What do readers think of Outside Wonderland by Lorna Jane Cook? Write your own review.

Author Lorna June Cook has a well crafted book that displays the endless love of parents for their children. She does a fine job of depicting the haunting loss young children feel throughout their lives after the tragic death of parents. The book also depicts the bond and support of siblings in troubled times. I liked the characters but wished I'd have known more about them. Overall, I thought this book was a wonderful and reassuring read.

"Outside Wonderland" is an enjoyable read. The three siblings left behind by their parents' untimely and sudden deaths are engaging characters who immediately caught my interest. I found myself engaged in their individual struggles to form meaningful relationships and find some happiness in a world they could not trust. The commentary of the mother who fleetingly observes her three children's progress from some other timeless place reminded me of the narrator of "Lovely Bones" who has also died and looks back on the living.

The three Stenen siblings, orphaned as young children, are going through adult crises unaware that their deceased parents are observing from "somewhere other". Cook's characters are realistic and her writing is spell-binding. You will be left asking yourself if we can ever be truly separated from those we have deeply loved.

Siblings Alice, Griffin, and Dinah, named for characters out of "Alice in Wonderland" lose first their mother in a freak accident, then their father. We get a small glimpse of them in their younger days before the story fast forwards to the adult siblings. All appear successful on the surface, but are struggling with relationships, and perhaps the unresolved issues of growing up without their parents. For the most part, the characters were likable; however I found them a little too cliche, and one dimensional. I wish they had been developed more fully. I would have liked to have had a few more glimpses of their childhood.

I looked forward to the parents perspective of their children's lives as they caught sight of them from heaven. I liked to think of these scenes as their view of earth "through the looking glass." The dialogue in these interludes was idyllic and the best parts of the novel.

This was a pleasant novel, easy to read. I give it 3.5 stars.

This was a very moving book that at times filled me with angst and in the end tied things together. I wish there could have been more insight into their youth - there was a gap between their younger selves and then as adults. That may have helped to better understand the who they were and why. None the less the story was moving and had me wondering at times - what would happen to my children if I was not around to help guide them?

I really enjoyed this book. It was slow going at first but soon I found myself thinking about the characters and was excited to return to them. The characters were well written and made me smile and cry. Choices were made and consequences were paid but all the way through it they supported each other even when they were having a hard time themselves. I loved the fact that their parents were in heaven watching and hoping they would make the right decisions. It gave me hope and was a very encouraging novel. I think it would be a good novel for bookclubs and a fun one for mothers and daughters to read together.

I liked this book -- the characters make this book a good read for people who enjoy family drama/psychological fiction.... It was interesting to observe how the children adapt to their lives growing up after the loss of both parents only eight years apart. The children (Dinah, Griffin and Alice) are named after characters is their mother favorite books : Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Looking Glass. They have learned to cope in their own way with being orphans...Each has adapted their lives to be as in control as possible: Alice becomes an actress (always on stage), Dinah prefers to remain anonymous and Griffin is insecure in relationships. . As they each try their wings in careers and relationships, they are watched by their parents from "Wonderland". As they try to step out of their normal modus operandi they make mistakes and they each become more sure of who they are and what they want out of life. As their parents watch their ups and downs from heaven their mother says, "Human nature is getting in their way!!"

I really enjoyed this well-written book. The three siblings have distinct, three-dimensional personalities, flawed yet sympathetic. I felt I came to know the characters well and was invested in their decisions. Plot twists keep it from being predictable. This story would make a great film. I was sorry to come to the end of the book and can't wait for the author's next novel.