titanic's review against another edition
3.0
Updated review:
I was obsessed with this book as a child. It was my favourite, but I think I’ve outgrown the magic of both it and Roald Dahl books. They just don’t seem to strike magic in me anymore. I think today officially marks the day my childhood magic runs out.
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I've lost count how many times I've read this book throughout my childhood, and like all of Roald Dahl's books, they never seem to loose the childhood magic! There's something special about rereading a book that made you excited as a kid and re-experiencing that so perfectly, it's rare to find an author that is capable of doing that, and Dahl does it so magically!
James and the Giant Peach has been one of my favourites simply because Dahl did a fantastic job on the journey and always makes me feel like I'm on the peach with the characters. I'm always able to fall into this book so easily, I love it. The book is so smooth, and written is such an adventurous way that it excites you, even a decade later when you know exactly how the book is going to end!
I was obsessed with this book as a child. It was my favourite, but I think I’ve outgrown the magic of both it and Roald Dahl books. They just don’t seem to strike magic in me anymore. I think today officially marks the day my childhood magic runs out.
—————
I've lost count how many times I've read this book throughout my childhood, and like all of Roald Dahl's books, they never seem to loose the childhood magic! There's something special about rereading a book that made you excited as a kid and re-experiencing that so perfectly, it's rare to find an author that is capable of doing that, and Dahl does it so magically!
James and the Giant Peach has been one of my favourites simply because Dahl did a fantastic job on the journey and always makes me feel like I'm on the peach with the characters. I'm always able to fall into this book so easily, I love it. The book is so smooth, and written is such an adventurous way that it excites you, even a decade later when you know exactly how the book is going to end!
katiecatbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Fantasy. Nonsense. No plot.
Story: James Henry Potter lived a happy life until his parents died when he was four and he was sent off to live with his two horrible aunts.
Language: The story of this book is utter nonsense, with no basis in reality and no reason for the events to happen. Chapters are short and so is the book.
Characters: James and a bunch of insects, who James thinks are the best ever.
I've read this book multiple times and I've never gotten into it. Maybe this is the last chance it gets from me.
Story: James Henry Potter lived a happy life until his parents died when he was four and he was sent off to live with his two horrible aunts.
Language: The story of this book is utter nonsense, with no basis in reality and no reason for the events to happen. Chapters are short and so is the book.
Characters: James and a bunch of insects, who James thinks are the best ever.
I've read this book multiple times and I've never gotten into it. Maybe this is the last chance it gets from me.
ajsterkel's review against another edition
3.0
First published in 1961, James and the Giant Peach is a children’s classic. It’s a delightful fantasy story about a giant flying peach filled with undocumented immigrants who are fleeing terrible lives in their home country. After a dangerous flight across the ocean, the magic peach illegally enters US airspace. The United States Air Force does not immediately shoot the peach down in a fiery blaze of sticky, cobbler-scented glory. The flying fruit lands safely in New York. Instead of detaining the immigrants and questioning them for hours about their religion, the US government throws them a parade. Everyone gets a slice of peach and lives happily ever after.
Or, maybe I read the book wrong.
You guys know this story, right? A British boy named James is forced to live with his abusive aunts after his parents are eaten by a rhino. James is so desperate to escape the abuse that he eagerly accepts a bag of magical crocodile tongues from a stranger. Unfortunately, he spills the tongues on the roots of a peach tree. The tree grows a house-sized peach and several human-sized insects. James and the bugs use the peach to make their escape from the horrible aunts.
I’ve read a few of Roald Dahl’s children’s books, and I’ve come to the conclusion that he was a slightly twisted person. In this book, James’s loving family is killed by a rhino on page 1. A few chapters later, the evil aunts are squashed dead by the peach. The other characters celebrate their deaths by writing songs. It’s delightfully messed up.
When I was a kid, I adored the creepy 1990s movie version of this book. I don’t remember ever reading the book, but I think I would have liked it. The story is fast-paced and wildly imaginative. There’s some humor and some danger. It’s short enough that it can be read in a few hours, which is great for kids who don’t have long attention spans.
I have a few gripes. The first one is personal: giant bugs. Giant bugs go against everything I stand for in this world. To be fair, the author does try to “humanize” the bugs by explaining that bugs aren’t scary, but I don’t buy it. Bugs are scary. Nothing you can say will convince me otherwise.
My other criticism is more sensible. The characters solve the problems that arise in the plot too easily. It becomes a pattern. An issue happens; the bugs panic; James comes up with a solution; the problem is solved perfectly and with minimal stress. The cloud people at the end of the story do disrupt the pattern a bit, but I still would have liked to see something work out less-than-perfectly.
James and the Giant Peach isn’t my favorite Roald Dahl book. That award goes to Matilda or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but it’s entertaining enough. It would be great for kids who like adventure and aren’t bothered by anthropomorphic bugs.
Or, maybe I read the book wrong.
You guys know this story, right? A British boy named James is forced to live with his abusive aunts after his parents are eaten by a rhino. James is so desperate to escape the abuse that he eagerly accepts a bag of magical crocodile tongues from a stranger. Unfortunately, he spills the tongues on the roots of a peach tree. The tree grows a house-sized peach and several human-sized insects. James and the bugs use the peach to make their escape from the horrible aunts.
“We are now about to visit the most marvelous places and see the most wonderful things!” – James and the Giant Peach
I’ve read a few of Roald Dahl’s children’s books, and I’ve come to the conclusion that he was a slightly twisted person. In this book, James’s loving family is killed by a rhino on page 1. A few chapters later, the evil aunts are squashed dead by the peach. The other characters celebrate their deaths by writing songs. It’s delightfully messed up.
When I was a kid, I adored the creepy 1990s movie version of this book. I don’t remember ever reading the book, but I think I would have liked it. The story is fast-paced and wildly imaginative. There’s some humor and some danger. It’s short enough that it can be read in a few hours, which is great for kids who don’t have long attention spans.
“There are a whole lot of things in this world of ours you haven't started wondering about yet.” – James and the Giant Peach
I have a few gripes. The first one is personal: giant bugs. Giant bugs go against everything I stand for in this world. To be fair, the author does try to “humanize” the bugs by explaining that bugs aren’t scary, but I don’t buy it. Bugs are scary. Nothing you can say will convince me otherwise.
My other criticism is more sensible. The characters solve the problems that arise in the plot too easily. It becomes a pattern. An issue happens; the bugs panic; James comes up with a solution; the problem is solved perfectly and with minimal stress. The cloud people at the end of the story do disrupt the pattern a bit, but I still would have liked to see something work out less-than-perfectly.
James and the Giant Peach isn’t my favorite Roald Dahl book. That award goes to Matilda or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but it’s entertaining enough. It would be great for kids who like adventure and aren’t bothered by anthropomorphic bugs.
reading_books_as_escapism_lol's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
hannahoware's review against another edition
5.0
I haven't read this since I was a child but I remember now why I enjoyed it so much.
Roald Dahl had such an inventive way of bringing his characters to life and providing a moral through his story.
This will always be one of my favourites
Roald Dahl had such an inventive way of bringing his characters to life and providing a moral through his story.
This will always be one of my favourites
tiffani_reads's review against another edition
2.0
I hardly ever say this but.... I prefer the movie to the book. The story is fine, a quick read for sure but it lacks all the things that I loved about the movie. I still love Roald Dahl but this just isn’t one of my favourite books by him.
elusivesue's review against another edition
5.0
Lovely. All the things you expect in a good Dahl children's book, and the added bonus moral of not killing certain insects and spiders [with reasoning why] - favorite parts are the poetry and what happens to the peach in NYC.
wyvernlordthor's review against another edition
4.0
James and The Giant Peach is a weird story, and it makes for a delightfully weird play. I actually got a chance to perform in a production of this adaptation (as a minor character, but I was in it) and it was a lot of fun. The story is at its best at its most ridiculous, and it is very entertaining to act out. That said, the plot is just a bit... pointless? It is excellent for getting a good laugh out of you and capturing your imagination, but you could easily wake up the next morining thinking that you just had a bizzare dream and remember very little of the details. That said, while James and his insect friends' adventure may be some of the more forgetable of Roald Dahl's stories, it is still Roald Dahl, and is very much worth your time if you get a chance to read, or to see it.