Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
Harmondsworth : Penguin, 1976. reprinted 1980
Description
'The Visitor' and 'Bitch' are extracts from the diaries of the notorious Oswald Hendryks Cornelius, hedonist beyond compare. Uncle Oswald's exploits are as extraordinary as they are scandalous, as these two tales of sex and intrigue confirm in vivid and hilarious detail. The delicious thrill of sexual expectation -- and its sometimes maddening effects -- are explored in 'The Great Switcheroo' and 'The Last Act'; here the power of desire is a double-edged sword, both pleasurable and potentially catastrophic. Lust, triumph, the galling deflation of defeat: Roald Dahl captures them all in these superbly taut black comedies of human weakness and unexpected reversal. Book jacket.
User reviews
LibraryThing member kaelirenee
Short stories much along the lines of what he's written in "My Uncle Oswald," from stories about the negative effects of planning a wife swap to marketing the best aphrodisiac-with abysmal results.
Dahl's sardonic, no-adults-don't-know-best wit and emotion carry through this entire book.
Dahl's sardonic, no-adults-don't-know-best wit and emotion carry through this entire book.
LibraryThing member tripleblessings
Vulgar and misogynistic, treats women as objects, leaves a nasty taste in my mouth. I Strongly dislike the book, am tempted to burn it.
LibraryThing member stipe168
4 sinister short stories to enjoy. these have more of a sexual theme than most roald dahl.
LibraryThing member HippieLunatic
I knew Roald Dahl wrote fiction for adults. I had no idea I would be as amused as I was. Dahl explores sexuality from various angles, here, as he does other temptations in his children books.
I was fond of the Uncle Oswald stories, and I cannot wait to read more. The stories of a man who is known
While the bite of "The Great Switcheroo" was a bit cliche, I admit to wanting to know, "what then?"
"The Last Act" made me cry.
I was fond of the Uncle Oswald stories, and I cannot wait to read more. The stories of a man who is known
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for his sexuality, for his success rates, for his charisma, were even more cherished when the reader is granted access to the truth about what the end result is of the fantasies.While the bite of "The Great Switcheroo" was a bit cliche, I admit to wanting to know, "what then?"
"The Last Act" made me cry.
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LibraryThing member lucthegreat
Hillarious, engaging, sexy. What more could you ask for?
LibraryThing member nebula21
A collection of four short stories about sex. Roald Dahl is an excellent storyteller. This a good collection of tales that showcase his sharp wit and penchant for foolishness. Definitely not for children!
LibraryThing member areadingmachine
'In the black comedies of Switch Bitch Roald Dahl brilliantly captures the ins and outs, highs and lows of sex"
My favourite story is about the two guys who want to have sex with each others wives and so decide to share the most intimate details of their lives to come up with a plausible way to make
My favourite story is about the two guys who want to have sex with each others wives and so decide to share the most intimate details of their lives to come up with a plausible way to make
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it happen. Show Less
LibraryThing member m_k_m
It's a difficult one this. Dahl's a superb writer and the two short stories that top and tail this collection ("The Visitor" and "Bitch") are superb examples of the form (who'd have thought you could draw a line from Roald Dahl to Irvine Walsh?).
The problem is the second story, "The Great
The story that immediately follows, "The Last Act", almost makes up for it - being a study of the way society treats female bodies as fragile things and women's minds as slaves to physical infirmities - but it's too clinical (probably deliberately) to affect you in quite the same way.
Poor Uncle Roald. You were a great writer, but times not always been kind to your more obscure works.
The problem is the second story, "The Great
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Switcheroo", which is a sort of jocular rape revenge fantasy and leaves as bad a taste in the mouth as you'd imagine. The story that immediately follows, "The Last Act", almost makes up for it - being a study of the way society treats female bodies as fragile things and women's minds as slaves to physical infirmities - but it's too clinical (probably deliberately) to affect you in quite the same way.
Poor Uncle Roald. You were a great writer, but times not always been kind to your more obscure works.
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LibraryThing member andsoitgoes
My first Roald Dahl adult book and what an eye opener! Love the switches and especially liked the ending of the Great Switcheroo where the husbands are in for a surprise after they technically trick each others wives.
LibraryThing member lydia1879
Oh my god. I loved this book.
It's so darkly funny and bitter and hilarious. I liked all of the short stories and just thoroughly enjoyed this book. What I love about Dahl is that almost all of his stories dovetailed into a neat little ending. This book is funny and sexy, verging on pornographic
These stories were all totally absurd, but they were just what I needed and I was totally in the mood to read this book. What I love about this author is that he can take totally unlikeable characters and somehow that just made the story even more readable?
If you like hilarious, bitter, dark, sexy little books about terrible things happening to terrible people, this book is most likely for you. c:
P.S. If you read Roald Dahl throughout your childhood like I did, then prepare to have it completely torn to shreds, ok?
cw: suicide and non-consensual sex
It's so darkly funny and bitter and hilarious. I liked all of the short stories and just thoroughly enjoyed this book. What I love about Dahl is that almost all of his stories dovetailed into a neat little ending. This book is funny and sexy, verging on pornographic
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and it has restored my love for him absolutely. These stories were all totally absurd, but they were just what I needed and I was totally in the mood to read this book. What I love about this author is that he can take totally unlikeable characters and somehow that just made the story even more readable?
If you like hilarious, bitter, dark, sexy little books about terrible things happening to terrible people, this book is most likely for you. c:
P.S. If you read Roald Dahl throughout your childhood like I did, then prepare to have it completely torn to shreds, ok?
cw: suicide and non-consensual sex
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LibraryThing member Pepperwings
Man, hard to classify this book--it was entertaining. As always I enjoy Roald Dahl's style of writing, those parts were high quality, however, it's essentially 4 short stories that are akin to dirty jokes.
It's rather racist, sexist and classist, but it's done in such a way that could be considered
If the stories are thought of as jokes, it's less offensive, overall it's interesting to see what Dahl wrote that wasn't for children.
It's rather racist, sexist and classist, but it's done in such a way that could be considered
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less so, depending on what the individuals were actually like, although the sexism and objectifying women is irritating either way.If the stories are thought of as jokes, it's less offensive, overall it's interesting to see what Dahl wrote that wasn't for children.
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Subjects
Language
Original publication date
1974
ISBN
9780141945255