The Best of Roald Dahl

Description

Twenty-five stories spanning Dahl's writing career from 1945-1965, with an introduction by James Cameron.

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Customer Reviews

One star for Amazon listing
I'm only giving this one star to draw attention to the fact that this edition DOES NOT contain a preface by James Cameron. I could not find it anywhere in the book at all, even though the book is described to have such an introduction on many websites. If someone could enlighten me to why this error exists, I thank them in advance.

2010-04-02 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 1

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The master of the short story
When you mention the name 'Roald Dahl' to most most people they think of a children's book author. Now where he has indeed written some of the finest and enjoyable children's books of all time- those folks (and you know who you are...) are surely missing out if they have not read his short stories aimed towards the more mature reader. His delicious wit and sense of the macabre has no equal. His stories are executed to perfection and leave the reader feeling surprised, often a little unsettled and invariably more than satisfied.

2009-05-27 | to read examples of my work visit www.psgifford.com (California) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Roald Dahl for Grownups
This is a great compendium of short stories from the mind of the man who dreamed up Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, and Matilda, all renowned stories for children. The book pulls together some of the best from several of his collections.

Dahl, who was married for a long time to actress Patricia Neal (The Day the Earth Stood Still), hosted a British television show in 1961 called "Way Out," an anthology show whose episodes are hard to find today. He later hosted another anthology show called "Tales of the Unexpected" (1979-88). Both shows featured a number of Dahl's own stories. Some of Dahl's work has also been adapted to other television programs, notably "Alfred Hitchcock Presents."

The hallmark of Dahl's stories is a good dose of irony, coupled with a macabre sense of humor. Dahl's stories work fantastically well on this level, bringing the reader to laughter in a horrified kind of way. His dialogue is sharp and characters are well drawn and very human, even at their worst. In "Lamb to the Slaughter," for example, a woman kills her cheating husband, then disposes of the murder weapon in a singularly unique way. The reader will feel for her and root for her to get away with it, and she does. Another frequently adapted work, "Man from the South," tells the story of a man who likes to wager with other people's fingers.

For readers who fondly remember Charlie Bucket and Willy Wonka from childhood, and who also appreciate poking fun at the dark side of human nature, The Best of Roald Dahl is highly recommended.

2007-12-09 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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For adults or kids, Roald Dahl rocks!
Have loved his kids' books ever since I was a child and am now reading them with my daughter. This one is for grownups only, though! I described this collection to friends by saying "Roald Dahl is the British Flannery O'Connor." If you like dark, funny (sometimes truly twisted) short stories where, in surprise endings, those who scheme and plot always get theirs, you will truly enjoy this book.

2006-08-25 | Bonny (USA) | Helpful Votes: 5 | Rating: 5

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The Best of Roald Dahl
As a child, I loved Roald Dahl's books from James and the Giant Peach to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Now that I am a little older, I started to read his mature works. I never go so enthusiastic about reading a book. You get it all with Roald Dahl, humor, suspence, brutality, and horrific stories all end with a surprising twist that you will never suspect. The best reading in years. Highly Recommended. My favorite is The Great Switcheroo. He is definatly one of the greatest writers of our time.

2006-05-09 | albigg (Rochester NY) | Helpful Votes: 4 | Rating: 5

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Collected Stories (Everyman's Library)

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• ISBN13: 9780307264909
• Prepare: New

Description

(Book Jacket Status: Jacketed)

The only hardcover edition of Roald Dahl’s stories for adults, the Collected Stories amply showcases his singular gifts as a fabulist and a born storyteller.

Later known for his immortal children’s books, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, and The BFG, Dahl also had a genius for adult short fiction, which he wrote throughout his life. Whether fictionalizing his dramatic exploits as a Royal Air Force pilot during World War II or concocting the ingeniously plotted fables that were dramatized on television as Tales of the Unexpected, Dahl was brilliant at provoking in his readers the overwhelming desire to know what happens next—and at satisfying that desire in ways that feel both surprising and inevitable.

Filled with devilish plot twists, his tales display a tantalizing blend of macabre humor and the absurdly grotesque. From “The Landlady,” about an unusual boardinghouse that features a small but very permanent clientele, to “Pig,” a brutally funny look at vegetarianism, to “Man from the South,” in which a fanatical gambler does his betting with hammer, nails, and a butcher’s knife, Dahl’s creations amuse and shock us in equal measure, gleefully reminding us of what might lurk beneath the surface of the ordinary.

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Customer Reviews

Everyman's library short stories
Roald Dahl is one of the best writers ever. This is one of his best. Though most known for his children's stories, his adult literature is transcendant.

2009-07-10 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Dahl Is Still The Best
Dahl's stories were always unique. I first read most of these in '60's and '70's and find them as fascinating today as I did then. The early ones that I had not read have still not been read as I've concentrated on the favorites.

2008-10-21 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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The Everyman's Roald Dahl review!!!
Once again! the Everyman's Library has outdone any other publisher's job of creating a thorough and precise piece of book history. This is the third book I have purchased and read through Everyman's Library and I sincerely feel their books are the only ones I will buy when creating my own hardcover collection. The quality of paper, the texture of the outer red cover, the beauty of the chronological timeline of events in the author's life, they not only think of it all, but go so far beyond what is called for in a $20 book. If I were a tree that died in the name of paper, I would only hope my flesh would go towards another Everyman's success.
On to Roald Dahl. Best writer Ever. Best collection Ever. Best stories I have Ever read. Best organization of stories contained within a single volume. This book is Paper Gold. My favorite writer and my favorite book publish company smooshed into a magnificent creation that is the perfect size for the average human; hand and lap!!! Touch the hard cover. Feel it upon your cheek. Smell the pages... In the name of all that is holy!

2007-10-30 | professional book critic (Tucson, AZ) | Helpful Votes: 5 | Rating: 5

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Dahl makes you laugh and...
forces you to look in the mirror. I was introduced to Dahl by my 8th grade English teacher who saw something very dark inside of me (yes, another plug for better teacher pay!). "Pig" gave me nightmares, "Skin" made me wonder about the greed of human beings. What's missing are the "My Uncle Oswald" stories, but this collection is absolutely priceless!

2007-09-10 | Kim (Milwaukee, WI) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 5

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Splendid book
Excellent book from all points of view. Sewn edition, bound and quality of printing. I have another edition of Roald Dahl but unfortunately it's a paperback edition and the pages disappear one after another. I decided never to buy again paperback books. When I saw that Roald Dahl was published in Everyman's Library I immediately decided to order it and I am more than happy with what I received. It's very good for work with my students and I will leave it to my children as well. Many thanks to the publishers.

2007-06-11 (Suisse) | Helpful Votes: 3 | Rating: 5

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Boy

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• ISBN13: 9780142413814
• Get: New

Description

Where did Roald Dahl get all of his wonderful ideas for stories? From his own life, of course! As full of excitement and the unexpected as his world-famous, bestselling books, Roald DahlÂ’s tales of his own childhood are completely fascinating and fiendishly funny.

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Customer Reviews

Boy....By Roald Dahl
Book cover was very grimy. I was not pleased when I touched it and it had to be cleaned up before I would put it on my classroom shelf.

2010-08-30 (Missoula, MT, US) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 2

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The Joys Of Childhood (Sans Schmaltz)
Originally published in the nineteen eighties, "Boy" and "Going Solo" were, sadly, Roald Dahl's only forays into autobiography.

"Boy" chronicles Dahl's early childhood as the son of Norwegian émigrés to England. It is by turns hysterically funny, touching, charming and always deeply entertaining. His account of a prank which incorporates a dead mouse, a gobstopper jar and a cantankerous sweet-shop owner had me in conniptions of laughter on public transport (as did another which incorporated Goat faeces disguised as Tobacco and an irritating uncle with a penchant for smoking a pipe). His descriptions of the barbarity he suffered during the course of a public school education in Interbellum England will no doubt shock many adults and children today - suffice it to say, the ominous maxim "spare the rod and spoil the child" was clearly a philosophy which was adhered too quite literally - but it is a uniquely fascinating insight into a vanished time and methodology.

"Going Solo" chronicles Dahl's burgeoning career as a Shell attaché in Dar Es Salaam, the outbreak of war, his enlistment in the RAF (and subsequent combat in the Aegean) and is as fascinating a tale as you could hope to read; It is at once a snapshot of the last days of the British Empire, a scathing indictment of Military Intelligence (the lapses in judgement that find Dahl and a handful of barely trained fighter pilots left to fend for themselves and "hold the line" against overwhelming and vastly more experienced Luftwaffe forces during the allied retreat from Greece are shocking), and a deftly touching coming of age tale; and while there are as many laughs to be found as in the previous volume, Dahl does not spare his readers the horrors of war or attempt to condescend to them. The parents of more sensitive children should perhaps bear this in mind before purchasing.

A fascinating volume which combines the formative experiences of a man who managed to squeeze the experience of several lifetimes into his allotted 'four score and ten' years, I recommend "Boy" and "Going Solo" unreservedly for children everywhere from ages eight to eighty five.

2010-02-10 | darklordzden (Australia) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Our Favorite Roald Dahl
For reading with an 8 year old boy, you can't do better. Roald Dahl replays his childhood with enthusiasm, excitement and joy. It's a funny, sad and an incredibly accurate description of being a young boy.

2009-10-26 | boys mom (Boston,MA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Fantastic
I think this book was a very nice description of a man's life. There's always something happening, and that contributes to the fact that this book is never boring. That's why I like this book. Roald Dahl is right when he says that it's not an autobiography. I don't know what makes it different, but there is something, that's for sure.
The way he describes his family is very nice. You can almost sense the love between all of them. That's another positive thing about the book.
I also learned allot about how life was like in ` the old days `. Among many other things, I was quite surprised by the way the kids were treated at school.
I liked this book very much, and I would recommend it to others. Both kids and grown- ups.

2006-02-28 (The Netherlands) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Boy...
I like this story very much. When I started, I thought it was very boring because he started with history about his Father and his Grandfather. That was a boring chapter. But when he was telling about the sweetshop and the mouse it was very funny.
Not every chapter was nice, some of them were very boring and with difficult words. There are almost 2 pages of description about his schooluniform, that was very long and complicated and very very boring because I didn't understand what he was talking about. But that's funny too because Roald hates the uniform: "`I'll look like a complete idiot,' I said. My mother went out of the room and left me to it. With immense reluctance, I began to dress myself." (Page 136)
But I had the Dutch version at home and all the chapters I didn't understand I could read in Dutch, so that's a lot easier.
This book is absolutely not far fetched, it's very realistic, it's just in the past and there are things like hitting with a cane to punish that we don't know.
But it's nice to read how different school was from now. Because you don't have an idea. When you read the book sometimes you really think: Wow!!! Like having prep, you may not talk, you have to work and when you say something they hit you! When we have to work we can talk! That's really different.
He was a little boy who was never at home and he wrote a lot with his mother.
"When I recovered and went home, I was given this vast collection of my letters, all so neatly bound with green tape, more than six hundred of them together, dating from 1925 to 1945, each one in its original envelope with the old stamps still on them. I am awfully lucky to have something like this to refer to in my old age." (Page 82)
The idea that you are reading an autobiography of the author himself is very strange. I never did that before, but it is very nice.

2006-02-28 | H.O (H.O) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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George's Marvelous Medicine

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• ISBN13: 9780142410356

Description

George’s grouchy grandma needs a taste of her own medicine, and George knows just the right ingredients to put into it!

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Customer Reviews

Not Dahl's usual caliber story.
I don't think I would recommend this book to the youngsters for which it was written. George spends the day making a concoction of every conceivable substance in his home, intending to feed it to his grandmother and make her explode. The consequences are not as disastrous as they would be if one performed this stunt in real life, and are in fact rather, well, marvelous. My fear would be that kids would definitely try this at home, resulting in deceased pets, local wildlife, and possibly grandmothers.

2010-08-11 (Brainerd, MN United States) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 1

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Childhood guilty pleasure
I love Roald Dahl. I always felt guilty reading this book because George essentially tortures and kills his grandmother, and I have two very nice grandmothers. But in all fairness, George's granny is a bitch.

2010-08-04 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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A marvelously fun children's story
I somehow missed this short novel from Roald Dahl when I was younger. Now that I've read it, I can say yet again that Roald Dahl is a master of children's literature. His whimsical wordplay and fantastical elements always make for excellent read-alouds, and "George's Marvelous Medicine" is just plain fun (Sidenote: I just finished reading this aloud to a 12-year-old boy, and his face lit up with a smile many many times as we read it, so this book will appeal to kids of many ages!). The illustrations by Quentin Blake aptly reflect the playful nature of the story and text. While this is not my favorite from Roald Dahl (I think "Matilda" wins that prize), "George's Marvelous Medicine" is just a fun and funny read. I highly recommend this, for children and adults alike.

2010-06-23 | book loving teacher (Clifton, NJ USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Devilish Fun for Tweeners!
Some books are good reads for children as well as adults. This particular book isn't one of them.

There were a number of things I didn't like about it. My most harsh criticism would be that I found it boring and predicable. ((And I won't even mention the that the idea of using household toxins as a "medicine" for grandma got my mom antennae twitching. Can't help it, it's an occupational mom-hazard.))

But this is just how the book struck me as an adult. And I'd be remiss not to mention that my 10 year-old daughter thought was great. She thought the drawings were very funny, and she got caught up in the story so that we read the all of "George's Marvelous Medicine" in one day.

So THE SKINNY is that this is an amusing book for young folk, but not so much for adults-- at least not this one. The writing is good. The book is an excellent Read-aloud. The reading level is 4.0.

Pam T~
mom and reviewer
booksforkids-reviews

2010-06-10 | Busy Mom | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 3

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What a mystery!!
Would you like to read George's Marvelous Medicne by Roald Dahl? It is a mysterious story and takes place at a farm house. George's grandma is grouch and George wanted to make her nice. So he cooks up a potion with lots of unusual stuff. My favorite character is George because he is smart and like to mess up things. He is not like other boys because he has mean Grandma. I like mystery story so I choose this book. If you like mystery, you will love this book. By a third grader, Fresno.

2010-06-01 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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The Witches

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• Requisite: New
• ISBN13: 9780142410110

Description

Meet a hero, a wise old grandmother, and the most gruesome, grotesque gang of witches imaginable!

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This Roald Dahl classic tells the scary, funny and imaginative tale of a seven-year-old boy who has a run-in with some real-life witches! "In fairy tales witches always wear silly black hats and black cloaks and they ride on broomsticks. But this is not a fairy tale. This is about REAL WITCHES. REAL WITCHES dress in ordinary clothes and look very much like ordinary women. They live in ordinary houses and they work in ordinary jobs. That is why they are so hard to catch." Witches, as our hero learns, hate children. With the help of a friend and his somewhat-magical grandmother, our hero tries to expose the witches before they dispose of him. Ages 7-12.

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Customer Reviews

The Real Witches
The title of the book is "The Witches." The author is Roald Dahl. The reason I like this book is because this book has action in it. This takes place in a hotel. The main theme is the grandmother and the boy Luke trying to destroy all the Grand High Witches. I hope you enjoy this book!

2010-06-30 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Did not receive
Ordered it May 13 and have still not recieved it. I guess I have to contact amazon now? I guess better not buy from this seller....

2010-06-22 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 1

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Do not allow your children to read this book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The premise of this book is the murder of children. In an increasingly violent society it is irresponsible to expose our children needlessly to fears that any and every woman they know could be a witch who seeks to hunt them down and kill them. I have asked my children's school to remove this book from the school library. We do not need reading material that desensitizes our children to the most heinous of crimes.

2010-05-12 | Helpful Votes: 3 | Rating: 1

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Great
The book was a gift to my son for Christmas. Impeccable and fast service. Thanks

2010-01-10 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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This Book is Hatespeech
Myself I'm atheist and don't believe in anything supernatural. I'm a very free thinker and have a keen sense of humor. Nonetheless I find Dahl's book to be offensive on multiple levels. Firstly, this book disparages women. The book states "Only women can be witches" and all witches are actively engaged in harming/killing children. Secondly, as stated by others here, there are many people who [think they] practice magic, some even to the degree of a religion, lifestyle or profession. I don't believe that there is magic, but it is a person's right to believe in magic and express that if they choose. It is spiteful to vilify them. Thirdly, some impressionable children will actually believe this crap or get nightmares, or it might get wedged into the subconscious as a lifelong fear. Dahl is instilling irrational superstitious fears into some of his readers/listeners. Fourthly, there are many wonderful stories of fiction in which witches can be a force for good. Do not let Dahl pollute your child's imaginations against such other stories.

Perhaps Dahl would say "Take it easy. It's all supposed to be fun." Yeah, minstrels in blackface said that, too.

What motivated Dahl to write this book? Is he a misogynist? Does he hate his mother? Is he jealous of women? Compensating for something?

2009-12-28 | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 1

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The Twits

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• ISBN13: 9780142410394

Description

Mr. and Mrs. Twit hate everything, including their trained monkeys, the Muggle-Wumps, who now want revenge.

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Customer Reviews

Expect the unexpected
I love the outrageousness of Roald Dahl's books. He refuses to follow the predictable formulas of children literature, and each turn of the page brings something surprising, strange or head-scratching.

"The Twits" is no exception. Dahl start us off with two utterly dislikeable main characters who play mean tricks on each other and are cruel to animals. Should we laugh - or be disgusted? Sometimes it's hard to know. The second half of the book involves an elaborate over-the-top plot by the animals to get revenge on the Twits.

It's a crazy and strange book - and a lot of fun.

2010-03-26 | S. Wilson (Long Beach, CA USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Horrible Book For Children
No wounder why we have so many shallow people in this world, and bullies in schools. They were probably reading garbage like this. This book tells kids that ugly people are all mean, and beautiful people look like that because they are nice which is far from the truth. There is to much violence that it is on the verge of sadism. Whatever happened to books that inspire kids to forgive people who do them wrong. I'm glad I didn't read this book in my school, but I'm upset my child read this garbage. Something is definetly not right with the school system, and Mr Dahl if this is your idea of a childrens book. I can't believe that parents would even think this book is great. All I can do now is explain to my kid why this book is total, and complete garbage.

2010-03-18 (California) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 1

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a book review

The Twits by Roal Dahl is about a woman and a man. They always get in fights and they play pranks on each other.

The setting of this story is in the country with only a few houses.

The woman's name is Mrs. Twit and the man's name is Mr. Twit. The book doesn't give their first name.

Like I said it is mainly about two people who play pranks on each other.

My favorite part is when Mr. Twit added a piece of wood to Mrs. Twit's cane and told her that she had a rare disease called, The Shrinks. He said the only way to get rid of it is to tie her feet to the ground and connect her hands to a bunch of balloons, so that's just what she did. Whenever she did it Mr. Twit cut the lines that connected her feet to the ground,She went up, up, and away into the sky.

I like this book very much because it is very funny. I think the author wrote this book to entertain people. I recommend this book to all boys or girls and 4th and 5th graders.

2010-02-02 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Simply, A Riot!!
I read this to my 4 year old son and my 5 1/2 year old daughter who both adored this book and belly laughed the entire way through each of the chapters. I have started introducing chapter books for some time trying to increase listening skills and really holding their interest. This book did exactly that. The Twits play their mean clever tricks on one another for the entire book and one is just a bit funnier than the next but what comes around goes around as you will find out. I read a negative review on this book and I disagree. You can't shelter your child from everything, and in some cases I believe it is not to the child's benefit to shelter them- instead I believe if they are raised with love and respect for others, they will really be able to enjoy this intelligently written, hilarious, not to be taken seriously, book. If an adult is buying this book to read to a child, you will find it just as enjoyable and amusing as the child will. Fun for all.

2009-11-10 (NH) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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sad reflection on Dahl's life at the time?
Who wants their child to read a book about a hateful couple who spend the entire duration of the book fighting back and forth? I, for one, do not. Knowing that Dahl divorced shortly after this book was written makes me wonder if this was possibly a reflection of his feelings at the time.

2009-11-08 | giftedfish (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA United States) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 1

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