Excellent book! It was a very interesting read, and the cover is beautiful. Dahl's life was not as I imagined it would be.

"Teller of the Unexpected" by Matthew Dennison is a collection of short stories that takes readers on a journey through the extraordinary and the enigmatic. Dennison masterfully weaves tales that are as mysterious as they are captivating. Each story is a beguiling blend of suspense and the uncanny, filled with unexpected twists and unique characters. Dennison's storytelling is a testament to his creativity and ability to evoke a sense of wonder and curiosity in his readers. If you're in search of stories that will keep you guessing and engaged, "Teller of the Unexpected" is a remarkable and riveting read.

*3.5 stars*

A full if not very happy life…

That was my take away from this, the first biographical work of Roald Dahl I have read so far. I knew little about the author’s personal life, other than his marriage to Patricia O’Neal. I was really looking forward to learning more about the author himself and perhaps some nuggets about his children’s books I loved so much growing up. I can remember borrowing and returning continuously some of my favourites – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie and the Glass Elevator, James and the Giant Peach. Books that were filled with magic and wonder, and hope…

This book offered a very factual (aka un-whimsical) approach to the author’s life. And perhaps that is a reflection of how Roald Dahl’s life unfolded. It saddened me to read about the tragedies that he lived through, that shadowed his every step. This author offered clues to the inspirations of a number of Mr. Dahl’s writings – from adult-focused short stories to beloved children’s fiction – and how his personal life factored heavily into the choices he made. These revelations were garnered from published news articles, interviews and other writings. While I didn’t want a sugar-coated telling, the no-nonsense approach felt quite dark even when discussing the (I hope) happier times in his life….

I finished this book and couldn’t help but re-read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory one more time. For the love and enjoyment Roald Dahl’s books brought to this reader, I hope they brought even a fraction of that joy to the author…

I really liked reading this biography of Roald Dahl. I always kind of imagined Roald Dahl to be a perfectly happy-go-lucky guy, but after reading this biography I found out he actually wasn't. He had his fair share of disappointment and grief. But even though life was often times hard on him, he kept on standing and pushed through.

I was astonished about some of the events that occured in his life. I learned a lot about him and I loved to read about how some of his stories got created. I would definitely recommend other people who like his books to read this biography because I think it's wonderful if you know the ideas behind his popular stories.

What I wanted from this was a succinct look at the life of the man behind so many hugely popular books (a surprising few I actually ever read, if truth be told). What I did not want was the expected yack and yack and apologia for his anti-Semitism – people who whinge about this and say it ruins the reading experience can drift off in their Fords and their Hugo Boss shirts. Happily, I certainly got the former and not the latter.

It's not a perfect read, not really being a hagiography but not exactly critical, and seeming to over-do it on the 'this sentiment led to this; this resulted in this behaviour' kind of pat piecing-together. But what we do get out of this is a determination from Dahl that the other thing that has put him in the news – the heinous "sensitivity reader" attack – would find little hope against. This is a kid who put marginalia in his schoolbooks berating his teacher's editing of his essays. His first published piece was rejigged for an American audience and right from the bat there too he was moaning about people daring to change his efforts.

The determination also comes across when tragedy happens – a son with head injury, a girl (just as with an older sister) lost way before double digits, a wife with potentially lethal brain surgery. Dahl seems to have cheesed off many married men, many editors and publishers, and many other people all told throughout the course of his quite engaging life, meaning that sympathy may have been left in short quantities at some times. And speaking of short, you might argue this is too brief and concise for us to know quite what the author makes of his subject – there certainly isn't much in the way of writing around everything. A large reference section shows how forensic the effort has been to make this as brief as possible, though – and I certainly didn't dislike the approach. This is more or less my ideal length for biographies, and packing no end of detail and incident in, this is a very approachable read. It certainly seems to contain pretty much all the general browser would have wished for, without as I say the expected hair shirt wearing. For that, then, four and a half stars.

As has been mentioned by other reviewers, the grammar throughout this book is tiresome. If I have to investigate what words mean it obviously detracts from the reading experience. Some interesting details about Roald Dahl , but in all honesty I struggled to read the book.

I never read any Roald Dahl's biography before and found this well researched and informative. It gives a complete picture of the man and how his experiences influences his ideas and his writing.
An excellent biography.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Although Roald Dahl has become an increasingly problematic figure in recent years, there are a few people who can match him in terms of a having lived a fascinating life. This is detailed very well in Matthew Dennison's short and highly readable new biography.
From his largely happy privileged childhood to his sometimes turbulent time at Repton boarding school to being shot down as a pilot during the Second World War to being a spy, to his huge success as an author to his sometimes tragic history as a husband and a father, the facts of Dahl's biography are thoroughly absorbing. Dennison's book also provides lots of insights into how Dahl's life inspired some of his finest works.

This concise, unbiased biography of Roald Dahl, one of the most popular children’s authors of all time, is a good read and impeccably researched. It doesn’t go into a lot of detail about individual books, but is an overview of his life. I enjoyed the book, despite the author Matthew Dennison’s tendency to use complicated words when simple language would do. It was first published in 2022, before the Puffin ‘re-writes’ controversy, which no doubt would have been mentioned.

The biography is in chronological order, with some photographs included. There is a focus on the turning points in Dahl’s life and how they affected his behaviour and influenced his writing. He is presented as a rather contradictory person, a forceful character and not especially literary. I feel that this book provides a valuable insight into Dahl and it has the right level of detail for an introductory biography, but may be disappointing for readers who want a more thorough exploration.

[Review will be posted on my blog 29th July]

A terrific biography which does not shy away from the more contentious and unheroic aspects of Roald Dahl’s life and behaviour. I really enjoyed learning more about his life as a whole, beyond the period of being an author. Well written and including some terrific photos, this is well worth reading.