Roald Dahl's live was as bizarre, frightening, exciting and funny as the stories he wrote.
Now you can read the whole of his extraordinary autobiography in one volume.

It must be twenty-five years since I last read this and what surprised me on re-reading it was how accurately I remembered it. The episode in Boy with the nose. You know how often you find on re-reading that you've misremembered something, and I think it's a testament to Dahl's clarity of image and style that I stayed with me so clearly. There's a really nice bit in Going Solo where that guy gets shot in the face. It's so graphically described and just what young children need to read. ( )

How lovely to finally pick this book up and read it after having meant to for years. I was prompted to do so by my mother-in-law's experience of having her tonsils removed without anaesthetic in England in the 1930s and hearing that Roald Dahl had undergone the same. Dahl's two autobiographical memoirs cover most of his life. 'Boy' explores his family background and childhood in Wales, summer holidays in Norway,and school days at boarding school in England. His first job is working for Shell and his first posting is East Africa in the late 1930s. 'Going Solo' continues where 'Boy' leaves off and further explores Dahl's work as a Shell agent in the territories that would become Kenya & Tanzania. When World War II is announced, his first task is to assist the authorities to round up German civilians attempting to escape to neutral lands. He then joins the RAF in Kenya and becomes a fighter pilot. He is posted to the Western Desert, then to Greece. Enjoyable for both children and adults, Dahl delights as always. ( )

This is a most engaging autobiography. Written in a very accessible style, the two books take Dahl from childhood through to first job (book 1) then from job to pilot in the Middle East in WW2 until he's invalided home. it's one of those stories that does read a little more like fiction than fact. It doesn't steer clear of the bad things that happened, there's death and danger and some moral attitudes expressed. Having said that, it's not terribly in depth analysis, but I do think it would certainly appeal to boys of a certain age - and as they're the most cynical about reading that's no bad thing. ( )

Very enjoyable edition of these two autobiographical memoirs of Roald Dahl's. 'Boy' covers his family background and childhood in Wales and summer holidays in Norway, followed up by his school days at public school in England and eventually his first employment working for Shell and being posted to East Africa in the late 1930s. There is much humour in these chapters and many a story which will ring familiar to any fan of Dahl's writing for children. He has a nice way with words that leads the reader to really get an impression of the moment, and want more of it. Very easy reading in which he shows some of the inane cruelties of the old English public school system and the 'masters' who staffed it. Despite this, one gets the idea that he had a generally happy childhood.

The second half of the book is where for me it really gets interesting. 'Going Solo' picks up where 'Boy' leaves off and Dahl's entry into the world of empire as an agent of Shell in the territories that would become Kenya & Tanzania. He recounts tales of snakes and Lions and 'sundowners' on the porch. The world is turned upside down in September '39 as war is declared and his first task is to assist the authorities in rounding up German civilians attempting to escape to neutral lands. From here, the pace quickens as Dahl joins the RAF in Kenya and becomes a fighter pilot. His adventures in the Western Desert campaign followed by the debacle in Greece are told at some length, and fascinating they are too. Unfortunately things seem to come to an abrupt end in 1941 and I would have liked to know what happened for the duration of the war at least.

All in all an easy and satisfying read in which the reader will feel by the end that they know a fair bit of the younger man who would go on to be such a succesful bestseller later in his life. Generously illustrated with amusing drawings, facsimiles of letters home, and later photographs of his adventures overseas. ( )