Love from Boy: Roald Dahl's Letters to his Mother

Written by Donald Sturrock

Narrated by Andrew Wincott and Thomas Judd

'Dear Mama,
I am having a lovely time here. We play football every day here. The beds have no springs . . .'

So begins the first letter that a nine-year-old Roald Dahl penned to his mother, Sofie Magdalene, under the watchful eye of his boarding-school headmaster. For most of his life, Roald Dahl would continue to write weekly letters to his mother, chronicling his adventures, frustrations and opinions, from the delights of childhood to the excitements of flying as a World War II fighter pilot and the thrill of meeting top politicians and movie stars during his time as a diplomat and spy in Washington. And, unbeknown to Roald, his mother lovingly kept every single one of them.

Sofie was, in many ways, Roald's first reader. It was she who encouraged him to tell stories and nourished his desire to fabricate, exaggerate and entertain. Reading these letters, you can see Roald practicing his craft, developing the dark sense of humour and fantastical imagination that would later produce such timeless tales as The BFG, Matilda, Fantastic Mr Fox and The Witches.

The letters in Love from Boy are littered with jokes and madcap observations; sometimes serious, sometimes tender, and often outrageous. To eavesdrop on a son's letters to his mother is to witness Roald Dahl turning from a boy to a man, and finally becoming a writer.

Praise for Storyteller

'A truly magnificent biography . . . a masterly account' A N Wilson

'Superb . . . hugely readable' Sunday Telegraph

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hachette UK Audio
• Release date: Jun 2, 2016
• ISBN: 9781473631403

Donald Sturrock

Donald Sturrock worked at the BBC for ten years as a writer, producer and director. Since his departure from the BBC in 1992, he has written and directed a number of television programmes, including a film about Roald Dahl for the BBC.

Reviews for Love from Boy

[lukerik-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I don’t read many collections of letters due to the very great boredom factor, but this is very enjoyable. Very well edited. All the letters are interesting in one way or another, the book’s the right length and between each section of letters Sturrock provides text which fills in the back story. A quick read and rather startling to have a man flying a fighter plane who only a few pages before was asking his mother for conkers. Dahl’s personality really shines through, but even if you’re not interested in him he lived through such momentous events I really do think there’s something for everyone here.

[moniica_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Synopsis: Road Dahl, today one of the world's most well-known author's, wrote weekly letters to his mother. We follow Road Dahl throughout his life through letters to his mother - from boarding school, to when he became a pilot, until his international acclaim as an author. My Opinion: Essentially an autobiography of Road Dahl, written in epistolary. What a wonderful legacy for his mother to leave.