Reviews

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

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mags549's review against another edition

5.0

I've been going through and reading books that classic movies are based off of, so I picked this up since it was half off,

The fact that the oompa loompa's songs were way longer than in the movie was unexpected, but also really fun! The Gene Wilder movie is probably the closest to its book than any book adaptations I've seen, even the boat scene and how the people reacted were similar. However, in both versions of the movie Charlie does something to mess up and then redeems himself. In this book, he is the only one to follow all the rules that Wonka gives them, which is how he ends up winning in the end.

Still, a fun read!!!

zuzubaloox's review against another edition

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2.0

After Willy Wonka declares that he is opening his factory, after years of being seemingly closed, to five lucky children, Charlie hopes that he gets a winning golden ticket - despite his family being poor. Will Charlie be one of the lucky five? And what will he witness in the chocolate factory?

I found this book to be boring. It is quite preachy in nature, and although it is supposed to be about a chocolate factory, a huge portion of the book is used to describe the humiliation and maiming of young children. TV watching is made to be a bad thing and children should wile away their days reading.

The children, aside from Charlie who is poor, are described and made out to be spoilt rotten brats. Four of the children depict sins - Augustus being gluttony, Veruca being greed, Violet is pride and Mike is sloth. It is indicated that each child deserves the outcome they got because of how they are, and despite whether it permanently alters them, it will change them for the better. I'm not sure how it's supposed to change them for the good because there's no real epiphany, no aha moment where theyre shown their wrongs, just maiming, and even then they walk away with a lifetime supply of sweets and chocolate.

The long-drawn-out songs from the Oompa-Loompas was tedious and actually quite boring. They were so long and not at all a pleasure to read.

It's very strange how Grandpa Joe has been stuck in bed for 20 years with three other people, is all but skin and bones and is 96 and a half years old but he can leap out of bed and still run. After 20 years of lying in bed, I'd be very surprised if Grandpa could stand let alone do anything of the rest of the things he does.

Maybe it's just a book that doesn't age well, or maybe it's just a boring book, but the only really interesting aspects of the book are the descriptions of the factory and its numerous, delightful delicacies being made - some sound delicious like that chocolate lake and the chocolate tv, whilst others sound disgusting like the chewing gum that has the taste of a three-course meal.

aotora's review against another edition

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adventurous funny inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I never read this book as a child - but I watched the movie - not the original though - so this one felt like a pleasent memory despite never reading it before. The characters all felt unique and different and I enjoyed each and every one of them. Each kid got the punishment they deserved for acting the way they did, the songs included in the book were both funny and cautinary tales and I enjoyed watching the chocolate factory through Charlie's eyes. I also loved the illustrations in this one - they looked lovely and whimsical, but funny too. All in all a pretty decent kids book.