Age Group: Adults only

Rating: I liked it, BUT some families may not

I am rating the short stories in this collection separately because they are all so different, some of which are not for me.

This account reads best after reading Lucky Break, which can be found in the same collection. Lucky Break explains how Roald Dahl came to write A Piece of Cake, which is a true story accounting Dahl’s experiences being shot down on an airstrike in WWII. The focus is less around how he was shot down and more around his experiences during and after he crashed.

Readers encounter (SPOILER ALERTS!):

  • Dahl slowly coming to realize he’d been shot down, and that he needed to exit the plane, because it was on fire, though he was barely conscious
  • Dahl’s friend finding him and attending to him in the desert together until rescued
  • Dahl realizing his nose was missing
  • Dahl becoming unconscious and dreaming tortuous dreams of being attacked by singing planes, and other crazy mixed-up war-like dreams
  • Vulgar expressions, etc.

You can see why this might be appropriate for adults only. I appreciate that the dreams seem more real than the actual event; it conveys what PTSD might have been like.

Important note: I don’t rate all the stories in this collection equally; please beware of others with different ratings.