Lamb to the Slaughter (A Roald Dahl Short Story)

It was a subject of humour yet absolutely logical, realizing what she had done, she was determined to cover up her tracks to protect her unborn baby, so she provided an alibi and destroyed her murder weapon in the most unexpected-obvious way - by baking it. The story had a twisted ending, Roald Dahl left me debating on the wife's sanity.

On one hand, I was amazed by how well and calm an ordinary house wife came up with such a brilliant cover up story, yet on the other hand I was beginning to question whether Mary was sane at all, she was too calm for my liking, and no adoring wife would kill her husband, let alone feeding the murder weapon to his fellow colleagues.

This short story was a great read, it expressed the adult side of Roald Dahl, the author of children' fiction such as the famous Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Dec 27, Jesse Goodglass rated it really liked it Recommends it for: A really interesting and surprising collection of stories from one of my favorite children's writers.

I know Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach -- these were light and airy books that can be read to 4th graders. Some of the stories in Lamb , however, were so dark as to be almost sinister! Jan 04, Ann rated it really liked it. My son found this slim paperback in a used bookstore in Wellington, New Zealand, and all four of us ended up reading it while traveling.

Dahl's short stories are rich in character and humor with one exception: The humorous stories made me laugh out loud: Oct 26, Ruth Soz rated it really liked it Shelves: This was a borrowed book from Jack's mom or "mum". We bookworms are everywhere! Mar 04, Sarah Key rated it really liked it Shelves: Aug 22, Marigold Haske rated it it was amazing. If you like his children's stories, definitely pick up some of his stories for adults.

Jul 29, Ben rated it it was amazing.

1. Flamme dArgent (Policier) (French Edition).
2. Short Story # Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl.
3. Achieving Quality Education for All: Perspectives from the Asia-Pacific Region and Beyond: 20 (Education in the Asia-Pacific Region: Issues, Concerns and Prospects);
4. Lamb to the Slaughter.
5. Navigation menu.

Oct 09, Shannon rated it liked it. One of the first short stories I remember reading as a kid, in third grade.

Plot Description

Aug 20, Felix rated it really liked it. Lamb to the slaughter, By Roald Dahl. The story is set on a Thursday evening, just as Patrick arrived home from his long day working as a detective. I thought this was quite a mature story, with a very extravagant plot. This short story is predominately adult themes, without being capped off with any sort of happy ending. This dramatic comedy employs typical Roald Dahl language features, such as a trivial Lamb to the slaughter, By Roald Dahl.

This dramatic comedy employs typical Roald Dahl language features, such as a trivial but recognized amount of black humour. I would score this short story four out of five. My reasons behind such a score lie in the distinctive use of language. What Mr Maloney had said to Mary is still unknown, but widely speculated, and hinted that he confessed to having an affair.

• Pants on Fire?
• Information.
• Allegro occidentale (Super ET) (Italian Edition).
• Political Communication in Postmodern Democracy: Challenging the Primacy of Politics.
• Lamb to the Slaughter and Other Stories by Roald Dahl!

I think this story was interesting, yet rather gross. It is the type of book that makes your stomach feel uneasy as you read, and does not even start to bring relief at the end. I think this was a very high end of writing in the story, but it was quite mature. Sep 16, Sarah rated it really liked it Shelves: Roald Dahl spins five tales of suspense and surprise. This is a great little book to carry in your purse for long subway rides.

The first is a story about a scam artist who convinces people that their valuable furniture is worthless to buy it from them at a cheap rate- this comes back to bite him at the end of the story. A Piece of Cake: This is a trippy, and sad, story about a WWII pilot who experiences hallucinations and visions after crashing his fighter plane. He wakes up in Roald Dahl spins five tales of suspense and surprise. He wakes up in a hospital, blinded and without a nose.

Lamb to the Slaughter: A 6 month pregnant woman murders her husband and slyly covers it all up. This one may have been my favorite of the five stories since she was a relatable character that you want to succeed, and because going into these stories I expected sinister- this was the only one that was quite twisted. I liked this one alot too.



It is also about a scam artist getting his due reward. I don't know how you couldn't love that kind of story. This was a very short story about a chef and a butler with exquisite taste who fool a pretentious couple out of fine wines. Jun 13, Louis Frew rated it liked it. The wife decides to kill her husband for reasons unknown. Her husband comes home from a long day at work and she makes him a glass of whiskey. He then gets up to get another glass and then Mrs Patrick Maloney found the weapons she would use to kill him. It was a leg of lamb. She came out of the kitchen with the leg in her hand and as her husband was leaving the house she swung the leg like a club into the side of his head.

To cover her tracks, she went to the grocer and pretended to buy food for her recently deceased husband. She then called the cops when she got home to tell them that her husband was dead. To get rid of the murder weapons she the cooked it and fed it to the cops searching for that very weapon. Aug 20, Martin rated it really liked it.

Mary Maloney was sitting down on the chair one day when events started to change. Her husband was rather odd today. He would not go out and was drinking a lot of whisky. What is wrong with him? Listen Sit down I've got something to tell you. At this moment events turned he explained something to her with a look of horror on her face she said. Considering Mary above suspicion, the police conclude that Patrick was killed by an intruder with a large blunt object likely made of metal. After they make a fruitless search around the house and surrounding area, Mary is reminded that the leg is just about done and offers it to the policemen.

She points out that they have already been working through and past the dinner hour, and that the meat will otherwise go to waste; they hesitate, but accept. During the meal, as Mary sits nearby but does not join them, the policemen discuss the murder weapon's possible location.

Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl

One officer, his mouth full of meat, says it is "probably right under our very noses". Mary, overhearing them, begins to giggle.

“Lamb to the Slaughter”

Hitchcock presents this episode from a supermarket set where he's given a ticket "for blocking an aisle during the rush hour", even though he claims to have been in the slow lane. Patrick declares that he is leaving Mary, played by Barbara Bel Geddes , for another woman.

The adaptation otherwise follows the original story, with Harold J. Stone as the police detective in charge of the investigation. At the end of the program, Hitchcock explains that Mary Maloney was finally caught after trying to bump off her second husband in the same manner, because "he was the forgetful type and had forgotten to plug in the freezer", making the meat "as soft as jelly". In , the story was adapted by Robin Chapman for Roald Dahl's British television series Tales of the Unexpected , with Susan George as Mary and Brian Blessed as the police detective in charge of the investigation of her husband's murder.

This episode ends slightly differently from the original story: The last of them stops and turns back, looking intently at the leg bone resting on the serving platter. He then scrapes the contents of the platter into the kitchen bin. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. When she comes back home, she sees her husband's body and feels new pain and sorrow for the lose. She calls the police to let them know. The police begin to explore the house and ask her questions. They send people out to the market to find out about her visit. They discuss the details of the case and largely seem to disregard her as a suspect.

As the evening goes on and the police are present, Mary insists that they enjoy her leg of lamb that she had cooked since they are all working hard to find her husband's killer. As the men eat the lamb, they remark that the murder weapon had to be a blunt object that's right under their noses.

See a Problem?

Reflection This was a fun story that reminded me to some degree of Shirley Jackson's What a Thought, but obviously with more motivation. Overall, it was a rather dark story that I liked and have found like other tales of Dahl to have that dark and fascinating quality to them, just like his children's stories. I also like the play on the title in contrast ot the use of lamb and the offices blindness. Short Story out of Rating: You can find the full text of this short story at this site. Did you enjoy this read? Let me know your thoughts down below or feel free to browse around and check out some of my other posts!

You might also want to keep up to date with my blog by signing up for them via email.