The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More
by Roald Dahl
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I had a third grade teacher who adored Roald Dahl thus when it was time for the Scholastic Book order form to come around , I too fell in love with him. While I remember reading 'The BFG' first, this collection was my entree into the wonderful world of essays and short stories. Recently I had reread this collection immediately after reading Dahl's 'Boy'. I was impressed at the range of his work and was informed that as writers we all have the ability to diversify our literary tones while keeping...more
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recommends it for:
insomniacs
A book I tried to like. But I fell asleep, and then I died, because it was so boring. Don't think this doesn't make me feel un bitty black-hearted. Worse, I am now afraid to revisit all the Dahl for children I read as a child myself; sensing it may be akin to expecting Houdini and getting Criss Angel's PHENOMENON instead. That is, a visitation of soul-devouring disappointment. The simple prose and magical realism that is so, um, simple and magical and real in his work for young adults di...more
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After falling in love with Dahl (via Matilda), I read this fantastic collection of short stories. A couple are actually written for adults but were tame enough to transfer well to a younger audience. The tales had such a profound effect on me that I remember them clearly to this day (despite not having read this collection since the umpteenth time when I was in my teens), and I still think fondly about one of them in particular on a regular basis. If I were to be trapped on a desert island with ...more
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This book is, in a sense, a departure from what many people typically think to be Roald Dahl. The themes of this book are much darker, but still hold that Dahl sense of wonder and magic.
Everything from a small boy who disappears from his family forever during a beach vacation, riding on the back of a giant sea turtle.
One of the most captivating stories is the title story of Mr. Henry Sugar. A short novella in which Dahl flexes his literary muscles to produce a thought provoking tale of pow...more
Everything from a small boy who disappears from his family forever during a beach vacation, riding on the back of a giant sea turtle.
One of the most captivating stories is the title story of Mr. Henry Sugar. A short novella in which Dahl flexes his literary muscles to produce a thought provoking tale of pow...more
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Read in April, 2007
Wonderful story about training yourself and a great example of determination. “James and Giant Peach” was not enough and my son wanted more Dahl. I had never read any others by him so I picked this one at random. “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar” tells the story of a rich selfish young man and his arrogant quest for all the money in the world. His quest, however changes him in ways that he could never imagine. This is a short book and very interesting in ways that made one think a per...more
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As you can tell, I loved - still love - Roald Dahl. This was one of my favorite books - one, because it's all short stories and two, I wanted to be Henry Sugar. I even tried the candle bit.
"A Piece of Cake" is also well-worth the read. It's autobiographical and if you've read Boy and his other books about himself, you'll enjoy it too. His life is almost unbelievable. Needless to say, I also wanted to be him too when I was young.
"A Piece of Cake" is also well-worth the read. It's autobiographical and if you've read Boy and his other books about himself, you'll enjoy it too. His life is almost unbelievable. Needless to say, I also wanted to be him too when I was young.
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Read in June, 2008
Roald Dahl is one of my all time favorite authors. Everything I have read of his I have thoroughly enjoyed and would highly recommend to people of all ages. I have now however found some of his work that I would not recommend in this book of short stories. Here are the stories and how I rated them individually:
* The Boy who Talked with Animals – 4
* The Hitchhiker – 2
* The Mildenhall Treasure – 4
* The Swan – 1 (horrible!)
* The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar - 4
* Lucky Break...more
* The Boy who Talked with Animals – 4
* The Hitchhiker – 2
* The Mildenhall Treasure – 4
* The Swan – 1 (horrible!)
* The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar - 4
* Lucky Break...more
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roald dahl.. god what a fantastic writer. his short stories are divine. now that i'm familiar with him as an author, i think its so funny he's usually associated with children's fiction. he's so... twisted. and amazing, i find the two often go hand in hand. henry sugar is one of my favorites of his, along with Pig which has one of the most cheekily, deeply-disturbingly ironic endings in the form of "out of this, the best of all possible worlds, into the next."
*sigh*
*sigh*
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Like Oscar Wilde's fairytales, one of these short stories scarred me for life, one about a bird watching nerdy kid who got bullied to death (or did he?) by some dumbass jerks in his neighborhood. They tied him to the train tracks and killed a swan and tied the swans wings to him and made him climb a tree and then shot him out of the tree but supposedly he flew home to his backyard...k. I hated it. I don't even remember the other stories but I'm told they're lovely.
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Read in March, 2006
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is one of Roald Dahl's lesser-known collections of short stories. They're... children's stories, technically, I guess? Not as dark as the stuff in Kiss Kiss. My favorite is "The Hitch-Hiker." And "The Boy Who Talked To Animals." It's a look at the real world, and the magic and trickery found in it, through the eyes of the author who created so many other magical, tricky worlds anyway.
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Read in January, 1990
recommends it for:
marine biologists
This is one I need to pick up again and be reminded of some of the magic of my youth. A handful of great stories, one which involves a sea turtle so of course it's my favorite. It's not exactly for the children, as there's a piece about sadism and another about hitchhiking and thievery. The gem here is the story of Henry Sugar, which is a mixture of gambling, magic, and Hinduism. As usual with Roald Dahl, expect the unexpected.
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I haven't read this book in ages, so the only story I really remember is the title story about Henry Sugar. But it's a short story within a short story within a short story that has always stuck with me. Part A Portrait of Dorian Gray ad part A Christmas Carol, it's magical and told with Roald Dahl's characteristic flair. Even though this particular book was written for kids, it is still immensely enjoyable as an adult.
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A magical storyteller. The "Henry Sugar" story is an all-time favorite of mine. I was reading the other reviews a moment ago, and someone said they tried the candle trick when they were young. Ha! I did that, too. All the stories in this collection are unforgettable. Adults, kids, everyone likes this. Taste is one thing, but this book is beyond that. I would really have to wonder about someone who wasn't enthralled.
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I think this book is lesser known, but if you get a chance to read it, do.
I loved this collection of short stories by Dahl. The title story was my favorite because, similar to the Matilda books, I imagined that I too could learn to train my eyes like the Indian yogi and Sugar himself and read through cards.
Dahl has such a magical way of capturing a child's imagination and putting it into writing.
I loved this collection of short stories by Dahl. The title story was my favorite because, similar to the Matilda books, I imagined that I too could learn to train my eyes like the Indian yogi and Sugar himself and read through cards.
Dahl has such a magical way of capturing a child's imagination and putting it into writing.
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This is one of my favorite books for kids. I remember my Mom reading it to us as kids during our Cape Cod vacation. I'm reading it with Hope, Gracie and Henry (he loves the name of the book). It is a great story about how people can change & has a metaphysical bent. Read it aloud to a kid.
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Read in January, 2006
recommends it for:
Mostly kids aged 9 - 13, unlike Dahl's other books, which hit the 7 - 10 category
Well, here's my rating for each of the separate stories (out of 5):
Henry Sugar: 3
The Swan: 1
The Boy Who Talked with Animals: 2
The Hitch - Hiker: 4
The Mildenhall Treasure: 3
Lucky Break: 2
Piece of Cake: 2
So we actually get to an average of 2.4, but hey, I'm feeling generous.
Henry Sugar: 3
The Swan: 1
The Boy Who Talked with Animals: 2
The Hitch - Hiker: 4
The Mildenhall Treasure: 3
Lucky Break: 2
Piece of Cake: 2
So we actually get to an average of 2.4, but hey, I'm feeling generous.
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Currently finishing up this book with my third graders as a read-aloud. Delightful! This is a collection of seven short stories by a master. No spoilers here. We left the best for last, "The Wonderful World Of Henry Sugar." Even my inner-city, marginally literate kids love this (the other six too.)story and yearn to become little yogis.
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Read in January, 2000
My mom gave me this book when I was obsessed with Dahl in the 3rd Grade. I revisited this one in college and again recently. Some of the best short fiction I've ever read. The title story , The Boy Who Talked to Animals and The Swan are exceptional. Also, The Swan is particularly disturbing and twisted--I highly recommend it.
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recommends it for:
Everyone who likes happy endings...
Much different than Dahl's usual stuff, but I still retain that it his masterpiece. It was actually the first Dahl book I ever read. Henry Sugar is a very exaggerated character, but it makes the story all the better. The remainder of the stories live up to the same caliber Dahl set with "Henry Sugar."
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I haven't read all the stories, but I read The Boy who Talks to Animals on my podcast (Vegetarian Food for Thought). It's a really lovely, beautifully written story that demonstrates the power of compassion and intervening on behalf of someone who has no voice/no power. Just a beautiful story.
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