I have always known Roald Dahl for books like ‘Charlie And The Chocolate Factory’ and ‘Witches’ but no more will I think of him like that. After reading three of his many adult short stories I have really begun to appreciate how talented he is at not only writing but he can completely captivate readers like myself until I had finished the story. The three books I read in class were The landlady, Lamb to the slaughter, and Skin. Just by reading the title, you could never guess what they would be about but when I was finished I could completely understand the importance each title has in comparison to the story
The Landlady was about a young businessman who had traveled to Bath to pursue his dream of becoming successful, it was nighttime when he arrived and the weather was not to nice, he was walking down a neglected street when he sees a captivating sign that says “BED AND BREAKFAST” and so he heads on in, Lamb To The Slaughter the start of the story is about as innocent as you can get, Mary Maloney whom is six months pregnant and is awaiting the arrival of her husband, when he gets home she starts with small talk which he is not very good at returning and is then quick to inform her that he is leaving her, Skin is about a man called Drioli who had come across some paintings of an old friend of his, he begins to remember all the great time they had and begins to head-on into the art gallery. In all of the short stories they were told in the third person limited which means they were told from only one character’s point of view, this is effective because it can make the reader feel closer to the one particular character as it is only their thought and opinions presented.
The Landlady. The main character in the landlady is Billy Weaver. Billy Weaver is a young man, at only seventeen he has already decided he wants to be a successful businessman and has traveled to pursue that, he is kind and respectful but is quite naive to the situation which he has put himself in. The main character in Lamb To The Slaughter is Mary Maloney. She seems to be late 20s early 30s, we are not told but can assume as she is 6 months pregnant. Although at the start of the story she seems like a lovely, kind, and respectful wife but near the end, we found she is quite deceitful and manipulative. Lastly, the main character in Skin is a lovely innocent old man, who is on the verge of homelessness. He seemed to have a very wealthy past life with a lovely wife and great friend but in the end, has no wife and we learn is very easily manipulated.
In conclusion, these books were a very good read and I thoroughly enjoyed them. Although they are called short stories they still have incredible detail once you read them you will be on the edge of your seat. I recommend these books for probably no one younger than 13 as they can be quite gruesome but any adult, I believe would enjoy them, unless of course, they don’t like gruesome things.
Recent Comments