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growe16 's review for:

3.5
funny lighthearted medium-paced

As crazy as it sounds, this was my first time ever reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. I grew up watching the Disney movie (which I never really liked) and saw the Tim Burton live action film of it as a teen (which I liked a bit better). Ultimately, I just didn't think this was a book I'd like. Most of the episodes in the films have creeped me out or leaned into an aesthetic that I just don't really care for.

My interest was peaked largely because

1, my cousin told me the book is largely wordplay, puns, and creativity
2, I heard Spirited Away draws heavily on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
3, Audrey had a guide for it, and that sounded very enlightening.

Now that Audrey is out of business and bugs are creepy into the app, I decided to listen to my books ASAP to glean what I still could (even though features like voice notes no longer work).

Ultimately, I'd say my experience with this book was similar to my experience with Little Women: it probably will never be my favorite, but I like the book much better than the films. Some of the poems and puns are hard for a modern reader to get because their original counterparts haven't survived to today. But I really appreciated how the Audrey guide explained the dated allusions I wouldn't have gotten on my own.

Likewise, this is probably still best enjoyed as a physical read because of the wordplay, but also loved the full cast audio, complete with music, that Audrey had. I had previously tried to listen to this read by only one narrator, and characters quickly blurred together. I'd highly recommend full-cast and slow readers for this book, if you're looking to listen to it.

I think I'll ultimately prefer The Phantom Tollbooth for a creative children's book brimming with wordplay. However, I liked this book almost exclusively because of its wordplay (whereas previously I disliked it for everything else)---especially once more had been explained---and because of how much it reminded me of my childhood experience reading The Phantom Tollbooth. I chuckled quite a bit during Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, which was a pleasant surprise. So I think I'll eventually have to look into reading Through the Looking Glass, as well.