AUTHOR: Lewis Carroll with Illustrations by Camille Rose Garcia
PUBLISHING DATE: February 2, 2010 (this edition)
PUBLISHER: Harper Design
FROM GOODREADS: One day, a young girl named Alice is sitting on the riverbank with her sister, when she sees a curious looking white rabbit. She soon after falls into the magical world of Wonderland, where she meets a series of strange creatures.
MY THOUGHTS:
I bought this book last year inspired in part by the beautiful artwork and it's a good thing I did, because if it were another edition, I may have never finished it. Now I know Alice in Wonderland is a classic and is loved by many, but I am just not one of those people. The main reason it received 3 stars instead of 2 is because of Camille Rose Garcia's artwork which as I mentioned is beautiful and also dark and twisty.
My main problem with the book is Alice. She is a whiny little brat. She is never happy, is always complaining and nothing seems good enough. She thinks she is much smarter than she really is and as I have commented on another group, I don't believe for one moment she FELL down the rabbit hole, I think someone PUSHED her because they were tired of her crap.
I did like some aspects of the story. I enjoyed the side characters immensely such as the White Rabbit, the Mock Turtle and the Caterpillar. Although, I do wish the mock turtle had chosen to drown Alice in the sea.
I am not sorry I read this book. I now have a grasp of the hype and can accept that I will not perpetuate it. I have not read a book in such a long time that has stuck with me the way this book has, specifically because of Alice. I have several ARCs of books which are coming out that are either retellings or inspired by Alice in Wonderland, and I hope to enjoy them all more than I did the original.
MY RATING: 3 PAWS
COYER SCAVENGER HUNT #75 - Step outside your comfort zone and read a book in a genre you have read less than 5 times this year. (Classics - I haven't read one this year before this. Check out my link on Goodread. Check out my shelf HERE.
I read this a very, very long time ago, and I remember thinking Alice was a bit annoying, too. Plus, what kind of mushrooms did she eat?
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Barb!
Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews
I'm trying to read this one right now and boy, is it a struggle! What on earth makes this a classic?? At least with The Great Gatsby I could say the writing was eloquent. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteI am glad to know I am not the only one who struggled. I have quite a few retellings I wanted to read, but I disliked Alice so much now I am afraid to start them.
DeleteI haven't read Alice In Wonderland in forever. I just love the art style of this version. I forget that sometimes classics aren't always what they ought to be.
ReplyDelete