Rating: 4 Stars
Source: Library
Description: Bored with storybooks with no pictures or conversation little Alice follows a White Rabbit down the rabbit hole and into an adventure.
Genre: Children's
Why I Picked This Book: This is one of those books that I've always been aware of but never picked up. I thought it was time to read it!
My Impression: I had a similar problem with this book that I had with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory earlier this year. I'm so familiar with the movies and the imagery is so vivid that it's hard to mentally step away from my preconceived ideas and just read the book for the book's sake. Alice starts out quickly. There's not a lot of setup and within the first couple of pages Alice is already falling down the rabbit hole. This book is pure and total nonsense. Nothing makes sense, the characters are insane and the pacing has this rushed slapdash feel to it. I kind of felt like I was madly chasing after Alice while reading it. I was worried that the book itself would get caught up in description but it doesn't. Carroll manages to draw an entire scene with only a handful or words and then we dash off to the next scene. It took me a few chapters to get used to the pace and the nonsense but once I did it was really a fun read. At just over 150 pages with some illustrations it a very quick read and definitely worth picking up if you've never read it.
Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: My copy came with Through the Looking Glass which I will read as well.
Would I Recommend this Book?: If you've never read it but enjoyed the movies it's worth picking up.
Challenges Met? The Reading Assignment Challenge (June)
I love British nonsensical humor, that book is crazy and I loved it ! I still haven't gotten over the fact that Lewis Carroll was a math teacher, though, it doesn't blend well with the craziness (in case you hadn't guessed, I hate math !)
ReplyDeleteIt definitely was hard to believe that this was written by a math teacher! This must have been total mental break!
DeleteI remember loving this as a kid!
ReplyDeleteI can imagine this would've been magic as a child!
DeleteI'm like you - the movies have kind of ruined me for the actual books. I think I did try to read Alice once and just gave up.
ReplyDeleteI think I would've loved this if I hadn't seen the movies. I think it's definitely better read as a child - at least for the first time.
DeleteI LOVE the nonsensicalness of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. It's so much fun and different. :)
ReplyDeleteIt was lots of fun though I do wish I had read it as a child.
DeleteNever even tried to read it...
ReplyDelete-sigh-
Perhaps I should!
Tessa
It's a very quick read! Definitely worth trying if you're interested.
DeleteThat's what I love about Alice - the pure and total nonsense! It's always such a fun read.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely pure and total nonsense! I had a good time with this one!
DeleteI enjoyed this when I was younger.
ReplyDeleteI really wish I had read this as a child. I think I would have enjoyed it even more.
DeleteI don't think I would read it again, the first time being at around 10 years old or so. It sounds like it could still be a fun read, but I know too much about it and have seen the movies based on it, cartoon and actors both. However, for someone like you who never read it before it was worth a chance to fall down that rabbit hole :)
ReplyDeleteIt was fun falling down the rabbit hole but I do wish I had fallen much younger!
DeleteI can't really remember reading this one as a young person, although I'm almost certain that I did. I read it a couple years ago and felt like I got a lot of things out of it that I wouldn't have appreciated when I was younger which was great because not all books can do that on rereading as an adult.
ReplyDeleteI had this book on a record set when I was nine and it was done with a cast of narrators and songs. I think I listened to it at least 100 times over the next couple of years. My cousin bought me a special edition in a slipcase for my 12th birthday. I looked at the pictures, but never read it. I took it out when my son was around age seven, and started to read it as a bedtime chapter a night book, but he got bored, so I finished it by myself. I think if I had attempted to read it a nine instead of listen to it, I would not have finished it. Although after reading Heidi again a couple of years ago, I was impressed that I had read that at age eight. Lol. I am actually listening to a set of Wonderland ebooks right now, but am growing weary of the overly theatrical British narrator. It is almost comical. As an adult I love all of the socio-political statements that were being made.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read this one, although I am familiar with the Disney movie and a few Alice variations. I really should give this one a go. I wonder though if it would drive me crazy. LOL
ReplyDeleteI had a lovely book with illustrations as a child, and when I reread it, the book did not have the pictures. But it was interesting to see the story from an adult perspective, and I did enjoy it. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHmm you know. I don't think I ever read these. It would be hard once you have such an image in your head to go back to the original I'd think.
ReplyDeleteThis book is crazy!! I would never read it again. But I am glad that I took the time to read it and be able to say I read the source material for it. I think I gave it like two stars... LOL!
ReplyDeleteAgreed that it's hard to separate from the movies. Especially when this book is sooooo silly. But still a fun read. Glad you finally got around to it. And liked it!
ReplyDeleteHappy reading!
Brittany @ This is the Story of My(Reading) Life
Hmm, interesting. I haven't read it, only seen the Disney movie. I do want to read this some day. Nonsense can work for me or drive me nuts so it'll be interesting to see how it works for me.
ReplyDelete