Everybody loves Alice.. and Mad Hatter and the Chester Cat and all the wondrous madness! And I was ready to be immersed in this story where Alice escapes the asylum, has to kill the Queen and ends up in danger again because OFF WITH HER HEAD but instead I found myself enjoying the start of the story, the ending of the story and some bits and bobs from the middle. The elements of Wonderland are definitely there. Uncomfortable is comfortable, unimportant is important, disgusting sounding tea is delicious and so on… but with all of the adventure for Alice to have and the big, Mission-Impossible-like plot underlining the story, I still felt the pacing was a tad slow. I wasn’t glued to the book when I wished I was…
Of scandal and intrigue there is aplenty in the court! Oh, and how much scandal and intrigue. We have a Marilyn Montague (the Wonderland copy of Marilyn Monroe down to singing an ‘unbirthday’ song in the sultry, drawn out tones) who wants to get in to the Prince of Hearts pants. Literally. It seemed like. And, we have the unexpected pregnancies – like in a proper telenovela! And, we have the Queen of Hearts who is .. you know, Queen of Hearts. Off the rocker!
When it comes to love? The attempt to make something sizzle in between 2 characters did not feel realistic, it felt more like a tool to use in advancing the plot at convenient times. Then again, they’re all bloody mad at Wonderland and if unimportant is important then maybe love is unlove, you know?! I am questioning myself now.. and for that I take my hat off to the book...
Alice herself is a solid character. The introduction of the asylum into this retelling is, in a sense, the logical thing to do to tie in with her first visit to Wonderland and how she ends up there again… But I have to say, with the twist of the asylum I also actually pity the character now. The Wonderland doesn’t seem all the wonderful and quirky no longer. The ending really left me reeling, and sad… Like, stunned silence sad. Hmm…
Ever Alice has a great, and I mean GREAT, fairy tale feeling. It has the vibe of the peculiarity that made us all love the original in the first place whilst also including the darker twists without which Wonderland wouldn’t be the same. No fairy tale would be the same without the darker undertones, come to think of it.
For me, the book was OK I am glad I read this- there was many a time it made me crack a smile, but ultimately, I found I wasn’t eager to return to the story. Maybe because it was too close to the original? Maybe. And maybe this is exactly what will appeal to the wider readership about this retelling!