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Reviews
The Story of Alice: Lewis Carroll and the Secret History of Wonderland by Robert Douglas-Fairhurst
ninethreeo's review against another edition
4.0
Mid point review:
I love this book.
But I'm making very slow progress. Firstly, there is a lot of actual text here: the book is thick and the font is small.
Secondly, there's a lot going on within that text. Part biography. Part analysis of the text and it's themes. How these two parts affect each other.
Additionally, there are inferences which are not explicitly written down as either biography or analysis, there is STUFF BETWEEN THE LINES.
This is not a light read, but it is fascinating.
I love this book.
But I'm making very slow progress. Firstly, there is a lot of actual text here: the book is thick and the font is small.
Secondly, there's a lot going on within that text. Part biography. Part analysis of the text and it's themes. How these two parts affect each other.
Additionally, there are inferences which are not explicitly written down as either biography or analysis, there is STUFF BETWEEN THE LINES.
This is not a light read, but it is fascinating.
heylook's review against another edition
3.0
Good, not great. More about the lives of Carroll and Alice than it is about the writing of the book itself.
bluestjuice's review against another edition
4.0
I read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass as a kid (or at least, abridged adapted versions of them), and I studied Carroll and read Alice again in Victorian Literature in college, but I can safely say that their author had never interested me in any meaningful way, and I embarked upon this read knowing almost nothing about Charles Dodgson, Alice Liddell, or the ambiguous relationship between them which served as the catalyst for this imaginative work of fiction. There is apparently a lot of murkiness there, all of which was new to me, and I appreciated the author's evenhanded tone which addressed potential allegations of inappropriateness without becoming mired in that, to the exclusion of all else. He kept an evidence-based, skeptical approach which I found very welcome. Beyond those questions, this book covers a lot of interesting ground, from Dodgson's youth, his fascination with word games, mathematical puzzles, and linguistic tricks, through the middle period of his life where he became a celebrated author, and eventually through his death and the death (many years later) of Alice's inspiration herself. Some time and attention are paid too to the impact which these works have had on the world subsequently, briskly covering derivative works of fiction, references in advertisement, marketing, and pop culture, and stage and film interpretations through the second world war. If the subtitle here left you thinking, 'ooh, a tell-all exposé!', you're likely to be disappointed, but if you are looking for a sensible, evenhanded recounting of Dodgson's life and influence, this should prove a very satisfactory work.
loonyboi's review against another edition
5.0
How much you enjoy this book will be directly in proportion to your interest in the subject matter. If, like me, you are slightly obsessed with Alice and all things Carroll, then you will find much to love here. If not...well, you've been warned.
But if you are interested, there's so much great stuff in here. It does an admirable job at trying to parse out the life and times of Charles Dodgson, Oxford professor, author, and unusual person. Douglas-Fairhurst doesn't shy away from any potential controversies, and puts everything into the proper historical context.
But this is the story of Alice, not just Carroll, and so even after Dodgson's death, the book continues, completing first the life of Alice Hargraves, and then the continuing life of her fictional counterpart.
As I said, if any of this interests you, expect to enjoy the book a great deal. I can't say that I would recommend it to anyone otherwise.
But if you are interested, there's so much great stuff in here. It does an admirable job at trying to parse out the life and times of Charles Dodgson, Oxford professor, author, and unusual person. Douglas-Fairhurst doesn't shy away from any potential controversies, and puts everything into the proper historical context.
But this is the story of Alice, not just Carroll, and so even after Dodgson's death, the book continues, completing first the life of Alice Hargraves, and then the continuing life of her fictional counterpart.
As I said, if any of this interests you, expect to enjoy the book a great deal. I can't say that I would recommend it to anyone otherwise.
shivthroughthelookingglass's review against another edition
4.0
It's taken me a long time to get through this as it's very academic, "heavy" and not a simple read. However, I found it fascinating and as a hard-core Alice fan, I'm glad I've read it.
ohnoflora's review against another edition
3.0
A frustrating book to review. On one hand, the writing style is clear and engaging. The author has a lively interest in his subject and his enthusiasm comes through.
On the other, the book is so full of guess-work, supposition, occasional inaccuracy and stretching a point beyond reason that it was impossible to read without yelling every few pages. (Although, to be honest, I quite enjoyed the yelling.)
However, this book would have been much better had the writer said "it might have been," rather than "it was".
On the other, the book is so full of guess-work, supposition, occasional inaccuracy and stretching a point beyond reason that it was impossible to read without yelling every few pages. (Although, to be honest, I quite enjoyed the yelling.)
However, this book would have been much better had the writer said "it might have been," rather than "it was".
nancywif's review against another edition
2.0
I had to relagate this to my did not finish pile. It wasn't bad but it was just too dry and kind of boring. I found myself not wanting to pick it up again after the last time I stopped reading it which usually means it is time to give up. Although I love the Alice books, I didn't love the story about them.
georggieanne's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Pedophilia