Book Review: "Matilda" by Roald Dahl

Previously posted on Goodreads!¹

I had never had the pleasure of reading a Dahl's book and I have mixed emotions!

When I was a child, I used to watch the movie every time it was on TV. I always felt identified with this intelligent girl, not because of her wisdom, but with her incomparable love for books. I'm a bit ashamed that I learned about this book quite recently, I mean, I know some of Dahl's books and their adaptations (haven't read them but still knew about them) and then BOOM, found out about Matilda here (Goodreads). I got completely astonished but decided to find this book and devour it.

I DID, AND IT WAS BEAUTIFUL.

Dahl's writing is exquisite, full of beautiful words that drive you nostalgic about your childhood, and at the same time, it makes you feel that you've read this book in the perfect time. Not all books make you feel this way, they always have that little something that makes you feel that they belong to a certain genre, and I couldn't help but disagree about the classification of this one.

Matilda is the book I didn't know I needed. I wish I could read it for the first time again.


ROALD DAHL was a British author who penned 19 children's books over his decades-long writing career. In 1953 he published the best-selling story collection Someone Like You and married actress Patricia Neal. He published the popular book James and the Giant Peach in 1961. In 1964 he released another highly successful work, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which was later adapted for two films.


¹This review was written and originally posted on my Goodreads profile in 2016. It might now present minor changes in structure or corrections but has not changed its intention.