Wonderland (Modern Library Paperbacks) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Elaine Showalter (Introduction)
Key Phrases: Joyce Carol Oates, Anne Marie, Ann Arbor (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Our review of Oates's 1971 masterpiece starring Jesse Vogel, reissued here with a new afterword, concluded: " 'Wonderland' is not a place from which one escapes unscathed but for those who care about the best in American fiction it must be visited.' "
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

The greatest of Oates's novels. -- Library Journal --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Modern Library (September 12, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081297655X
• ISBN-13: 978-0812976557
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #226,206 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing, Fascinating, Amazing, September 29, 2001

By	Robert Miller (Eastern USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wonderland (Paperback)

In 1975, I was reading Joyce Carol Oates "Them", when my classmate Lenny noticed it. His reply to me was "Get Wonderland". I took his advice. Wonderland is fabulous. This reader simply couldn't put it down. It is a fascinating story of a doctor from his poor childhood in NY State during the depression through the end of the 1960's. The characters are so real - from the freaks in the doctor's adoptive family, through his heroin-addicted friend who becomes a hippie cult figure. I have since read most of Oates' books, but Wonderland IS my favorite. Joyce Carol Oates has an excellent grasp of the poor in rural NY - she is a genius - totally understanding as to what goes on in the minds of regular people and very talented at putting it down on paper. Do as Lenny said - Get Wonderland!

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oates' Best - A World of Constant Battles, March 23, 2004

By	Jack M. Walter "Jack M. Walter" (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wonderland (Paperback)

I originally read Wonderland when I was a teenager and remembered only a little of it, so it was a revelation when I read it again a few weeks ago. This is a study of one human being and the torments he endures at the hands of others as he grows up, and how it damages his personality. However, Jesse seemingly prevails, and by the novel's end shows us that the human spirit is never completely extinguished. Jesse is such a real character I expect to see him as a flesh and blood person one day. No doubt, this is JCO's best work.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oates's Best, May 18, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Wonderland (Hardcover)

Of the seven or eight books by Joyce Carol Oates that I've read, this one is far and away the best -- which is saying a lot, because I think she is supremely talented. I read her work only once every few years, because it's SO grim, but I always look forward (in a macabre sort of way) to going back to her. WONDERLAND just seems to have more depth and complexity than the others -- and so much of the writing is intensely vivid. Wonderful character study, as well, with a fascinating psychological framework AND commentary on writing and the art of fiction (truth? fabrication?) deftly blended into the narrative.

Read it.