James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl Review

James and the Giant Peach is one of many Roald Dahl stories I remember consuming when I was young. It's a shorter one, but just as memorable as Dahl's longer and more famous works such as Matilda and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Ever since writing my Children's Literature paper on the latter and reflecting on some of my childhood favorite books, I've come to the conclusion that Dahl shaped my love for reading at a young age and I'd even go as far as to say that I may not have such an affection for reading if it weren't for silly books such as these that stuck with me ever since reading them for the first time. So I love to read one of Dahl's works when I get the chance, just to relive those moments of joy I had when I read as a child.

This short novel was just as I remembered, although I had completely forgot the plot of it. James fits the typical Dahl archetype of a perfect little child who is fit and deserving of an adventure after all they've been through. Although expected and comforting, now that I am reading these works as an adult, I wish there were a bit more complexity to these main characters such as Charlie, James, Sophie from The BFG, and Matilda. That may be why I enjoyed Fantastic Mr. Fox so deeply, because Mr. Fox is a flawed character that comes off as morally gray upon reading his story as an adult. The itch for complexity in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was indulged by the inherently suspicious and questionable motives for Willy Wonka to invite the children into his factory for a tour to begin with. But James and the Giant Peach lacked this depth for me as an adult reader. But I cannot fault Dahl too much, because the audience is meant to be younger audiences and one cannot expect too much darkness in these kinds of works. 

I really enjoyed the cast of characters, from Ms. Spider, the Glow worm, and of course, Centipede in all his irritating glory. They were light-hearted, and fit together perfectly into a perfect team as they went on their grand adventure across the globe and made it to America. I will say that there is the classic morbid aspect with the peach rolling over and killing James' aunts, who are aptly named after their defining characteristics, another telltale sign of a Dahl work. The ending was appropriately corny, Dahl also ends The BFG with the main character having written the book. But overall, it was enjoyable and a fun time, which is why I've been slowly working my way through reading Dahl's works currently as an adult. It is so refreshing to read books so ridiculous and silly, with no purpose other than to entertain.