As with a lot of sorry story collections this was a mixed bag. The writing style throughout was great and each story was easy to read. Given the title of the book and the aims of each story I feel it necessary to judge each by its ending and this where we find the mix. Some were a little predictable which were disappointing, some confusing and others confounding. Royal jelly and Mrs bixby were great, but not too surprising in their conclusion. William and Mary was particularly well done with a satisfying ending and neck was particularly disturbing. I'd love to read a whole novel of Dahls non children fiction if there is any, if not I'll pick up some more of his short stories in the future.