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Drug-Induced or Pure-Genius June 6, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

When I was younger, I watched the Disney version of this book and was left absolutely horrified by what I had seen. I was about four years old and the constant visions of strange and horrid looking creatures flashing on the screen made me want to leave the room. Because of this, I was not so sure how much I wanted to read this story. Actually, even now, I'm not all together convinced that I really like this story. I feel that it is somewhat sacrilegious to say so but I just don't enjoy this story all that much. As read through the first few pages I could still see the strange and haunting images from the twisted children's movie. Maybe that's what has ruined this tale for me, but I do sincerely feel that it is more than that. When I am reading, I begin to feel hopeless, lost and somewhat confused. I don't really feel happy about saying this since I'm a high school boy, but I feel that you should know how strange the concepts are in this book. Honestly, I must say that reading this book made me feel as though I were on a drug trip. This book has the strangest and most disturbing elements such as drinks that reduce your size and cakes that re-enlarge you. Not to mention that creepy, talking cat in the tree, the Cheshire Cat.
From a thematic point of view, I suppose you could say that one theme from this story is the frustrations that come with the loss of one's childhood. What I mean by this is that when a person gets older, they encounter physical changes that radically change they way that a child views the world and may even frustrate them. Across the entirety of Alice's adventures, she runs into a series of absolutely ridiculous changes. While these changes are much more absurd than real changes we incur growing up, they cause Alice to become traumatized, frustrated, and even change her perspective of the world. Although she is forced to go through these changes, she continues to struggle to maintain a comfortable physical size. In chapter one, she tries to follow a rabbit into a garden and is unable to fit through the entrance because she is too large. She takes a drink that shrinks her to the appropriate size but then realizes that she left the key to the entrance on the above table. She then eats a cake that grows her to the size at which she can retrieve the key but is then once again too large to enter the garden, which is very frustrating to her. Again in chapter five, she looses control over her physical build and gets an irregularly long neck.
As for the characters in this book, I find all of them one hundred percent unbelievable and terrifying. The characters are all introduced abruptly and are completely beyond reason. For example, the Mad Hatter and his fellow creatures are constantly making insane remarks about class and the state of things. There is also a strange creature named the Cheshire Cat who is unaffected by all that goes on in Wonderland and merely observes all that goes on, somewhat like a stocker.
This story is told through the perspective of a narrative view through Alice's eyes and conclusions of the new world she has entered. This view gives a good perspective of how crazy the world can be. I mean, Wonderland may seem like and absolutely mashed land of turmoil but through the eyes of Wonderland, Alice is absolutely mad. I suppose this could be compared with the difference in views in today's society and other countries.
Again, I must say that I don't really like this book personally simply because it disturbs me so much, but I would still recommend it to others as they may not feel the same way. It really is a well written story, even if I don't like the general plot. I give this book a three out of five star rating.

4 out of 5 stars

Two imaginative worlds May 7, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass are a very interesting book because of the imaginative worlds that she visits and all the different characters she comes across. Through Alice's adventures she comes across many characters who are both hard to get along with and hard to understand. Many of these characters have a significant meaning, such as adulthood and their constant changing of rules. Alice in Wonderland is a great book if you want a nice change of reading.

5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Book December 31, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

This is a book I loved as a child and when I read it now, I find I still enjoy it as much. Great for children and for grown ups as well. Well worth buying.

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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll