Matilda by Roald DahlMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is the first Roald Dahl book I have read and I completely regret not reading his books when I was much much younger (Deprived childhood!). While there are some books which you enjoy whatever your age when you are reading them, Matilda, for me, was not one of them. I have seen the movie of course, but reading the book was very different. The movie seems more politically correct.
The story revolves around a super smart, gifted little girl, Matilda, who is stuck with highly unimaginative, almost dumb parents. They don't understand or encourage her in any form. While I understand from an adult's perspective, that children mostly see things as black and white, but Matilda punishing her parents for scolding her seems highly excessive and aggressive! Most of the book revolves around her "punishing/getting back" the unfair headmistress, Ms Trunchbull, or her parents and her love for Ms Honey, the best teacher who not only encourages her but in the end adops her as well.
While, Ms Trunchbull is the worst teacher unimaginable, almost the human version of the wicked witch, is Matilda, the gifted child any better? As adults, such books make it clear to us the evolving of our own thought processes and how we start accepting "greys" in our characters and lives.
Anyways, it is a perfectly delightful book for kids, though I am not happy about the punishing of parents as it goes completely against my Indian heritage, where children are supposed to respect/obey their parents no matter what (atleast till they are teenagers and get too rebellious ;))
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1 comment:
I loved the movie and wanted to read the book when I found out there was one. I bought it years ago, although I didn't like the cover *(mines pink). I enjoyed the story and the writing. Especially the silly insults Ms Trunchbull would use with the kids.
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