Trouble – DaneCobain.com

Title: Going Solo

Author: Roald Dahl

Type: Non-Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 214

Rating: 3.75/5

Roald Dahl – Going Solo

Going Solo is Roald Dahl’s second autobiography and it basically follows on from Boy. For me, though, Boy is the better volume because it relates back to his work some more and also because it’s just delightful to read about the childhood of a children’s author.

This book is pretty much entirely about Dahl’s time in the RAF during the Second World War. He was a part of a tiny squadron in Greece that was heavily outnumbered and so it was interesting to read this one purely because of its historic value. That said, it did also get a little bit samey because it didn’t feel like there was much development. We just followed Dahl from one airbase to another and we know that he didn’t get into any serious trouble because he didn’t die.

It is still a good read though, and I’m glad that I finally picked it up after it’s been sat on my shelf for a while. I don’t think I’ll ever re-read it, but I do think it’ll give me some more context into his life as and when I get to the rest of his stuff. So there’s that.

Roald Dahl

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Benjamin Ludwig – The Original Ginny Moon | Review

Title: The Original Ginny Moon

Author: Benjamin Ludwig

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 364

Rating: 5*/5

Disclaimer: While I aim to be unbiased, I received a copy of this for free to review.

Benjamin Ludwig – The Original Ginny Moon

This book exceeded my expectations and made me rethink the way I think about things. It’s well-deserving of a five-star review because the author is able to use language in a way that brings autism to life, which is why it’s earned comparisons to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Personally, I think it does a better job of it, and Ludwig’s Ginny Moon is quite the character – more three dimensional than most other characters, and that’s a testament to the strength of Ludwig’s writing.

Loosely speaking, the book is told through the eyes of its protagonist, 14-year-old Ginny Moon. Ginny suffers from autism and she’s currently living with her forever parents, but she wants to find a way back to her abusive mother so that she can check on her Baby Doll. Along the way, she gets herself into plenty of trouble, but you can understand why she makes the choices that she makes, even if you don’t agree with them. And ultimately, that’s one of the strengths of this book – it puts you inside Ginny’s mind, and it gives you a great understanding of the way in which she sees things.

That all comes down to the skills of the writer, and so kudos to Ludwig for that – especially because this is his debut novel. He even nailed the little twist at the end, which I didn’t see coming but which made perfect sense as soon as it happened. That’s the hallmark of a good storyteller, and Stephen King does the same in many of his books. Benjamin Ludwig is not Stephen King, but he is Benjamin Ludwig – and that’s a name that you can expect to hear more from in the coming years.

This, then, is the impressive start to what I’m sure will be a successful career. Better still, it’s the kind of book that we all should read, because it helps us to relate and understand.