Matilda, by Dahl

Saturday December 21, 2024

A local middle school put on Matilda, the musical, which made me curious enough to read the book. It's strange and cute. It's very episodic, with the main resolution appearing with less warning in the book than the musical. Apparently in early versions of the book Matilda was even more malicious.

"It's not fair," Lavender said. "How can she do it and we can't?" (page 69)

"You are so much wiser than your years, my dear," Miss Honey went on, "that it quite staggers me. Although you look like a child, you are not really a child at all because your mind and your powers of reasoning seem to be fully grown-up. So I suppose we might call you a grown-up child, if you see what I mean." (page 189)

"Without stories we're just eating machines with shoes." (Dennis Kelly, script-writer for the musical, in an afterward)

Tim Minchin did the music and lyrics for the musical. He also did White Wine In The Sun.