Through the Looking Glass Lewis Carroll

[Book]

Through the Looking Glass Lewis Carroll
★★★

In this book we return not to Wonderland but to a land that is quite similar, the land of the red and white queens which could also be know as Chess. Once again we meet an unusual cast of characters including a couple from Wonderland.

In this book Alice must make her way across the Chess board landscape and convert herself from a pawn to queen, this is easier said than done in a land where everything appears backwards or backwards and forwards at the same time according to your viewpoint.

Some characters I would like to meet, some would just scare me.

I do admire the way Carroll works known verses into his works and brings them to life.

[Chinook]

I read this as part of a volume with Alice in Wonderland. I think that Wonderland was more enjoyable, but perhaps this would have been better served not being read right after.

I feel like perhaps this is a book I missed the window to best appreciate. It's also odd to read a book which is so strongly in the public imagination - I knew most of the story from the movie and other references, I own a dress with Wonderland characters on it -I even own two cloth diapers with Alice prints. It was fun and silly and enjoyable, but I think I would have fallen more in love with it had I read it as a child - and I might have, because I know I own copies of both books back in Canada and have had them since I was in school.

Book, did you read this as a child or only as an adult? Do you think that affected your enjoyment at all?

[Diane]

Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
5/5 stars

Reading about the iconic characters I know so well; The Red and White King and Queen, Tweedledum & Tweedledee. “The rule is, jam to-morrow and jam yesterday – but never jam to-day.” My favorite chapter was Queen Alice with all the word plays and turn of phrases.

[George P.]

Not quite as good overall as "Wonderland" in my opinion, but I really enjoyed the Humpty Dumpty part. Still charming after all these years.
I read "Alice in Wonderland" about 5 years ago.
I listened to the audiobook read by scifi writer Harlan Ellison. He didn't have the professional skill and polish as a reader that I've gotten used to but eventually won me over by his sincere effort.

[Zeejane]

I listened to the BBC full-cast dramatization. This story reads like a poem, with lots of whimsical nonsense that is pleasing to the senses. While I liked the first book in the series better, I enjoyed this quick story and having the chance to have another visit with the charming and endearing protagonist, Alice.

[Ginny]

So after reading Alice in Wonderland I was left wondering where all my favourite bits of the story were (being mostly familiar with the Disney version) so had to read Through the looking glass right after and there they all were; the unbirthday, the walrus and the carpenter, Tweedledee and Tweedledum. I never realised till reading the original text how much had been chopped and changed around in the adaptations. I can understand why they did it, this second book doesn't seem to have the same driving moment as the first, but is still full of wonderful imaginative characters and of course lots of nonsense.

I enjoyed reading them both, but do wish I could have read them fresh without any preknowledge of the characters and story, I would have got a lot more out of them then I think.