Publisher : Random House Audio
Publication Date : 2010 01 12
>> A fantastic exploration of how Alice in Wonderland might have come to be
I ve read several books lately that deal with women and literature of one kind of another and how the pursuit of those words impacted their lives Arcadia Falls and The Children s Book are two that come to mind Alice I Have Been is far and away the best one Benjamin does a truly wonderful job of taking us inside the mind of a young girl who thinks she knows how the world works Alice is a delightful little girl who isn t afraid to speak her mind or follow her dreams Her family s relationship with Charles Dodgson and her personal relationship with Dodgson clearly show where the themes and characters of Alice In Wonderland sprang to life Benjamin doesn t pretend to have all the answers but she provokes some interesting questions If there is one flaw in the book it is the absence of Alice s transition from heart broken young woman to well heeled wife and mother The two Alices are very different and while it is easy to infer the changes that she went through it would have been nice to see them I rarely give five stars to a book but this one deserves them
>> From Alice s Point of View
I really enjoyed Alice I Have Been and if it was an option I would give it a 4 5 rating The moment I saw the inside cover blurb I was fascinated because I wondered how in the world the author would handle this infamous and mysterious tale of the relationship between Dodgson/Carroll and Alice Liddell Of course all of the real or potential evidence of wrongdoing was destroyed in the real life drama but this story handles the legend well I especially liked that the author gave Alice believable intelligence and feeling Anyone who looks at the photos Dodgson took of Alice knows that she was full of life and intelligence Her photos are the best in Dodgson s collection in my opinion and you can t help but wonder what the child was thinking when the photo was taken you also wonder where the child s mother or guardian was for some of them
Reasons I didn t give the book a five star review There were a couple of places not many where it lost my attention The most frustrating aspect of the book for me was the characterization of Ruskin I felt like he turned into a caricature and the author s use of him in the story didn t do much for me
Still overall the book is worth the read and the money I highly recommend it
>> Wonderful Quick and Engaging Read
I was never a big fan of Alice in Wonderland but Alice I Have Been seemed like an intriguing story It was and I was not disappointed Melanie Benjamin wrote a story that was fascinating yet haunting It left me wanting to know more about Alice Liddell and Charles Dodgson I highly recommend this to everyone who likes a good read into the psyche and personal lives of others
