Boy: Tales of Childhood
by Roald Dahl
published
February 1st 1999
(first published 1984)
by Puffin
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binding
Paperback, 176 pages
isbn
0141303050
(isbn13: 9780141303055)
description
In Boy, Roald Dahl recounts his days as a child growing up in England. From his years as a prankster at boarding school to his envious position as a c...more
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avg 4.08
Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
Both children and adults
My interest in reading this novel was stimulated a few weeks ago when I visited some friends, one of whom over the course of the evening dug up his collection of Roald Dahl books and proceeded to reintroduce us the magic we had near forgetten we had experienced as children in reading them.
I have always loved the sheer dottiness of the tales of Roald Dahl - the horrid nature of the some of his adult characters and the heroic nature of his young but strong willed main characters.
What I l...more
I have always loved the sheer dottiness of the tales of Roald Dahl - the horrid nature of the some of his adult characters and the heroic nature of his young but strong willed main characters.
What I l...more
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Read in July, 2008
I read Matilda it was years ago, when I was little, I guess. And, I was in love with the novel.
Although it seemed that for me Matilda was the only Dahl’s captivating book, I couldn’t help it when I saw “Boy, Tales of Childhood” a few months ago.
With around 30% of discount, I grabbed the book--which happened to be the only one on the shelf. Yet, I had no time to read it until last week.
Not so surprising, I was also in love with this memoir. There are five episodes of Dahl’s ...more
Although it seemed that for me Matilda was the only Dahl’s captivating book, I couldn’t help it when I saw “Boy, Tales of Childhood” a few months ago.
With around 30% of discount, I grabbed the book--which happened to be the only one on the shelf. Yet, I had no time to read it until last week.
Not so surprising, I was also in love with this memoir. There are five episodes of Dahl’s ...more
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Read in April, 2007
The view inside Roald Dahl’s memories is a great one, full of vibrant descriptions and just enough humor to satisfy. Actually, I find it very hard to find something to criticize with Dahl. The stories are just as entertaining as his fiction, and have that added bonus of being true. A YA reader who has not experienced much non-fiction might be pleasantly surprised to find that the truth doesn’t have to be dull (which was my assumption as a YA—probably because of school books!).
I loved ...more
I loved ...more
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Read in March, 2008
recommends it for:
Young Teens
You might think that autobiographies are boring. I mean, who wants to read a book about a person blabbing on and on about their life. Not me. But this book is different. Although it is an autobiography, this book is very funny and emotional. Roald Dahl shares his happiness and hardships with you.
“In 1920, when I was still only three, my mother’s eldest child, my own sister Astri died from Appendicitis. She was seven years old when she died, which was also the age of my own eldest daught...more
“In 1920, when I was still only three, my mother’s eldest child, my own sister Astri died from Appendicitis. She was seven years old when she died, which was also the age of my own eldest daught...more
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6 comments
Read in July, 2008
recommends it for:
Anybody who wants to know more about the author
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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Read in January, 2004
This book was an autobiography by Ronald Dahl who is one of the most famous authors there is. He has written many famous books and is really well-known. Many may ask about his life, so this is the perfect book. He uses humor to portray his life. In this book he writes about his life from the beginning until the time he became an author. He includes funny short stories like when he said how he played a prank on the store clerk by putting a dead mouse in the candy box. He was a trouble maker along...more
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Read in December, 2007
I have just finished reading a book from an old favorite author of mine as a child, Roald Dahl. This book was an enchantingly wonderful story of a Roald Dhal as a "Boy." he talks of his best friends and describes all the adventures they went on together. I enjoyed most of all when the author writes about how everyday he adn his friends would gather up thier coins to go buy "Licorice bootlaces, raspberry sucker and gobstoppers." As I read through these pages i would find mysel...more
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recommends it for:
Anyone who loves Roald Dahl, memoirs, or laughing
In true Roald Dahl style this memoir is side-splittingly hilarious and irreverent. My favorite Roald Dahl quote sums it all up:
"Above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you, because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it." - Roald Dahl
No one reading this memoir could think that Dahl did not find magic in every nook and cranny of his childhood. Readers will find glimpses of l...more
"Above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you, because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it." - Roald Dahl
No one reading this memoir could think that Dahl did not find magic in every nook and cranny of his childhood. Readers will find glimpses of l...more
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Read in February, 2008
What a cool little book! This had tales from Dahl's childhood, and several were quite interesting in respect to his classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. While in boarding school, some chocolate company would send samples to the kids to rate the candy. The kids got free candy, the company got consumer research. Score! The other odd story was that his older sister or brother, can't remember which, had to have an appendix removed. Roald's nanny told him that the appendix got inflamed be...more
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Read in January, 2007
Very intriguing and absorbing--I have to say that I have never been a big fan of his children's books---but his two autobios. Boy followed by Going Solo are superb. The stories are chapters from his life during atime that the world was relatively untouched and unexplored, and Roahld is living in exotic places like Africa and witnessing things such as a lion dragging the family cook out in its jaws to the stark realism of a small English schoolboy scaring the hideous sweet shop lady with a school...more
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recommended to Audrey by:
My teacher
recommends it for: Everyone!
recommends it for: Everyone!
I LUV THIS BOOK!
It is so meaningful to look at such a great writer's life and see him write it in a creative and amazing way that will lead u to the next event in a hurr y to find out what happens next!
It is an amaing book told my an amazing person! Sadly Roald Dahl is now dead but we have this amazing book to tel us baout his life. All people young and old should read this book and it has great sentimental value to me and i'm sure other people, i wrote a book report on this book and i dug d...more
It is so meaningful to look at such a great writer's life and see him write it in a creative and amazing way that will lead u to the next event in a hurr y to find out what happens next!
It is an amaing book told my an amazing person! Sadly Roald Dahl is now dead but we have this amazing book to tel us baout his life. All people young and old should read this book and it has great sentimental value to me and i'm sure other people, i wrote a book report on this book and i dug d...more
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Read in September, 2008
This book is so charming and cute. It almost makes you want to send your kids off to boarding school, even with all the beatings that went on. Really, it was kind of terrible, but obviously Roald Dahl got through it and grew up to be a charming, creative, sensible man. This is a quick read, and takes you through his formative years with his family and in the English school system, and is just darling. I hope every anecdote in this book is true. I don't see how he can possibly have remembered all...more
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Read in October, 2007
Roald Dahl has such an easiness in his writing. It makes for pleasurable reading. It also makes me wish that I could be a writer some day. Even though he's best known for his children's stories, I've been discovering that I enjoy his non-fiction works as much, if not more.
Boy was a wonderful memoir of childhood. It made me think about my own childhood a bit. At first I was envious that I hadn't done anything nearly as exciting--but then I realized that a lot of what was interesting was the ...more
Boy was a wonderful memoir of childhood. It made me think about my own childhood a bit. At first I was envious that I hadn't done anything nearly as exciting--but then I realized that a lot of what was interesting was the ...more
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Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
everyone.
It's rare that I read a book that I would describe as "charming." Even more rare is that I like that book. But Roald Dahl's Boy has charm in spades, and damn I enjoyed it.
Mr Dahl's memoir tells a series of stories from his earliest memories to his employment in Africa by Shell Oil. And through all of it, his strong, sure voice shines through. It's as if you are sitting next to Mr Dahl, sharing a drink and listening to him spin stories all night long.
When I closed the b...more
Mr Dahl's memoir tells a series of stories from his earliest memories to his employment in Africa by Shell Oil. And through all of it, his strong, sure voice shines through. It's as if you are sitting next to Mr Dahl, sharing a drink and listening to him spin stories all night long.
When I closed the b...more
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Read in June, 2008
this book is good. Dahl talks about growing up throguh world war II, and even being in it with his fellow soilders. Throughout the book he talks about his life, starting from a young "boy" to the days he went through in war. He also adds a little bit of humor to it, in which i enjoyed. I can connect this to our current unit in global literature because we are talking about Nazi Germany and the holocaust. Dahl delivers a great memior where he is able to show how the soilders he fought w...more
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Boy Tales of Childhood was one of the most interesting novels in my time. It is about a boy growing up away from home and him telling his stories about his life. I know it sounds incredibally boring but dont be fooled. It shows that being far from your home can lead to independence. i liked it because it showed me that i could be independent just like him. It was a book that brought you through many colorful adventures. It almost felt like you were right there next to the character. I strongly ...more
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Read in January, 2007
Dahl's great talent somehow makes tales of childhood fear, mischief and loneliness into the most engaging kind of wicked fun. From the promised land of sweet shops to the uncharted territory of boarding school, the memoir is breezy and quick, never settling too long on anything, certainly alluding to the heartache but never allowing it to sink in. It's only after reading that you realize the extent of what happened to Dahl in his youth, and even then, all you really want is to go back and read i...more
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Read in April, 2001
This is my favorite autobiography. I was envious of Dahl when he told of the story of when Cadbury would send new candy to his boarding school for the children to test. I remember the candy he described, it sounded delicious, but today you can't find the candy because this was around the 40's. I don't know why I just went on a tangent about candy; I guess Roald Dahl has that effect on me.
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I enjoyed reading this book because there were some connections I had with the protagonist. Throughout the book, it talked about his childhood experiences. It started with a young age to the age that he is now which is 21. My favorite story of his was when he was about 12 years old because he put a dead mouse on his teacher's candy jar. It was my favorite because i thought it was funny and made me realize that the protagonist had a lot of interesting experiences when he was young.
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