Boy by Roald Dahl Review

Reviewed by David Savage

Boy, written by one of the great storytellers, is a book of memories from the childhood of Roald Dahl. He describes this book as not an autobiography as ‘an autobiography is a book a person writes about his own life and is usually full of all sorts of boring details.’

This book is snippets of his most memorable moments from young childhood until he finishes school. It has stories of tragedy like the death of his sister and father within a few weeks of each other, having his adenoids removed without anaesthetic (as was the norm in those days),  growing up in Wales with his Norwegian parents, family holidays in Norway, boarding school in England and the canings that came with it.

Overall, this is a great read and shows how his childhood and school life shaped his life and career and influenced some of his great novels like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Some funny stories like the Mouse Plot to get revenge on a miserable old shop keeper mixed with some unpleasant stories but are all true. A great insight into the young life of Roald Dahl. Boy is very well written and totally absorbing. A great read for Dahl fans of any age, young or old.

Rating: 5/5

Available to buy from Amazon here.