The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

By: Roald Dahl

Narrated by: Andrew Scott

Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's Summary

Seven superb stories, from the world's number-one storyteller

Meet the boy who can talk to animals and the man who can see with his eyes closed. And find out about the treasure buried deep underground. A clever mix of fact and fiction, this collection also includes how master storyteller Roald Dahl became a writer. With Roald Dahl, you can never be sure where reality ends and fantasy begins.

©1977 Roald Dahl (P)2013 Penguin Audio

Really fantastic!

Where does The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This has actually been one of my favorite audio books out of the fifty or so that I have listened to.

What other book might you compare The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar to and why?

These short stories tend to include a bit of magic and wonder and animals. I actually felt compared to compare them to "A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings," by Gabriel Garcia Marquez--part fairytale, part realistic. (I liked this better though)

Have you listened to any of Andrew Scott’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not heard any of his audiobooks before, but I have seen several of his television roles. I know how much attention he has gotten for his role as Moriarty on BBC 's Sherlock, and I must admit that it was his name that attracted me to this particular recording. Despite the lack of reviews, I decided to give this a shot and I was not disappointed.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The entire story of "The Swan" was beautiful. It made me feel sick and anxious and terrified by the cruelty of those boys, but I was on the edge of my seat listening in horrified fascination to hear how it would all play out. I sat in my driveway for ten minutes after I got home, just to finish it.

Any additional comments?

I was really blown away by this performance. It was engaging and well paced, the narration and the stories themselves combined to create a really great experience.

The only thing I can think of that could have been improved would probably be the Jamaican accents from the first story, which were a little bit jarring. However, I absolutely commend the way he voiced female characters, subtly and non-ridiculous (which seems to be way difficult for a lot of male narrators, I've noticed).

Some great stories I grew up with.

Any additional comments?

A little disappointed with the narrator but the stories themselves shine regardless!

Not a children's book, but typical Dahl stories.

Surprising stories. Dahl is "dark". My husband found the plots to be too disturbing. I find Dahl to have cruel elements, the principals survive cruelty. One of the stories describes his young. Childhood in boarding school and the tormenting punishment he endured there. In a society where corporal punishment and dangerous bullying is no longer tolerated these tales are harsh. I grew up in an environment where that was not the case. I appreciate the new sensibility. I also recognize the need to release such memories through sharing. I feel stronger and more thoughtful relative to today's failures in caring for each other and our world by reading these stories.

Gripping...maybe a little too much for young ears

My 8 year old loved it but was truly terrified by one very intense story.

Excellent stories and narration!

Andrew Scott does an amazing job of telling Dahl's stories. Perfect listen for any age!

Narrator is not very consistent with loudness

At one one he's screaming, then he's whispering. It's maddening.
The stories are great but also sad.

Not for smaller kids

Would you try another book from Roald Dahl and/or Andrew Scott?

Yes

What was most disappointing about Roald Dahl’s story?

These are nothing like Roald Dahls other stories. Some are quite disturbing. I listened with my 7 year old son and I am sorry I let him listen to them. Usually love Roald Dahl but these are very different and more for teens or adults.

Any additional comments?

Really appreciate Audibles return policy. Have previously used iTunes and it is great to be able to return books that we aren't happy with or don't finish and can purchase others instead.

not for young kids

the content is surprisingly violent. the first story has a detailed description of how a man dies and a child going missing. another story details murderous children almost killing another child. it's definitely a trigger warning for bullied kids. this is for older kids/teens definitely not for 10 and younger.

wonderful writing

this is all very emotional writing. top tier story telling. however i found some facts that differed in "a piece of cake" and his other book "going solo". GS states he crashed his plane while trying to land. hit a rock. APOC says he was shot down. im not sure which is true but enjoyable stories, all the same

Wonderful!!

My entire family loved these stories. we even listened to them again. These are very entertaining.