Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Lewis Carroll
Pages: 239
Format: Paperback
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)
Rating: 5 out of 10 (Through the looking Glass)

Summary (Via GoodReads): Weary of her storybook, one "without pictures or conversations," the young and imaginative Alice follows a hasty hare underground -- to come face-to-face with some of the strangest adventures and most fantastic characters in all of literature. The Ugly Duchess, the Mad Hatter, the weeping Mock Turtle, the diabolical Queen of Hearts, the Cheshire Cat -- each more eccentric than the last -- could only have come from that master of sublime nonsense, Lewis Carroll. In penning this brilliant burlesque of children's literature, this farcical satire of rigid Victorian society, this arresting parody of the fears, anxieties, and complexities of growing up, Carroll was one of the few adult writers to enter successfully the children's world of make-believe, where the impossible becomes possible, the unreal, real, and where the heights of adventure are limited only by the depths of imagination.

My Thoughts: I really liked Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It was super original and a bit crazy. Actually, it was a lot crazy. I think that perhaps somebody did a little bit too much drugs before sitting down at his desk. Then again, I have some pretty strange dreams too. The characters were unique which I love, nobody likes to read about the same characters over and over again. Sometimes it was so bizarre that I really had to stretch my already over-sized imagination. Good and classic, definitely worth reading at some point before you die.

On the other hand, Through the Looking Glass was a bit different. I didn't like it near as much. The plot and layout were well done, if you know how to play chess that is. I do so I could appreciate it. Again, the characters were interesting. Sadly, the continued strangeness that carried over from the first book was a bit too much. It seemed to be the same thing over and over again. For a dream, however, it was pretty good.

Final Comments: Read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and if it happens to be your favourite book ever than read Through the Looking Glass. At the very least, wait to read them. Don't read them back to back like I did unless you really like them. Good story though. Very different.