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readingjunkie_'s review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
j_laws_tagg's review against another edition
4.0
A great children's classic I had never read until recently. I loved it. It is so absurd and childish I couldn't help but smile and laugh as I went along. If you've ever seen and Alice in Wonderland movie you only know half the story since "Through the Looking Glass" is a great sequel to the first book (This is also the book that introduces the Dweedle Dee and Dum characters). Check this classic out soon. It's a quick easy read.
nostalgia_reader's review against another edition
5.0
Average 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.
Wonderland: 5 stars.
Looking-Glass: 4 stars.
For such a favorite book of mine, up until last year, I had never owned a singular copy of the duology (just the one contained in a complete Carroll anthology) and I had never read any sort of annotated or critical edition of it. My comprehension of the nonsense suffered because of that, especially since I am "that person" who insists on finding symbolism and meaning in explicitly nonsensical, surrealist work. When I skimmed through this edition at work, which had been assigned for an English class for a few semesters, I knew this was an edition I needed to read.
The Centenary Penguin edition was a delightful semi-critical edition to read and the extensive notes were an absolute delight to read through. Among the 50+ pages of notes there's provided context from Carroll's life and times, explanation of some of the obscure puns and word plays, specific notations as to where and how Wonderland diverges from Underground and explanations for various obscurities, like what the heck a caucus is and why the snap-dragon-fly is a pudding and not a flower! Haughton's lengthy Introduction (80 pages!) also contextualized much of the reasoning behind the inclusion of nonsense and how Carroll's personal life affected much of the inspiration for the stories.
The full text of the original story Carroll wrote specifically for Alice Liddell--Alice's Adventures under Ground--is included, with his original illustrations, as well as his article "Alice on Stage."
While I now see that these stories are in no way the greatest written or constructed stories ever--there are so many parts that have always bored me or confused me or just taken away from the narrative (*cough* Gryphon and Mock Turtle *cough* sorry guys)--having the added context of the notes made me appreciate the commentary that Carroll was making, and made it seem less out of place. (Full disclosure though, many of the scenes I find as "out of place" are ones that are not included in many standard movie adaptations of the book, and since I watched the movies before I ever read the books, they certainly shaped how I think of the plotlines.)
The wonderful absurdity of the worlds, combine with the analytical look at it all in this edition, made for a ridiculously enjoyable read, and cements the Alice Duology as forever favorites.
Wonderland: 5 stars.
Looking-Glass: 4 stars.
For such a favorite book of mine, up until last year, I had never owned a singular copy of the duology (just the one contained in a complete Carroll anthology) and I had never read any sort of annotated or critical edition of it. My comprehension of the nonsense suffered because of that, especially since I am "that person" who insists on finding symbolism and meaning in explicitly nonsensical, surrealist work. When I skimmed through this edition at work, which had been assigned for an English class for a few semesters, I knew this was an edition I needed to read.
The Centenary Penguin edition was a delightful semi-critical edition to read and the extensive notes were an absolute delight to read through. Among the 50+ pages of notes there's provided context from Carroll's life and times, explanation of some of the obscure puns and word plays, specific notations as to where and how Wonderland diverges from Underground and explanations for various obscurities, like what the heck a caucus is and why the snap-dragon-fly is a pudding and not a flower! Haughton's lengthy Introduction (80 pages!) also contextualized much of the reasoning behind the inclusion of nonsense and how Carroll's personal life affected much of the inspiration for the stories.
The full text of the original story Carroll wrote specifically for Alice Liddell--Alice's Adventures under Ground--is included, with his original illustrations, as well as his article "Alice on Stage."
While I now see that these stories are in no way the greatest written or constructed stories ever--there are so many parts that have always bored me or confused me or just taken away from the narrative (*cough* Gryphon and Mock Turtle *cough* sorry guys)--having the added context of the notes made me appreciate the commentary that Carroll was making, and made it seem less out of place. (Full disclosure though, many of the scenes I find as "out of place" are ones that are not included in many standard movie adaptations of the book, and since I watched the movies before I ever read the books, they certainly shaped how I think of the plotlines.)
The wonderful absurdity of the worlds, combine with the analytical look at it all in this edition, made for a ridiculously enjoyable read, and cements the Alice Duology as forever favorites.
bythemoon's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
justnicka's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.75
gianino4's review against another edition
4.0
Clearly a classic, that is read for many reasons. Common themes of dreams, imagination, and finding oneself. Much of the recognized nonsense has an underlying meaning, so there's a lot to digest. Carroll's writing style is very unique, much like the more modern writing of Lemony Snicket.
misslorieo's review against another edition
5.0
Loved it as a kid; loved it more as an adult. It is very multi-leveled, and has a wonderful turn of phrase.
shelleebee_books's review against another edition
3.0
This took me a bit longer to read as I took a break between Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. I also listened to them both on Audible and it took a while to find a version of the whole story of Looking Glass. I enjoyed both books. It’s a children’s classic with lots of weird and wonderful characters and non sensical things happening. I had been meaning to read this for a while and glad I finally did.
rachel_a_king's review against another edition
2.0
I'm sure I'm not the first person to say this, but I just have to write a review (and I usually don't!).
I started reading this book, having grown up on the animated Disney version, prepared to fall in love. I had held out on reading it for so SO long and when I finally got around to it... I was horribly let down. Maybe this book has been hyped up so much it was never going to be good enough... But it's worse than that - I actively did NOT enjoy the book. I only finished Adventures In Wonderland out of spite, and started and finished Through the Looking Glass (which was SLIGHTLY better, hence the two stars and not just one...) through pure stubbornness. Maybe I just don't get it, but I don't see why this book is so widely held up as such a classic. Alice was (excuse my language) an annoying little shit the first half, everybody was rude as hell and everything was random and confusing. I felt like I was reading Carroll's fever dream, and wondered what he'd been smoking while he wrote it most of my read through. In fact, at some point I was so miserable reading this I told my mother that everybody that reads this book suffers so much, they decide to keep quite about it and pass on the misery to future, unsuspecting readers. Now that I'm past it, I assume there really are people that enjoy this book, but I sure wasn't one of them.
I started reading this book, having grown up on the animated Disney version, prepared to fall in love. I had held out on reading it for so SO long and when I finally got around to it... I was horribly let down. Maybe this book has been hyped up so much it was never going to be good enough... But it's worse than that - I actively did NOT enjoy the book. I only finished Adventures In Wonderland out of spite, and started and finished Through the Looking Glass (which was SLIGHTLY better, hence the two stars and not just one...) through pure stubbornness. Maybe I just don't get it, but I don't see why this book is so widely held up as such a classic. Alice was (excuse my language) an annoying little shit the first half, everybody was rude as hell and everything was random and confusing. I felt like I was reading Carroll's fever dream, and wondered what he'd been smoking while he wrote it most of my read through. In fact, at some point I was so miserable reading this I told my mother that everybody that reads this book suffers so much, they decide to keep quite about it and pass on the misery to future, unsuspecting readers. Now that I'm past it, I assume there really are people that enjoy this book, but I sure wasn't one of them.