A Vintage Reads Classic Review: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, 1-2) by Lewis Carroll, December 10, 2002 (originally published in 1871). Published by Modern Library. Source: bought/own.

Weary of her storybook, one "without pictures or conversations," the young and imaginative Alice follows a hasty hare underground--to come face-to-face with some of the strangest adventures and most fantastic characters in all of literature.

The Ugly Duchess, the Mad Hatter, the weeping Mock Turtle, the diabolical Queen of Hearts, the Cheshire Cat--each more eccentric than the last--could only have come from that master of sublime nonsense, Lewis Carroll.

In penning this brilliant burlesque of children's literature, Carroll has written a farcical satire of rigid Victorian society, an arresting parody of the fears, anxieties, and complexities of growing up. 

First Sentence:

Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, "and what is the use of a book," though Alice, "without pictures or conversations?"

While I own two copies of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass I have, you guessed it, never read it before this year. That is until Judith suggested I give it a try since we were/are on a classic book kick.

Going in, I was unsure if Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass would be something I'd enjoy. Mainly because, well, I did not know if I would like Alice herself. Yet she ended up being one of the reasons that I deeply enjoyed this book.

One of the chief reasons I fell in love with this book was Lewis Carroll's writing. I just really enjoyed the way his framed his sentences and the style in which the story was told. There was just something about the way the writing came across that made it truly a unique story to delve into. To be honest, if I could only recommend Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass in one point it- that point would be the writing.

Compared to the Alice(s) from the movies, you'll find it no surprise that I liked the book version best. Lewis Carroll's depiction of her is what really made her an interesting character to read about. I liked her curiosity and way of seeing the world. It was rather refreshing in a way that I just cannot pinpoint.

I cannot even begin to know where to start when it comes to the actual story. Seriously though, the story itself is kinda tripp-y and out there. Even so, that is what makes it so interesting because you just cannot tell if Alice actually visited Wonderland or stumbled Through the Looking Glass or maybe she just imagined it all. Yet that is precisely why I enjoyed it. That and the cast from Wonderland were shockingly like those she knows in real life.

It's late and I am officially out of words. This book was pretty awesome and much more entertaining then I thought it was going to be.

Final Verdict: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass- Go read it and fall in love with the writing!! It truly is a magical and unique read!!

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass earns

So, I bought/own a copy of this book and you, know, decided to talk about it. All thoughts are my own.