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Book Jacket

Outside Wonderland:
A Novel
by Lorna Jane Cook

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication date: 03/29/2011.
Novels, 336 pp.

Number of reader reviews: 46
Readers' Consensus: 4.0
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First Impressions: Page 7 of 7
Rated 3 of 5 of 5 by Margaret H. (Springfield, VA)

Outside Wonderland
What happens to children when their parents die while they are young? The three young adults are still trying to overcome the loss they felt and find their own ways in the world. The older daughter, Alice, is an actress in New York and not interested in a lasting relationship. Diana, the younger daughter, has a quick fling with a man on a cruise and finds that she is pregnant. The brother, Griffin, is in a relationship with Theo which is in trouble for a number of reasons. The three of them find their place in the world and the happiness they have been looking for since their parents died. Meanwhile, the parents look on from heaven, wishing they could help but at the same time finding their own happiness. The use of the parental angels does not help the story move but does add some humor. One does want everything to turn out well but the ending seems to be too contrived.

Rated 3 of 5 of 5 by Shirley F. (Franksville, WI)

Still hoping
I wanted to like this book. I had a hard time relating to the 3 siblings and their "poor me" attitudes which affected nearly every life choice. I didn't think that the parents watching from "there" really added anything to the book and their part seemed contrived. This book felt like it was written as a made-for-TV script - not too much depth so that it could appeal to a wide audience.

Rated 2 of 5 of 5 by Sande O. (Rochester, NY)

I wanted to care more about these people
Out of Wonderland is a book I kept wanting to like. As I read it I wanted to care about the three children: Alice, Dinah and Grif, but I didn't. I didn't like them, though I did want to know what happened to them in the end, I wasn't really invested in their fates.

I was intrigued with the premise of three orphaned children and their parents following their lives from heaven. But, their Greek Chorus parents were not involved in any meaningful way in their lives. They did not really know their children or care. None of us seemed to care about anyone or anything. When I finished the book I felt sorry for us all and the waste of time we had all exerted in this enterprise.

Rated 1 of 5 of 5 by Burlingame Book Lover

What Now???
Too many storylines make this book a very choppy read. My head hurt just trying to keep up with what was happening. Could one family really suffer from this much chaos? The author threw everything into the storyline from death, angels from heaven, sickness, infidelity, homosexuality and an unwed mother. I wouldn't even suggest this book as a good beach read. Sorry.

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