Rating: 
Summary: Dahl, the master of children's tales
Review: When I read this book I...knew little about the act of procreation (besides what I had seen in pictures). Dahl exhibits here not a realistic, but an idealistic view of sexuality. Too often, sex is used to demean the woman and to obtain power. My Uncle Oswald makes a mockery of such values and shows what sex could be without the foolish inhibitions of society.Oswald is a young man at the time of this tale, and is beginning to discover the pleasures that women can provide. What struck me about him was that although he had a rule never to sleep with a woman more than once, he was remarkably equalitarian in his relations with a partner. When he meets the beautiful Yasmin Howcomely, she becomes an equal partner in his ventures. They sleep together twice, but there are no regrets that the relationship does not continue. Oswald never "uses" a woman for pleasure, he merely enjoys the company they give, never forcing more than is desire by the woman.
This book may seem nothing more than a romp through a sexual, historical world filled with geniuses and ridiculous plot twists (it is set in the early 1900's). But looking closer, the reader will notice that it is a brilliant satire of views dearly held by the common man, everything from inherited traits to drug use. And all this is told by one of the most beloved children's writers of our century. Who would have guessed?
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