Is it really possible to invent a machine that does the job of a writer? What is it about the landlady's house that makes it so hard for her guests...
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May 16, 2011
Elfira
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Jun 28, 2010
Purplycookie
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”The Great Automatic Grammatizator” (from “Someone Like You”): A mechanically-minded man reasons that the rules of grammar are fixed by certain, almost mathematical principles. By exploiting this idea, he is able to create a mammoth machine that can write a prize-winning novel in roughly fifteen minutes. The story ends on a fearful note, as more and more of the world's writers are forced into licensing their names-and all hope of human creativity-to the machine.
”Mrs. Bixby and the C More...
”Mrs. Bixby and the C More...
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May 13, 2010
Lydia
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This book's amazing. It's starts off slow, with "The Great Automatic Grammatizer". By the end of the first story, you'll be hooked. Each story contains quirky characters in unusual situations, but the where the book shines is in it's plots themselves.
It seems there are few modern writers who are able to truly spin a tale worthy of noting. It is enough to be able to put words on a page. It seems this is especially true for book meant for teens. Teens often have low expecta More...
It seems there are few modern writers who are able to truly spin a tale worthy of noting. It is enough to be able to put words on a page. It seems this is especially true for book meant for teens. Teens often have low expecta More...
Jul 30, 2011
Asra
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I was ever so little when I'd read this! I remember it so well in spite of that. The Umbrella Man happens to be the first Roald Dahl story I've ever read. Each story in this is good, nay, beyond great! Perhaps I felt that way since it was the first time I'd touched Dahl. What ever it might be, I guess there's a consensus out there that this book holds great stories!
This book contains a collection of 13 short stories, crafted in a fascinating manner by Dahl. Now, I wont be going in to More...
This book contains a collection of 13 short stories, crafted in a fascinating manner by Dahl. Now, I wont be going in to More...
Jun 18, 2009
Cecillia
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Thirteen original stories, from a girl who lost her whole family in the Greek war to a Spanish eccentric man who bet his cadillac for a finger. Only Mr. Dahl who could think of such things as a great automatic grammatizator machine or a company specialized in vengeance. He has a way to stack up words and build a situation so intense i literally held my breath reading them. But i don’t quite like some endings. There’s some stories which endings feel rather unfinished and left me with a kind of “f
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Apr 07, 2011
Ryan
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The umbrella man is a collection of thirteen tales that teaches a lesson in some sort of way. The stories grab you and makes you keep on wanting to read more and more. Every lesson it teaches has to do with something special like cheating,stealing, or scamming some one and how it can have a major consequence in the end. One major story is called the man from the south. This story begins in a small country club when a normal citizen is just sitting around on the benches when a foreign man come up
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Jun 11, 2008
Denize
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This book named Umbrella Man has 13 ingenious stories by Roald Dalh. He writes many stories that makes his books great. The 13 stories are the great automatic grammatizator, Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's coat, The Butler, Man from the South, The Landlady, Parson's pleasure, The Umbrella man, Katina, The way up to heaven, Royal Jelly, Vegeance is Mine Inc, Taste, and neck. Funny names right?? I'll tell you about the man from the South, its a great story. It is about this man, ( did not reveal th
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Mar 02, 2008
Jill
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I found & bought this book while volunteering at the library bookstore. I've decided I'd like to go back and try to read every book by my favorite childhood authors - Roald Dahl and Paul Zindel, mainly - and I'm increasingly finding that Dahl wrote all these other adult books other than Boy and Flying Solo I had never heard of. Although I only realized halfway into this book after reading the back cover that this was a collection of his stories apparently chosen for young adults, but like most y
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Nov 07, 2007
Jonathan
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Matilda was captivating as read out loud by my fourth grade teacher. So I had high hopes for this collection but came up wanting more. Considerably more.
This collection starts off with the zingers of "The Great Automatic Grammatizator," an indictment of greedy publishers and lazy writers (the message will never be outdated) that doubles as a plain fun story.
Other shorties worth the look are "Parson's Pleasure" and "Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coa More...
This collection starts off with the zingers of "The Great Automatic Grammatizator," an indictment of greedy publishers and lazy writers (the message will never be outdated) that doubles as a plain fun story.
Other shorties worth the look are "Parson's Pleasure" and "Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coa More...
Mar 21, 2009
Cindie
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A much-smarter friend recommended this to me, and lent me her library-borrowed copy, which shows a lot of trust. How could I not read it? I called her and asked her a question about it, one of the short stories that is, and she was afraid I was not "getting" the twist that each story provides at the end. I told you, she is much smarter than I. I got it. I did! It was a fun read, if not one that fills the reader with warm feelings of humanity's redemption. Hey, it is Roald Dahl!
Apr 24, 2011
Holly
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One of my favorite authors as a budding reader. This collection of his short stories hints at the brilliance and mystery of his children's and young teen books, but I do prefer his longer works. These stories are still written primarily at a teen level with respect to vocabulary and subject matter; what impresses me even as an adult is the clarity and simplicity that make his stories linger in the memory. Esp liked "Man from the South," "The Way up to Heaven," and "Taste
Jan 07, 2010
Beth
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Roald Dahl is my favorite- so I love discovering collections of his short stories I didn't know were in print. He wrote for adults for a while before he wrote for children. These are some of his short stories for adults and true to form they are weird and wonderful. I highly recommend if you're a fan of Dahl's work, or if you just need a dark comedy fix!
Jun 13, 2011
Cheryl
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Roald Dahl is a great story teller! Every story is so different and I am impressed with how creative he is. I am always waiting for the twist at the end of the story. My favorite in this collection is Katina, which is more touching, serious, real and powerful than the other short stories in the collection. But I enjoy the darker or more light-hearted stories as well.
Aug 03, 2011
Rebecca
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This was a cute collection of short stories. They aren't all one specific genre which I liked but I definitely enjoyed most the ones that were leaning towards horror. I was surprised that Roald Dahl wrote for adults before writing for children. I think he found his calling when he switched to children's books.
Dec 10, 2009
Bskidmore
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It's always nice to read a book purely for fun, not just because you have to! He was one of my favorite authors when I was younger, very fun and descriptive with his writing. All of these short stories have a fun twist at the end....but over time, the "surprise" ending starts getting more and more predictable. :)
Dec 10, 2011
Aline Lin Lin
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This was another book i found at my library without properly searching it! I enjoyed the stories, they are diffent to the common stories i was used to read and really short and easy to understand. I was surprised that the author was well known and i didnt know him before.
Nov 22, 2011
Elizabeth
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Ooh! These stories were just spooky. Vintage Dahl--these stories are written for adults. Colette tells me that many of them became premises for "Tales of the Weird". These are vicious tales of comeuppance. Ultimately, I would say that they are about karma!
Jan 07, 2009
Hanna
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Dahl's short stories are filled with twists and turns that are somehow unexpected. His use of words is masterful. And, he has an amazing sense of humor. Would suggest reading this book with tea and crumpets.
Jul 17, 2009
Sheba
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introduced to this book by my wonderful former coteacher, who modified certain stories to make them "child-friendly" for the grades 4-6 set, but still creepy enough to keep them on the edge of their seats.
Sep 13, 2007
Gina
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Roald Dahl re-secured his place as my favorite author in this collection of short stories. I picked up a used copy in Powell's City of Books when I was in Portland, and I am almost finished with it already. It was great to have on the plane! Some of these are dark sort of tales, some are just funny, and some are wistful. He's good at every type. You might remember "Lamb to the Slaughter," in which a woman kills her husband with a frozen leg of lamb (a Twilight Zone episode was based on
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May 26, 2008
Sarah Beth
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I've always loved Roald Dahl's children's books - their wicked irony and bizarre scenarios. This collection of decidedly-adult short stories show his sensibility but muted and with an O'Henry flare. After a while, I found myself reading it like a puzzle - less for the story and more to preemptively guess the surprise twist.
Some really were clever, though. The Great Automatic Grammatizator was a little uncomfortable and The Way Up to Heaven really snuck up on me. And the strange little More...
Some really were clever, though. The Great Automatic Grammatizator was a little uncomfortable and The Way Up to Heaven really snuck up on me. And the strange little More...
Dec 05, 2011
Charles
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His short stories are dark and awesome. A few too many in this collection that were just weird for the sake of being weird though.
May 14, 2010
Jess
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I just love Roald Dahl. I've always loved his children's stories...but the truth is, I think I enjoy his short stories for adults more!
Dec 30, 2007
Simon A.
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I was very impressed by Dahl. It isn't often that you find an author who not only is a great plot writer but also a fantastic character writer. These tales definitely keep your attention and make you want to keep reading... lots of macabre stories with nice little twists. The only thing keeping this from being a five in my book is the "surprise endings." I realize that these things can be fun, but they can be tiring too. Dahl's stories remind me a lot of O. Henry's - lots of moral
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Jan 14, 2012
Cian
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I find this captivating and addictive collection of some of Roald Dahl’s works underrated, as some of the stories in it are not as well-known and widely-read as the deserve to be. My favorite amongst these books is The Landlady, depicting the story of a young man who stumbles upon a bead and breakfasts where the landlady is a murderess. There are also several other funny, scary or just good stories in the book, and I recommend it to everyone.
Nov 02, 2009
Jeff
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Nothing like James and the Giant Peach, if that's what you're expecting...
Horror stories.
Horror stories.
Dec 27, 2007
Michelle
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Sometimes I have this internal argument with myself that goes like this: "Roald Dahl? Or E.B. White?" While it's not comparing apples to apples, they both deeply affected my childhood and my love of reading, so I compare them anyway.
I still don't have an answer to the question, but I do have to say that Roald Dahl really hit it out of the park with this one. I definitely NEED to read more of his short stories. And I definitely recommend that everybody read this book. If you More...
I still don't have an answer to the question, but I do have to say that Roald Dahl really hit it out of the park with this one. I definitely NEED to read more of his short stories. And I definitely recommend that everybody read this book. If you More...
Mar 09, 2011
Janine
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Roald Dahl is so cheeky. And I was in the mood for some short stories. Some are better than others but the good ones are really fun!
Dec 17, 2009
Laura
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a disappointment. i turned to Dahl's adult fiction after reminiscing about how fantastic his childrens stories were. I don't understand what qualifies this as adult fiction - I have a feeling they keep two copies of this in the bookstore, one under young adult and another under fiction simply so grown boys and girls dont feel embarassed purchasing it. oh, but it's okay. simple language, each story is about a pretty dull ordinary situation that gets twisted by some sort of magical happening. i
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