Customer Reviews

Wonderland (Modern Library Paperbacks)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

Joyce Carol Oates is one of the literary geniuses of our time. She has an uncanny way of capturing people. Wonderland, although it is one of her earlier novels and in a slightly different style than she normally writes, is no exception. It is a gripping tale of Jesse Harte, a seemingly ordinary young boy living in upstate New York in the 1930s. At sixteen, tragedy strikes his family, and Jesse is swept into a maelstrom of life-changing events. The book follows him throughout his life, showing how his circumstances have changed him, particularly in the way he relates to other people.

Oates' books are usually more character-driven than plot-driven, which is why I enjoy her so much. She can build intracacies of character, the nuances that one recognizes in real-life people. All of the characters in the book are recognizable in some fashion. And even though the book occurs from the late 1930s until the 70s (and was, in fact, published in the early 1970s), it doesn't feel dated.

Also, as with her other books, she is gifted in her wordcraft. The repetitions of certain sounds and words gives it a feeling of poetry at times, but not in a contrived fashion.

The only problem I have with Wonderland is its conclusion. It feels a little like Oates wanted to end the story quickly and chose a kind of clichéd ending. That aside, I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys subtle psychology and the grimness of reality.

I really enjoyed this book by Oates. This is the first book I've read by her, and, from what I understand, the book is not written in her usual Gothicy style, but what a great book. She is a superb writer who is able to pull the reader into the minds of her characters, minds that are unusual, complex, clearly individual, but still accessible to the reader. What I like most about this book is the undertone of a feeling of the grotesque that she builds throughout the novel. It is difficult to be subtle about the grotesque, but Oates has accomplished subtlety in her portrayal of the grotesque in human nature. The only problem I have with the book is the ending. She clearly had difficulty in writing a satisfying ending to the book. She mentions this difficulty in her afterword, saying that the recent edition contains a different ending than the first edition, a second attempt at ending the narrative. I do not find her second attempt to be successful, but this is one of her early works, and the rest of the novel is so powerful that the end may be forgiven.

This book shows the psychological changes of the protagonist, a boy whose father murdered the rest of his family. He creates a string of personas leading to his daughter's rebellion. This book is very psychological, so it's difficult to understand on the deeper level without some knowledge beforehand of psychological theory. It's also a bit dated, much of it towards the end talks of the hippie scene ect. . .but only insofar that it was a current phenomenon, not anything to be interested in by itself. This is appropriate however, because it was written during that era afterall. It isn't the easiest read but quite rewarding and frightening at times.

I was past the point of no return, about two hundred pages, when I tired of the characters themselves who seem to be one dimensional and who act without introspection. Oates was able to give ample exposure to the dark side of behavior, but actions and events seemed to come out of nowhere without foreshadowing. The mystery of human emotions which Oates is known to explore seemed to be revealed as philospical treatise rather than as artfully drawn characterizations. All in all the novel seems more like a social commentary than a human drama.

I really wanted to like this book, but it just didn't happen. The problem is that it started off really good, I enjoyed the whole beginning of the book and into the murder of Jesse's whole family by his father. Unfortunately as intriguing that part of the book goes, it fell totally flat after that.
It's written very beautifully, as I think Joyce Carol Oates is a wonderful writer, however this book just dragged on and on. When I got to the part where Trick picked a fight with Jesse & Helene, and they realized he did it on purpose becuase he wanted to die, I just had to end it right there and return the book to the library. To me this book was just a run on sentence, a VERY LONG run on sentece. It didn't go anywhere, I don't feel the story ever fully developed.

A doctor with a troubled past is so engrossed in his professional life that he loses touch with the humanity he serves, and a troubled daughter rebels until she is essentially brainwashed and ravaged by drugs. Oates called the novel gothic in tone. I considered it tedious at times. It is a psychological novel for the most part, and it seems that the concern over getting at these issues made the actual story and motivation of the characters difficult to follow at times. Overall, a decent work. Anyone who likes Oates will like this. For those who don't, it will be hit and miss.

I love Joyce Carol Oates novels, and this is one of her masterpieces imho. The characters are most fascinating and strange, and the plot is complex and hard to foresee. Highly recommended!