Reviews
My second time reading this didn’t leave me nearly as enchanted as I remember from the first, which may be why it took me nearly two months to finish. At times I found the writing pretty frumpy. Is that because it’s set in the repressive Victorian era and is actually genius writing or is it just unimaginative historical fiction? That being said, it really pulled back the curtains for me about the exploitative nature of the artist and the muse, particularly when a child is involved. One line has stuck with me for years: “There is so much talk about the sins of the fathers, but it is the sins of the mothers that are the most difficult to avoid repeating”. (The thesis statement of my Goodreads shelf, sins of the mother, by the way.) Isn’t it always the mother??? That chef’s kiss moment is what gave this 3 stars, in reality it’s pretty boring and deserves a 2 :/
Alice Liddell’s life seems to be neatly explained through three stages in her life, but there is nothing near about it. Each stage seems to spill into the next and majorly affect the life she lives, as with anyone. We cannot split our lives up and expect them not to interfere with each other. But Alice has an extra bit of life, her dream of a life, in Wonderland. It has complicated things from the moment pen was set to paper, though she was the one who insisted it be written. This wonderful story of the woman who inspired Alice in Wonderland is intriguing and disturbing. You can’t help but being interested in what had happened and will happen in her life. As the years go by everything seems so complicated and you keep wondering what exactly happened to make everything go so off track? It is not until the end you find what truly happened that one summer afternoon. After reading the book, it was also interesting to read the author’s note. She explains how most of what happened, though the specifics being imagined, came from real research she had done. Though this is only one imagined story of what happened in Alice’s real life, and there could be many other versions to be though up. You will most definitely start to see this beloved children’s story in a new light.
I don't usually read historical fiction simply because I find it weird when authors use real people in novels. However, I had read a good review or two of this book on the internet, and hey, the library is free, so I picked it up. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great, either, and some of the material was rather questionable, which is all I can say without giving away any spoilers. I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone, unless that person was looking for a book on the real Alice Liddell, or in this genre.
