Review: Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll

Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carrol 

[Goodreads page]

Author: Lewis Carroll. Website
Published: 1871 (Originally published)
Format: Hardback Illustrated Edition (Macmillan)
Pages: 192
Project Gutenberg: E-book 
Amazon: Paperback|Kindle
Waterstone's: Paperback|e-book
Book Depository: Paperback
Challenge: 2013 Children's Classics Challenge
Source: Own

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
Nothing is quite what it seems once Alice journeys through the looking-glass, and Dodgson's wit is infectious as he explores concepts of mirror imagery, time running backward, and strategies of chess-all wrapped up in the exploits of a spirited young girl who parries with the Red Queen, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, and other unlikely characters.  

My Review:
I really enjoyed Alice in Wonderland when I finally got round to reading it as part of my challenge, so I was excited to read Through the Looking-Glass! Once again we join Alice, only this time she takes a trip through a mirror over her fireplace and finds herself in a topsy-turvey world and meets more wonderful characters.

I liked that this book started out with Alice in her cats, as she spend so much time talking about Dinah in Alice in Wonderland. This book took a little longer to get into the actual story but once it did I absolutely fell in love with the idea. Wondering what would happen if you could get inside your mirror is such a wonderfully imaginative idea that I'm sure we've all guessed and wondered at as a child. It certainly gave me that nostalgic feeling reading it! I love how Carroll played with the idea of things being backwards like time going the wrong way and people doing things in the wrong order.

I was happy to be reunited with Alice as I just think she's a fantastic character. I love how her imagination is so key to everything and it's almost encouraged to be that imaginative.Her attitude and ways of speaking really helped add that humour to the story.

My favourite part of this book was all the little poems and songs throughout the book, from the Jabberwocky to the Knight's song. Just reading them I could hear little tunes or hear the characters voices in my mind and it really helped bring it all to life. As with Alice in Wonderland I loved the play on words. My favourite bits were the mentions of the rocking-horse-fly and the bread-and-butter-fly which just had me grinning from ear to ear.

The story itself was a little lacking in something - it didn't seem to go anywhere or feel like much of a journey - but I don't think it spoilt the enjoyment too much. It's one of those books that's just a pleasure to read even if it doesn't fulfill much. The ending was quite abrupt and took me a little surprise but I think I liked it! There's no reason to read Alice in Wonderland and not read Through the Looking-Glass and it only took me an afternoon to read, so I'd highly recommend them both for a fun bit of escapism.

Rating: 4*
What to read next: The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
Books like this: Splintered by A. G. Howard

Review: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

[Goodreads page]

Author: Lewis Carroll. Website 
Published: 26 November 1865 (Originally published)
Format: Hardback Illustrated Edition (Macmillan)
Pages: 192
Project Gutenberg: E-book 
Amazon: Paperback|Kindle
Waterstone's: Paperback|e-book
Book Depository: Paperback
Challenge: 2013 Children's Classics Challenge

Source: Own

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
Journey with Alice down the rabbit hole into a world of wonder where oddities, logic and wordplay rule supreme. Encounter characters like the grinning Cheshire Cat who can vanish into thin air, the cryptic Mad Hatter who speaks in riddles and the harrowing Queen of Hearts obsessed with the phrase "Off with their heads!" This is a land where rules have no boundaries, eating mushrooms will make you grow or shrink, croquet is played with flamingos and hedgehogs, and exorbitant trials are held for the theft of tarts. Amidst these absurdities, Alice will have to find her own way home. 

My Review:
This is one of the books that really prompted me to start this challenge. I've had it on my shelves since I was a child! Everyone knows the story of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland but how many people have read it instead of just hearing about it? It's one of those stories that everyone knows but that I've never read, so I'm very glad I've changed that!

What I really liked about this book was that the action starts straight away. I knew Alice was going to end up down a rabbit hole and I had to wait less than two pages until that happened - fantastic! I absolutely fell in love with Alice as a character because she takes all the bizarre things that are happening to her completely in her stride. Even as she's falling down the rabbit hole the most important thing to her is her cat Dinah. I thought her habit of talking to herself made for a really great narration of the story. Alice strikes me as someone who doesn't really think much before she speaks!

I think the title is very apt, in that the story definitely feels like a connection of adventures. Suddenly we move from one weird situation to another, with very little happening between each event except Alice very slowly moving through Wonderland. I was expecting the book to be bonkers but it was actually a lot more coherent than I thought it would be and very readable! Most importantly it was fun. I think my favourite part was the croquet match where you use flamingos as clubs and hedgehogs as balls. That's exactly the kind of imaginative, fun, lighthearted things I love in a story! Having the Queen around generally added to the entertainment as well. I thought she was hilarious!

The copy I have is illustrated and I would definitely recommend grabbing an illustrated copy of this book if you decide to read it. The description is magical enough to hold its own but I thought the pictures really brought it to life and just added something a bit extra!

Sure it goes off on a few tangents and that was my only real flaw I think - just some bits that I didn't quite likes as much didn't feel necessary. But overall this book has so many quirky things that make it so likeable. I loved the talking animals, Alice's frustration at never being the same size and the little rhymes, songs and poems that are scattered throughout the story, as well as the focus on word play. The writing was just so brilliant. If you've seen any of the film adaptations but never read the book then definitely go ahead and read it - I devoured it in a few hours!

Rating: 4*
What to read next: Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
Books like this: Splintered by A. G. Howard, Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter