Going Solo

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As a young man, Roald Dahl's adventures took him from London to East Africa, until the Second World War began and he became a RAF pilot. He makes perfectly clear that this is not such a book, for autobiographies are full of useless and boring information.

Roald Dahl | Going Solo | The Battle of Athens - Slightly Foxed Roald Dahl | Going Solo | The Battle of Athens - Slightly Foxed

I'm giving this book 5 stars without having actually read it, but ya know what it's my review so I can do whatever I want (don't try and stop me)! Stationed in Tanzania, Dahl is faced with the excitement of the wild; lions carrying off women in their mouths; fatal green mambas captured by snake men. Dahl wrote more than 60 short stories and they have appeared in numerous collections, some only being published in book form after his death.

Apart from a hint of romance when he is in hospital in Alexandria after a plane crash, there is no hint of sex in the book, which is just how we liked it. I did not read the first part of Dahl's autobiography, Boy, but I somehow managed to not get lost in this one, which starts with Dahl on his way to Tanganyika, East Africa, about to start his new employment with the Royal Dutch Shell Company. THe language and structure really have the traits of a traditional Dahl story except this is non-fiction and his life. except for the war scenes that were boring, that was actually a good memoir, I don't know if I read this book because of dahl or because of his mother? Later, Dahl’s confusion with the British turned into contempt for his senior officers and the general amateurishness of the war effort.

Going Solo by Roald Dahl - Penguin Books Australia Going Solo by Roald Dahl - Penguin Books Australia

A friend of my parents knew him and told me that though he could be difficult with adults, he always had time for their daughter and used to make up elaborate nicknames for her. Superb Stories, Daring Deeds, Fantastic Adventures Here is the action-packed sequel to Boy, a tale of Dahl’s exploits as a World War II pilot.It was even said that he had shot down more planes than any of the famous and glamorized Battle of Britain aces, and this was probably true.

Going Solo - Wikipedia

He was far and away the greatest fighter ace the Middle East was ever to see, with an astronomical number of victories to his credit.Each one of those sorties meant running across the airfield to wherever the Hurricane was parked (often 200 yards away), strapping in, starting up, taking off, flying to a particular area, engaging the enemy, getting home again, landing, reporting to the Ops Room and then making sure the aircraft was refuelled and rearmed immediately so as to be ready for another take-off. And during his time in Africa, a lion carries away a woman, a black mamba attacks his servant and a green mamba invades a house to kill a family dog. Then the rigger, a balding middle-aged man, looked up at me and said, ‘Blimey mate, this kite’s got so many ’oles in it, it looks like it’s made out of chicken-wire!