Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Disclaimer

And I read the book – Exactly after 50 years since it was published for the first time!!!

Therefore, I don’t wish to review the book. Instead I would like to share my experience with Charlie and the World famous Chocolate Factory! J

From the book blurb

Charlie lives with his starving family that includes his parents, and his paternal and maternal grandparents. He is very close to his Grandpa Joe who keeps telling him stories about the chocolate factory and its mysterious owner. When he hears of the golden ticket which is a gateway into this magical factory, Charlie yearns for one too. However, he does not have enough the money for a bar of chocolate. Will Charlie be able to win his golden ticket? Will he get a chance to meet the witty and strange Willy Wonka, proprietor of the factory? Will he join the four other bratty and spoilt kids in the tour of the chocolate world? Read this timeless story to find out the answers to all these questions and more.

Author

Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer, poet, fighter pilot and screenwriter. He became well-known in the 1940s with his works for both children and adults. He was soon one of the world’s best-selling authors. He has received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 1983, and the Children’s Author Award of the Year from the British Book Awards in the year 1990. He was placed 16th on the list of The 50 Greatest British Writers since 1945. Dahl’s short stories are known for their strange and unexpected endings, and his children’s books are unsentimental with a sense of dark humour.

What I think

Being a chocolate fan myself, the book’s title drew my attention. Although it was a children’s book, I decided to read it because the storyline seemed to be appealing.

Then, I started reading this tiny book. And, I was flabbergasted.

The author has a knack for writing and the words presents themselves scenically in your mind. In fact, even the smells and fragrances described in the book lingers around you so much that you could almost smell them.

I was amazed to know that this book was written 50 years before, in an era when Harry Potter was not born yet. I know it is unfair, but for us, the generation that has grown up reading Harry Potter, all I can say is that this book has a Harry-Potter-like charm.

Wonka’s Chocolate Factory is a wonderland. And the various varieties of chocolates described in the book are so delectable! I bet that there would be at least one variety of chocolate mentioned that you would have fantasized as a child. I particularly liked “Lickable Wallpaper for Nurseries”, “Square Candies that Look Round” and “Candy-Coated Pencils for Sucking in Class”.

I absolutely loved all the lyrics of the songs that Ooma-Loompa sing. They carry profound meaning and are relevant till date.

Grandpa Joe is a sweetheart. He reemphasizes that age is just a number and that a child is always sleeping in our little hearts. And, it is completely our choice whether to let the child sleep forever or awaken it for a merrily ever after!

Mr Wonka Willy is a kind-hearted man who is not fixated in money-making and passionate about chocolate-making.

The story brilliantly hints how children should behave at their home and at others’. It also propagates the importance of good character because a child’s character and habit defines how he would live as an adult.

In short, the book is absolutely brilliant!

It is an awesome read for both children and the grown-ups who still are child at heart.

Don’t miss it!

Rating

4/5