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Someone Like You
New Dell Edition First Aug 1965. #8116. Clean tight unmarked copy. Back hinge lightly creased/spine smooth. Pages/cover tanned. Very light shelf wear.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1953
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About the author
Roald Dahl
1,475 books26.7k followersRoald Dahl was a beloved British author, poet, screenwriter, and wartime fighter pilot, best known for his enchanting and often darkly humorous children's books that have captivated generations of readers around the world. Born in Llandaff, Wales, to Norwegian parents, Dahl led a life marked by adventure, tragedy, creativity, and enduring literary success. His vivid imagination and distinctive storytelling style have made him one of the most celebrated children's authors in modern literature.
Before becoming a writer, Dahl lived a life filled with excitement and hardship. He served as a Royal Air Force pilot during World War II, surviving a near-fatal crash in the Libyan desert. His wartime experiences and travels deeply influenced his storytelling, often infusing his works with a sense of danger, resilience, and the triumph of the underdog. After the war, he began writing for both adults and children, showing a rare versatility that spanned genres and age groups.
Dahl's children's books are known for their playful use of language, unforgettable characters, and a deep sense of justice, often pitting clever children against cruel or foolish adults. Some of his most iconic titles include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG, James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr Fox, and The Witches. These works are filled with fantastical elements and moral undertones, empowering young readers to challenge authority, think independently, and believe in the impossible.
Equally acclaimed for his work for adults, Dahl wrote numerous short stories characterized by their macabre twists and dark humor. His stories were frequently published in magazines such as The New Yorker and later compiled into bestselling collections like Someone Like You and Kiss Kiss. He also wrote screenplays, including the James Bond film You Only Live Twice and the adaptation of Ian Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Despite his literary success, Dahl was a complex and sometimes controversial figure, known for his strong opinions and difficult personality. Nonetheless, his books continue to be treasured for their wit, originality, and the sense of wonder they inspire. Many of his stories have been adapted into successful films, stage plays, and television specials, further cementing his legacy.
Dahl's impact on children's literature is immeasurable. His ability to connect with young readers through a mix of irreverence, heart, and imagination has made his stories timeless. Even after his death, his books remain in print and continue to be read by millions of children worldwide. His writing not only entertains but also encourages curiosity, courage, and compassion.
Roald Dahl's work lives on as a testament to the power of storytelling and the magic of a truly original voice. He remains a towering figure in literature whose creations continue to spark joy, mischief, and inspiration across generations.
Before becoming a writer, Dahl lived a life filled with excitement and hardship. He served as a Royal Air Force pilot during World War II, surviving a near-fatal crash in the Libyan desert. His wartime experiences and travels deeply influenced his storytelling, often infusing his works with a sense of danger, resilience, and the triumph of the underdog. After the war, he began writing for both adults and children, showing a rare versatility that spanned genres and age groups.
Dahl's children's books are known for their playful use of language, unforgettable characters, and a deep sense of justice, often pitting clever children against cruel or foolish adults. Some of his most iconic titles include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG, James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr Fox, and The Witches. These works are filled with fantastical elements and moral undertones, empowering young readers to challenge authority, think independently, and believe in the impossible.
Equally acclaimed for his work for adults, Dahl wrote numerous short stories characterized by their macabre twists and dark humor. His stories were frequently published in magazines such as The New Yorker and later compiled into bestselling collections like Someone Like You and Kiss Kiss. He also wrote screenplays, including the James Bond film You Only Live Twice and the adaptation of Ian Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Despite his literary success, Dahl was a complex and sometimes controversial figure, known for his strong opinions and difficult personality. Nonetheless, his books continue to be treasured for their wit, originality, and the sense of wonder they inspire. Many of his stories have been adapted into successful films, stage plays, and television specials, further cementing his legacy.
Dahl's impact on children's literature is immeasurable. His ability to connect with young readers through a mix of irreverence, heart, and imagination has made his stories timeless. Even after his death, his books remain in print and continue to be read by millions of children worldwide. His writing not only entertains but also encourages curiosity, courage, and compassion.
Roald Dahl's work lives on as a testament to the power of storytelling and the magic of a truly original voice. He remains a towering figure in literature whose creations continue to spark joy, mischief, and inspiration across generations.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 422 reviews
April 25, 2021
Dahl was a kind of precursor of the black comedy we see today, as he mixes disturbing and mad characters with bizarre plots and brings them in horrible situations without getting too explicit, as there was still much censoring and bigotry surrounding anything nasty when the works were published.
But it would interest me how he would have written without reducing the amount of gore and sex to a minimum, he could have kickstarted the extreme horror, psychological horror- and slasher genre. In contrast to the more subtle meta horror of Lovecraft and classical horror stories, the fear doesn´t lie in the single evil condensed to a monster or a whole world full of terror where the protagonists are just the vehicles to transport the goosebumps to the readers. In Dahls´work, hell is other people comes to a whole new level, as it are the twisted minds and the terrible things they do to other people that make the magic of his work.
He could be compared to Bradbury, who wrote more epical and less depressing with as few words as possible, but didn´t leave the mind penetrated reader with so much paranoia regarding the true motivations and thoughts of the humans surrounding him.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
But it would interest me how he would have written without reducing the amount of gore and sex to a minimum, he could have kickstarted the extreme horror, psychological horror- and slasher genre. In contrast to the more subtle meta horror of Lovecraft and classical horror stories, the fear doesn´t lie in the single evil condensed to a monster or a whole world full of terror where the protagonists are just the vehicles to transport the goosebumps to the readers. In Dahls´work, hell is other people comes to a whole new level, as it are the twisted minds and the terrible things they do to other people that make the magic of his work.
He could be compared to Bradbury, who wrote more epical and less depressing with as few words as possible, but didn´t leave the mind penetrated reader with so much paranoia regarding the true motivations and thoughts of the humans surrounding him.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
April 16, 2022
Deliciously sly and sometimes macabre short stories, each with a twist in the tale from a master storyteller. In the late 1970s, Roald Dahl’s short stories were televised in England in a series titled, ‘Tales of the Unexpected’ and I watched them with avid interest. It was wonderful to discover this audiobook and listen to each story narrated by some of my favorite British actors.
TASTE – The stakes are high in this wager on the origin of a bottle of wine. Read by Richard E Grant.
LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER – I remember this story most vividly from the TV series. It is quite unexpected and deliciously devious! Read by Juliet Stevenson.
MAN FROM THE SOUTH– Another wager story with a twist. This one made me cringe and had me ‘on edge’ the entire time I was listening! Read by Stephen Mangan
THE SOLDIER– A creepy story with an unreliable narrator. The soldier might have PTSD but, there were additional neurological symptoms that I wondered about. I couldn’t make up my mind if the wife was plotting to kill the soldier/husband, or vice versa! Read by Stephen Mangan
MY LADY LOVE, MY DOVE – On the surface, Arthur appears hen-pecked and thinks to himself, “If only Pamela would try to be less solicitous of my welfare, less prone to coax me into doing things for my own good rather than for my own pleasure, then everything would be heaven.” However, Arthur and Pamela each have their own thread of wickedness and together, they plot against their weekend guests, whom Pamela despises as social climbers. However, they get more than they bargained for! Read by Richard Griffiths
DIP IN THE POOL – This story takes place on a cruise ship sailing rough seas. ‘Pool’ has a double-meaning. After dinner the passengers participate in a betting pool to guess how much progress the ship will make the next day. The participant whose bet is closest to the actual distance traveled will win the entire ‘pool.’ The distance travelled is affected by the weather and how rough or smooth the sea is. I love this passage that describes the effect the rough sea has on the passengers:
“It was very gentle at first, just a slow, lazy leaning to one side, then to the other, but it was enough to cause a subtle, immediate change of mood over the whole room. A few of the passengers glanced up from their food, hesitating, waiting, almost listening for the next roll, smiling nervously, little secret glimmers of apprehension in their eyes. Some were completely unruffled, some were openly smug, a number of the smug ones making jokes about food and weather in order to torture the few who were beginning to suffer.”
Mr Botibol places his bet expecting continued rough seas and slow progress. He is foiled when the sea is calm the next morning. To control the ship’s progress and win the ‘pool,’ he must come up with a plan to slow the ship down. Read by Adrian Scarborough
GALLOPING FOXLEY – The sophistication of the vocabulary and class distinction sets this story apart. William Perkins has taken the same train among the same small group of passengers for 15-years. “When occasionally a new face appears on the platform it causes a certain disclamatory, protestant ripple, like a new bird in a cage of canaries.” Perkins has his nose put out of joint when a stranger with a “powerful presence of arrogance and oil,” carrying a pipe, a cane and the Daily Mail newspaper settles in his ‘excusive’ compartment on the train.
For years Perkins has enjoyed the “special little pleasure” of having the compartment to himself to read The Times newspaper. The way the stranger swings his cane recalls ‘Galloping’ Foxley, a bully from his first year at public school in 1907, when he was 12 and had been a “small pale shrimp of a boy.” Foxley’s bullying was most cruel, and Perkins devises a plan to publicly humiliate him. Read by Richard Griffiths
SKIN – Drioli, a retired tattoo artist discovers a painting in a gallery. He realizes he knew the artist some years ago and reminisces about their time together. The gallery owner asks the disheveled Drioli to leave. Drioli exposes his bare back revealing a tattoo of a painting by the same artist. The gallery owner is astonished and tries to persuade Drioli to have the painting surgically removed, so he can buy it. An art collector offers Drioli a place in his luxury hotel where guests may view the painting on his back. Which will he choose? Read by Tamsin Greig
POISON – Timber arrives home to discover his partner Harry acting strangely. He tells Timber that “an extremely poisonous little snake crawled onto the bed and is now sleeping under the sheet on [his] stomach.” Timber summons Dr. Ganderbai who arrives with snakebite serum. However, when they finally draw the sheet back, there is no evidence of a snake. Harry showers Dr. Ganderbai with racist insults and we discover the true source of poison. Read by Richard E Grant
THE WISH – At about 10-minutes in length, this was the shortest of all the short stories. A young boy turns a new carpet into an imaginary land. He must travel the length of the carpet without stepping on the black areas, which represent snakes, to receive his reward of a puppy. Read by Stephen Mangan
NECK – London’s most eligible bachelor, Sir Basil Turton is swept to the altar by the beautiful Natalia. About 6-years later, Natalia, aka Lady Turton is showing a besotted Major Haddock around the grounds of their estate when her head gets stuck in a wooden sculpture while posing for a photograph. The butler advances toward her carrying an axe. However, Sir Basil deems this unsafe and selects a saw instead. “’Lady Turton is pale-faced and gurgling incoherently with fear,” while Sir Basil has an odd look of amusement in his eyes. Read by Julian Rhind-Tutt
THE SOUND MACHINE – Klausner is described as “a frail, nervous, twitchy little man, a moth of a man, dreamy and distracted; suddenly fluttering and animated” and he gives the impression of possessing “a quality of distance, of immense, immeasurable distance, as though the mind was far away from where the body was.”
Klausner is obsessed with sound. He wants to listen to sounds that the human ear cannot normally hear, so he makes a sound machine, which is described as a black box measuring 3 feet long and roughly the shape of a child’s coffin, to convert high pitched sounds to a lower pitch that he will be able to hear. Klausner is successful, however, I fear it is a case of ‘be careful what you wish for.’ Read by Adrian Scarborough
NUNC DIMITTIS – A gossip tells Lionel that his younger girlfriend, Janet finds him boring. Lionel sets out to humiliate Janet in public. He commissions a painting of Janet, without her knowledge, from an artist who employs a unique method. He paints the subject naked and then, adds layers of clothing at intervals. Lionel, a skilled art restorer, carefully removes the layers of paint to reveal Janet in her underwear. Next, Lionel hosts a candlelight dinner for all their high society friends and reveals the painting when the lights are turned on at the end of the evening. Janet is thoroughly humiliated. Two days later in an apparent act of forgiveness, Janet sends Lionel a gift of his favorite caviar, which he is unable to resist. Read by Derek Jacobi
THE GREAT AUTOMATIC GRAMMATIZATOR – An automatic computing engine that can make calculations in 5 seconds that would take a human being a month to work out. Favorite passage: “there’s a trick that nearly every writer uses, of inserting at least one long, obscure word into each story. This makes the reader think that the man is very wise and clever. So I have the machine do the same thing. There’ll be a whole stack of long words stored away just for this purpose.” “Where?” “In the ‘word-memory’ section,” he said, epexegetically. Read by Will Self
CLAUD’S DOG: This disturbing story is divided into four sections and read by Jessica Hynes.
The Ratcatcher – contains descriptions that made my skin crawl. There are rats living in Rummins’ hayrick and a rat catcher is summoned. The ‘rodent operative’ arrives on the scene by “sidling up the driveway with a stealthy, soft-treading gait” and is described as having a rat-like appearance with “a sharp face and two long sulphur-coloured teeth that protruded from the upper jaw.” Even the way he speaks gave me a shiver down my spine. “The word ‘rats’ came out of his mouth soft and throaty, with a rich fruity relish as though he were gargling with melted butter. ‘Let’s take a look at them rraats.’”
Rummins – is an odious farmer described as having a “wide frog mouth, broken teeth and shifty eyes.” And, the description of Bert’s bad eye lends an additional air of creepiness, “it was pale grey all over, like a boiled fish-eye,” although it is fixed in one position, “it appeared always to be looking at you and following you round.” There’s trouble afoot and Rummins seems to be ‘in the know,’ whereas Bert is unsuspecting.
Mr Hoddy – is described as “a small sour apple of a man, grey-skinned and shrivelled, with a dozen or so surviving strands of black hair pasted across the dome of his bald head.” Another deliciously revolting description: “Mr Hoddy was eating a slice of currant cake, nibbling it round the edges, and his small mouth was like the mouth of a caterpillar biting a tiny curved slice out of the edge of a leaf.” Later, I felt truly squeamish when maggots were introduced.
Mr Feasey – “has an incredible memory and is able to spot an imposter dog from a mile away,” which is bad news for Claud and his friend Gordon who have been working a scam at the Greyhound racing track. Claud is described as having a “big bovine face secret and cunning” and his dog Jackie “had the widest most human-smiling grin.” Every time Gordon sees it, he anticipates hearing “him start laughing out loud as well.” Who will have the last laugh?
TASTE – The stakes are high in this wager on the origin of a bottle of wine. Read by Richard E Grant.
LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER – I remember this story most vividly from the TV series. It is quite unexpected and deliciously devious! Read by Juliet Stevenson.
MAN FROM THE SOUTH– Another wager story with a twist. This one made me cringe and had me ‘on edge’ the entire time I was listening! Read by Stephen Mangan
THE SOLDIER– A creepy story with an unreliable narrator. The soldier might have PTSD but, there were additional neurological symptoms that I wondered about. I couldn’t make up my mind if the wife was plotting to kill the soldier/husband, or vice versa! Read by Stephen Mangan
MY LADY LOVE, MY DOVE – On the surface, Arthur appears hen-pecked and thinks to himself, “If only Pamela would try to be less solicitous of my welfare, less prone to coax me into doing things for my own good rather than for my own pleasure, then everything would be heaven.” However, Arthur and Pamela each have their own thread of wickedness and together, they plot against their weekend guests, whom Pamela despises as social climbers. However, they get more than they bargained for! Read by Richard Griffiths
DIP IN THE POOL – This story takes place on a cruise ship sailing rough seas. ‘Pool’ has a double-meaning. After dinner the passengers participate in a betting pool to guess how much progress the ship will make the next day. The participant whose bet is closest to the actual distance traveled will win the entire ‘pool.’ The distance travelled is affected by the weather and how rough or smooth the sea is. I love this passage that describes the effect the rough sea has on the passengers:
“It was very gentle at first, just a slow, lazy leaning to one side, then to the other, but it was enough to cause a subtle, immediate change of mood over the whole room. A few of the passengers glanced up from their food, hesitating, waiting, almost listening for the next roll, smiling nervously, little secret glimmers of apprehension in their eyes. Some were completely unruffled, some were openly smug, a number of the smug ones making jokes about food and weather in order to torture the few who were beginning to suffer.”
Mr Botibol places his bet expecting continued rough seas and slow progress. He is foiled when the sea is calm the next morning. To control the ship’s progress and win the ‘pool,’ he must come up with a plan to slow the ship down. Read by Adrian Scarborough
GALLOPING FOXLEY – The sophistication of the vocabulary and class distinction sets this story apart. William Perkins has taken the same train among the same small group of passengers for 15-years. “When occasionally a new face appears on the platform it causes a certain disclamatory, protestant ripple, like a new bird in a cage of canaries.” Perkins has his nose put out of joint when a stranger with a “powerful presence of arrogance and oil,” carrying a pipe, a cane and the Daily Mail newspaper settles in his ‘excusive’ compartment on the train.
For years Perkins has enjoyed the “special little pleasure” of having the compartment to himself to read The Times newspaper. The way the stranger swings his cane recalls ‘Galloping’ Foxley, a bully from his first year at public school in 1907, when he was 12 and had been a “small pale shrimp of a boy.” Foxley’s bullying was most cruel, and Perkins devises a plan to publicly humiliate him. Read by Richard Griffiths
SKIN – Drioli, a retired tattoo artist discovers a painting in a gallery. He realizes he knew the artist some years ago and reminisces about their time together. The gallery owner asks the disheveled Drioli to leave. Drioli exposes his bare back revealing a tattoo of a painting by the same artist. The gallery owner is astonished and tries to persuade Drioli to have the painting surgically removed, so he can buy it. An art collector offers Drioli a place in his luxury hotel where guests may view the painting on his back. Which will he choose? Read by Tamsin Greig
POISON – Timber arrives home to discover his partner Harry acting strangely. He tells Timber that “an extremely poisonous little snake crawled onto the bed and is now sleeping under the sheet on [his] stomach.” Timber summons Dr. Ganderbai who arrives with snakebite serum. However, when they finally draw the sheet back, there is no evidence of a snake. Harry showers Dr. Ganderbai with racist insults and we discover the true source of poison. Read by Richard E Grant
THE WISH – At about 10-minutes in length, this was the shortest of all the short stories. A young boy turns a new carpet into an imaginary land. He must travel the length of the carpet without stepping on the black areas, which represent snakes, to receive his reward of a puppy. Read by Stephen Mangan
NECK – London’s most eligible bachelor, Sir Basil Turton is swept to the altar by the beautiful Natalia. About 6-years later, Natalia, aka Lady Turton is showing a besotted Major Haddock around the grounds of their estate when her head gets stuck in a wooden sculpture while posing for a photograph. The butler advances toward her carrying an axe. However, Sir Basil deems this unsafe and selects a saw instead. “’Lady Turton is pale-faced and gurgling incoherently with fear,” while Sir Basil has an odd look of amusement in his eyes. Read by Julian Rhind-Tutt
THE SOUND MACHINE – Klausner is described as “a frail, nervous, twitchy little man, a moth of a man, dreamy and distracted; suddenly fluttering and animated” and he gives the impression of possessing “a quality of distance, of immense, immeasurable distance, as though the mind was far away from where the body was.”
Klausner is obsessed with sound. He wants to listen to sounds that the human ear cannot normally hear, so he makes a sound machine, which is described as a black box measuring 3 feet long and roughly the shape of a child’s coffin, to convert high pitched sounds to a lower pitch that he will be able to hear. Klausner is successful, however, I fear it is a case of ‘be careful what you wish for.’ Read by Adrian Scarborough
NUNC DIMITTIS – A gossip tells Lionel that his younger girlfriend, Janet finds him boring. Lionel sets out to humiliate Janet in public. He commissions a painting of Janet, without her knowledge, from an artist who employs a unique method. He paints the subject naked and then, adds layers of clothing at intervals. Lionel, a skilled art restorer, carefully removes the layers of paint to reveal Janet in her underwear. Next, Lionel hosts a candlelight dinner for all their high society friends and reveals the painting when the lights are turned on at the end of the evening. Janet is thoroughly humiliated. Two days later in an apparent act of forgiveness, Janet sends Lionel a gift of his favorite caviar, which he is unable to resist. Read by Derek Jacobi
THE GREAT AUTOMATIC GRAMMATIZATOR – An automatic computing engine that can make calculations in 5 seconds that would take a human being a month to work out. Favorite passage: “there’s a trick that nearly every writer uses, of inserting at least one long, obscure word into each story. This makes the reader think that the man is very wise and clever. So I have the machine do the same thing. There’ll be a whole stack of long words stored away just for this purpose.” “Where?” “In the ‘word-memory’ section,” he said, epexegetically. Read by Will Self
CLAUD’S DOG: This disturbing story is divided into four sections and read by Jessica Hynes.
The Ratcatcher – contains descriptions that made my skin crawl. There are rats living in Rummins’ hayrick and a rat catcher is summoned. The ‘rodent operative’ arrives on the scene by “sidling up the driveway with a stealthy, soft-treading gait” and is described as having a rat-like appearance with “a sharp face and two long sulphur-coloured teeth that protruded from the upper jaw.” Even the way he speaks gave me a shiver down my spine. “The word ‘rats’ came out of his mouth soft and throaty, with a rich fruity relish as though he were gargling with melted butter. ‘Let’s take a look at them rraats.’”
Rummins – is an odious farmer described as having a “wide frog mouth, broken teeth and shifty eyes.” And, the description of Bert’s bad eye lends an additional air of creepiness, “it was pale grey all over, like a boiled fish-eye,” although it is fixed in one position, “it appeared always to be looking at you and following you round.” There’s trouble afoot and Rummins seems to be ‘in the know,’ whereas Bert is unsuspecting.
Mr Hoddy – is described as “a small sour apple of a man, grey-skinned and shrivelled, with a dozen or so surviving strands of black hair pasted across the dome of his bald head.” Another deliciously revolting description: “Mr Hoddy was eating a slice of currant cake, nibbling it round the edges, and his small mouth was like the mouth of a caterpillar biting a tiny curved slice out of the edge of a leaf.” Later, I felt truly squeamish when maggots were introduced.
Mr Feasey – “has an incredible memory and is able to spot an imposter dog from a mile away,” which is bad news for Claud and his friend Gordon who have been working a scam at the Greyhound racing track. Claud is described as having a “big bovine face secret and cunning” and his dog Jackie “had the widest most human-smiling grin.” Every time Gordon sees it, he anticipates hearing “him start laughing out loud as well.” Who will have the last laugh?
December 23, 2023
Brilliant surreal-comic stories (several first appeared in the NYer). Dahl insinuates a lethal twist into everyday life. A wife wants to kill her husband ("Lamb to the Slaughter"): she whacks him with a chunk of frozen meat and then cooks the weapon as the police arrive.
Spinning comic impudence : In "My Lady Love, My Dove," a snobby bridge-playing married duo plant a mike in the guest room of visiting couple and learn their secret bridge-winning codes. ~~ Forget bridge. I've always wanted to do this.
I pity those who dont "get" the black comedy of these stories. Stay away from me!
Spinning comic impudence : In "My Lady Love, My Dove," a snobby bridge-playing married duo plant a mike in the guest room of visiting couple and learn their secret bridge-winning codes. ~~ Forget bridge. I've always wanted to do this.
I pity those who dont "get" the black comedy of these stories. Stay away from me!
April 30, 2022
ne desem bilemiyorum. uzun zamandır okuduğum en güzel öyküler bunlar. ürkütücü, uçuk kaçık ve biraz deli işi. iyi bir öykü okumanın verdiği hisle uykuya dalmayı özleyeceğim. yeni bir dahl kitabı okuyana kadar.
September 15, 2025
4.3 stars
This is an excellent collection of short stories for adults by an author who is much more well known for his works for children. These stories are often hilarious, often macabre and occasionally genuinely disturbing. They are all very entertaining. Story-by-story star breakdown below:
1. ‘Taste’ - 5 stars
2. ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ - 5 stars
3. ‘Man from the South’ - 4 stars
4. ‘The Soldier’ - 5 stars
5. ‘My Lady Love, My Dove’ - 3 stars
6. ‘Dip in the Pool’ - 5 stars
7. ‘Galloping Foxley’ - 3 stars
8. ‘Skin’ - 4 stars
9. ‘Poison’ - 4 stars
10. ‘The Wish’ - 5 stars
11. ‘Neck’ - 4 stars
12. ‘The Sound Machine’ - 5 stars
13. ‘Nunc Dimittis’ - 3 stars
14. ‘The Great Automatic Grammatizator’ - 5 stars
15. ‘Claud's Dog’ - 4 stars
This is an excellent collection of short stories for adults by an author who is much more well known for his works for children. These stories are often hilarious, often macabre and occasionally genuinely disturbing. They are all very entertaining. Story-by-story star breakdown below:
1. ‘Taste’ - 5 stars
2. ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ - 5 stars
3. ‘Man from the South’ - 4 stars
4. ‘The Soldier’ - 5 stars
5. ‘My Lady Love, My Dove’ - 3 stars
6. ‘Dip in the Pool’ - 5 stars
7. ‘Galloping Foxley’ - 3 stars
8. ‘Skin’ - 4 stars
9. ‘Poison’ - 4 stars
10. ‘The Wish’ - 5 stars
11. ‘Neck’ - 4 stars
12. ‘The Sound Machine’ - 5 stars
13. ‘Nunc Dimittis’ - 3 stars
14. ‘The Great Automatic Grammatizator’ - 5 stars
15. ‘Claud's Dog’ - 4 stars
November 29, 2015
Excellent, creepy, and bizarre short stories from an author known for his off-kilter children stories. So, if you're familiar with those, take that weirdness to an adult level that borders on the horrific, and you have the genius that is Roald Dahl. I loved "Lamb to the Slaughter," which is perhaps his most famous, where a bored housewife attempts to get away with murder. I also enjoyed "The Man from the South," which I was unaware Quentin Tarantino used for his short film in the movie "Four Rooms." What I like most about these stories is that they all have a twist at the end, that upends the trajectory of the narrative, but makes them all the more satisfying.
February 8, 2021
Despite the fact that the author held notorious anti-Semitic views, I have read many of Roald Dahl books. His collection of dark and macabre short stories is absolutely wonderful and I recommend them to readers who like horror fiction. Many of the writer's stories have a frightening and surreal edge to them and like his children's books, many of his characters are extremely unlikable and nasty.
Maybe it takes the edge off when we understand just how hated Dahl was by some of the public and people who knew him. His ex-wife called him "Roald the Rotten." He had a cruel and sadistic streak which lands straight on the paper and what makes his stories so compelling to read. Four stars.
Maybe it takes the edge off when we understand just how hated Dahl was by some of the public and people who knew him. His ex-wife called him "Roald the Rotten." He had a cruel and sadistic streak which lands straight on the paper and what makes his stories so compelling to read. Four stars.
January 23, 2021
Needed something light and this certainly filled that role. Most of the stories were ones that I had read in my mid-teens, and their brevity, simplicity, and the fact they often finished with that little twist were partly responsible for my getting into reading. Revisiting them, however, they appeared less powerful than I remember, and the further I got into the collection, the less interesting they became. ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ was my favorite, probably because I first came across it as an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents all those years ago.
September 29, 2012
Brilliant brilliant brilliant.
Roald Dahl is the King of the Macabre. He is the Charles Dickens of the 20th Century, with a sense of humour that can ONLY be described as deliciously wicked. This collection of short stories is decidedly grown-up, but reading it I often found myself sniggering like a little child.
My favorite stories by far were Lamb to the Slaughter and Taste, I believe they were the first two, although they were all darkly humorous and very entertaining.
Roald Dahl is the King of the Macabre. He is the Charles Dickens of the 20th Century, with a sense of humour that can ONLY be described as deliciously wicked. This collection of short stories is decidedly grown-up, but reading it I often found myself sniggering like a little child.
My favorite stories by far were Lamb to the Slaughter and Taste, I believe they were the first two, although they were all darkly humorous and very entertaining.
July 25, 2018
I'm not going to write a long review of this book. All I'll say is that I love strange and quirky tales that explore the way human beings are and I consider Roald Dahl to be THE master of such tales. I hope that "Someone Like You" isn't really about you or me, but I'm afraid it very well might be. I'm not going to claim this is the best short story collection ever written, but it can't be far off the mark!
April 30, 2019
Wieder eine abwechslungsreiche Sammlung von meinem liebsten Kurzgeschichtenschreiber, doch hat mir dieses Mal ein wenig die Bissigkeit gefehlt. Es finden sich auch hier kleine Schätze, doch gab es einige Geschichten bei denen ich mir am Ende etwas mehr Finesse gewünscht hätte.
dnf
April 15, 2025By story number five I’d had more than enough from Mr Dahl. The stories are dated (obviously) but I found them samey, misogynistic and I just felt bored and unconnected whilst reading them. It’s a shame, I had high hopes as they all sounded promising. Never mind, I’ll stick with his children’s stories, they’re far more my cup of tea.
April 30, 2020
Absolutely loved this. A brilliantly creepy and original short story collection. Reminded me of the short stories by Shirley Jackson, which I also love. Will definitely pick up more of these collections by Roald Dahl.
March 12, 2021
To start with, it appears I added this to my "want to read" not my "currently reading" shelf.
But anyway a terrifying and enthralling collection of short stories. Some that made me put the book down in shock and some that made me smile.....
As always and with all short stories there are some meh ones in here but also some great ones.
(and for the record I remember most of them from Tales of the Unexpected and Alfred Hitchcock Presents!)
Good solid 4 star collection.
But anyway a terrifying and enthralling collection of short stories. Some that made me put the book down in shock and some that made me smile.....
As always and with all short stories there are some meh ones in here but also some great ones.
(and for the record I remember most of them from Tales of the Unexpected and Alfred Hitchcock Presents!)
Good solid 4 star collection.
August 13, 2020
A lovely collection of short stories by Roald Dahl. It reminded me of Live Show, Drink Included a contemporary short story collection. Like the old master, Vicky Grut, the author of this Edge Hill shortlisted collection is a champion of short stories with a twist.
March 3, 2015
I'm absolutely mystified at the high ratings for this book. I only picked it up to complete a challenge what a mistake. Well I'm not a fan of short stories but I have read and enjoyed many shorts over the years but this was definitely not one of the finer ones. I will say that the stories were well-written but the conclusions were disappointing. The endings just fizzled out and left it up to the reader to determine what really happened. If I wanted to determine the ending, I'd write my own darn novel.
All in all I liked the outside of the book better than anything on the inside. Even though the cover was incorrect (it was the pinky finger not the ring finger). Most of the stories were 1-2 stars at best though there were a few I liked (regardless of the crappy ending) Lamb to the Slaughter, Dip in the Pool, Skin, Poison, The Sound Machine and The Great Automatic Grammatisator. The others were seemingly pointless.
All in all I liked the outside of the book better than anything on the inside. Even though the cover was incorrect (it was the pinky finger not the ring finger). Most of the stories were 1-2 stars at best though there were a few I liked (regardless of the crappy ending) Lamb to the Slaughter, Dip in the Pool, Skin, Poison, The Sound Machine and The Great Automatic Grammatisator. The others were seemingly pointless.
March 17, 2017
Roald Dahl'ın ilk kez büyükler için yazılmış kitabını okudum. 50'li yılların ingiltere'sinde geçiyor çoğu öykü.
üçkağıtçılara, kötü kalpli zenginlere, hayvan düşmanlarına nefreti satır aralarında da olsa öykülerinde de hissediliyor.
kitaptaki ilk öyküler daha çok şaşırtmacalı biterken, sonlara doğru daha olgun bir tarz benimsiyor. yazıldığı yılları bilmiyorum ama muhtemelen arada fark var.
ve ayrıca bu kitabın da baskısı yok, can yayınları roald dahl'ın büyük kitaplarını basmayı düşünmüyor sanırım.
üçkağıtçılara, kötü kalpli zenginlere, hayvan düşmanlarına nefreti satır aralarında da olsa öykülerinde de hissediliyor.
kitaptaki ilk öyküler daha çok şaşırtmacalı biterken, sonlara doğru daha olgun bir tarz benimsiyor. yazıldığı yılları bilmiyorum ama muhtemelen arada fark var.
ve ayrıca bu kitabın da baskısı yok, can yayınları roald dahl'ın büyük kitaplarını basmayı düşünmüyor sanırım.
October 23, 2019
Okay I am confused - again! I just don’t get it. Are they both the same man? Or two different people that are both crazy? Or is neither of them crazy? I have lots of questions haha.
I feel like I either totally love Roald Dahls short stories when I get the plot, or I am left feeling very meh because I did not understand the plot/ending.
I feel like I either totally love Roald Dahls short stories when I get the plot, or I am left feeling very meh because I did not understand the plot/ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2015
So good. All of his adult short stories are sooo fucked up and sooo good.
May 2, 2012
Having whet my appetite for Roald Dahl’s Adult novels with “Switch Bitch” I immediately found myself reaching out for the next one.
I was going to exhausted the entire collection beginning with “My Uncle Oswald”; given that Oswald’s character in “Switch Bitch” was most unforgettable and prominent, I just had to read it, devour it!. But my hunt was vain; so, I settled with “Someone Like You”, which was another concoction of short stories by this marvellous, creative, sarcastic, Master of similes and adjectives of a Man.
Dom Joly’s ‘Forward’ (like a preface) gave nothing away; however, what he had to say was rather intriguing and so I got cracking with the little treasures of delights which await me with every page turn.
Starting with "Taste"; which was a fantastic tail of men displaying their masculinity, proposing a rather amusing but outrageous bet on a sensory tasting wine session. The concept was most invigorating as both of them were equally as stubborn and refuse to back down. But what was at stake is what made this tail electrifying.
It was a clear demonstration of the inner demon which lurks deep within ever well-off male that is more often than not concealed by a calm and collective exterior.
As I am sure if you were to ask either of these gentlemen whether they were “a Gambling man” am sure quite gracefully and with great clarity they would respond in offense, that such attribution to a scrounging sport is distasteful.
But when the stakes are irresistible; it can change ones persona significantly.
I read anxiously waiting for the outcome of this bet; on the name of the vineyard from which this great wine was extracted from. The suspense was immense as Richard condensed his thoughts and began his process of elimination to uncover the desired name; the process, although described in a gross and fowl manner on the contrary, it came off most fascinating as I was astounded by Richards ‘Gift’ he had acquired and refined to taste and detect the finest of flavour down to core of any ingredient, his highly developed senses was something to marvel at indeed. But only towards the end when the pieces came together I lost all respect for this man and his so-called 'Gift'!.
"Lamb to the Slaughter"
I was astonished how very little pages could express such a vivid amount of detail and imagery with every scene.
The juxtaposition of this woman’s character who seemed to have this dying love for her beloved husband where she was engrossed and infatuated with him and pretty much worshiped the ground he walked upon, conflicted my thoughts to how that very person could perform such a vile performance and act so calmly about it?
Furthermore, a reason behind her AWOL like behaviour wasn’t mentioned, given that; the reason behind the separation wasn’t addressed... did he leave her for another woman? Or just in general? due to the lack of information in the passage it is was hard to suggest whether her actions were just, and the punishment which was bestowed on him was deserved? Or it could be that this woman was totally demented. Either way, it was hilariouslt witty and the irony left me in stitches in the end.
Now having read 46% of the book, I became restless and started to lose interest; all of them copied the same dreary structure. Whereby, they all take on an interesting trail like a good folks tail with a strong core/backbone and exciting punch line only to have the same disappointing end. The endings however humorous and amusing they maybe; still didn’t compensate for the short story mounting to nothing; so in turn it felt unfulfilled and pretty pointless.
Fact of the matter was that; I wanted to put the book down and call it quits; but my rule never to leave a book unfinished came into play, and it felt like a sin if I was to give up. So I was compelled to continue, although I was reading the words without swallowing them.
"Man from the South"
It was just another take on 'Taste'.
"My lady love, my dove"
This had a mischievous beginning, but once again the short tail failed to end with a reasonable level of satisfaction.
However; reading “Skin” put me back on alert and reawakened my senses and I became fond of the book once more. Only then did I realise what the cover title meant “someone like you” because one time or another each individual can find themselves in these positions maybe as the main character or side one, the scenarios may differ; however the characteristic remain intact. As I am an “artist by profession” who was asked by a tattoo artist to drawing something upon his buttocks
“The Wish”
This story further highlights the title "Someone Like You" as everyone has once in the lifetime picked at a scab with delight or invented some sort of imaginary game with the ground beneath them?
So somewhere along this fictional book is a fact! That the reader can relate to.
My sudden though struck like a bolt of lightning
Does this man struggle or not have the courage to undertake the task to entertain and keep hold of his mature audience for more than 200 pages based on the same characters and storyline or is it that other writers have a more knowledge and a better understand to what the Adult mind desires and seeks from Adult reads?.
This is why getting hold of “My Uncle Oswald” became a priority rather than an option. To unmask the true genius of this great Writer; to whether or not he has the ability to concur both the Children’s and Adult’s world of literature.
“Numeric”
Reminded me of “black and scholes” when they fabricated up the equation to Price Options to hedge and eliminate risks. But this genius-ness suddenly turned into something Del Boy and Rodders would conjure up to make a cheeky, mischievous profit at trade (machine). The irony kills me when he uses the word, amusing, witty of roald dahl, coz he puts himself in that situation as a writer (page 200)
“Rummins”
As the story draws to an end it is very sad; as the old mans fait wasn’t in his hand. Stripped of a future.
“Nunc dimittis”
Unlike the majority of endings in this selection of short stories; the ending of this specific tail was brilliant. Furthermore having a keen interest in art myself; learning the techniques of another artist is always fascinating.
“Mr Feasy”
The ending was very sad and simply heart-breaking, I let the reader decide that.
“My hoddy” was extremely funny; especially the maggot bit, after all the anticipation he comes out with MAGGOT however the ending was poor.
Overall “Someone like you” gives a ray of multiple characterises which a person may possess or acquire. Therefore with this diverse variation of characteristics it is easy for any reader to relate to any of the characters within this book.
I was going to exhausted the entire collection beginning with “My Uncle Oswald”; given that Oswald’s character in “Switch Bitch” was most unforgettable and prominent, I just had to read it, devour it!. But my hunt was vain; so, I settled with “Someone Like You”, which was another concoction of short stories by this marvellous, creative, sarcastic, Master of similes and adjectives of a Man.
Dom Joly’s ‘Forward’ (like a preface) gave nothing away; however, what he had to say was rather intriguing and so I got cracking with the little treasures of delights which await me with every page turn.
Starting with "Taste"; which was a fantastic tail of men displaying their masculinity, proposing a rather amusing but outrageous bet on a sensory tasting wine session. The concept was most invigorating as both of them were equally as stubborn and refuse to back down. But what was at stake is what made this tail electrifying.
It was a clear demonstration of the inner demon which lurks deep within ever well-off male that is more often than not concealed by a calm and collective exterior.
As I am sure if you were to ask either of these gentlemen whether they were “a Gambling man” am sure quite gracefully and with great clarity they would respond in offense, that such attribution to a scrounging sport is distasteful.
But when the stakes are irresistible; it can change ones persona significantly.
I read anxiously waiting for the outcome of this bet; on the name of the vineyard from which this great wine was extracted from. The suspense was immense as Richard condensed his thoughts and began his process of elimination to uncover the desired name; the process, although described in a gross and fowl manner on the contrary, it came off most fascinating as I was astounded by Richards ‘Gift’ he had acquired and refined to taste and detect the finest of flavour down to core of any ingredient, his highly developed senses was something to marvel at indeed. But only towards the end when the pieces came together I lost all respect for this man and his so-called 'Gift'!.
"Lamb to the Slaughter"
I was astonished how very little pages could express such a vivid amount of detail and imagery with every scene.
The juxtaposition of this woman’s character who seemed to have this dying love for her beloved husband where she was engrossed and infatuated with him and pretty much worshiped the ground he walked upon, conflicted my thoughts to how that very person could perform such a vile performance and act so calmly about it?
Furthermore, a reason behind her AWOL like behaviour wasn’t mentioned, given that; the reason behind the separation wasn’t addressed... did he leave her for another woman? Or just in general? due to the lack of information in the passage it is was hard to suggest whether her actions were just, and the punishment which was bestowed on him was deserved? Or it could be that this woman was totally demented. Either way, it was hilariouslt witty and the irony left me in stitches in the end.
Now having read 46% of the book, I became restless and started to lose interest; all of them copied the same dreary structure. Whereby, they all take on an interesting trail like a good folks tail with a strong core/backbone and exciting punch line only to have the same disappointing end. The endings however humorous and amusing they maybe; still didn’t compensate for the short story mounting to nothing; so in turn it felt unfulfilled and pretty pointless.
Fact of the matter was that; I wanted to put the book down and call it quits; but my rule never to leave a book unfinished came into play, and it felt like a sin if I was to give up. So I was compelled to continue, although I was reading the words without swallowing them.
"Man from the South"
It was just another take on 'Taste'.
"My lady love, my dove"
This had a mischievous beginning, but once again the short tail failed to end with a reasonable level of satisfaction.
However; reading “Skin” put me back on alert and reawakened my senses and I became fond of the book once more. Only then did I realise what the cover title meant “someone like you” because one time or another each individual can find themselves in these positions maybe as the main character or side one, the scenarios may differ; however the characteristic remain intact. As I am an “artist by profession” who was asked by a tattoo artist to drawing something upon his buttocks
“The Wish”
This story further highlights the title "Someone Like You" as everyone has once in the lifetime picked at a scab with delight or invented some sort of imaginary game with the ground beneath them?
So somewhere along this fictional book is a fact! That the reader can relate to.
My sudden though struck like a bolt of lightning
Does this man struggle or not have the courage to undertake the task to entertain and keep hold of his mature audience for more than 200 pages based on the same characters and storyline or is it that other writers have a more knowledge and a better understand to what the Adult mind desires and seeks from Adult reads?.
This is why getting hold of “My Uncle Oswald” became a priority rather than an option. To unmask the true genius of this great Writer; to whether or not he has the ability to concur both the Children’s and Adult’s world of literature.
“Numeric”
Reminded me of “black and scholes” when they fabricated up the equation to Price Options to hedge and eliminate risks. But this genius-ness suddenly turned into something Del Boy and Rodders would conjure up to make a cheeky, mischievous profit at trade (machine). The irony kills me when he uses the word, amusing, witty of roald dahl, coz he puts himself in that situation as a writer (page 200)
“Rummins”
As the story draws to an end it is very sad; as the old mans fait wasn’t in his hand. Stripped of a future.
“Nunc dimittis”
Unlike the majority of endings in this selection of short stories; the ending of this specific tail was brilliant. Furthermore having a keen interest in art myself; learning the techniques of another artist is always fascinating.
“Mr Feasy”
The ending was very sad and simply heart-breaking, I let the reader decide that.
“My hoddy” was extremely funny; especially the maggot bit, after all the anticipation he comes out with MAGGOT however the ending was poor.
Overall “Someone like you” gives a ray of multiple characterises which a person may possess or acquire. Therefore with this diverse variation of characteristics it is easy for any reader to relate to any of the characters within this book.
February 6, 2018
“Someone Like You”
Written by Roald Dahl
Review written by Diana Iozzia
“Someone Like You” is a collection of short stories that are comical, dark, and sinister. When I stumbled across this collection, I was excited to see how Roald Dahl’s writing would be for adults, and I wasn’t disappointed. Funnily enough, I recognized some of the short stories from the television program, Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.
The stories in this collection include:
“Taste”
“Lamb to the Slaughter”
“Man from the South”
“The Soldier”
“My Lady Love, My Dove”
“Dip in the Pool”
“Galloping Foxley”
“Skin”
“Poison”
“The Wish”
“Neck”
“The Sound Machine”
“Nunc Dimittis”
“The Great Automatic Grammatizator”
“Claud’s Dog” novella
My favorites in this collection are: “Taste”, “Skin”, “Neck” and “The Sound Machine”. “Taste” follows a man who believes he can identify any bottle of wine, who makes a bet with his friend / enemy who bets a prize he doesn’t want to lose. “Skin” follows a man who has an up and coming artist tattoo a beautiful and astonishing painting onto his back. “Neck” follows a man who stays as a guest of two very strange people in the countryside. “The Sound Machine” follows a man who creates a fantastic machine that can observe the sounds that plants and trees make. As a personal fan of short story collections, I thoroughly enjoyed this. The stories have great narration, quirky characters, and lots of twists and turns. This is exactly what I was hoping for and more.
Written by Roald Dahl
Review written by Diana Iozzia
“Someone Like You” is a collection of short stories that are comical, dark, and sinister. When I stumbled across this collection, I was excited to see how Roald Dahl’s writing would be for adults, and I wasn’t disappointed. Funnily enough, I recognized some of the short stories from the television program, Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.
The stories in this collection include:
“Taste”
“Lamb to the Slaughter”
“Man from the South”
“The Soldier”
“My Lady Love, My Dove”
“Dip in the Pool”
“Galloping Foxley”
“Skin”
“Poison”
“The Wish”
“Neck”
“The Sound Machine”
“Nunc Dimittis”
“The Great Automatic Grammatizator”
“Claud’s Dog” novella
My favorites in this collection are: “Taste”, “Skin”, “Neck” and “The Sound Machine”. “Taste” follows a man who believes he can identify any bottle of wine, who makes a bet with his friend / enemy who bets a prize he doesn’t want to lose. “Skin” follows a man who has an up and coming artist tattoo a beautiful and astonishing painting onto his back. “Neck” follows a man who stays as a guest of two very strange people in the countryside. “The Sound Machine” follows a man who creates a fantastic machine that can observe the sounds that plants and trees make. As a personal fan of short story collections, I thoroughly enjoyed this. The stories have great narration, quirky characters, and lots of twists and turns. This is exactly what I was hoping for and more.
December 23, 2020
klassiek in de war geraakt door gouden handen alles wat deze man maakt is een groot vraagteken voor me. mensen in perenfiguren en boze bijbedoelingen en hier en daar een vergeten doelcoordinaat
December 18, 2022
This is a great collection of stories that combine the macabre with the dark humour that Dahl's adult works have become known for. Some of these stories I've read before but they are just as good as ever, and others are completely new and entertaining and amusing in their own right. Lamb to the Slaughter is definitely one of my favourite Dahl stories and Skin is one that always makes me think, particularly since I have one or two tattoos myself (although none are signed). Poison is an epically tense story that takes your nerves to the very edge and the Great Automatic Grammatizator was an intriguing tale that hints that some of our favourite books may not be by those who's names are on the cover...like this one maybe...
November 24, 2020
This was a fantastic collection of well written, suspenseful stories with just enough darkness to be intriguing and make me think, but no gore, blood, or yuck. This book is the very best kind of psychological thriller and I enjoyed every story. I'll be thinking about some of them for a long time.
July 3, 2022
I usually don't like short stories, but these got me captivated after 1 page
July 12, 2023
Wonderfully sinister. I’ve long wanted to dive into the more adult side of Roald Dahl, and this collection of short stories does not disappoint. Reads like O’Henry, but with a wicked, dark touch to it (though always written with that wry British sense of humor).
May 3, 2009
For anyone who thinks of Roald Dahl purely as a children's book author, this is the book to change your mind and make you think admiringly about Dahl's considerable powers as an adult writer.
Taste >> A bet goes too far between a man desperate to acquire a reputation of one who has refined culture and a man whose expert senses can guess the wine being served. Would you be willing to bet the hand of your only daughter in marriage if you're almost perfectly sure that the sommelier can't possibly guess the wine (it's year and vineyard from whence it originated) you've presented for tasting?
Lamb to the Slaughter >> About the wife of a police detective who kills her husband in a most unconventional way and then disposes of the murder weapon in a manner that would make any criminal proud.
Man from the South >> Imagine a man coming up to you and giving you great odds on a bet. He bets his brand new car against something trvial about your person. The catch? He gets to chop off the little finger on your left hand, after all, you don't really need it, do you?
The Soldier >> "You can kick out a dangerous thought if you put another in its place." The story of a soldier adjusting to his supposed normal life after the trying times that was the war.
My Lady Love, My Dove >> A genteel couple gaining an "upper hand" on their weekend visitors, literally and figuratively.
Dip in the Pool >> A man's foolosih attempt at winning in a ship's auction and the events that followed afterwards. What a huge pool that turned out to be!
Galloping Foxley >> Most of us would consider ourselves to be pretty much set in our commuting routine; and the epitome of such is the character of Mr. Perkins, the contented commuter. How shall he ever deal with the sudden presence of somebody who's undoubtedly there to shake his routine just a bit?
Skin >> What if you had fallen on hard times and the only thing left that you could "sell" is that of a painting done by a world-famous painter painted on your the canvass that is your skin?
Poison >> You fell asleep reading alone one night and when you woke up, you find a krait (a rather poisonous snake native to India) nestled and sleeping on your tummy. What would you do? One small jerk of your body, an attempt to run awake will invariably result in a deadly snake bite.
The Wish >> I can't help but think of the antics of toddlers with this story, specifically the great imaginings from the cartoon "Rugrats". Oh, the days we had to let go; of the imagination that we had to curb, in order to be replaced by what is deemed as maturity.
Neck >> How far can you push a cuckold man? Apparently everyone has a breaking point...
The Sound Machine >> An invention to end all inventions--certainly it shall surpass the recording machines and the telephone for its contribution to modern technology. Certain to make anybody an environmentalist after one reading.
Nunc Dimittis >> Describes the lengths to which a society playboy goes for revenge for the embarassment done to him. Ah, money does grant power to one, doesn't it?
The Great Automatic Grammatizator >> What if the creativity and imagination that goes into producing stories be bottled up and sold? And they say that machines are incapable of original thought...
Claud's Dog >> Four stories told from the perspective of Claud's dog, Jackson. Made up of the following snippets: The Ratcatcher, Rummins, Mr. Hoddy and Mr. Feasey.
Dahl pulls off the neat trick of making the macabre laughable, though--he's not trying to scare the reader as much as make us shout with laughter and recognition and then settle back to enjoy a shiver of anticipation.
Book Details:
Title Someone Like You
Author Roald Dahl
Reviewed By Purplycookie
Taste >> A bet goes too far between a man desperate to acquire a reputation of one who has refined culture and a man whose expert senses can guess the wine being served. Would you be willing to bet the hand of your only daughter in marriage if you're almost perfectly sure that the sommelier can't possibly guess the wine (it's year and vineyard from whence it originated) you've presented for tasting?
Lamb to the Slaughter >> About the wife of a police detective who kills her husband in a most unconventional way and then disposes of the murder weapon in a manner that would make any criminal proud.
Man from the South >> Imagine a man coming up to you and giving you great odds on a bet. He bets his brand new car against something trvial about your person. The catch? He gets to chop off the little finger on your left hand, after all, you don't really need it, do you?
The Soldier >> "You can kick out a dangerous thought if you put another in its place." The story of a soldier adjusting to his supposed normal life after the trying times that was the war.
My Lady Love, My Dove >> A genteel couple gaining an "upper hand" on their weekend visitors, literally and figuratively.
Dip in the Pool >> A man's foolosih attempt at winning in a ship's auction and the events that followed afterwards. What a huge pool that turned out to be!
Galloping Foxley >> Most of us would consider ourselves to be pretty much set in our commuting routine; and the epitome of such is the character of Mr. Perkins, the contented commuter. How shall he ever deal with the sudden presence of somebody who's undoubtedly there to shake his routine just a bit?
Skin >> What if you had fallen on hard times and the only thing left that you could "sell" is that of a painting done by a world-famous painter painted on your the canvass that is your skin?
Poison >> You fell asleep reading alone one night and when you woke up, you find a krait (a rather poisonous snake native to India) nestled and sleeping on your tummy. What would you do? One small jerk of your body, an attempt to run awake will invariably result in a deadly snake bite.
The Wish >> I can't help but think of the antics of toddlers with this story, specifically the great imaginings from the cartoon "Rugrats". Oh, the days we had to let go; of the imagination that we had to curb, in order to be replaced by what is deemed as maturity.
Neck >> How far can you push a cuckold man? Apparently everyone has a breaking point...
The Sound Machine >> An invention to end all inventions--certainly it shall surpass the recording machines and the telephone for its contribution to modern technology. Certain to make anybody an environmentalist after one reading.
Nunc Dimittis >> Describes the lengths to which a society playboy goes for revenge for the embarassment done to him. Ah, money does grant power to one, doesn't it?
The Great Automatic Grammatizator >> What if the creativity and imagination that goes into producing stories be bottled up and sold? And they say that machines are incapable of original thought...
Claud's Dog >> Four stories told from the perspective of Claud's dog, Jackson. Made up of the following snippets: The Ratcatcher, Rummins, Mr. Hoddy and Mr. Feasey.
Dahl pulls off the neat trick of making the macabre laughable, though--he's not trying to scare the reader as much as make us shout with laughter and recognition and then settle back to enjoy a shiver of anticipation.
Book Details:
Title Someone Like You
Author Roald Dahl
Reviewed By Purplycookie
June 25, 2014
For more reviews: http://kellysbedroom.wordpress.com
A friend recently lent me Someone Like You, by Roald Dahl. I've basically been a fan since I learned to read (it's been a good 13 years, Mr Dahl) but I had yet to explore his more 'adult' works. This, coupled with the fact that I was told it was 'very disturbing' (I'm a little twisted), gave me exceptionally high hopes for the book - despite my general disdain for short stories. Those hopes were dashed.
I know, I know. Who am I, a lowly seventeen year old blogger, to bash the writing of one great authors of the twentieth century? But hear me out. As always, Dahl's writing was exceptional. Everything was vividly described and he paints a crystal clear picture. He creates just the right amount of suspense... and lets it fall flat.
I enjoyed the first few stories (a woman killing her husband with a leg of lamb? Genius), but as I continued, I found myself struggling to finish stories less than 20 pages long! There were a couple I found downright boring, but that doesn't compare to the disappointment of becoming completely engrossed in a story, only to have the ending be less than satisfactory.
It can be difficult to rate a collection of short stories, given that you're bound to like some a little more than others. That being said, I guess I'd average out my opinion of the content as 3/5. The extra .5 in this post's title? That comes from the 5/5 for writing style.
At the end of the day, I'm glad I read this book. It opened me up to a different side of Roald Dahl and may convince me to finally crack the spine of my copy of Tales of the Unexpected. Then again, I think I'm even more glad to be giving it back.
A friend recently lent me Someone Like You, by Roald Dahl. I've basically been a fan since I learned to read (it's been a good 13 years, Mr Dahl) but I had yet to explore his more 'adult' works. This, coupled with the fact that I was told it was 'very disturbing' (I'm a little twisted), gave me exceptionally high hopes for the book - despite my general disdain for short stories. Those hopes were dashed.
I know, I know. Who am I, a lowly seventeen year old blogger, to bash the writing of one great authors of the twentieth century? But hear me out. As always, Dahl's writing was exceptional. Everything was vividly described and he paints a crystal clear picture. He creates just the right amount of suspense... and lets it fall flat.
I enjoyed the first few stories (a woman killing her husband with a leg of lamb? Genius), but as I continued, I found myself struggling to finish stories less than 20 pages long! There were a couple I found downright boring, but that doesn't compare to the disappointment of becoming completely engrossed in a story, only to have the ending be less than satisfactory.
It can be difficult to rate a collection of short stories, given that you're bound to like some a little more than others. That being said, I guess I'd average out my opinion of the content as 3/5. The extra .5 in this post's title? That comes from the 5/5 for writing style.
At the end of the day, I'm glad I read this book. It opened me up to a different side of Roald Dahl and may convince me to finally crack the spine of my copy of Tales of the Unexpected. Then again, I think I'm even more glad to be giving it back.
February 23, 2021
Beautiful writing/language/composition of short stories. But the only story that I thought was decent was 'Neck' (but even so - I don't know if that's because I find it most tolerable out of all the rest?). The first one was particularly off-putting for me - the one about a wine snob(s) - gross and unpleasant, majorly self-conceited men going on and on about wine and more - but with no clear beginning or ending. I breezed through the middle without holding onto anything; the stories didn't affect me at all - and it made me think that this book was badly marketed.
Reading 'Someone Like You' made me wonder - whether if it's better to read/write a badly written book with great stories or a well-written book with disappointing stories? My mind turned into a wobbly mess of melting jelly reading the last few stories after 'Neck'. I do think it's a 'it's me, not you' kind of issue; I just don't think his stories are intense/shocking enough for my liking (which was what I wanted/expected when I picked this book up). I don't think it should be linked with words like 'macabre' or 'grotesque'.
Dahl's collection of stories are much too 'tame'/mild to be put into those categories. However, they do somewhat remind me of Shirley Jackson's work - which I'd struggled to like as well. So if you're a fan of Jackson's - high chances are that you'll appreciate Dahl's stories much more than I did. Still, it's a shame that this is my first introduction to Dahl. But because I do think Dahl writes beautifully, I'll probably give it another go - get my hands on some of the audiobooks of his other books narrated by Andrew Scott (can't go wrong with the 'hot priest').
Reading 'Someone Like You' made me wonder - whether if it's better to read/write a badly written book with great stories or a well-written book with disappointing stories? My mind turned into a wobbly mess of melting jelly reading the last few stories after 'Neck'. I do think it's a 'it's me, not you' kind of issue; I just don't think his stories are intense/shocking enough for my liking (which was what I wanted/expected when I picked this book up). I don't think it should be linked with words like 'macabre' or 'grotesque'.
Dahl's collection of stories are much too 'tame'/mild to be put into those categories. However, they do somewhat remind me of Shirley Jackson's work - which I'd struggled to like as well. So if you're a fan of Jackson's - high chances are that you'll appreciate Dahl's stories much more than I did. Still, it's a shame that this is my first introduction to Dahl. But because I do think Dahl writes beautifully, I'll probably give it another go - get my hands on some of the audiobooks of his other books narrated by Andrew Scott (can't go wrong with the 'hot priest').
September 16, 2015
You will have Adele’s song stuck in your head the entire time that you’re reading this, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Someone Like You is a fantastic collection of short stories, and unlike the work that Mr. Dahl is most well-known for, it’s definitely not one for kids.
See, the stories are dark, and I like that – subject matter includes a bet in which a man could lose his finger, a man who’s almost driven mad by his sound machine (which records even the cries of plants and trees when they’re uprooted), and even a man who’s terrified that he’s about to be bitten by a poisonous spider. That story features some casual racism towards the end, but because it’s from a character and from a time when it was much more common, that’s Dahl forgiven.
Two other stories of note include The Great Automatic Grammatizator, a machine which resembles a giant computer and which can spit out short stories and novels at a speed and standard that no other writer could keep up with, and a longer set of stories which are grouped under the title of ‘Claud’s Dog‘, and which are loosely linked together and which left me feeling a little confused, although the ending was fantastic.
Overall, then, this is not just one of the best books of Dahl’s short stories that I’ve read, but one of the best books of short stories in general. It’s worth tracking down a copy for your collection.
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