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A review by nytephoenyx
The Witches by Roald Dahl
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This book is… meh. It’s a classic if children’s literature and cannot be completely discounted, but I’ve never understood the appeal. It’s also interesting to look at it through a modern lens.
Dahl, as is fairly well known these days, was antisemitic, sexist, racist, homophobic, etc. etc. This good is also filled with emotional abuse through terrorizing a child with threats of death by the hand of other women, causing him to live in paranoia. Do those stories pay off in the context of the novel? Yes. But it doesn’t make them okay.
From a technical perspective, The Witches is slow-paced and uncomplicated. As a children’s book, this is generally accepted. But, the darkness of the content is less appropriate for the modern child, at least in so far as societal norms go. In my opinion, this book is *fine* but is at its expiration data as a cornerstone of children’s literature.
Dahl, as is fairly well known these days, was antisemitic, sexist, racist, homophobic, etc. etc. This good is also filled with emotional abuse through terrorizing a child with threats of death by the hand of other women, causing him to live in paranoia. Do those stories pay off in the context of the novel? Yes. But it doesn’t make them okay.
From a technical perspective, The Witches is slow-paced and uncomplicated. As a children’s book, this is generally accepted. But, the darkness of the content is less appropriate for the modern child, at least in so far as societal norms go. In my opinion, this book is *fine* but is at its expiration data as a cornerstone of children’s literature.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Emotional abuse