lane Smith. Its not quite like the disney movie...then again its been a while since I saw the movie.

    ReplyDelete
  4. dementedchrisJuly 8, 2011 at 8:04 PM

    James and the Giant Peach is one of my favorites, along with The Witches and Fantastic Mr Fox. Fantastic Mr Fox was even made into a film by Wes Anderson recently.

    Of his adult books I'd recommend The Umbrella Man (a short story collection).

    ReplyDelete
  5. TinJuly 9, 2011 at 12:14 AM

    @gatheringbooks
    I saw Lane Smith's drawings and you're right, it's not quite like the Disney movie illustrations. They do have similarities but a lot of variations as well. Centipede had me fooled though, he looks a lot like the one in the Disney movie, for me.

    ReplyDelete
  6. TinJuly 9, 2011 at 12:25 AM

    @dementedchris
    Hi Chris! I adore the movie adaptation of James and the Giant Peach and more so Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox. It's strange and eccentric in a nice way and very witty and funny as well. I love how they use the stop-motion technique.

    I didn't know he wrote books for adults. I'll go and check out The Umbrella Man.

    Thanks! :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. dementedchrisJuly 11, 2011 at 1:52 AM

    Haha, I didn't notice that you mentioned Fantastic Mr Fox in your post at all! Selective eyesight haha. I hope you find a copy of The Umbrella Man somewhere. It's a dark and delicious read :P

    ReplyDelete

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