Customer Reviews

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The story of Alice in Wonderland is repeated in a very readable text and is as delightful as ever. This is not, however, a childrens' book. Barry Moser's illustrations tell the story of Alice in a different, dark and somewhat menacing way. Is the rabbit hole just the means to reach an amusing world of people and animals with strange names and stranger habits, or is it the path to a nether region where the normal rules of social conduct and the shape and size of "people" don't apply? If his illustrations mean anything, Moser thinks perhaps it is the latter. For example, the Queen of Hearts appears not as the crazy, but ultimately harmless, creature of a Disney movie. Moser shows her as a dark and foreboding character and by his illustartion suggests that "off with her head" is a real threat. The text of the book is standard Alice, but the real reason to buy it is to get Moser's illustrations. This is definitely not a book for 10 year olds. But those of us who grew up on Alice as half comedy, half light hearted spoof will enjoy this twist on a traditional tale. Moser's other illustrations of classical works such as Moby Dick and The Devine Comedy are also well worth acquiring.

"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" is one of the most beloved children's classics. It has been adapted into numerous cartoons, films and plays over the years, and it has become an important backdrop of the World culture. It is a brilliant and zany fairy tale that remains fresh and engaging well over a century after it had been written. This is in large part thanks to the unforgettable and unique characters that are as famous (if not more) as Alice herself: the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat, the "Mad" Hatter, the Queen of Hearts and many more. They are among the most idiosyncratic characters in all of literature. However, the aspects of the book that I found the most fascinating were the clever use of language, the numerous puns, and the plays on the difference between the literal and actual meanings of different expressions and saying. It was very amusing to read these, and realize how clever and verbal this book actually is. The book made me reflect again on so many aspects of the world that I take for granted, and it made me feel like a child exploring and learning about various objects, ideas and relations for the first time. This alone makes this book worth reading and rereading, and I expect to come to it many times again.

Lewis Carroll's story of the young girl Alice who chases a rabbit down a hole and discovers a completely new, beautiful, surreal, yet, dangerous world is a tale beloved by both children and adults. There are countless editions of the story available. This one is published by Templar Books and is illustrated by Rodney Matthews. The book comes in a wonderful hardcover slipcase. The illustrations that accompany the story are quite lavish and capture both the absurdity and fright that is an intricate part of Wonderland. The book includes at least one or two full-color, full-page illustrations for ever chapter as well as smaller, black-and-white illustrations of a quarter-page or less about every other page. Very young children (probably 4 and under) might not enjoy this particular edition of the story because there aren't enough "pictures". However, it is an ideal book for slightly older children as well as an edition to read to younger children. This isn't the best illustrated version of the Carroll's story, but it's not too shabby either.

Some of you could, by any chance, have watched the Animated Alice's Adventures In Wonderland. Most of you should have read Alice's Adventures, and if you did not, you are better off. If you watched both, then you would best understand the major differences between the novel and the animations. Though I am sure there are a lot more to point out, in this review, I will focus on theses three points: the change with characters, the difference in setting, and the alternation of plots.

First of all, here are the major character changes! Many agreed on the Queen of Hearts being the one of the most different, and also, the Cheshire cat. The classic portrayal of characters indicated the Cheshire Cat as the property of the Duchess. In the film, there is no Duchess at all!! The Cat stands alone, and instead of staying calm and cool as the novel, it is rather playful and gets Alice into big trouble with the Queen. Not only Duchess was not even mentioned, the gryphon never showed up, and the mock turtle was totally out of the picture. The Queen is selfish and ignorant, and though she rules the kingdom, she shrinks from responsibility. That may not get you much information on why there are so many difference with the Queen, and that will go on to our second point: the settings.

Settings were also dramatically changed, kind of combined with the other book, making it a total hybrid. The queen's selfishness was not mentioned directly on the original, only the screaming passion for winning. The Queen of Hearts on the film's personality was combined with the Red Queen (especially the "open your mouth wider" parts inherited from her personal lines), making clear that she wanted everyone to obey her and to make her as happy as if she could ever be. The other clear facts supporting the idea of the combination between the two books are Tweedledee and Tweedledum appearing after the caucus race, followed by the garden of singing flowers. I was clearly expecting more than this, so it will actually look like as if it WAS a two book in one film, not an in-between sidekick.

When it comes to settings, it always has to do with plots. Though not mentioned above, the start and the ending have a lot to this section. First of all, it was just a pleasant afternoon, resting by her sister when Alice started to dream and saw the white rabbit hurrying by, not during the history lesson. Then, there is the white rabbit that appears more frequently than it used to in the original, even during the mad tea-party. However, the most important thing in the whole plot, is that Alice thought of this amazing world before even she started to dream, and found out it was a dream at the end of the story, BEFORE she woke up. In the story, there was no such thinking of this events and it was a surprise for her to know she grew back to her own size, and have been sleeping.

Overall, there are a lot of differences mentioned in this comparison review, and despite of director effort to create a lovely animation, I think it was kind of messed out. There are some reasons I wrote down already, but it is mostly for the others which have not been. However, I DO appreciate the animator's hard efforts to even think of turning this perfect piece of writing to a film, so I guess the "missed-outs" are expectable.
This was my comparison review, and I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any spare seconds, please put a thumbs-up on my review & share your thoughts with me. Thanks!

The theme of this book is basically a mystical wonderland where the unexpected happens. She starts off by falling into a hole, and then her journey in Wonderland begins. Carroll's descriptive language is incredible and he's always engaging your imagination. The only thing that could be better about this book, is if things to make a little bit more sense. But I guess there wouldn't be any fun in that.

I bought this book for my daughter. This quality of this book tells you that it is meant to be a keepsake. It is very well printed on high-quality paper, beautifully bound, and comes with a hard slipcover. The illustrations are amazing, but I found their style to be a bit dark for my 7-year old. The book is very text heavy, making it cumbersome to read aloud to a child, and a lot of the prose itself is on an adult level. Although my daughter is an excellent reader for her age, she has lost interest in trying to get through this book. I have read it myself, and while it captures the story of Alice in Wonderland nicely, it is, indeed a commitment to get through.

A high quality book with beautiful cover. I would have preferred more illustrations because I am reading it to my Alice obsessed 4 year old. She starts to lose interest with the text being quite adult. The quality of the illustrations are high and most suitable for older children at the stage where they can read it alone.