Skin and Other Stories (Now in Speak!) Kindle Edition

I read these shorts years ago, and they are still just as enjoyable to read through again now. Great collection. I love Roald Dahl. For those of you out there who only know him for his children's books, I recommend you give his adult oriented works a shot. His ideas are equally creative, and his character as idiosyncratic as ever. However, now Dahl is unleashed, and no longer restricted by any sort of decency standards appropriate for younger readers. It's a fun, and crazy ride.

This collection of stories reveals the diversity of Dahl’s thoughts and interests. It is interesting to see if there are any unifying themes in any of the stories. Although I did not find any such theme, each of the stories presents a nice surprise twist at the conclusion, nothing earth shattering and heavy handed, just satisfying.The Sound Machine: A story asserting that all life is played out in a noisy way for all living creaturesAn African Story: Man and nature acting together to exact revenge.Galloping Foxley: William is a creature of habit, routine is everything. When the routine is suddenly broken, William resorts to reflection of previous times in his life that might explain the presence of a mysterious stranger causing the interruption. Surprise!!Lamb to the Slaughter: Mary had a little (frozen) lamb.The Wish: Dahl enters the mind of a child to relate an adventure familiar to many children where fantasy becomes reality.The Surgeon: There is really more than one surgeon involved here, but the title still works.Dip In the Pool: There are different meanings to the phrase “Your number is up.”The Champion of the World: A story of poachers and keepers and pheasants.Beware of the Dog: A WWII story with the unusual question; exactly which side am I on?My Lady Love, My Dove: Some people pay a lot of attention to social class, but in this story a seemingly intractable class conscious person seems to be very flexible with crossing self-imposed class boundaries.

Roald Dahl is a fantastic writer and I've read a number of his other works. This collection is great (some tales are classics), but it's not fantastic. Not all of the tales have that...punch I look for in a book.Still, would I recommend this book? Definitely.

Roald Dahl is not just for children. I always delighted in his wicked wit in Lamb to the Slaughter and the ambiguity in Beware of Dog, so to find a collection of his short stories was a godsend. His stories rate up there with Flannery O'Connor, William Faulkner and Charlotte Perkins Gilman for disturbing twists.

From the author of children's classics and the autobiographical "Going Solo" comes great short stories.

I bought this as a gift for a friend and read it first! I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it and also how much I could see his children's stories underlying in the themes of the adult stories. A must read for any Roald Dahl fan!!!!!

Cannnot wait to read this, baby!!! So many great stories in this book, glad I finally replaced my lost copy:•

each story is engaging...a bit of a dark twist to each onegood stuff~!fun collection of short stories

Rating: 3 starsCategory: Short Stories, Science FictionSynopsis: Roald Dahl is most famous for his children’s books, including Matilda and Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. However, Skin and Other Stories is a lesser-known short story collection aimed at an older audience. Managing to be both unsettling and entertaining at the same time, this diverse collection will transport readers to strange new places with each tale…Review:First ImpressionsRoald Dahl’s children’s books were such a source of joy to me when I was a little girl. I loved disappearing into the crazy, colourful imaginative worlds.However, I had absolutely no idea that he had written for older readers too, until Skin and Other Stories was chosen as a book club recommendation. I had also wanted to try a short story collection for a long time, so it seemed ‘meant to be’ and I was so excited to start reading!PlotGiven my initial enthusiasm, it may seem surprising that I have only given this book 3 stars. Personally, I found many of the stories a little too “weird”, which is most likely due to how my tastes have changed as I have got older. Sad but true – I think I have lost some of that childhood ability to cast aside realism and fully immerse myself in an imaginative world.Nevertheless, it is impossible to deny Roald Dahl’s skill as a writer! Every story is smart and suspenseful. Even if part of me was ambiguous about the content of the stories, another part would be itching to find out more. The endings are deliciously satisfying as well: sometimes disturbing, but always memorable.My favourite story in the collection was Beware of the Dog. Overall, the tone of the collection is much darker than Dahl’s children’s books and I particularly loved the eerie, Agatha-Christie-esque atmosphere created in this tale.CharactersFor me, the characters of this collection were the highlight. Having a whole cast of characters to create with each new story gives full reign to Dahl’s inventiveness. Realism is not the aim; instead, they are often exaggerated and eccentric. This makes it seem almost as if the characters have a wilful life of their own.The sheer variety of characters that Dahl gets under the skin of is impressive too, from impassioned lovers to staid solicitors. It feels as if the author had such fun writing them! This quality of sheer pleasure in its creation runs throughout the entire collection.Favourite quote:"Personally, I mistrust all handsome men. The superficial pleasures of this life come too easily to them, and they seem to walk the world as though they themselves were personally responsible for their own good looks."Read if: you are looking for a dark, quirky and joyfully-written short story collection.

Good

Very good book, wouldn't expect anything less from Roald Dhal.

Bought this book for my 15 year old nephew. He likes the fact that its a book of short stories that he can pick up and put down in between his studies. He's loving the stories too and he's read a few of his favourites again... And again. Must be an hit!

great collection, highly recommended.