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sapau's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Minor: Fatphobia
dillybar20's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Overall it was interesting but not good in my opinion.
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Colonisation
Minor: Racial slurs
uselesspirateraven's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Cultural appropriation, and Colonisation
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis
kate_has_book_thoughts's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Any spoilers are hidden!
As a kid, I saw the silliness in this book, but as an adult it just seems so harsh on the child characters with pretty poor justifications for being so cruel to them.
A kid was so excited about candy that they didn’t follow directions?
Off to the guillotines with them!
That’s just a joke, but here are some actual examples from the book:
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, and Classism
rebeccafarren's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Racism
mysticfaerer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Fatphobia and Colonisation
Moderate: Ableism, Racism, Xenophobia, and Classism
Minor: Sexism and Violence
banjo_hammer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Parents may want to read through bits first, especially the songs. I read it aloud and changed or skipped some words. Being from the '60s, it's got some language that some may find harsh or too mean spirited. Be aware if you care about such things.
Moderate: Fatphobia
stindex's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Gaslighting, and Colonisation
nathanjhunt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.25
There are such mixed messages in this book... Wow, Roald Dahl sure hates fat people, especially fat children Fat people bad, but as outlined in the beginning of the book, Charlie's selflessness is good. But then Charlie's greed when buying two chocolate bars instead of giving his family the money is what makes him win the ticket. So what's meant to be the message here, Roald? Is greediness good under certain circumstances?
According to Wonka, nothing is better than chocolate! Unless you're fat. "Don't indulge in too much because it will make you fat and then you'll be sucked into a tube and punished. Oh but then I have said I'll give you a lifetime supply of chocolate when you win".
Also for most of the children, their bad behaviour is explained by the way their parents brought them up. But Mr Wonka will punish the children for it.
Some of the play on words in the book were amusing, and Mr Wonka can be funny sometimes, but he just gaslights everyone throughout. I assume you're supposed to like his character, but I didn't. And I don't understand why he liked Charlie so much? That boy has zero personality and basically didn't say a single thing in the factory.
Remember kids, Roald Dahl says you're a bad person if you're fat, if you chew gum, if you're spoiled (fair, but the parents are to blame), and if you watch TV! A very dated message from a middle aged man in the 1960s who didn't want to change with the times. Boomers love defending Dahl, but the book really is getting a bit dated sixty years after publication.
The TV chapter was the most annoying of all... yes yes we get it, TV "rots your brain". We've been hearing that nonsense for three generations now. We'll be fine, get over it Roald.
On a last note (the elephant in the room), the Oompa-Loompa songs got very annoying very quickly. Not to mention the horrid colonial undertones of enslaving African pygmies and making them work in your factory for a pittance of cacao beans. Icky.
I give it a 3.25 because it was clever and amusing in places, but I didn't enjoy the dated undertones and mixed messages.
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Genocide, Slavery, Cultural appropriation, and Colonisation
jhbandcats's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
While I knew the plot I wasn’t prepared for cavalier meanness. The happy ending makes up for the (not necessarily undeserved) cruelty that precedes it.
Graphic: Body horror, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Classism