Alice in Wonderland

[LS]

The August group read will be Alice in Wonderland. Your group leader will be Sonne, so please look out for her post(s) below!

In the meantime feel free to chit chat about what you expect from this book!

[Frau Spätzle]

Hey everyone,
thanks, Laura, for starting the discussion! I'll be leading the discussion this month and I'm already looking forward to (re-)reading Alice with you. I expect most of you are still busy with Anna Karenina, so let's start with some warming up questions:

*Assuming that most of you have already read Alice in Wonderland, I'd love to hear what you felt when you first read this book.

*Are you excited about (re-)reading it again?

*If you haven't read it yet, what are your expectations regarding the book?

I'll be back in the first days of August with some more discussion questions. In the meantime feel free to answer some of the questions or just talk about Alice in general - no spoilers please.

Also, has anyone seen the movies? Maybe you can recommend a version? I'd really love to see the one with Johnny Depp - it looks interesting, but I've heard mixed reviews. What do you think?

[Simant]

I haven't read Alice ever, but have watched the movie. I love this. I am hoping to have same fun while reading it. I am excited 😊

[Rosa]

I have not ever read this, but have been excited about reading it, since joining the group. I have only seen the old cartoon. I don't know what I really expect from the book, except for it to be extremely different from any other books I have read!

[Kerri]

I have never read "Alice" either and the only movie version I have seen was the Disney cartoon one. Lol So expect the book to be quite a bit different but enjoyable. Years ago when I homeschooled I remember reading that Alice books, as well as Wizzard of Oz, were great classics to read.

[Colleen]

This was such a quick read. I read it in an afternoon and now I'm listening to Christopher Plummer read it on Audible. He's doing an amazing job with it and I am absolutely glued to my earbuds.

I liked the Johnny Depp version very much, and I've seen some others as well. One I really like is a complete revamp that was made for TV called Alice that reimagined the storyline a bit. It was pretty good.

[Charlene]

I have never read Alice in Wonderland. Is it a difficult read?

[Cindy]

Hello,
I have never read Alice In Wonderland, but I am not sure I will have time... Still reading Anna Karenina.... I hope I can find the time... @Colleen -- you mentioned Audible---maybe I should get that app and then I can listen too and try to finish Anna Karenina at the same time.... lol Well, I can try....I have watched quite a few movies on it and it is always crazy to follow... Loved it....funny but strange...

[Colleen]

Cindy wrote: "@Colleen -- you mentioned Audible

I really like Audible. It's a lot of fun to listen to the books being read by different people (Christopher Plummer's read of Alice is amazing) and I love that I can listen to books while I do other things. I travel a lot, so I can multi-task on planes and in cars. It's not free, but it is reasonable and you get one free book a month.

[Frau Spätzle]

@Charlene and Cindy: Re-reading Alice took me maybe two hours. It's an easy read, really enjoyable - there is a lot of 'nonsense' going on, but this actually is what makes this book such a fun book.

@Colleen: The TV show looks really great! I hope I can get it somewhere!

@all: How is your reading coming along? Are you still reading Anna Karenina or have you found some time to read Alice in Wonderland yet? What do you think about the following questions:

*Is Alice in Wonderland a children's book? What do you think?

*In what way can the book be seen as a critique of social rules/traditional education/norms etc.? How does Alice's education/upbringing help or hurt her when she tries to understand the nature of Wonderland?

*What is the message of the book? What did Carroll try to convey (to both children and adult readers)?

[Colleen]

I think the question as to whether Alice is a children's book is an excellent one. I really don't think of it as one at all. It's themes really are more adult-centered to me. The fact that she is a young girl doesn't change that for me at all. I think today you could maybe consider it to be a YA story, but children no. Of course, when it was written, "childhood" as a construct was one that ended much earlier than today, so that makes it even more interesting of a question. Or as Alice would say "curiouser and curiouser"

[Elba]

I finished this months Alice in Wonderland. I also read the original manuscript that Carroll wrote to the real Alice, Alice's Adventures Underground. I thought Alice in Wonderland was a better version. The original lacked the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, the Dormouse, the Duchess and other characters. The book was written as a children's book but it has many adult themes as well. It seems to me that the madness in the book relates to the lack of power children have in the adult world. I also found interesting the Who are you? questions posed to Alice from the characters in Wonderland. As Alice is constantly changing she has trouble answering this question. The Mock Turtle had some interesting insights into this question too. Alice is being brought up very proper in deed and has a broadening experience in Wonderland. I think the message of this book is to be true to yourself in an ever changing world that can be very challenging. Another excellent choice and very Gilmore in deed. Lastly, my favorite movie version is the 1999 version with Gene Wilder as the Mock Turtle. Has anyone read Through the Looking Glass? I might give that a go.

[Rosa]

I haven't started yet, 100 pages left of Anna Karenina. The library had a combo book with Alice in wonderland and through the looking glass in one book and since it's a relatively short read, I decided to read both. I'm excited about this one! :)

[Frau Spätzle]

Thanks for your input, Elba! I also think that Alice has elements appealing to children and elements appealing to adults - and of course some appealing to children and adults alike! This dual and double address can be found in many (or maybe even all) children's books. Interesting though!

I read Through the Looking Glass a while ago. I don't remember too much, but I didn't like it as much as I liked Alice somehow.

[Sophia]

I am kind of stuck in this short book, I don't know, but the story isn't really holding my attention sadly. I feel like it pushes me into a reading slump.

[steph]

I purchased "Alice" yesterday. I hope I can start reading soon.

[Charlene]

This story is not appealing to me so I am having a hard time reading it. I can't wait until September.

[Sophia]

I finished it now, but I sadly have to say that I didn't enjoy it. What I liked at the beginning was the atmosphere. But I felt like that didn't work out for a story in that length, maybe it would have been better with only 40 pages or something. Still it was interesting to finally read this story and I can't wait to start the book for next month!

[Kelly]

Siobhan wrote: "This was actually my first time reading Alice, which was a little strange since I have read a variety of different adaptions and retelling of the story but not the original. I did enjoy that it was..."

Any retellings or adaptations you would recommend? I'm a huge Alice fan. love all the different movies and retellings I've watched and read and all the music inspired by it. I'm always looking for more.
If you haven't read Alice by Christina Henry I'd highly recommend it. It's a dark retelling of it (my favorite)

[Kelly]

Siobhan wrote: "Kelly wrote: "Siobhan wrote: "This was actually my first time reading Alice, which was a little strange since I have read a variety of different adaptions and retelling of the story but not the ori..."

Thank you! I'll check them out!

[Frau Spätzle]

Thanks @all for your contributions and all the Alice adaptation tips! :)
As the month is drawing to a close, I thought it might be fun to talk a bit about the book and how it relates to GG and Rory. I can't remember in which context it is referenced and if Rory gives her opinion on it. Do you think/remember if she likes Alice as a character and the story as such?

[Rosa]

Forgot to comment, I finished this awhile ago, I was so excited to read it

[Rosa]

, but I was very disappointed! Such a short book and it took me awhile to get through it. 😕