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There are currently 26 member reviews
for Alice I Have Been
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Marie D. (Maplewood, New Jersey)
Alice: A strange little girl, a complicated woman
I have been stymied since reading this book trying to decide whether or not I liked it! My recollection of the Alice in Wonderland story was warm and endearing. Now, my head is filled with worry about what really did take place between Mr. Dodgson and Alice when she was 11 years old.
Ms.Benjamin does a superlative job of creating the social and cultural scene in Oxford, England in the mid-19th Century through the post World War I era. But, Alice's mother is almost a "Mommy dearest" character in the way she favors one child over another. Yet, Alice grows to emulate the very cold nature of her mother with her own children! Did something untoward really happen between Alice and Mr. Dodgson? If not, then many lives were damaged needlessly. I felt a little like Alice falling into a rabbit hole myself after reading this book! "Curiouser and curiouser, indeed."
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Anne G. (MS)
Sure To Be A Bestseller
A multi-layered look at the life of the subject of Alice in Wonderland and that of its creator, Lewis Carroll. This is a book that will have readers thinking about Alice and Lewis Carroll long after they've closed the covers. Both were fascinating, if flawed, characters.
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Barbara H. (Alexandria, VA)
Alice was in Wonderland
Alice I Have Been is a fascinating study of human nature during the late19th and early 20th centuries and is well written, especially as a first book.
Written in 3 parts, the book follows Alice’s life from her childhood friendship with Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) to her unwilling but necessary foray into literary fame in her later years. Melanie Benjamin uses the few facts that are known about Alice to craft a story that is heart breaking.
Throughout the entire narrative, from childhood to late adulthood, Alice is genuine and believable.
Alice I Have Been is a novel that stands on its own, for at its core it is simply a moving story of a life blighted by the scrutiny of others. It is more than a story of a young woman famous for her relationship with an older man. The author has brought Alice to life.
I recommend it as a good read but be cautious and do not accept it as truth but only as fiction.
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Harriette K. (Northbrook, IL)
Alice I Have Been
At the age of 80, the "real Alice" of Alice in Wonderland looks back on her life and the unusual friendship she shared with the author, Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll). She recounts their visits, his photographing her and his telling of stories to amuse her and her two sisters. Those stories become the world famous Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-glass.
Although this is a work of fiction, Melanie Benjamin has researched the times and the events extremely well. For those who love to "Google", it is a pleasure to find the story so close to the facts. What our author has done is flesh out the characters and give a fine insight into Victorian times and the manners of the upper middle-class.
On finishing the book, I immediately went to my book cases to find my old copy of Alice in Wonderland, hoping to find hidden messages about the very unusual friendship.
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Dorothy T. (Victorville, CA)
An Enjoyable Read
Melanie Benjamin had some unanswered and even controversial issues to deal with when she took on the life story of Alice Liddell Hargreaves, including her relationship with Charles Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll, author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, which was inspired by Alice as a young girl. Because fiction is the medium she chooses, the author is able to take a well-reasoned stand on these issues and gives her readers answers in absence of missing facts (I personally like her version). She does so with a gift that makes this an enjoyable read.
Although the second section almost seems to sink into the realm of the romance novel, even to the point of melodrama, the first and third sections ring with mystery and the emotion of family dynamics and Alice’s personal inner journey. The first section is filled with wonderful descriptions of life in Victorian England: childhood, fashion, society functions, and the social and moral expectations of the time.
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Jeanne W. (COLUMBIA, MD)
Good, but not great
A lovely portrait of the life and times of the girl who inspired Alice in Wonderland. Unfortunately, the "literary mystery" remains unsolved as we never learn what really caused the breach that creates the tension of the novel.
The depiction of life in the Victorian age is well written. While Alice is a mostly sympathetic character, Mr. Dodgson remains a cipher. Is he a sad, misunderstood man or a monster? Whatever the actual truth is, he gives me the creeps.
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PPM (Lafayette, IN)
Alice's Adventures
For those of us who grew up with the tale of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" this is a delightful read. Alice tells the story as an 80 year old woman looking back over her life. It is easy to imagine her as Lewis Carroll's Alice. I was uncomfortable with the relationship of Alice and Dodgson and that detracted from the book. Still worth a read!!
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