A book review: Alice in Wonderland

TITLE: Alice in Wonderland

AUTHOR: Lewis Carroll

PUBLISHED: First published 1865, my Wordsworth Classics edition was published 1993

This is the story of Alice, a young girl who falls down a rabbit hole and finds herself in a fantasy world with the most unusual creatures. Originally composed to entertain a young girl known to the author, this children’s classic has continued to enchant children and adults alike for generations.

You might like – A book review: The Twits

What a lovely little story this is; and one which I can’t believe it has taken me so long to get to! I wish I had read this as a child because I would love to know what a younger me would have said about it. Also, I was one of those children that loved creative play and I’m certain I would have made use of more than a few of the characters in this book!

Firstly I wanted to touch upon the title, perhaps I’ve been living under a rock but I embarrassingly didn’t know that Alice in Wonderland is not the original, rather a shortened title that is more commonly used these days. I’m curious as to why it was shortened from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and I’m struggling to decide which one I prefer.

Now, back to my thoughts. I whizzed through this one, I read it whilst my daughter took her afternoon nap so it would have been within two hours that I finished it. It is a short book (just over 100 pages), and it does include illustrations so it doesn’t take long to get through. It’s the perfect read for a quiet afternoon. Speaking of the illustrations, they are so lovely! Usually I somewhat ignore pictures and just focus on the text, I tend to prefer to create my own images in my mind instead, but these ones were really sweet and I did have a proper look rather than just turn the page.

You might like – My most memorable childhood stories

This is such a well known story, and if you haven’t read it then chances are you’ve seen an adaptation of it. If like me (until recently) you haven’t read it or seen it then you must at least be familiar with the general plot. It’s an extremely famous tale of a young girl who falls down a rabbit hole thus beginning an adventure in a fantasy land; and it is every bit as delightful a tale as it sounds! The setting, the imagery, the plot, the characterisation, the pace…it’s all spot on. I can’t fault anything.

The poetry within the book is definitely worth a mention, it is so fun and like a song; it really enriches the tale. Also worth a mention here are some of the more memorable characters, for me these characters would be The Cheshire Cat, The Queen of Hearts and The Mad Hatter. These three are definitely my favourites; if I was forced to choose a winner I suspect I would pick The Queen of Hearts but it’s a close-run thing! I found all three to be fascinating and hugely entertaining. These three (along with Alice herself) were the characters that I knew about before reading the book so I was really looking forward to meeting them and I was far from disappointed!

It’s a fun read, a perfect little dose of escapism for a couple of hours, and a book that is sure to put a smile on your face. I was prompted to read this following my books I had forgotten were on my shelf (part two) post. As I explained there I had forgotten I even owned this book but that won’t be happening again. I’m going to put it at the front of my bookshelf because for me it’s the perfect quick read when you need a little pick me up.

If you haven’t read it then you really should! I can’t wait to get to Through the Looking Glass, here’s hoping it’s as lovely as this one!

You might like – ‘Classic’ literature: must you read it to discuss it?

MY RATING: 5/5

Have you read Alice in Wonderland? What did you think about it? If you haven’t read it do you think that you will? As always I would love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks for reading, I hope that you enjoyed!

Find me on Instagram and Pinterest

Until the next time…Jess x