“The books transported her into new worlds and introduced her to amazing people who lived exciting lives. She went on olden-day sailing ships with Joseph Conrad. She went to Africa with Ernest Hemingway and to India with Rudyard Kipling. She travelled all over the world while sitting in her little room in an English village.”
Matilda is the third book I have completed for the Roald Dahl Reading Marathon, and it’s my favourite! I started reading it at 11 PM (Saturday) and finished at 1.18 AM (Sunday). Snuggled up in my reading chair, I felt a little sleepy and worried I might not finish the book, but the moment I started, I knew it would be a breeze. It is almost impossible to resist a book that begins with the chapter “The Reader of Books”…
Quoting from the back cover of the book, Matilda Wormwood’s father is a mean crooked crook. And her mother’s just plain stupid. They think Matilda’s a nuisance who should watch more TV and read fewer books! I simply cannot imagine having parents like them, and I would probably go bonkers if I were in Matilda’s shoes.
The thing is, Matilda is calm, and instead of reacting like a normal girl would (i.e., sulking and crying), she starts plotting suitable punishments, especially for her father. Matilda Wormwood is a genius but remains humble. At age three, she teaches herself to read, and by four, she reads fast and well. Since her parents discourage reading (horror of horrors!), she resorts to library books. She goes to the library without their knowledge when her mother goes for her bingo sessions on weekdays. She becomes acquainted with the librarian, Mrs Phelps. Mrs Phelps is fascinated by Matilda and her reading prowess, seeing that she is just slightly over four years old.
The story gets even more interesting with the introduction of her lovely teacher, Miss Honey. Her teacher tries her best to talk sense into the horrible headmistress (Miss Trunchbull) and Matilda’s parents. She tells them about Matilda’s extraordinary capabilities in class and how she’s developing, but it all falls on deaf ears. Miss Honey has a secret, and Matilda plays an important role in helping her. A common link in all three stories I have read so far is that they all have bullies: James’s aunts in James and the Giant Peach, the terrible giants in The BFG, and Miss Trunchbull in Matilda.
Inspired by Matilda’s recommendation, I am going to dig out my copy of The Secret Garden from the TBR pile and get started as soon as I finish this reading marathon. She has read a whole list of authors, including Charles Dickens, Charlotte Brontë, Jane Austen, Ernest Hemingway, and many more! Matilda was made into a film in 1996, and I’d be on the lookout for it.
I’ll press on with the last two books tomorrow. Next in queue: The Witches.
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