Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: by Lewis Caroll

by Lewis Carroll, John Tenniel (Illustrator)

Genres: Classics, Childrens, Fantasy

Paperback

Published December 1, 2022

About the author

The Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known by the pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican clergyman and photographer.

His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass as well as the poems "The Hunting of the Snark" and "Jabberwocky", all considered to be within the genre of literary nonsense.

Oxford scholar, Church of England Deacon, University Lecturer in Mathematics and Logic, academic author of learned theses, gifted pioneer of portrait photography, colourful writer of imaginative genius and yet a shy and pedantic man, Lewis Carroll stands pre-eminent in the pantheon of inventive literary geniuses.

He also has works published under his real name.

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good old-fashioned fever dream

[Francesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

CITAZIONE: - Che gente vive da queste parti? - In quella direzione - rispose il Gatto, facendo cenno con la sua rotonda zampa destra, - ci abita un Cappellaio: e in quell'altra direzione - accennando con l'altra zampa, - ci abita il Leprotto Marzolino. Vai da chi ti pare: sono matti tutti e due. - Ma io non voglio andare in mezzo ai matti - obiettò Alice. - Be’, è inevitabile - le rispose il Gatto. - Siamo tutti matti qui. Io sono matto. Tu sei matta. - Come fai a sapere che sono matta? - chiese Alice. - Devi esserlo - fece il Gatto, - altrimenti non saresti venuta qui.

[Wioletta · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of things unsaid that can be debunked in this one, especially reading Caroll's biography. Crazy work.

[CadyReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one surprised me. I've been wanting to cross off this classic because it's short, has had some interesting adaptations and because I wanted to know what the whole drug-induced story turned out to be like. I liked it a lot! It was super random and nothing made sense-how freeing!

I loved how matter-of-fact Alice was, and that she took no shit from anyone or anything. There were iconic moments like the Alan Rickman caterpillar and the Queen yelling "Off with their head!" but also really random obscure things like the Duchess whose cook always threw stuff at everyone and then Alice took her baby and it just turned into a pig and trotted off into the forest. And the Mock Turtle...what was that about? The Gryphon just kept roasting Alice, it was so funny!

So I guess the whole thing was a dream? I thought that was a bit of a bummer but I guess it showed how imaginative Alice is. The whole thing with Alice in the hallway and then shrinking but forgetting the key and growing big but then shrinking again, but oh no the key-this happened like three times and honestly, I was here for the frustration. And also trying to play a sport using live animals, a nightmare! It was pretty scary to think of shrinking yourself out of existence. The Hatter being accused of murdering time and then Time being like 'okay now it's always tea time for you' XD What even?

Also, despite her being imaginative and young, Alice was actually kind of crazy. She talked to herself a lot, told herself not to cry (then somehow made an ocean) and generally was just happy to go along with whatever. The true queen. When she was getting bigger and started composing a goodbye letter to her feet...I lost it. And when she kept talking to the mouse about cats and dogs and getting worried she was offending it, but when it told her that it was she got so indignant XD She even broke the fourth wall and said there ought to be a book written about her...incredible. I loved that when they sent Bill the lizard down the chimney to extract her from the house she just decided to kick the crap out of him.

I really enjoyed the various songs/poems in here. Not only did they mostly rhyme and were clever, they made the book go by pretty quickly! Especially the one where father William argued with his wife so much that his jaw became strong. Generally the use of language in here was really interesting, like how the birds expected to get dry by talking about something boring, or that the Tortoise was called so because it "Taught us". Did anyone else spend ages trying to figure out what the Duchess meant with the "Never imagine yourself" sentence?

In the book it actually isn't said whether the Queen or King are actually people or playing cards like the rest of them. I would assume cards? The King's character is a slay because he doesn't want to execute everyone (only if they don't answer his questions properly), he puts up with the jury that just write down whatever they hear and he got mad when people didn't appreciate his pun. It was nice how at the end her sister was thinking about Alice's imagination and emotional intelligence and everything is all nice and warm.

Some key quotes:
"It was all very well to say "Drink me," but the wise little Alice was not going to do that in a hurry.''
"How do you like the Queen?'' said the Cat in a low voice. "Not at all,'' said Alice. ''she's so extremely-" Just then she noticed that the Queen was close behind her, listening; so she want on ''-likely to win, that it's hardly worth while finishing the game.''
"It's the oldest rule in the book," said the King. "Then it ought to be Number One," said Alice.''

Overall this was a really fun little classic and I'm glad to have finally gotten the scoop!

[bug · Rating 5 out of 5]

J’ai adoré, un fever dream complètement absurde qui m’a bien fait rire

[Jessica Desrochers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little weird, but still a fun read of a classic

[Luz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was about a girl named Alice who did not like to study because while a familiar of her was telling her a story because she had to study she was in the tree and saw a rabbit that was wearing a red jacket, a mustard colored shirt, purple shorts, a tie, glasses and a watch with a chain that was running saying Oh my God! Oh my God! I'm going to be late! and Alice asked him to stop but he said he couldn't because he would be late to a meeting then Alice started running to chase the rabbit but it was very difficult because the rabbit was very fast, first he went into a cave then she walked but she didn't realize there was a hole and she fell and fell and fell and fell and fell and fell and fell and fell and fell and fell and fell and fell until she reached the ground and saw a bottle with water that said drink me Alice doubted it because it could have poison but she tried it and suddenly she started to feel strange and when she realized she was making small small, small and smaller until the table looked super giant and he saw a door that could be opened and he asked Alice if she had forgotten anything and Alice remembered and it was the key to open the door and the door told her to grab some biscuits that it gave her and she bit it but she grabbed too much so she got really big so big that the key was too small for her so she started to cry but because she was so big her tears were gigantic and the door told her to stop crying because they were going to choke but she told it was too hard not to so the door told her to drink from the bottle and Alice drank from the bottle and it got really small again that it even fit into the tiny bottle and the door couldn't hold it anymore so it opened its mouth and took Alice away in the bottle suddenly Alice found herself in a sea and she heard some voices so she called for help but one of them took her and took her with them and there was a bird called M.R. Dodo who often said the phrase !faster, faster, can't you see I'm drier than you! but in reality it wasn't so fair because waves were coming and that made them get wet again but M.R Dodo meanwhile was on a high rock to avoid getting wet and with a fire to dry off and stay warm but suddenly a giant wave took Alice away and that’s where the adventure begins when she enter to Wonderland she saw a lot of strange things in there where the adventure begins when she enters Wonderland and sees many strange things there, a mad hatter who liked to drink tea a lot and who also liked to celebrate all the 364 non-birthdays to everyone, the Cheshire cat who could make himself invisible and gave Alice advice but they didn't help her much, Tweedledum and Tweedledee who bothered each other and told Alice stories, the queen of hearts who is very moody and takes the heads off everyone who doesn't listen to her, the flowers sing songs and are very happy, the caterpillar smokes a lot and also when he says a letter the smoke comes out in the shape of the letter, and then and among all the adventures that made the queen of hearts angry and almost died but that was when she realized that she was dreaming and just when she woke up Alice's familiar told her it was time for dinner and she went to dinner and the end.

I like that the book was interesting.
I didn't like that the book didn’t have any drawings.

And I recommend it to
People who like Fantasy.

[Ana Cordon]

Alicia was with her sister and her cat. Alice was very bored, suddenly she saw a rabbit with a tache, she followed him and found many doors. He found a drink and a cake aside he found a miniature key. Alicia decided to drink the drink and became very small. Then she saw a small door but she forgot the key so she ate the cake but it became huge and Alice started crying and made a flood of tears and some animals were trying to get out of there and enter the door, Alice told them that because they didn't have a race and when he finished he gave candy to everyone but he didn't have enough so he gave a thimble to the last one. The rabbit thought she was his niece and sent her home. When she arrived, she drank a potion that was on the table and she became big and didn't fit in the house. So the rabbit made her smaller, she came out scared. He found a caterpillar that helped them get the right size. Then he went to a house and rescued a baby that turned into a pig and freed it then he found a house shaped like ears and met some crazy people having tea. Alicia decided to leave. He found some people painting white roses red because the Queen only liked red roses. He found royalty playing croquet, with flamingos as sticks and corpspins as balls. In the end he realized that it was all a dream and he returned with his sister to his house.

[Atifah Mariyah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am soo guilty of obsessing over Alice in Wonderland but never bother to read the original classics by Lewis Carroll. That’s because classic do intimade mee but after reading Heartless, I couldn’t move on from wonderland so I guess this is the best time to pick it up!

It turns out, instead of intimadating, it was extremely intriguing! Ofc I love how the book doesn’t make sense at all but also make sense at the same time? Like Alice is the true embodiment of a child like the whole book made me miss my kindergarten students with their curiosity, attention span and silly2 questions. The wonderland was so mad it really about to make me crazy as well but the intriguing part is the literaturee. It’s a kids literature but some felt quite deep and dark as well and it really made me wanna go through a rabbit whole on the literature dissection!

Anyway, reading this after Heartless just made me more amazed by Marissa Meyer! She readdy dis her research well on the reimaginingg like she used every small detail like how the faries use draw things that starts with M, or the nursery rhyme, the duchess with her morale any many more. It’s mind blowing!

[Ky September · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a nonsensical classic,where I personally find that almost everything inspired by it—whether movie adaptations, games, or themes—ends up being more enjoyable than the original.

From the moment Alice "falls" into Wonderland, nothing—absolutely nothing—makes sense. The conversations between characters, the plot's twists, and even the conclusion left me questioning how this book received so much acclaim.

However, after reading more about the book’s meaning and the context of the time in which it was written, I started to understand why it resonated with people back then. The absurdities that seemed strange to me were actually subtle criticisms for the cultural and historical moment. That said, my rating is based entirely on reading experience/enjoyment.

Amidst all the confusion, there’s one thing I truly love about the story. I love the central idea of a little girl lost in a wild daydream on a perfect summer day. It’s something I hope for my own children—that they experience such a deep sense of peace and appreciation for life, that in their childhood they have the freedom to lose themselves in a whimsical world of their own.

[Kyle Liddell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the perfect example of a child’s mind. There is no logic, until there is. There are no rules, until there are. It’s also a great allegory for our own trains of thought. We’re very random creatures by nature who abide by rules we create sometimes arbitrarily.

While reading, I personally loved interpreting Alice as autistic. As an autistic person myself, it sometimes feels like the customs we all abide by in everyday situations hold no logical basis. She constantly questions the world around her and calls these inconsistencies out. Said inconsistencies are explained with more nonsense. The trail was an amazing showcase of this and how little sense many court proceedings seem to make. I don’t believe this was Carroll’s intention; however, it is my favorite reading of the text.

5/5. Forever my favorite fairytale.

[Aiko Ramsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading many storybook version of this book, and after watching its cartoons and movie adaptation, this is the first time I actually read the original book. And I was stunned! This isn't a children's storybook, this is a book full of satire!
Lewis Carroll described society in such a ... unique way. The book is about making fun of everything. Alice doesn't really feel like a little girl, she's almost like an observer, someone watching from the sideline, maybe? The way she speaks out her mind all the time, the things that she said to herself, her way of thinking were not exactly that of a little girl.
However, the way that every character was an animal of some sort does make it feel as if we saw everything in the book through little Alice's eyes.
Even with conflicted feeling throughout the book, it's pretty enjoyable.

[Mikensie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was curious to read the original story after growing up and watching so many different film adaptations. This sweet story really put a smile on my face :)

"The twinkling of what?" said the
King.

"It began with the tea," the Hatter
replied.

"Of course twinkling begins with
a T!" said the King sharply. "Do you
take me for a dunce? Go on!"

"I'm a poor man," the Hatter
went on, "and most things twinkled
after that-only the March Hare
said-"

"I didn't!" the March Hare
interrupted in a great hurry.

"You did!" said the Hatter.

"I deny it!" said the March Hare.

"He denies it," said the King:
"leave out that part."

[kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️im surprised by how much i enjoyed this. i loved this story as a kid, but as i got older i grew to despise the disney 1951 version. as it turns out, nearly everything i hate about that version is not a part of the original! i felt an acute nostalgia while reading this and fell back in love with the whimsy of it all. i still find the confusion in conversation annoying and unforgivable, but i know this is a story that will never die (in the world and in my heart).

[Fatima Zahra · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extract from Virginia Woolf’s essay "Lewis Carroll":

"In order to make us into children, he first makes us asleep. "Down, down, down, would the fall never come to an end?" Down, down, down we fall into that terrifying, wildly inconsequent, yet perfectly logical world where time races, then stands still; where spaces stretches, then contracts….it does not matter how old, how important, or how insignificant you are, you become a child again…it is to see the world upside down. "

I have nothing to add, Virginia said everything just a little piece of advice…If you want to start reading classics, I recommend this book. It’s very easy, fun and most importantly Addictive.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read and reread this as a child and this month our bookclub reviewed it as our "historical" or "old" book. The characters are every bit as ridiculous, outlandish and maybe even scary, today as they were many many long years ago. The absolutely fabulous line drawings by John Tenniel will never age! So glad we decided to review this wonderful old story - it brought back childhood memories for all of us, and we definitely expressed a better understanding of the quality of writing and artwork.

[Tabby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Alice and her adventure into Wonderland. Following the path of a child and seeing the world how children see it, like being shut up like a telescope, adds to the wonder and amazement. I love all the characters she meets, especially the tea party scene and playing croquet with the queen. It’s such a light hearted enjoyable story where anything is possible and everything becomes “curiouser and curiouser”!

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always imagined it was more serious because of all adaptations trying to make this story big and the wonderland reasonable, so it was a relief to find out that it’s actually so fun, playful and absurd.

[Insaf · Rating 5 out of 5]

My inner child was so so happy reading this book

[Ahsiisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

nonsensical but in a good way! alice not questioning any of these events is such a vibe

[Deborah Cumming · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favourite classic by Lewis Carroll

This story was a part of my childhood and gives me such nostalgia

[Idan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very weird book, enjoyed it

[Amalia Peralta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy lindo, cortito, para leer en el subte/tren y no pensar en nada. Me hizo acordar a mi infancia y quiero ver la película de nuevo. Me gustó mucho para disociar y fantasear, es muy gracioso.

[Sophie Mirgaux de Pina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to finally get my hands on the book behind the mythical story.

[Romee Van · Rating 3 out of 5]

Klassieker, maar soms vond ik het lastig. Schrijfstijl was heel goed, maar Alice hoe ik haar ken en zie was echt een huilbaby.
Leuk om eindelijk eens te lezen.

[Soraia Bom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everyone knows this story probably from the movies like me, the book was good but Im obviously dumb asf cuz I didn't understood the poems.

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

a classic

[❥ Carolina · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5 stars

[berry cool · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a fun short read! My first time reading this classic children's story as an adult, and I enjoyed its chaotic, dreamy, and humorous nature. I also love Alice's savage character. Looking forward to rewatching the film adaptations because of this!

[Nomi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting play on words and idioms. I suspect that it has a morale but haven’t figured it out yet. Would be good to discuss.