Review: Matilda by Roald Dahl

Published by: Penguin Young Readers Group 1st American Edition, 1988 Hardcover, 240 pages


SUMMARY: Ah, Matilda. My hero! A wonderful, gifted little girl who is a math and reading prodigy by the ripe old age of five. Self-taught through her local library, Matilda escapes her surroundings by reading Dickens and Hemingway. Her used car salesman dad and bingo playing mom blame her for all their shortcomings, treating her deplorably. The story focuses on Matilda's struggles at home and in school as she makes her way through Kindergarten. Through it all, she remains the ideal kid- lacking conceit and self-consciousness while having a sweet personality.

WRITING: This is my first Roald Dahl book. The dude is dark. However, he is quite witty in describing children and adults. I appreciate an author who who is smart enough to realize that children are more perceptive than we give them credit for, and have the ability to be brutally honest.
"Do you think all children's books ought to have funny bits in them?" Miss Honey asked.
"I do...Children are not so serious as grown-ups and they love to laugh" (Matilda)
Matilda is straight forward and looks at life simply but accurately. I was utterly in love with all facets of her personality.

PACING: Appropriate...this is a short children's book and didn't suffer structural problems that often plague literary fiction and fantasy. The story moved along well.

PLOT: Wowser. I was a bit astonished at the extreme physical violence, verbal abuse, and even a cuss word. I wouldn't recommend this to early readers, but rather late middle school to high school reading set. I realize Dahl was playing with extremes, but the ranting and raving of Ms. Trunchbull and the Father were excessive in my opinion. It was blatantly clear that these miserable human beings wanted to squash any happiness or success in others, but it felt like the reader was beat over the head with the hatefulness. It wore on me after a few chapters.

CHARACTERS: Wonderfully done. With characters like Trunchbull, Ms. Honey, Hortensia, Lavender...you could get a sense of personality simply from the names. The over-the-top father is a caricature of madness, and Dahl isn't subtle about making him a shady and ridiculous person.

FINAL RATING: 4 STARS
 Matilda is one of my new favorite characters. Obviously without her there would be no book, but if I hadn't loved her so completely this would get three stars. Dahl also did a great job using the characters as a way to bring attention to social issues...such as resilient children who succeed in spite of atrocious parenting, and how decent teachers must often become the "parent"/mentor and pick up the slack. The book certainly left me feeling a bit disturbed and surprised, but that is obviously the point. The illustrations by Quentin Blake add depth and comedy to the story, and greatly enhance the reading experience!! I recommend to young adult readers looking to root for an adorable protagonist, even though it is technically labeled a children's book.