Title: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass
Author: Lewis Carroll
Read: NYC; JFK > SFO; Palo Alto, CA
Format: mass market paperback
I don't really get this book. But, I'm guessing it's because I'm (a) old, (b) not old enough to care that much about the subtext, (c) expected it to be really great.
Of course I'd seen the cartoon and I'm aware of most of the main characters. I just thought that there would be more plot. Instead, Alice just kind of walks around from one weird symbolic interaction to another. The writing is descriptive and imaginative, but not mind-blowing. In fairness though, over the years Carroll's tableaus have been colorfully imagined so many times - by artists ranging from Disney to Tom Petty - that despite being the inspiration it would appear to fall short, creatively.
I think most books are best enjoyed in specific windows, be they age, date, or circumstance-based. I missed my window with Alice.
It was fine: imaginative, but with no surprises (neither in plot or writing):
3 out of 5 stars
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