Outside Wonderland
A very sweet book that slowly pulls the reader in. The further I got into this book, the more enjoyable it became. Presented as more whimsical than spiritual, the idea of parents in the afterlife watching their children grow was still a comforting thought. But the life lessons were there and the point that eternity is just a short lifetime away was clear. An enjoyable book!
Rated of 5
by Lucy B. (Urbana, Ohio)
Love and beyond
The main subject of this book is the love lives of the brother and two sisters whose mother and father died when the children were very young. There was a lot of sadness in each of the three adults' lives. I personally felt that the book would have sustained itself without adding the viewpoints of the mother and father throughout the story.
Rated of 5
by Carolyn A. (Questa, NM)
outside wonderland
Even though I cared about the characters and what happened to them, the book seemed just a step above a romance novel or soap opera. The writing was competent, but not exciting. I will not recommend it to demanding readers.
Rated of 5
by Debra F. (Alton Bay, NH)
Watching from "Here"
You will journey into the lives of three adult siblings who lost their parents as children; Alice, Dinah, and Griffen, (named after the characters in the Lewis Carroll stories). Each one, in very different ways, tries to cope and to find happiness in their lives and the world. As you watch them try and navigate their way in the world, you will also see their lives through their 'parents' eyes up in Heaven, ("Here"). Loss, betrayal, faith, love and family are some of the themes running through this novel If you are not open to religious themes, this novel may not be for you.
Rated of 5
by Kenan R. (Liberty, MO)
Outside Wonderland
As I grow older I become increasingly less tolerant of self centered characters making “rookie mistakes”. So I have to say that while I liked Outside Wonderland - I did not particularly like any of the Stenen children, and felt their woe-is-me attitudes that offered them the mutual “out” for self absorbed, lousy decision-making, made for insipid and uninteresting protagonists. That said, I didn’t dislike the book, in fact I found it to be a fast and generally entertaining read. I much preferred the interaction in the afterlife between the Stenen parents and felt their relationship was much more real and potentially interesting than those of their offspring. I also felt the prose in the “Here” (afterlife) sections was vastly superior to that in the “There” or real life moments. I liked Outside Wonderland fine as written; I would have loved it had all been written like those incandescent glimpses of “Here” were.
Rated of 5
by Harriette K. (Weston, FL)
Outside Wonderland
Although the story kept me interested enough through to the end, and there were some very good lines here and there, I found "Outside Wonderland" rather predictable. The device of giving "the departed" a window into the living world is a delicate one, and this time the author lost me. The story of the three sibs who made their ways through life after the devastating deaths of their parents would have been interesting enough. At another time of year, I would call this a good "beach read".
Rated of 5
by Cam G. (Murrells Inlet, SC)
Outside Wonderland
Outside Wonderland is an imaginative novel about a family who has suffered the loss of each of their parents at different times in their youth, and the difficulties they encountered in their adult lives. Unbeknownst to them, the parents are residing in the "Here" ( or heaven) and are able to watch them from above. If you are looking for a quick enjoyable read this is the book. It doesn't have a lot of depth, and the characters are rather mundane.
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of 5
by Karen E. (Sandy, UT)
of 5
by Lucy B. (Urbana, Ohio)
