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In the Shadow of the Dreamchild: The Myth and Reality of Lewis Carroll
In the Shadow of the Dreamchild uses new research to show that the long-standing image of the life of Charles Dodgson, better known to millions of fans around the world as Lewis Carroll, as exclusively child-centred and unworldly, his preoccupation with Alice Liddell, and his supposedly unnatural sexuality are all in fact nothing more than that they belong to an invented persona, created around the name "Carroll," and have almost nothing to do with Dodgson's real but overshadowed life. Meticulously researched, the book traces the development of this false persona and demonstrates how generations of biographers have helped to create fictions about Dodgson's life, rather than bring the documentary facts before the public. It uses the data to recreate a startlingly new picture of Dodgson's personality, his experiences, and, crucially, his all-important relationship with the Liddell family. In the Shadow of the Dreamchild challenges almost every scholastic and literary insight on Carroll that has developed over the past century.
258 pages, Paperback
First published March 29, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
February 20, 2021
Do not expect a biography of Charles Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll. Instead this is a dissertation on how Dodgson was not a pedophile because he was a Victorian playboy with older women.
She made her case when she said that it was common in Victorian times to take photos of children disrobed and provide several examples of other photographers that also took photos of naked children.
But apparently Leach wanted to write a whole book, so after thoroughly flogging that aspect of Victorian mores into the ground, she then goes into exhaustive, and exhausting, detail as to what the missing pages of Dodgson really mean as opposed to what previous biographers have claimed they mean.
She begins a lot of sentences with probably (Dodgson "probably" had an affair with Alice's mother).
While I agree with her premise that much too much has been made of the author's possible, yet essentially unknown, proclivities, she makes the same error. It gets to the point where one thinks she doth protest too much. As if Leach is frantically trying to save the reputation of Lewis Carroll.
Too much of her conclusions are based on surmises and that is what her book has in common with other biographies of the author of Alice in Wonderland, albeit she runs in the opposite direction.
Let's just settle for the fact that we know very little of the enigmatic Charles Dodgson and simply enjoy the genius of Lewis Carroll.
She made her case when she said that it was common in Victorian times to take photos of children disrobed and provide several examples of other photographers that also took photos of naked children.
But apparently Leach wanted to write a whole book, so after thoroughly flogging that aspect of Victorian mores into the ground, she then goes into exhaustive, and exhausting, detail as to what the missing pages of Dodgson really mean as opposed to what previous biographers have claimed they mean.
She begins a lot of sentences with probably (Dodgson "probably" had an affair with Alice's mother).
While I agree with her premise that much too much has been made of the author's possible, yet essentially unknown, proclivities, she makes the same error. It gets to the point where one thinks she doth protest too much. As if Leach is frantically trying to save the reputation of Lewis Carroll.
Too much of her conclusions are based on surmises and that is what her book has in common with other biographies of the author of Alice in Wonderland, albeit she runs in the opposite direction.
Let's just settle for the fact that we know very little of the enigmatic Charles Dodgson and simply enjoy the genius of Lewis Carroll.
September 24, 2013
3.5 stars
From what I gather, this is a controversial book amongst Lewis Carroll scholars. What I found fascinating about it is that it's controversial for the opposite reason most biographies are -- most controversial bios that I've read are controversial because they claim that some beloved historical figure was really a sex pervert, or Jack the Ripper, or something. This book is controversial because it takes the stance that a beloved pedophile (never thought I'd put those words together) was, in fact, not a pedophile, and was actually kind of a normal guy.
Since I have never read any other biographies of Lewis Carroll/ Charles Dodgson, I cannot speak to how people really "in the know" feel about this book and its evidence. So I can only review it as someone who has never thought too hard about Carroll and his predilections.
For the most part, I thought Leach did a good job of presenting evidence without drawing too many conclusions or saying anything too definitively, especially her hypothesis on who the ACTUAL object of Dodgson's affections in the Liddell family was. She presents the evidence she has, which is compelling but by no means definitive, and then qualifies the rest of her sentences with "possible," "might," "potential," etc. That said, it is clear this is the theory she believes wholeheartedly.
I would say where the book breaks down is after his father dies. This is the section with the least citations, and the point at which Leach makes a sharp left turn onto the same same eye-rollingly bad Freudian theories that she derides OTHER biographers for making earlier in her book. After poo-pooing the (admittedly incredibly stupid) "split personality Carroll/Dodgson" theory supposed by a previous biographer in the first chapter of her book, she then at this point posits ALMOST THE EXACT SAME THING, except instead of a Carroll/Dodgeson personality split, it's a Dodgson/Dodgson's father personality split. Really? The world doesn't need any more Oedipus.
I would say this is a book worth reading. I don't know if it would work better before or after reading more "traditional" Lewis Carroll biographies, but this IS a relatively quick and easy read for someone with little knowledge (although the first chapter, meant to explain why EVERYTHING YOU KNOW AND LOVE ABOUT CARROLL IS WRONG, comes off as rather flat if you neither knew nor loved any of those things about Carroll.)
From what I gather, this is a controversial book amongst Lewis Carroll scholars. What I found fascinating about it is that it's controversial for the opposite reason most biographies are -- most controversial bios that I've read are controversial because they claim that some beloved historical figure was really a sex pervert, or Jack the Ripper, or something. This book is controversial because it takes the stance that a beloved pedophile (never thought I'd put those words together) was, in fact, not a pedophile, and was actually kind of a normal guy.
Since I have never read any other biographies of Lewis Carroll/ Charles Dodgson, I cannot speak to how people really "in the know" feel about this book and its evidence. So I can only review it as someone who has never thought too hard about Carroll and his predilections.
For the most part, I thought Leach did a good job of presenting evidence without drawing too many conclusions or saying anything too definitively, especially her hypothesis on who the ACTUAL object of Dodgson's affections in the Liddell family was. She presents the evidence she has, which is compelling but by no means definitive, and then qualifies the rest of her sentences with "possible," "might," "potential," etc. That said, it is clear this is the theory she believes wholeheartedly.
I would say where the book breaks down is after his father dies. This is the section with the least citations, and the point at which Leach makes a sharp left turn onto the same same eye-rollingly bad Freudian theories that she derides OTHER biographers for making earlier in her book. After poo-pooing the (admittedly incredibly stupid) "split personality Carroll/Dodgson" theory supposed by a previous biographer in the first chapter of her book, she then at this point posits ALMOST THE EXACT SAME THING, except instead of a Carroll/Dodgeson personality split, it's a Dodgson/Dodgson's father personality split. Really? The world doesn't need any more Oedipus.
I would say this is a book worth reading. I don't know if it would work better before or after reading more "traditional" Lewis Carroll biographies, but this IS a relatively quick and easy read for someone with little knowledge (although the first chapter, meant to explain why EVERYTHING YOU KNOW AND LOVE ABOUT CARROLL IS WRONG, comes off as rather flat if you neither knew nor loved any of those things about Carroll.)
January 28, 2013
Perhaps I should start by saying that I read this book almost two years ago during my sophomore year of high school. We were challenged to pick an author from a list and write a research paper about something we thought was particularly interesting about them. Everything I read online about Lewis Carroll (whom I chose because of my love for Alice in Wonderland and fantasy in general) seemed to point to something called the "Carroll myth." This is where the book comes in.
In addition to a number of online resources, I found this book to be exceptionally informative. What Leach does here is explain the inaccuracy of all the previous biographies on Lewis Carroll based on a number of facts - primarily historical and cultural contexts as well as a lack of access to personal documents.
The book, for all its worth, is organized well. Besides presenting a chronology of Carroll's life, the author also dissects and refutes a number of the misconceptions that people today have of the man responsible for the literary classic what we know as "Alice in Wonderland." The author pumps her sources for as much data and insight as she can possibly find, and even goes directly to archived materials to analyze Carroll's life for herself.
While the first half of the book might be seen as slow and analytical, the narrative later picks up the pace by delving into the more controversial conspiracies surrounding the man who was Lewis Carroll. I won't give away too much, but the closer I got to the ending, the more I was hooked. The story managed to turn from a strictly biographical work to an unfolding drama fit for classic literature and great Hollywood films.
This rarely-heard story is worth the read.
In addition to a number of online resources, I found this book to be exceptionally informative. What Leach does here is explain the inaccuracy of all the previous biographies on Lewis Carroll based on a number of facts - primarily historical and cultural contexts as well as a lack of access to personal documents.
The book, for all its worth, is organized well. Besides presenting a chronology of Carroll's life, the author also dissects and refutes a number of the misconceptions that people today have of the man responsible for the literary classic what we know as "Alice in Wonderland." The author pumps her sources for as much data and insight as she can possibly find, and even goes directly to archived materials to analyze Carroll's life for herself.
While the first half of the book might be seen as slow and analytical, the narrative later picks up the pace by delving into the more controversial conspiracies surrounding the man who was Lewis Carroll. I won't give away too much, but the closer I got to the ending, the more I was hooked. The story managed to turn from a strictly biographical work to an unfolding drama fit for classic literature and great Hollywood films.
This rarely-heard story is worth the read.
November 6, 2013
Great in-depth study of the various ways that Lewis Carroll was NOT a pedo! Well-done!
March 6, 2019
Un libro eccezionale, di grande interesse che finalmente soppianta tutta una serie di biografie mistificatrici e riconsegna ai posteri l’uomo Dodgson rimasto per più di un secolo intrappolato nel mito granitico di Lewis Carroll. L’autrice con grande onestà intellettuale smonta tesi su tesi riportando alla luce Charles Lutdwige Dodgson ridando maturità, sensualità e una sessualità ad un individuo che altrimenti sarebbe stato ricordato solo come un uomo morbosamente attratto dall’infanzia, se non addirittura un pedofilo (parola sconosciuta ai vittoriani il cui culto per l’infanzia così enfatizzato era sinonimo di innocenza e candore e no di corruzione o vizio) o comunque un qualcuno incapace di vivere una vita da adulto. In realtà, come erroneamente e intenzionalmente hanno fatto credere per più di un secolo biografi in malafede, i carrolliani più ortodossi, e anche la sua stessa famiglia occultando i suoi diari, Carroll era molto di più di un timido reverendo vittoriano, trincerato dentro le mura del Christ Church. Era un giovane di grande carisma e fascino e di non comune intelligenza anche se incostante e cinico, un matematico amante del teatro, dell’arte, un esteta che trovò la sua valvola di sfogo nella fotografia, una persona con una vita sociale intensa, piena di amici e di donne (mature) alle quali amava accompagnarsi, un uomo che, ad un certo punto della sua vita, visse una profonda crisi esistenziale che, probabilmente condizionò gran parte della sua esistenza.
Capitolo dopo capitolo compiendo una vera e propria indagine investigativa, Karoline Leach chiarisce ogni dubbio, ogni equivoco, ogni congiura contro l’uomo più mitizzato del secolo scorso, portando avanti la sua verità, quanto di più vicino ad una realtà che in tanti avevano volutamente occultato.
Illuminante il capitolo dedicato alla famiglia Liddell che giocò un ruolo cruciale e fondamentale nella vita di Dodgson uomo e successivamente nell’artista Carroll.
Il libro è bellissimo corredato da fotografie di grande fascino, non morboso o deviante, e da diverse e interessanti appendici, come le sue poesie d’amore, testimonianza del periodo più turbolento e doloroso della sua vita; alcune pagine di diario tagliate, fondamentali per ricostruire una bio finalmente veritiera e far luce su uno dei misteri più dibattuti della sua vita: il suo presunto amore per Alice Liddell, cole che, secondo i carrolliani più accesi, Lewis aveva chiesto in moglie all’età di undici anni e che aveva causato la rottura o comunque allontanamento dalla famiglia della ragazzina…
C’è anche un breve estratto da un romanzo di Anne Thackeray, figlia del ben più celebre William Makepiece, From an Island, importante soprattutto perché ricostruisce un profilo quanto mai interessante di Lewis, che Anne conobbe abbastanza bene e col quale pare abbia avuto una liaison non sappiamo bene di che natura , che qui incarna il personaggio del fotografo George Hexman col quale Hester, la giovane protagonista, ha una sfortunata storia d’amore…
Capitolo dopo capitolo compiendo una vera e propria indagine investigativa, Karoline Leach chiarisce ogni dubbio, ogni equivoco, ogni congiura contro l’uomo più mitizzato del secolo scorso, portando avanti la sua verità, quanto di più vicino ad una realtà che in tanti avevano volutamente occultato.
Illuminante il capitolo dedicato alla famiglia Liddell che giocò un ruolo cruciale e fondamentale nella vita di Dodgson uomo e successivamente nell’artista Carroll.
Il libro è bellissimo corredato da fotografie di grande fascino, non morboso o deviante, e da diverse e interessanti appendici, come le sue poesie d’amore, testimonianza del periodo più turbolento e doloroso della sua vita; alcune pagine di diario tagliate, fondamentali per ricostruire una bio finalmente veritiera e far luce su uno dei misteri più dibattuti della sua vita: il suo presunto amore per Alice Liddell, cole che, secondo i carrolliani più accesi, Lewis aveva chiesto in moglie all’età di undici anni e che aveva causato la rottura o comunque allontanamento dalla famiglia della ragazzina…
C’è anche un breve estratto da un romanzo di Anne Thackeray, figlia del ben più celebre William Makepiece, From an Island, importante soprattutto perché ricostruisce un profilo quanto mai interessante di Lewis, che Anne conobbe abbastanza bene e col quale pare abbia avuto una liaison non sappiamo bene di che natura , che qui incarna il personaggio del fotografo George Hexman col quale Hester, la giovane protagonista, ha una sfortunata storia d’amore…
June 11, 2009
I have to be honest, going in to this book, I had really never considered the life of Lewis Carroll, I had no expectations of the man to speak of, other than being an admirer of his literary legacy, both prose and poetry. I knew very few things about him other than that he had been a teacher of mathematics, that his real name was Charles Dodgson, that he had a lisp, and that, based on his writing, he was enormously clever. After reading 'In the Shadow of the Dreamchild' however, I almost wish that I had gone in with a preconceived notion as to who he was, simply so that I could have experienced some profound revelation, or hatred of the book. That said, I really did enjoy this deconstruction of what the book calls "The Carroll Myth," and even more so, the brief biography of the man behind Carroll, Charles Dodgson, a man who both propagated and blatantly defied the image of Lewis Carroll as many see him today.
To fans of Carroll's (though I can hardly bare to call Dodgson that after reading) work, I highly recommend this book. Understanding Dodgson's personal life, motivation, and struggles, through his own journal and correspondence, gives a fresh look at all of his literary work. Dodgson, as represented in the pages of this book, was ages ahead of his time, with a life that was far from as simple, and much more mature than some would have any believe. 'In the Shadow of the Dreamchild' presents us with a picture of a complex and interesting individual, with a life truly worth consideration by anyone who as ever wondered who "Lewis Carroll" really was.
To fans of Carroll's (though I can hardly bare to call Dodgson that after reading) work, I highly recommend this book. Understanding Dodgson's personal life, motivation, and struggles, through his own journal and correspondence, gives a fresh look at all of his literary work. Dodgson, as represented in the pages of this book, was ages ahead of his time, with a life that was far from as simple, and much more mature than some would have any believe. 'In the Shadow of the Dreamchild' presents us with a picture of a complex and interesting individual, with a life truly worth consideration by anyone who as ever wondered who "Lewis Carroll" really was.
March 21, 2015
Dodgson’s - - Carroll’s - - photographs of Alice Lidell look creepy to us now but no more so than child nudes from the same era reproduced here. Yes, he had many ‘child friends’ but this is how he called women in their 20s as well. By the lights of his time, this language pre-empted doubts of the relationships’ innocence, and is one of his ways he dissimulated what today would be normal friendships. Overall the author portrays a charming and sophisticated artist in contrast to his reputation as a cloistered and development-arrested don.
June 8, 2007
the cornerstone of new carrollian criticism. ...okay, I DO have a shelf (...okay, more than one shelf) on my bookcase devoted to carrollian studies. VV!
January 11, 2023
Think of this book as a detective story, an attempt to solve the puzzle of who Charles Dodgson really was. This book is full of interesting facts about a man who we only know through false & misleading biographies that have been published over the last several decades. The first part of Leach's book heavily focuses on picking apart the false images of 'Carroll' that has existed for so long. The latter part focuses more on Dodgson himself, and his relationship to the things and people that mattered in his life. This is not a quick, breezy read, and I would honestly recommend reading it at a slower pace, in order to absorb all the content (and there is a lot!).
I don't normally read non-fiction, but this is that rare exception. This is definitely recommended.
I don't normally read non-fiction, but this is that rare exception. This is definitely recommended.
February 16, 2018
I liked this more than my rating would suggest but it was overburdened with inept psychoanalysis, much flogging of dead horses, an inordinate amount of padding, a somewhat wandering narrative in parts, and the author's inability or reluctance to spot several elephants in the room. There were one or two things that she ought to have picked up on if for no other reason than to spare the reader heartache and suffering.
June 2, 2018
This was an impulse buy while waiting in a bookshop for my lift to arrive. I've enjoyed reading it and it brought home to me how little I knew about Charles Dodgson/Lewis Carroll. I suppose I thought it might have contained a bit more on the undisputed facts of his day to day life (if there are any - after reading this I still don't really feel I know) - for example, his role at Oxford. What did his mathematical work entail? This book was almost entirely focused on the question of his relationships with young girls. While the author did a reasonable job of casting doubt on the theories of previous biographers of CD/LC with regard to this, she really didn't seem able to add much new material. I felt there was an enormous amount of speculation - without this, maybe there isn't much more to write about but it certainly felt a bit padded, and could have been a lot shorter. The author's premise, that CD/LC did have relationships with adult women, was not supported by much other than him having pictures of nude adult women in his possession. It does seem true that his family did try to hide and even destroy information about him, including pages and entire volumes of his diaries. From my perspective, as a middle-aged woman in the 21st century, a lot of his behaviour seemed very odd if not downright suspicious. His many holidays with young girls, his quarrels with Henry Lidell, for example. However, is it possible that he was just a repressed Victorian man? The author seemed to imply that he had actual physical relationships with adult women, but she does not present evidence to support that, nor did she state it in a straightforward way. I was left to conclude that there are more questions than answers, and that it is unlikely anyone is ever going to get to the bottom of what made this strange man tick.
August 20, 2019
There's a great deal of information in this book. I don't want to go into great detail but the book presents a very strong case for the following:
Dodgson was never in love with Alice, never proposed to he and they did not remain close friends after she grew up.
His take of nude photos of young girls was perfectly normal for the time. The girls were considered 'pure' and a photo preserved their purity.
Dodgson had many adult women friends.
Dodgson very possibly had a sexual relationship with Alice's mother.
He did for a time have a major problem with severe depression and constant belief that he was really bad sinner. This may have tied in to the last statement.
The book was published in 1999. It is extremely obvious that the writer did very extensive research, consulting a very wide range of material.
Dodgson was never in love with Alice, never proposed to he and they did not remain close friends after she grew up.
His take of nude photos of young girls was perfectly normal for the time. The girls were considered 'pure' and a photo preserved their purity.
Dodgson had many adult women friends.
Dodgson very possibly had a sexual relationship with Alice's mother.
He did for a time have a major problem with severe depression and constant belief that he was really bad sinner. This may have tied in to the last statement.
The book was published in 1999. It is extremely obvious that the writer did very extensive research, consulting a very wide range of material.
March 29, 2021
Un libro che narra di un'epoca lontana e per noi contemporanei inesplicabile, in cui per salvare la reputazione dell'impenitente donnaiolo come Charles Lutwidge Dodgson lo si dipinge come un fanciullesco amante delle bambine, nella vittoriana inconsapevolezza che di lì a poco l'interesse per le prepuberi avrebbe assunto connotazioni ben più sordido. Un equivoco durato una secolo, che Karoline Leach contribuisce a dissipare, ma che lascia nel lettore non specialista la sensazione di aver letto più di quanto non fosse necessario per dimostrare la tesi.
June 2, 2022
Infuriatingly inconclusive but tantalising… I adored Melanie Benjamin's interpretation especially of Alice's later years so much I was worried to dip into this and find it all debunked wholesale, but this is thoroughly researched approaching just about everything else that's out there with a healthy sense of Carrollian bemusement. It's a slog sometimes but completely worth the time. I especially appreciated the appendix of poetry at the end. Next stop the diaries, I think (if I can ever afford/otherwise acquire the full set…)
Want to read
April 19, 2022all i need to know about THIS carollian biography is that apparently the reason carroll wasn't a pedophile is that he was a womanizer. that's right carroll was fucking adult women and he was fucking HARD. day in day out the scandal of society apparently. can't wait to read
April 22, 2023
I really admire Leach's scholarship. Sometimes it gets too repetitious or into the weeds for me, but considering how ground-breaking her work was, I understand why she might have needed to include that level of detail.
March 28, 2014
After reading Melanie Benjamin's book "Alice I Have Been" which is Alice's story (POV of the Dodgson/Liddel relationship) fictionalized I was interested to learn more about the Carroll Myth. This book completely satisfied all of my curiosity. I found her arguments to be very persuasive. That being said, I have read little else on this topic. However, the author goes into great detail of how previous conclusions have been drawn and discusses several of the Carrol biographers at length which gave a good picture of what has already been written (although, probably a biased picture).
There were a few points where I thought Leach took some of her suppositions too far. Some of her ideas about Carroll's relationship with his father seemed too far into the arena of guesswork, especially with his father's death. Also, I don't see why his writing of "Alice" would have been heavily influenced by Lorina... just a story he told that the girls wanted him to put to paper.I found her chapter on photography and the Victorians views on sexuality enlightening and surprising. The author did get a little repetitive in later chapters- which I found unnecessary since she had made her point so well.
Most of what the author says makes so much sense I don't understand why anyone would want to cling to the "myth" so badly. I do think that there is still much that we will never know because of the cover-up and destruction of materials by the Dodgson and Liddel families. Very interesting- Highly recommended to those who love "Alice in Wonderland" and find the myth as disturbing as I do.
There were a few points where I thought Leach took some of her suppositions too far. Some of her ideas about Carroll's relationship with his father seemed too far into the arena of guesswork, especially with his father's death. Also, I don't see why his writing of "Alice" would have been heavily influenced by Lorina... just a story he told that the girls wanted him to put to paper.I found her chapter on photography and the Victorians views on sexuality enlightening and surprising. The author did get a little repetitive in later chapters- which I found unnecessary since she had made her point so well.
Most of what the author says makes so much sense I don't understand why anyone would want to cling to the "myth" so badly. I do think that there is still much that we will never know because of the cover-up and destruction of materials by the Dodgson and Liddel families. Very interesting- Highly recommended to those who love "Alice in Wonderland" and find the myth as disturbing as I do.
April 7, 2014
Lewis Carroll myten gennemgås og gennem huldes. Dette er en virkelige spændende bog der forsøger at belyse en af det 19 århundrets store forfatter liv og person. Carroll har gennem historien været omgivet af mytedannelse og spekulatione om han forhold til små piger.
Denne bog giver en gruntigt og gennemarbejdet billede af Carroll og springer myten og giver et indblik i den virkelige Carrolls liv og personlighed.
der er to minuser ved denne bog; sproget er ikke særligt godt og den kan føles som at svømme mod strømmen. den anden er at papiret i min udgave giver meget genskind fra lyset hvilket besværliggjor og irreteret læsningen. Men på tros af dette er bogen dog stadig en læsning vær hvis man vil vide mere om manden bag Alic i eventyrland.
Det er formodenligt en af de eneste bøger om Lewis Carroll der er ordenligt gennemarbejdet og som har lavet en kritisk gennemgang af det resterende martiale fra Carroll.
Denne bog giver en gruntigt og gennemarbejdet billede af Carroll og springer myten og giver et indblik i den virkelige Carrolls liv og personlighed.
der er to minuser ved denne bog; sproget er ikke særligt godt og den kan føles som at svømme mod strømmen. den anden er at papiret i min udgave giver meget genskind fra lyset hvilket besværliggjor og irreteret læsningen. Men på tros af dette er bogen dog stadig en læsning vær hvis man vil vide mere om manden bag Alic i eventyrland.
Det er formodenligt en af de eneste bøger om Lewis Carroll der er ordenligt gennemarbejdet og som har lavet en kritisk gennemgang af det resterende martiale fra Carroll.
February 5, 2010
It is amazing to me that Charles Dodgson and Lewis Carroll could so completely not resemble each other! I was fascinated by the myth of Carroll, and the tortured life of Dodgson -- by the strange spiral of fictionalized facts that have led to bizarre understandings of this genius of the 19th century. This knowledge certainly makes my job of starting work on this play much harder. It would have been easier to perpetuate the myth.
September 13, 2015
An interesting read that seems to present some compelling evidence, although I felt that it petered out and relied more on surmise towards the end. Leach seems to be a rather controversial figure, but I'm intrigued enough to want to do some more research around the subject, starting with her website http://contrariwise.info/
June 22, 2022
A revision of her earlier book, omitting the material about Mrs. Liddell and adding more. The additions are interesting but do not add a great deal to the original book. Worth buying the book as an update.
March 4, 2010
An interesting new take on old, miscalculated biographies of Lewis Carroll/Charles Dodgson, but weighed down by its redundancy.
January 15, 2016
This book is very good I loved it
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews