Customer Reviews

The Umbrella Man and Other Stories

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a huge Roald Dahl fan, so naturally I am a bit biased. I love this compilation of short stories, and I constantly reread my favorites, which include Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coat, The Butler, Man from the South, The Landlady, The Umbrella Man, The Way Up to Heaven, Royal Jelly, Taste, and Neck. If you like Roald Dahl's stories as much as I do, I recommend Dahl's Omnibus, which compiles most, if not all of his short works.

I'm 23 and I read this book at the advice of my 12-year-old brother. It was really great! Dahl's stories are orinal, witty, and strange enough to make things really interesting. Dahl lays out his stories in a way to make you feel that you are reading a sort of twisted fairy tale, using surreal language and situations. It is really unlike anything I have ever read before and it is sure to spark your imagination whether you are young or old.

This book is for any Dahl lover. These are his writings before he was a children's author. Some of the stories are very funny, while one made me very sad. My favorite was about a man who will trade his pinky for a car. They relate to humans nowadays. They are very different from his children's works. This book can be read by all ages, so pick it up now.

Evidently, this book (probably because it is written by Roald Dahl, creator of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory) is going to be interpreted as being for children. But the collection of stories within is truly an adult piece of fiction. Splendidly written, each story gives some insight into human nature, or perhaps into ourselves. While reading this, we must look inside ourselves, inside how the book makes us feel, and what how we feel shows about ourself. A must-read for people of all ages. (P.S.: If you're an avid Dahl lover like me, you might've seen some of these stories already. That's all right--you're bound not to have seen all, or even most of them.)

Simply an amazing book. Roald Dahl does have quite the reputation for creating children's books, but this is no child's book. Each story is so brilliant that you would think there were several decades of planning put into each one. A few will leave you frightened, some will leave you gasping, some might leave you roaring with laughter, and others will have you feeling sad.
But I assure you, no matter what feeling these stories leave you with, each and every one will be accompanied by satisfaction.
Roald Dahl was a saint when it came to children's books, but if you haven't read any of his Young-Adult (I like to call them) classics, then you have no idea what true literature is. I also recommend some of his other non-children's books, such as, one of my favourites: Going Solo.

Though Roald Dahl's reputation comes mostly from his children's books, these stories, though mostly aimed at adults, are worth reading. This book is full of short stories with somewhat bizarre twists to them, though they are enjoyable all the same. My favorites are Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coat, The Butler, The Landlady, Parson's Pleasure, The Umbrella Man, Vengeance is Mine Inc., and Taste.
In Vengeance is Mine Inc., Two brothers named George and Claude move to New York with only four hundred and fifty dollars. When they run out of money, they become desperate. Then, Claude gets an idea. The brothers start a company called Vengeance is Mine Inc., which sends out letters to rich people who have been insulted in the newspapers, offering to punch the offensive columnist them in the nose, black their eye, put a rattlesnake (with venom extracted) in their car, or kidnap them, take off their clothes (except for underwear), and dump them on fifth street at rush hour.
After just two days of sending out letters, they already have to punch someone in the nose, put a rattlesnake in someone's car, and kidnap someone (with the above specifics). Do you want to know if they succeed? If you do, you'll have to read the book.
However, if you do decide to read the book, you will end up reading a lot of other great stories in addition to this one. The endings are just as varied as the topics of the stories. Several are slightly gruesome, others are very interesting, and one of them is very sad. Generally, though, they turn your expectations inside out and upside down, with witty (though sometimes outdated) humor and clever plot lines. If you enjoy this kind of thing, I highly recommend that you read this book.

It has taken me nearly ten years to complete my collection of Roald dahl books in hard back and this was worth the wait.

Some stories in this book have bad endings but some others happen to be my favorite. Some of my favorites are "Mrs. Bixby & The Colonel's Coat", "Parson's Pleasure", "The Umbrella Man", "Royal Jelly", and "Taste".

I like this book better than all of Roald Dahl's children's books! He is creative in this one as in all of his other ones. And in this one he makes you read between the lines. My favorite story is the one about the lady and her husband in the elevator.

Thirteen tales of horror and hilarity from master storyteller: Roald Dahl. How much will you pay for revenge? Would you stake a bet on your little finger or on your only daughter's hand in marriage? Each of the thirteen stories collected here will grab your attention and keep you riveted till the very last words. By turns shocking,ironic,humorous and touching, these tales are filled with bizarre twists and unexpected delights. This collection proves Roald Dahl's standing as one of the world's finest storytellers. My favourites in this book are The Umbralla Man, Mrs Bixby and the Colonel's Coat,Parson's Pleasure and Taste.