Fantastic Mr. Fox Review
The book
Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl is a classic children's novel. I recently listened to the official audiobook version and was thoroughly impressed.
Craft & Artistry
As with all of Dahl’s work, the writing is whimsical and linguistically broad, making the story a delight to listen to. Dahl’s creativity in mixing the mundane and fantastic never ceases to impress me; his books are simply wonderful. The narrator’s skillful use of different voices for different characters was especially entertaining, and as an adult, I wasn't expecting the additional dynamic of narration to add so much to the creative experience (★★★★.5).
Themes & Messages
The core message of Fantastic Mr. Fox is surprisingly complex for a children's story, exploring compelling moral and ethical questions. The novel starkly contrasts two worldviews. The farmers—Boggis, Bunce, and Bean—are driven by a belief in scarcity, hoarding their resources and acting with greed and vindictiveness, which blinds them to recognizing opportunities for generosity and the generosity that has been extended to them.
Conversely, Mr. Fox, while forced to steal, ultimately seeks to create an internal community of abundance for his family and neighbours through means of sharing. The book also powerfully illustrates the massive efforts a father figure will undertake to protect and provide for his loved ones, which is a refreshing perspective, as most books generally focus on younger characters. The book also poses a question to the reader: What happens in a society where resources are drastically imbalanced? The story pits the "have-nots," Mr. Fox and his community, simply trying to feed their families, against the greedy "haves," the wealthy farmers. Overall, the novel forces the reader to consider the dilemma of “is it right to steal or deceive when your community is oppressed and starving?” (★★★★)
Final Thoughts
Overall, the story is a wonderful experience. The audiobook version in particular is wonderful—even as an adult listener, I found listening to it a joy, and I laughed out loud multiple times. I would recommend this audiobook to anyone who wants a narrator who can do “all the voices.” Overall, this audiobook is four and a half stars.
Content Disclaimers:
harm to animals, starvation, and a very rude rat.
That’s all folks! If you’ve read Fantastic Mr. Fox, I’d love to hear your thoughts below! ❤❤❤
You can find more of Roald Dahl's work here → https://www.roalddahl.com/
You can find the specific audiobook I listened to here → Google Play Audiobook
Comments