Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass (Signet Classics)

Book Description

The Mad Hatter, the Ugly Duchess, the Mock Turtle, the Queen of Hearts, the Cheshire Cat-characters each more eccentric than the last, and that could only have come from Lewis Carroll, the master of sublime nonsense. In these two brilliant burlesques he created two of the most famous and fantastic novels of all time that not only stirred our imagination but revolutionized literature.

• Featuring the exquisite line drawings created for the original edition

Customer Reviews:

One of the best books ever.......2007-09-02

I am fonder of Through the Looking Glass than Alice in Wonderland, perhaps because of less exposure (e.g., Disney and other commercial venues). The drawings by Tenniel are brilliant and add the right flavor to the story. The book is well-written, surreal with bizarre, fascinating characters (whom a little girl has to figure out), unique situations, word play, puzzles and a mocking irreverent tone towards high society. Whenever as an adult I'd hit a snag and couldn't read, I would always pull out this one and it would put me back on track again. Another I will treasure for the memories of sharing it with my kid.

alice review.......2007-08-15

I thought it was funny and entertaining, but to be honest I was expecting something in the line of a masterpiece and I'm a little disappointed. The story is amazingly childish and crude and the worthwhile parts are very distinct and separate from the rest of the lackluster story. Still, the wordplay is ingenious and the book is an all around treat.

"If You Believe in Me, I'll Believe in You!".......2007-07-12

When Charles Ludwig Dodgson first began to tell the story of Alice's adventures underground to the three Liddell sisters, he had no idea whatsoever the impact that his work would one day have in the cultural history of humanity. Is there a person alive in Western civilization that *doesn't* know of Alice, the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts, the White Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat? I seriously doubt it. Writing under the pen name of Lewis Carroll, Dodgson's quirky fairytale soon became a publishing sensation in Victorian England, quite an unusual feat for a dour mathematician who had no interest whatsoever in boys, women or most other human beings, and instead lavishing his attention on little girls - particularly one Alice Liddell, to whom he presented the original manuscript to. The story of Lewis Carroll is just as fascinating as his fictional Alice, so I would suggest following up the "Alice" books with a good Carroll biography.

In a story that is so random (basically made up of one little girl wandering about in a dream) there is plenty of room for all sorts of crazy theories as to exactly what everything means. Does "Alice" have a deep subtext, filled with hidden meaning and messages? Is it Freudian? Elaborate satire? Does it reflect the deep internal frustrations, anxieties and wish-fulfillment of a slightly-disturbed mathematician obsessed with little girls? Or is it simply a series of weird and wonderful events dreamed up for the enjoyment of children? The fact that nobody is really sure *what* to make of this story is probably the reason why it's still published, read and discussed today.

The other reason is its historical value. "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" was the first book designed for children that was entirely void of any sort of moral, and instead written solely for pure entertainment purposes. Before "Alice", children were stuck with stories that preached goodliness and virtue, something that Carroll himself pokes fun at during the course of the story, when he refers to "several nice little stories about children who had got burnt, and eaten up by wild beasts, and other unpleasant things, all because they would not remember the simple rules their friends had told them." His stories came like an unexpected breath of fresh air amongst Victorian society, and it was little wonder that adults as well as children helped to make "Alice" a bestseller during its day.

Another crucial feature to the tale is Alice herself, often considered the first realistic representation of a child in literature. She's curious, but sometimes a little shy. She's polite, but manners often give way to frustration and temper tantrums. She's intelligent, but not as intelligent as she would like to think she is (relying heavily on an education that often fails her). She often holds her own against the contradictory natures of the people she meets, but more often than not is baffled and belittled by them. She possesses some degree of common sense, but often does some remarkably stupid things. She's likeable, but she's also a bit of a show-off and a snob. In other words, she's the first (and perhaps the best) example of a three-dimensional child character in literature geared toward either children *or* adults.

"Alice in Wonderland" begins with the infamous sight of a white rabbit with a waistcoat and pocket-watch muttering to himself: "I'm late! I'm late!" Abandoning her sister and the dull book that she's reading, Alice follows the rabbit down a rabbit hole and unexpectedly finds herself drifting deep down underground. What follows is a series of weird and wonderful meetings with the likes of the Queen of Hearts, the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, the Cheshire Cat and the Gryphon and the Mock Turtle, as poor Alice - the only sane person in the madhouse - struggles to make herself heard against this twisted parody of the adult world.

Nearly every page contains a clever pun, nonsensical poem or mathematical puzzle, and there's plenty here to keep you fascinated, whether it be Alice's abrupt shrinking and growing (brought on by eating Wonderland food, and perhaps reflecting Carroll's desire to control the growth of his young protagonist), the beautiful garden that Alice cannot seem to reach (and when she does, she finds it not quite to her liking, perhaps suggesting a reverse-Eden, in which children desiring adulthood soon realize that it's not quite what they expected it to be) or Alice's internal crisis in which she debates whether the surreal circumstances she's found herself in have resulted in her loosing her own identity (I won't even try to open the jar on *that* one!) No wonder scholars can go mad trying to untangle this tale! Even the fact that the story succumbs to the ultimate cliché in fantasy-fiction, the ending that will reward you with an F if you use it in a creative-writing exercise at school (I am of course, referring to the fact that Alice wakes up at the conclusion of the story to find that it was just a dream), doesn't damage the power of Carroll's imaginative force.

"Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There" is a little more structured in terms of its storyline, perhaps because Carroll was not simply making most of it up on the spot, as he had done with its predecessor. This time, when Alice falls asleep, she crawls through the mirror on the top of the mantelpiece and into the room on the other side. There she finds a land organized into the shape of a giant chessboard, in which Alice herself is a little pawn that must journey to the end of the board if she wishes to become a Queen. On the way she meets several chess pieces, including the Red and White Queen, and the White Knight (widely believed to represent Carroll himself), as well as Tweedledum and Tweedledee, Humpty Dumpty, a garden of living flowers, and the Lion and the Unicorn, the latter of whom famously tells Alice: "If you'll believe in me, I'll believe in you." My favourite chapter would have to be the one that involves the ludicrously pompous Humpty Dumpty (who is really the one who coined the term "un-birthday", not the Mad Hatter and the March Hare as the Disney version would have you believe), though equally memorable is the intriguing episode when Alice happens upon the sleeping Red King, and is told that he's dreaming of her. Is Alice in the Red King's dream, or is the Red King in Alice's dream? What should happen if one of them should wake up before the other? It's a disturbing metaphysical conundrum, and hints at the depths with which a scholar (or deep-thinking child) could delve into these stories.

Of course, not every child will enjoy the "Alice" stories. What was once vividly imaginative and innovative for a stifled Victorian audience has long since become commonplace in children's fiction, and the randomness with which the adventures take place can often unsettle young listeners (as they certainly did me, as I always felt that Alice was caught inside a nightmare). However, others will delight in the madness that abounds throughout the story, and others still will learn to appreciate the work as they get older. There are hundreds of editions out there, most probably quite as good as the next, but I would encourage buyers to track down an edition with John Tenniel's famous illustrations - you simply cannot read the "Alice" books when they are not accompanied by Tenniel's portrayal of his demure little Alice, with her hooded eyes and large forehead. It would be like reading C. S. Lewis without Pauline Baynes, or Roald Dahl without Quentin Blake. Unthinkable!

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Why Disney is Dead To Me.......2007-06-12

How is a raven like a writing desk? Because it can produce a few notes, though they are very flat; and it is never put with the wrong end in front. That is an example of the witty offbeat humor in "Alice's Adventures In Wonderland".

Alice is sitting bored when her attention is captured by a talking white rabbit. She follows it down a rabbit hole into a world full of strange creatures, curious happenings, and mysterious pastries. At first she marvels at all the oddities, but soon she wants to get home, only to discover that she doesn't know how.

By far my favorite parts of this book are when Alice encounters the Cheshire Cat. He is very witty, and adds something special to the story. Also his grin is phenomonal.

I think the theme of this book is really about using your imagination and letting your creative side get the best of you once in a while, not letting other things like television and the media do the imagining for you. That's also why the movie is totally hypocritical.

The whole point of the book is using your imagination, and the "Alice in Wonderland" movie did the opposite of that. Despite it being created by the godfather of the animated film industry (Disney) it really sucked. They took out too much of the story just to squeeze it into 1 and a half hours and a G-rating. "Alice's Adventures In Wonderland" wasn't made for the big screen, considering its length and semi-annoying characters that if animated and given the life of Disney turn them into monsters that are enough to make even the most devout Catholic contemplate suicide. And the songs! Don't even get me started on those. Disney has to pump every movie it pushes out full of annoying constant 5-minute "songs" that give you ear worms for a month! They ruin everything they get their greasy little fingers on. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland used to be original and interesting and Disney went ahead, squeezed out all the creativity, shoved some songs into it, stamped their trademark on it, and shipped it out. They are sick, sick little people.

Most of this book is quite entertaining, though there are a few parts that just seem stuck in there and were quite dull. "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" is a very original and interesting story, and if you've never read the book, do so. It is entirely worth it. If you haven't seen the movie, stay far, far away. For those of you who have, good luck with the nightmares. And those monstrous ear worms.

-carli

my favorite movie and book.......2007-04-14

i am 11 and the 1951 animated disney classic ALICE IN WONDERLAND is my favorite movie and the same with the book.
the book is better than the movie because disney left out a lot of charecters when he made the movie(like the ugly duchess,the grython,MR.mouse and many more) that is why the book is just a little better. this book is full of colorful rich words that make you want to read more from both ALICE stories also it has very well balck and white drawings.

The Annotated Alice: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass

Average customer rating:

Huh ?
Do not go to a foreign country with out a road map.
No need to "Go Ask Alice" when you have the Annotated one
Wonderful Gift
This book is necessary, in all senses of the word

The Annotated Alice: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass
Lewis Carroll , and Martin Gardner
Manufacturer: Random House Value Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

ASIN: 0517029626
Release Date: 1993-08-28

Customer Reviews:

Huh ?.......2007-02-27

This book reminds me of watching Henry Kissinger being interviewed by William F. Buckley, Jr. on FIRING LINE. Poor Henry spoke so deliberately and so s-l-o-w-l-y that I genuinely couldn't follow what he was saying. His cannonballs could barely make it out of the barrel of his cannon.

Up until reading this book I thought I would never again have to experience that excruciating pain. This volume is an excellent edition of esoterica and historical trivialties. Whatever "magic" one might hope to find in "Alice's ..." is almost immediately lost in trying to read the copious notes in the margins. (My bad?) I had hoped for something less pedantic and sterile. (My bad? ... doesn't some slang just make you wince?)

Anyway, be advised - if you're having trouble getting to sleep, this book is for you. (wink, wink)

Do not go to a foreign country with out a road map........2002-06-24

In this case the foreign country is in time and space. This book appears to be stand alone logic and fun on the surface. Some may even think it is a children's book. If so why all the courses and scholarly writings on the story?
Some things are self evident as being so short that you can touch your toes. Others may take some time as the reason hatters are mad is the process includes mercury. Still when was the last time you used a bathing machine? Knowing some of information can enhance the enjoyment of reading the story.
You get the original illustrations to boot. So when you are finished perusing this book it can be used as a coffee table conversation book.

No need to "Go Ask Alice" when you have the Annotated one.......2002-06-16

Perhaps no other set of works in literature benefits more from annotation than "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Class." Martin Gardner, the author of a regular monthly column on recreational mathematics for "Scientific American," provides expert commentary on all the jokes, games, puzzles, tricks, parodies, obscure references and other curiosities with which Lewis Carroll saturated his writing. That means that you will find out who was the original model for the Chesire Cat and how the "Jabberwocky" poem translates into French. Actually, the definitions of all of those strange words in "Jabberwocky" is quite a load off of my mind. Besides, this edition also contains the full text of each tale, together with all of the original Sir John Tenniel illustrations in their proper places. The annotation runs concurrently with the text and Gardner also provides an introduction that covers both the story of how the books came to be written and some of the most interesting analyses of Carroll's works, such as those always fun Freudian interpretations. The bottom line is that either one of these books gets 5 stars by itself, so when you put the two of them together and add all this annotation, there is nothing to complain about. This is the perfect book for re-reading these books; I would never send anybody here for their first exposure to Alice, but once they are hooked on Carroll's sublime nonsense this will open up a whole new dimension or two (or three) of his work for them.

Wonderful Gift.......2000-11-02

I was given this as a birthday gift as a child, and find it is one of the few gifts I can remember receiving. And probably the only one I still use, nearly 30 years later. If you enjoy Alice, you will love to know more of the background, and inside jokes that you will no doubt miss without this book.

This book is necessary, in all senses of the word.......2000-04-12

Victorian-era readers of Lewis Carroll's delightful fantasies knew the poetry and song and public figures referred to; we moderns need to have the jokes explained to us, and Martin Gardner does a masterful job of it. We're fortunately past the more bizarre Freudian and Marxist interpretations of Alice that Gardner takes to task in his preface, but Gardner's annotations survive, as they should. The White Knight's encounter with Alice is heartbreaking when you know the background information, the lyric the White Knight's doggerel alludes to. By all means, give this to children at risk of being pithed by exposure to a certain indigo reptile; as children, they'll appreciate the story, and as they mature, they'll appreciate the commentary, and you'll have saved a budding intellect.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: A Pop-up Adaptation

Average customer rating:

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Pop-up Book Robert Sabuda
Interesting
Gorgeous
Pop-up magic
These books are fabulous!

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: A Pop-up Adaptation
Lewis Carroll
Manufacturer: Little Simon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0689847432

Book Description

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is Robert Sabuda's most amazing creation ever, featuring stunning pop-ups illustrated in John Tenniel's classic style. The text is faithful to Lewis Carroll's original story, and special effects like a Victorian peep show, multifaceted foil, and tactile elements make this a pop-up to read and admire again and again.

Customer Reviews:

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Pop-up Book Robert Sabuda.......2007-08-07

I have most of the wonderful Robert Sabuda pop-up books and this one is a delightful addition to my collection. I can't get over the skill required to produce these books - how can they possibly mass produce them? Spectacular. These are far too delicate and fragile for small children - although you could hold them and open the pop-ups to show them, as small children will be enchanted to see the pictures. As an adult, I find them small works of art and enjoy owning and looking at them frequently. I had some out at Christmas and our guests were so happy with them I believe a few bought some for themselves. This is a particularly charming version of the Alice story, less frightening and psychotic than some versions, and so lends itself particularly well to enjoying the gorgeous pop-up images.

Interesting.......2007-06-21

Really interesting and amazing book. Not really for kids. Need an adult to operate effectively. It's hard to get your grandkids to keep their hands off it and let you read/work it for them. Almost overly complex - too many flaps and pop-ups.

Gorgeous.......2007-06-18

So happy with this purchase. Beautiful workmanship and detail. Amazing.

Pop-up magic.......2007-05-12

I have always loved the story of "Alice" and I rave over the pop-up illustrations of Sabuda. This book however fell short. The story was poorly edited and the artwork was below par for Sebuda. If you really want a fun Sebuda book "The Wizard of OZ," is terrific. Your children will have you reading over and over.

These books are fabulous!.......2007-02-18

I bought both Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz- Pop-ups for my four year old son. Both he and I (hubby too) love them. They are very special, the pop-ups are gorgeous and elaborate. I plan to make these books very special birthday presents for my friend's kids.

Highly recommended!

More Annotated Alice: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass

Average customer rating:

Martin Gardner's Annotated Alice is definitive.

More Annotated Alice: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass
Martin Gardner
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition

ASIN: 0394585712
Release Date: 1990-11-21

Customer Reviews:

Martin Gardner's Annotated Alice is definitive........1996-08-14

Martin Gardner avoids questionable psychoanalyticinterpretations, and instead describes the objects ofCarroll's satire that have been forgotten since the Victorian era. His notes allow us to fully enjoy Lewis Carroll's humor, and to see why Alice was so loved by children then (and by mathematicians now).

The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition

Average customer rating:

Wonderful Background and Analysis, but no academic description
Nice so far.
the book that didn't arrive
Highly recommend it!
Perfect gift

The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition
Lewis Carroll
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0393048470

Amazon.com

"What is the use of a book," thought Alice, "without pictures or conversations!"

Readers who share Alice's taste in books will be more than satisfied with The Annotated Alice, a volume that includes not only pictures and conversations, but a thorough gloss on the text as well. There may be some, like G.K. Chesterton, who abhor the notion of putting Lewis Carroll's masterpiece under a microscope and analyzing it within an inch of its whimsical life. But as Martin Gardner points out in his introduction, so much of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass is composed of private jokes and details of Victorian manners and mores that modern audiences are not likely to catch. Yes, Alice can be enjoyed on its own merits, but The Annotated Alice appeals to the nosy parker in all of us. Thus we learn, for example, that the source of the mouse's tale may have been Alfred Lord Tennyson who "once told Carroll that he had dreamed a lengthy poem about fairies, which began with very long lines, then the lines got shorter and shorter until the poem ended with fifty or sixty lines of two syllables each." And that, contrary to popular belief, the Mad Hatter character was not a parody of then Prime Minister Gladstone, but rather was based on an Oxford furniture dealer named Theophilus Carter.

Gardner's annotations run the gamut from the factual and historical to the speculative and are, in their own way, quite as fascinating as the text they refer to. Occasionally, he even comments on himself, as when he quotes a fellow annotator of Alice, James Kincaid: "The historical context does not call for a gloss but the passage provides an opportunity to point out the ambivalence that may attend the central figure and her desire to grow up." And then follows with a charming riposte: "I thank Mr. Kincaid for supporting my own rambling." There's a lot of information in the margins (indeed, the page is pretty evenly divided between Carroll's text and Gardner's), but the ramblings turn out to be well worth the time. So hand over your old copy of Lewis Carroll's classic to the kids--this Alice in Wonderland is intended entirely for adults. --Alix Wilber

Book Description

The culmination of a lifetime of scholarship, The Annotated Alice is a landmark event in the rich history of Lewis Carroll and cause to celebrate the remarkable career of Martin Gardner. For over half a century, Martin Gardner has established himself as one of the world's leading authorities on Lewis Carroll. His Annotated Alice, first published in 1960, has over half a million copies in print around the world and is highly sought after by families and scholars alike--for it was Gardner who first decoded the wordplay and the many mathematical riddles that lie embedded in Carroll's two classic stories: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Forty years after this groundbreaking publication, Norton is proud to publish the Definitive Edition of The Annotated Alice, a work that combines the notes of Gardner's 1960 edition with his 1990 update, More Annotated Alice, as well as additional new discoveries and updates drawn from Gardner's encyclopedic knowledge of the texts. Illustrated with John Tenniel's classic and beloved art--along with many recently discovered Tenniel pencil sketches--The Annotated Alice will be Gardner's most beautiful and enduring tribute to Carroll's masterpieces yet. Celebrating his eighty-fifth birthday in the fall of 1999, the redoubtable Gardner has been called by Douglas Hofstadter "one of the great intellects produced in this country in this century." With The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition, we have this remarkable scholar's crowning achievement.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Background and Analysis, but no academic description.......2007-09-30

This book is a wonderful collection of both Alice books, accompanied by full annotations and examples of the original poems and concepts that many of the musings in the works are based on. Anyone who is interested in Alice, Wonderland, and/or the Looking-Glass should get this book, as it provides wonderful analysis and background of the author and the girl the protagonist is modeled after. It also explains some of the less obvious jokes by explaining their origins.

I also like how the annotations reference other works of analysis on Alice. There is also a list in the back of many Alice-related works sorted by category. This shows that a lot of effort was put into this book and its integrity.

Unfortunately, there are a few cons. If you are looking to buy this for assistance on a book report or project, I must warn you that the notes in this book aren't tailored for academic analysis, but more broad literary analysis. In other words; the symbols and motifs aren't as important to the author as the linguistic jokes, puns, and concepts are. Also, the wonderfully designed cover is really only a paper cover, something not discernible from the online picture.

Nice so far........2007-07-20

I haven't had the chance to delve deeply into this one yet, but I love the layout. The original story is in the middle and the notes are on the outside margins. They provide excellent insight into the depth of the story and the outside motivating factors.

the book that didn't arrive.......2007-05-10

My purchase was confirmed and I was charged for it. However, the seller had already sold it and emailed me that they were sending me a check for the amount I was billed. So far no check.

Highly recommend it!.......2007-03-30

great book. Not all the annotations are useful, but most help explain things that we may not understand since we are not of that era.

Perfect gift.......2007-03-25

I gave this book as a gift to an Alice fan and collector. She was thrilled with this gorgeous volume.

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World: A Novel (Vintage International)

Average customer rating:

(3.5): Classic Murakami, but not without faults
Wow
A Wonderful Tale of Wonderland
Entering a dream sequence
Japanese lit. at its best...

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World: A Novel (Vintage International)
Haruki Murakami
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0679743464
Release Date: 1993-03-02

Book Description

Japan's most widely-read and controversial writer, author of A Wild Sheep Chase, hurtles into the consciousness of the West with this narrative about a split-brained data processor, a deranged scientist, his shockingly undemure granddaughter, and various thugs, librarians, and subterranean monsters--not to mention Bob Dylan and Lauren Bacall.

Customer Reviews:

(3.5): Classic Murakami, but not without faults.......2007-10-09

I have read most of Murakami's work and continue to believe that he is one of the best and most imaginative writers today. His storylines are always inventive and have a way of sucking you in. "Hard-Boiled..." is no different in that respect. Here we have a story shrouded in mystery about a narrator who works as a Calcutec, a computer programmer of sorts, for the System, a government-type organization that controls computers and the exchange of information. The Protagonist finds himself at the center of a war between the System and the Factory, a second organization trying to gain control of the way information is transferred. The plotline alternates back and forth between the protagnoist's search to figure out his own importance in this information and technological war and an alternate universe (so to speak) where people are separated from their shadows and live in a place only referred to as The Town. As the story drives forward, the two plotlines converge and eventually blend into one another. As is the case with all of his work, he draws you in with such ease and you read the book as effortlessly as you would the newspaper, only with much more urgency and excitement.

My major problem with the text was the vagueness of the world he sets out. I understood that the mystery surrounding the characters was necessary given the unknown frontiers of the mind that the book aims to explore, but the world and the war between factions doesn't have enough meat to it to grip you as some of the other worlds Murakami has created have been able to. There was something missing, a visual element, that made it very hard to feel some of the tension and suspense he was building.

So this is a good book, but not Murakami's best. I would say that anyone could read it and enjoy it, but there are better things out there if you have a limited time and/or budget to spend on fiction.

Wow.......2007-09-10

This was my first Murakami book and it was the one that got me hooked on this amazing author. The story is simply amazing. The way he managed to tie everything together in the end was masterful.

I love the way his characters are all quirky and a little strange in their own right. Each of their own little quirkiness that adds such color to their characters.

I still have not finished all his books, but you can be sure I will!

A Wonderful Tale of Wonderland.......2007-08-30

I loved this novel, the third by Murakami that I have read. Since marrying my wife, I have discovered that there is a lot to be treasured in modern literature, and that such a genre exists with much greater depth and breadth than I had thought. It is nice to see that I was wrong.

While this novel is not as cerebral as Norweigan Wood and Kafka on the Shore, it was a very nice book and well worth reading.

I will not go into unnecessary detail about the plot; others have. I will merely comment upon my thoughts.

For example, I found certain aspects of this novel somewhat frustrating. There is too much of a "That's just the way it is" feel about the book. This can work, if the author lays the groundwork and then ties together the threads, such that the end result is such a beautiful and overwhelming conclusion that you have no other recourse but amazement and awe.

I was pleasantly surprised at the end of the novel, but not amazed or awed. So, it was somewhat disheartening to finish the book. Not that it was, in any way, a disappointing ending. Rather, it was sobering and sad. It was not a book that I wanted to end so soon.

The end was good, but I disliked the choice of the unnamed narrator. My wife and I actually had a long discussion about this. My personal interpretation was that his choice was selfish and that he was choosing to void his responsibilities and choose hedonism. My wife thought that he was doing completely the opposite. It is only when you read a novel that you can discuss that you realize that there is such a sparse landscape of rich and bounteous literature out there.

When asked what this novel was like, I compared it to snow falling all around you while you walk through a silent town on a holiday evening, alone, and somber. The wonder of the feeling and the solitude of that feeling and experience.

Purchase it, read it, relish it, and pass it on. It is well worth the time and the cost. I know that I am going to be purchasing more Murakami books. If you are like me, you read a lot of books of varying quality. I have resolved to keep a fresh Murakami on hand, so that when I get disillusioned I can recall the beauty of modern literature. If you are like me, grab this. It's worth it.

Harkius

Entering a dream sequence.......2007-08-02

This book put me in one of those beautiful places were you can feel the connectivity of everything. After the first 3 chapters I couldn't put it down. I've read alot of Murakami since but this is still my favorite.

Japanese lit. at its best..........2007-08-02

You have to take your time with this and all of Murakami's stuff. This had a lot of different elements blended in together (sci-fi, kappas- which are rarely written about anymore, and most of all good ole detective work by the character and the reader) and it works pretty well. I wonder if anyone else noticed the correlation between the city and town chapters and the use of the left and right side of the brain. The map in the front of the book also looks like a brain...

Average customer rating:

Alice in Wonderland
Wonderland?
Age 6 to 10
Wonderfully Illustrated
Book Review for Alice and Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland
Lewis Carroll
Manufacturer: Gramercy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0517223627
Release Date: 2004-09-07

Book Description

This hardcover edition of the classic tale of ALICE IN WONDERLAND has been read and loved by children for generations. Start a new tradition of reading this timeless tale in your home today!
•Fully illustrated in color, bringing each tale to life
•Filled with humor, adventure and imagination for children of all ages
•Great first-time reading for children as well as reading again for parents and grandparents
•Beautiful story and unforgettable characters

Customer Reviews:

Alice in Wonderland.......2007-06-29

Well the book has all the text, and some of the pictures I remember. But the type is very small, and the introduction very long. It will do, but I really wanted one like the Alice I enjoyed as a child.

Wonderland?.......2006-11-11

Wonderland?

People today consider Alice in Wonderland a nice children's story. I was looking forward to a simple story similar to the movie. However, upon reading it, I was surprised by the obscure symbolism and meaning Lewis Carroll incorporates into the text. He tells the story from an innocent child's point of view and uses a confusing and random plotline to create a satire of society. Initially, the story is very puzzling. Some chapters must be read multiple times simply to absorb what happened. This wackiness and disorderly organization, although it may lead to making the reader confused, serves a higher purpose in understanding the story. Written in 1865, during the very beginnings of the "Guilded Age" in America, the book strongly emphasizes corruption and insensibility in society.
Overall, I enjoyed Alice in Wonderland. It helped me gain a new perspective on our society. Initially, I was skeptical about the quality of the book. However, as I continued reading, I became used to the writing style and began to appreciate the themes and messages it contained. Everyone should read Alice in Wonderland. Not only does it contain powerful theme about corruption and chaos in society that everyone can learn from, it can also be read in a very short amount of time. However, it should not be read only once, lest much of the meaning be initially misconstrued as unimportant nonsense. It must be examined thoroughly to obtain the most amount of personal growth.

Age 6 to 10.......2006-06-19

A book to be cherished by a child of age 6 through 10 Alice in wonderland tells the story of Alice and her adventures in an unusual land called Wonderland. There have been various cartoons and movies based on the book. They too are enjoyable but if your child is in the reading habit then this book is surely for them. There's no excuse for not reading the book. Gift this to your child and they will not be disappointed.

Wonderfully Illustrated.......2006-03-24

I collect Alice in Wonderland. I have dozens of editions including a great variety of illustrators and adaptions for children of different ages. I would say that this adaption is suitable for children 8-10 years of age. The highlight of this edition, however, are the bright, cheerful illustrations appearing on every page. Truly delightful and well worth the price.

Book Review for Alice and Wonderland.......2006-02-10

If you are looking for a good, funny, book I know were you can get one. Alice in Wonderland is a wonderful book, and at least on every page there is something that will make you laugh out loud.
Alice is a girl that finds a rabbit hole and she happens to go down it. Now, it's not every day that you find a rabbit hole and you go down. The author is named Lewis Carroll, you probably know who he is, he has written a lot of poems and books. Mr. Carroll has a very, very good sense of humor. Alice talks to herself a lot, she punishes herself too. When ever she is pondering something she figues it out by talking to herself.
The whole book is about her chasing the rabbit she sees go down the rabbit-hole. She is very stubborn, and she won't always do what you tell her to do. For example: her sister tells her to stay were she is when she is reading her book, and she goes off chasing the rabbit.
Alice and Wonderland is a grate book and I greatly recommend it.
E.D.

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Alice's other influence

Queen Victoria's Alice in Wonderland
Continental Historical Society
Manufacturer: Continental Historical Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

British | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0960990038

Customer Reviews:

Alice's other influence.......2001-04-02

Alice in Wonderland is my favorite book, and this book I enjoyed reading. For those other Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland lovers,this book is one you should read. The Continental History Society (CHS) has given a twist on what influenced the Alice stories. The reader does not only get to know more about Victoria, but in an annotated style the CHS shows what they believe to be parallels between the Alice adventures and Victoria's life. Some of the parallels are quite interesting!

Alice in Wonderland and the World Trade Center Disaster

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Revealing scholarship
Another outstanding David Icke book...
Alice in Wonderland and the World Trade Center Disaster
Less disinfo this time from Icke
Read it for yourself!!!!!

Alice in Wonderland and the World Trade Center Disaster
David Icke
Manufacturer: David Icke Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Terrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Unexplained Mysteries | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0953881024

Customer Reviews:

Revealing scholarship.......2007-07-25

David Icke's exploration of the 9/11 disaster is a real eye-opener, with some remarkable assessments of the 'official' story. The number of curious inconsistencies that are uncovered here, makes for a really thought-provoking read. Why has the Government willfully seized and witheld so many sources that would surely strengthen the case for the official line, unless the reality is that sources are damaging to their claims? This is clearly the product of intensive research and Icke must be applauded for his effort to expose the truth. Still, I can't for the life of me see why the publishers decided to reprint it here in a double-bill with Lewis Carroll's fairy-tale classic (or why he is uncredited on the cover). Chalk and Cheese, if you ask me. That factor aside, Icke has really triumphed over adversity with this magnum opus. Incidentally, he holds back on the notorious shape-shifting lizards in this, which slightly weakens his case in my opinion. More of the Lizards please David!

Another outstanding David Icke book..........2007-05-15

David Icke blew my mind with his "The Biggest Secret". With "Alice...", Icke supplies more pieces to the intricate puzzle that is 9/11, providing substantial evidence that the story mainstream media attempts to perpetuate is full of holes. Though he covers much of the same information provided in his other tomes, it is crucial to receive that information again and again to emphasize that the world is really not as it seems.

Alice in Wonderland and the World Trade Center Disaster.......2007-05-12

A significant book of our time. Informative, scary, eye-opening, daring. A few years ago I borrowed this book from a friend and read it through. Now I have my own reference copy. Susan, Massachusetts

Less disinfo this time from Icke.......2007-04-23

You get a lot of good solid verifiable stuff on the neo-cons, 9/11 and the new world order in this book. There is less disinformation in this than anything else Icke has wrote and there is even the disinfo has some truth interwoven into it this time. Regardless I still have a hard time trusting Icke.

Alice in Wonderland is worth reading if you can borrow it from the library but when you consider there are multitudes of better books on 9/11 and exposing the new world order plus the very high price they are asking for this book I wouldn't recomend it buying it.

Read it for yourself!!!!!.......2006-09-19

I admit I first started to read Icke's books for the amusement value. I love strange, off the wall, UFO and alien conaspiracy books. But, damn, his books make a lot of sense. Especially this one. His writing has a ring of truth to it that, frankly, the nonsense churned out by the mainstream media sadly lacks. There are facts in this book that the Bush Administration would dearly love us to ignore.

Average customer rating:

A little of a let down
The King of Spades
Wonderland: King of Spades (Wonderland) by Cheyenne McCray
Better than the first
A scorching second effort...

Wonderland: King of Spades (Wonderland)
Cheyenne McCray
Manufacturer: Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Adult Fiction | Erotica | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Erotica | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1843608995

Book Description

Book 2 in the Wonderland series Alexi O'Brien is pissed and will stop at nothing to locate her missing twin. When she's abducted into a beautiful and highly sexual world, Alexi is determined to escape and resume her search-even though the dark and dangerous man who captured her excites her in unimaginable ways. King Darronn prefers his women submissive.his future queen is anything but. Whatever it takes, Darronn intends to convince the fiery and spirited Alexi that her body, heart, and soul belong to him.

Customer Reviews:

A little of a let down.......2007-09-20

I had high expectations for Spades following the King of Hearts and was kinda disappointed. It was a good book and actually had a lot more humor in it than the last, but I just couldn't get into the characters so much.

The King of Spades.......2007-05-15

This is a great read. The characters are so dominate and down to earth that you often find yourself thinking i know someone like that or i've thought that a time or two myself. King Darronn and Alexi are so Alpha in their genders that it sometimes becomes comical when they start to question themselves. I don't want to spoil the good parts (some are BETTER than others) but this is a real STEAMY read, with a great host of other HOT characters, whose stories you wouldn't want to miss. I highly recommend reading the entire series.

Wonderland: King of Spades (Wonderland) by Cheyenne McCray.......2007-03-19

I was really happy with this order.

Better than the first.......2006-04-12

This book was better developed than the first. I felt like I got to know the characters better, and believe in their relationship a bit more. I also like the playful/playacting Domination/submission play better than the too serious, too intense version in the first book. Alexi was a stronger character, one that I felt I could like and get to know.

A scorching second effort..........2005-01-26

I loved Cheyenne McCray's Wonderland: King of Hearts so much that I couldn't wait to read the second effort. I had expected this series to have storylines with identical executions, a mistake that most authors make, but I was pleasantly surprised to read that McCray mixed things up a bit. Alexi is desperate. It has been a year since her fraternal twin sister Alice disappeared. She refuses to think that Alice is dead and is determined to find her. However, she hadn't anticipated the strange events that occur after she arrives home from a drinking excursion with her cousin. She lands in a strange world and is seduced by a strange, albeit gorgeous man who shape-shifts into a white tiger. The man is Darronn, the King of Spades, and he is prepared to train his mate to be properly subservient. But Alexi does not submit to any man. She enjoys being submissive in the bedroom only. It looks like Darronn will have to bend the rules in order to please his insubordinate and fiercely independent mate. Alexi has a difficult time trusting men. How will she feel when she finds out that Darronn has kept quiet about knowing her sister's whereabouts? And will Mikaela leave her King brothers alone? There are some twists throughout the novel.

The sex scenes are as hot as the ones in the first book. Darronn and Alexi have a different D/s relationship from Jarronn and Alice. While Alice is submissive through and through, Alexi is a no-nonsense, ball-busting Sexual Harassment attorney. I enjoyed reading just how different the twins' personalities are. Though I enjoyed the Alice and Jarronn story better than this one, the fact that Ms. McCray made an 180-degree turn from what I expected to be a King of Hearts all over again impressed me. And I love the fantasy aspect of the novels. I enjoy reading about a person landing in an alternate, more interesting universe filled with were-animals and magic. I like this series better than Jaid Black's series that is somewhat similar to this one called Trek Mi Q'an. I look forward to reading The King of Diamonds. The third installment is centered on Annie, the twins' cousin.

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