Alice I Have Been
But oh my dear, I am tired of being Alice in Wonderland. Does it sound ungrateful? Only I do get tired.
I enjoyed this one. I did. I am not sure that I LOVED it as much as I loved The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb, that book made me want to read more Melanie Benjamin.
Alice I Have Been is the fictional memoir of Alice Liddell, the little girl who "inspired" Alice in Wonderland. It is told through the eyes of a much older and much wiser Alice. An Alice who is perhaps just coming to terms with her past. An Alice who is asking questions and finding answers.
Explored in this one, of course, is her relationship--her family's relationship--with Charles Dodgson. This relationship is seen through both perspectives--as a little girl who idolizes a man that makes a big ado about spending play time with these children, and as an adult who questions what her feelings for the man really were after play time was over.
But the novel goes beyond those childhood years. Readers see her as a married woman with children of her own.
I thought the novel was well written. I found it fascinating. It was never boring!!! I think Melanie Benjamin is a great writer, a great storyteller. And I've really enjoyed both of her books.
© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
Category Article 2009, adult fiction, Historical Fiction, library book
