Boy: Tales of Childhood
by Roald Dahl
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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 January, 2008
recommended to Alexis by:
Caroline Smith Paul
A friend suggested I read this book when I developed an interest in learning more about the RAF during WWII. I had first become interested through watching the british tv series, Foyle's War which is set during WWII and involves an RAF pilot as the son of the title character.
I really adored this book, not because I learned a great deal about the RAF, but because it is Roald Dahl at his most honest, funny, endearing and dark all at once.
I was shocked to learn from this book how little ...more
I really adored this book, not because I learned a great deal about the RAF, but because it is Roald Dahl at his most honest, funny, endearing and dark all at once.
I was shocked to learn from this book how little ...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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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 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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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 November, 2007
I was given this book by a friend, after we discovered both
had a love for Dahl. She gave it to me at work and within a few hours I was hooked. It is not that the writing is so intense or
creatively wordy. Instead it just gave me a kick to think of Roald's life and stories and at time made me think how I came to have the imagination I have today.
This is a very good book for any Dahl fans. Easy to read, series of shorts.
This rating is:
Just will make you feel happy.
had a love for Dahl. She gave it to me at work and within a few hours I was hooked. It is not that the writing is so intense or
creatively wordy. Instead it just gave me a kick to think of Roald's life and stories and at time made me think how I came to have the imagination I have today.
This is a very good book for any Dahl fans. Easy to read, series of shorts.
This rating is:
Just will make you feel happy.
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I love Roald Dahl. When I was struggling to find "boy" books for my son anything Roald Dahl wrote was a sure win for him. I have been wanting to read this autobiography for awhile. I laughed and was entrigued with the traditional English boarding school scenario and the similarities with some of the Harry Potter themes. (did J.K. Rowling attend English boarding school in the early 1900's?) It was fun to see where he came up with some of his ideas.
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Read in January, 2000
recommends it for:
all roald dahl fans
This book had a tremendous impact on me as a child. Roald Dahl was my all-time favorite author then (and still ranks on my top 5 list), so I was thrilled to find an autobiography of his. (His other, Going Solo, relates primarily his early adulthood.) He had a fascinating (far from warm & fuzzy) childhood, which is the focus of Boy. The anecdotes will make you laugh hysterically and wince in pain. It's a fabulous ride.
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Read in January, 2005
Well, I absolutely love this book, it's funny and quirky and weird and awesome. Probably the best autobiography-not-a-autobiography i've ever read. And it's quick. HOWEVER, I know that Dahl was an unrepentant anti-semitic jerkwad and that just makes me sad...I don't know if this diminishes the value of the work to me but it definitely taints it. I DUNNO. Racist a-holes who are good with words. Discuss.
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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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when i read this in 4th grade, one assignment we got to do was bring in a piece of candy and write descriptively about it like roald dahl did in Boy. so i liked it. i don't remember a thing about it except for his horrible life at boarding school not being allowed to write honestly in letters, but other than that it's lost on me. but i do remember my lovely twix bar and writing all about it.
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“Boy” by Roald Dahl is just a bit too slice-of-lifey for me. Even when life manages to slice pretty deeply in Dahl himself, it left me with an “eh” sorta feeling. To be fair, he warns you at the outset that this book is not an autobiography, so you shouldn’t really be expecting an overarching narrative. On the other hand, he doesn’t warn you that it will be boring.
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This is probably my favourite Dahl book. I loved the tales of the sweetshop and 'The Great Mouse Plot'. I remember feeling physically sick when reading about the sweetshop lady's dirty fingers reaching for the liquorice bootlaces. Urgh. I enjoyed reading about all his adventures with his friends and the mischeif they got up to. Very funny account of Roald Dahl's childhood.
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book data (includes all editions)
avg rating (all editions): 4.06 (2701 ratings) avg rating (this edition): 4.05 (2182 ratings) number of reviews: 164popular shelves
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"We all have our moments of brilliance and glory, and this was mine.
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