Nab Wrc

By Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake

Mr Hoppy, a retired bachelor, harbours a secret passion for his neighbour, the lovely Mrs Silver, but she lavishes her affection on Alffie, her pet tortoise. Mr Hoppy's ingenious plot to defeat his rival and win his lady's love will delight and amaze, involving, as it does, a cryptic riddle and no fewer than 140 tortoises. A Welsh translation of Esio Trot by Elin Meek.

• Language: Cymraeg
• Publisher: Rily
• Release date: Nov 30, 2016
• ISBN: 9781849675277

Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl (1916-1990) es un autor justamente famoso por su extraordinario ingenio, su destreza narrativa, su dominio del humor negro y su inagotable capacidad de sorpresa, que llevó a Hitchcock a adaptar para la televisión muchos de sus relatos. En Anagrama se han publicado la novela "Mi tío Oswald" y los libros de cuentos "El gran cambiazo" (Gran Premio del Humor Negro), "Historias extraordinarias", "Relatos de lo inesperado" y "Dos fábulas". En otra faceta, Roald Dahl goza de una extraordinaria popularidad como autor de libros para niños.

Book preview

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Reviews for Nab Wrc

[mstrust · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mr. Hoppy has been in love with the widowed Mrs. Silver for years. He lives in the apartment above hers and grows plants on his balcony, which gives him the excuse to look down and discuss her beloved pet turtle with her. When Mrs. Silver says that she would love nothing more than to see her little Alfie grow into a big turtle, Mr. Hoppy forms a scheme.Dahl's gentle yet humorous romantic tale.

[bobbybslax · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was a cute bedtime story and I think it’s improved my fondness for turtles somehow, but the ending isn’t as pleasant as I expected. Marriages shouldn’t be founded on lies. But at least Alfie the Turtle lived/lives a good life.

[reader1009-863136 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

children's short story; animals/dahl silliness. Judy Dench and Dustin Hoffman are set to star in the BBC's film version of the Dahl story--it's not his most memorable work, so I can see why our library has so few copies. Still, you can't argue with that casting.

[jjmcgaffey · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Hmph. I find this quite obnoxious. He's so shy that the only way he can actually talk to her is to play a nasty trick - lie to her, take away her beloved pet (I'm surprised she never noticed any difference), put himself to enormous pains in order to trick her into accepting him - and then accepting his proposal (he couldn't just say it, without all the deceit?). And to top it off, her response is "I thought you'd never ask." I don't like it.

[meditationesmartini · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I mean, basically the dude tricks her into thinking her tortoise is growing when it's not by buying 100 tortoises and sneaking into her place and replacing it every night. And she falls for him even though he's bumbling and sneaky and middle-aged, and her tee-tee insouciance and hot young body are weirdly prominent. These days we'd call it rape culture, or something close.

[jbarringer-2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is such an adorable story. I love the thought of all those tortoises and the illustrations are great.

[sueincyprus · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This is a story of undeclared love: the elderly Mr Hoppy, who lives in a flat right above a lady called Mrs Silver. The two of them chat about gardening and tortoises, but he's too shy even to invite her for a cup of tea. Not really the stuff of young children's fiction, but it gets worse. Mrs Silver complains that her tortoise isn’t growing, and Mr Hoppy has a brilliant idea…The plot is ridiculous, in typical Dahl style. There are delightful line drawings by Quentin Blake every few pages, and the writing is intended to be amusing. Unfortunately, Mr Hoppy’s plan involves deception, and the mis-treatment of tortoises. Perhaps I’m over-thinking it, but I really didn’t like this story much, despite the humour, and wouldn’t recommend it.

[shahnareads · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I want a room full of turtles.



The ending seemed a little rushed there, Mr. Dahl.
Just hop right onto that marriage train. Doesn't matter he tricked her and lied to her.
Jeeze.

Silliness.

[chazzifrazz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoy Roald Dahl's writing, be it children's lit or adult (yes, he has written a few adult books). This is a charming little romance that I read in one sitting.

Mr. Hoppy is in love with Mrs. Silver. His balcony is above hers. Mr. Hoppy would love to have tea and spend time with Mrs. Silver, but between his shyness and his competition he can't seem to get up the nerve to ask her. His competition is Alfie, her small pet tortoise.

After some thought, Mr. Hoppy comes up with a plan to get Mrs. Silver's attention, with the use of 'magic' and subterfuge. Does it work? Read and find out.

This is a story that can be read silently or out loud and enjoyed either way. Definitely a Goodread.

[bagpuss-3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I’m not going to add anything about the storyline in my review because I don’t want to spoil what is a really cute love story.

I have read lots of criticism about this book and the message it “gives out to younger readers”, but Dahl’s children’s books do have their dark elements which is what makes them so appealing, and personally I like to credit young people with common sense and I truly believe that reading this book won’t damage them or make them believe that this is the way adults live in real life! It is, after all, just a story, and a cracking one at that, and as far as I can make out, no real tortoises were harmed as a result of Dahl writing it!

[atreic · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Oh, this is very Dahl. Well written, lovely to read aloud, engaging, silly, and with a happy ending.On the other hand, err, try to turn off your brain when reading it, or at least leave your grown up goggles at home. Man who is too shy to build relationship with woman downstairs and is jealous of how she loves her pet tortoise obsessively fills his flat with tortoises, steals_her_ tortoise and replaces it with a series of different ones, proposes after about two conversations, and then quietly disposes of the real tortoise, never letting her know what he did? There's a horror story / gaslighting story in there too. Life was easier when I didn't overthink things... [Also, ++ to the reviewer who points out 'Mr Hoppy was _way_ too excited to hear Mrs Silver say 'slave for life''. ]

[robert.zimmermann · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Mixed feelings on this one. It was good in the sense of "really? Is Dahl serious about this?" And it was not so good because it didn't turn around on itself to show just how wrong Mr Hoppy was with his actions. I could see this being a humorous short cartoon from yesteryear, but even with most cartoons, a moral can be found in the end. Things go wrong and a deceitful plan fails. It's part of the fun.

Won't stop me from reading more Dahl, but I'll be left questioning this one.

[flamingrosedrakon · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

First of all this is really my actual favorite book of Roald Dahl after having read several. His writings always seem to lean too much into vulgarity and gruesomeness while I never was attracted to those types of writings so upon reading this one it was a breath of fresh air since it basically doesn't follow a Dahl's book although alluding enough that you can tell it is his. There truly isn't much of a story besides a guy trying to get a woman's attention by becoming her hero even if there is trickery involved. And I can't understand some of the complaints about the personalities or responses of these two characters when they are so similar to the canon of other Dahl characters who are sometimes in rougher shape than either of these. The wording and reading of the book are easy so there won't be much problems with younger crowds being able to read it if it catches their attention. Furthermore the book has enough pictures that I am sure the book collectively is a picture book than a small novel. And finally best of all in my opinion is the tortoises. Dahl makes a small introduction as to the custom of keeping tortoise as well as the need for them to stop being pets before entering his story. All in all it is the drawing of these tortoises that I like for they have so much personality per tortoise while the looks on some of their faces is priceless. Altogether this is a hit-or-miss story so you are either going to like it or not.... For any Dahl fans I would recommend one reading before making the final chop.

[areadingmachine · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A deranged man is in love with his downstairs neighbour. She has a pet turtle. Because she is a moron she is impatient with her turtles growth rate and happens to mention this to said deranged man so he proceeds to lie and deceive her by stealing her turtle and exchanging it for a bigger one. He does this quite a few times until it is too big that goes back and grabs a smaller one that is just right. She never notices the difference because she is a moron and they end up boning. The only saving grace for this whole story is that the innocent turtle that was previously living with a frigging idiot and a psycho for an upstairs neighbour, got to go and live with some chilled out chick with some goddamn patience.

[carole8-4 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyable.

[amrahmn · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a somewhat sweet story of shy Mr. Hoppy trying to make Mrs. Silver happy by having her tortoise Alfie grow. It isn't my favorite Roald Dahl story simple because I thought that the message was partly "deceit can get you what you want." Also, Mr. Hoppy was way too excited to hear Mrs. Silver say "slave for life." Weird! I would include the book in a study of Roald Dahl.

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

Esio Trot, or tortoise backwards, is a sweet story of Mr. Hoppy, his neighbor Mrs. Silver, and her pet turtle, Alfie. Mr. Hoppy is in love with Mrs. Silver but is too afraid to ask her out, but he comes up with a master plan to romance Mrs. Silver. Mrs. Silver has a beloved turtle, Alfie, who she loves dearly. Every year Alfie wakes up from his winter sleep and is weighed by Mrs. Silver. But, in the past 11 years he has only gained three ounces. Mr. Hoppy figures that if he buys several different sized turtles and secretly puts them in Alfie's place so it will appear that Alfie is indeed the one growing. Mr. Hoppy's plan works and he is able to finally win over Mrs. Silver's heart.

[jthuro1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Esio Trot can really be summed up in two words: goofy and fun. This book has no real moral or important lessons, but is nonetheless a very entertaining read. Find out what outrageous lengths a clever man will go to to win the woman of his dreams. Dahl's sense of humor shines through in this book about a man, a woman, and several tortoises. Surprisingly, a happy ending is in store for all of the characters, even those who are not completely honest people.

[amberthehuman · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Quite short, even for a chilren's book. A little deceptive, but definitely cute.

[rata_4 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A delightful, humourous story about love. Mr Hoppy ( a shy, single retired man) lives above Mrs Silver ( a kind widow), their balconies provide a platform for them to communicate to each other. Mrs Silver is concerned that her beloved tortise 'Alfie' is not growing, although she has had him for 11 years. Mr Hoppy, who is besotted by Mrs Silver (unbeknown to her), comes up with a plan to win her affections. He gives her an ancient witch doctor's chant to supposedly make things grow. It is a just a chant spelt backwards, but as a reader you will have fun deciphering it. Mr Hoppy sets about buying and exchanging tortises while Mrs Silver is at work. Mrs Silver is delighted and so appreciative when her tortoise reaches 27 ounces ( she doesn't realise that this is not Alfie).Eventually Mr Hoppy plucks up the courage to ask her to marry him and Mrs Silver ecstatically agrees. A great read for 8 -10 year olds.

[sriemann_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Some needed literary distraction after reading Math and teaching books. It fit the bill perfectly - quirky but adorable characters and solutions to problems that you normally wouldn't think are ok... but then they are, because why not?

[6h9library · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Esio Trot is a creative book written by the fabulous and talented author, Roald Dahl. Esio Trot is a book about an old man called Mr Hoppy who is in love with a young middle aged women called Mrs Silver. Esio Trot contains many riddles that are funny. i recommend this book for chldren aged 8-12.

[crystalrushton · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Esio Trot is the story of an old man who lives in an apartment and falls in love with his neighbor living below him. Everyday the old man would watch the woman from his balcony feed and pet her pet turtle. The man spends every day wishing he could marry the woman, but is too shy to talk to her. One day, the man finally asks the lady how her turtle is doing, and she responds that she is worried because her turtle is not growing. The man thinks on his feet and lies to the women by telling her he knows a magical poem that will make the turtle grow. The old man teaches the lady the magical poem, but of course it is not magical at all. Instead, the old man goes to the pet store everyday and buys a turtle slightly larger than the one before and trades it for the one she has. It is easy for the reader to see that this cannot last forever.This book is one of Roald Dahl’s interesting and eccentric stories that will be a classic for years to come. I would recommend this book for upper elementary students, especially children that like a bit of humor.

[nmhale_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very short story by the master of quirky humor for children, this tale is a love story about a man, a woman, and a tortoise. Poor Mr. Hoppy is in love with his downstairs neighbor, but she only has eyes for her pet turtle. To win her heart, he promises that he can help her turtle grow bigger much faster than usual. The way he delivers on that promise is what makes this a Dahl story, as Mr. Hoppy goes to lengths and takes measures that are extraordinary and ridiculous. A sweet read, that isn't as darkly funny as some of his other novels, but just as silly and fun.

[musicmom41 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An LT friend sent me four of the shorter Dahl children’s stories on disc so I grabbed one of them to listen to as I drove my long drive into the doctor’s office. It was early in the morning and this charming story, beautifully read by the British actor Geoffrey Palmer, kept me alert and awake for the trip. Mr. Hoppy is in love with Mrs. Silver but hasn’t the courage to tell her. She is concerned about her pet tortoise, Alfie, because he isn’t growing. The story of how Mr. Hoppy solves Mrs. Silver’s problem and so gains the courage to tell her how he feels had me in stitches. Dahl’s quirky story is, as always, delightful with wonderful details and great word play. I enjoyed it so much, when I got home I looked for the used copy I had recently bought from the library and reread it with the wonderful illustrations by Quentin Blake. Recommended for the young and the young at heart.

[annaread-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A good story about a man who loves a women but doesn't have the courage to ask for her hand in marriage. He finally has the courage to ask her-but not before a complicated plot involving the women's tortoise, which is the object of her affection.

[mcprice_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a fun book written about Roald Dahl. The main character in the book is in love with the lady that lives below him. The lady that lives below has a turtle that she worries is about. So the man decides to do something about it, which he ends up with a few turtles in this apartment in order to help the woman out.

[michelleramos_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a really cute story of a lonely old man, who loves two things in life. He loves his beautiful garden on his balcony and the beautiful widow that lives down stairs. The woman down stairs however is completely devoted to her tortoise. Mr. Hoppy finds a way to get into her heart with the help of a creative plan and hundreds of tortoises.

[lisa211_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a tale of a man, a woman and a tortoise. Nothing much ado about this book except the man, Mr Hoppy, is trying to catch the eye of Mrs Silver who has a ever so slow growing tortoise, Alfie. This growth problem gave Mr Hoppy the opportunity to be close to Mrs Silver and he cleverly devised a plan. This is a short read but I wasn't really into it that much. Good characters but doesn't really pull you in. Nice plot though. this would be a nice light read for kids out there.