Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by: Lewis Carroll

***Purchased this copy from Barnes and Noble

Synopsis

Alice in Wonderland tells the story of Alice, a young girl who follows the White Rabbit down a rabbit hole. At the bottom, she finds herself in a room with a tiny door and a bottle labeled "drink me." She grows and shrinks depending on what she eats and drinks, and as a small version of herself, finds herself swimming in a pool of tears. Swimming to shore, Alice and some other creatures decide that "'the best thing to get us dry would be a Caucus-race'" Alice continues to chase the White Rabbit and the White Rabbit sends her into his house for his fan and gloves. Once in the house, Alice gets into more trouble with an unlabeled bottle, quickly growing too big to move. The White Rabbit and Bill the Lizard try to get her out, and Alice only escapes by eating some small cakes. She runs into the woods and meets a hookah-smoking Caterpillar, who gives her some advice on ways to grow bigger and smaller. Next, she stops at the house of the Duchess with a pig for a baby; the pig escapes, and Alice asks the Cheshire Cat for help. Directed on to the March Hare's house, Alice takes part in the Mad Tea Party, perhaps the most famous scene in the book. Alice moves on to the Queen's croquet ground, where she encounters the Queen of Hearts and tries to play croquet with a flamingo and a hedgehog. Next, Alice encounters a Mock Turtle and a Gryphon, who tell her the story of the lobster quadrille. The book closes with a trial on the case of the stolen tarts, as the Queen accuses the Knave of Hearts. Alice is accused also, and she scatters the attacking cards, only to find herself awake on the river bank where the book began.

Through the Looking Glass picks up the story an unspecified amount of time later, as Alice steps through a mirror. The first thing that she does in the Looking Glass world is read a backwards book, and what she reads is no less than the famous poem "Jabberwocky." Alice leaves the house and stumbles upon the Garden of Live Flowers and also the Red Queen (not the Queen of Hearts from the first book). Alice takes a train ride and inspects some strange insects. Next she encounters Tweedledum and Tweedledee, who tell her the story of the Walrus and the Carpenter. The White Queen comes running wildly through the wood and talks to Alice, only to morph into a sheep before Alice's eyes. Humpty Dumpty explains the "Jabberwocky" poem to Alice, and the Lion and the Unicorn have their battle. An eccentric White Knight shows Alice several worthless inventions, Alice's last stop before becoming Queen herself. Queen Alice has a feast in her honor, which dissolves into reality as Alice wakes up once more. The second book seems to have less substance to it, but I find it to be my favorite of the two, and Humpty Dumpty is part of the reason.

My Review Comments:

I have to admit that I was one of the few that hadn’t ever read, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass.” So before I allowed myself to read, “Alice, I Have Been” I had to read the books that inspired them. All I can say is of course they should be required reading since they are both considered classics. Both were wonderful reads where you get lost in the world that makes up Wonderland and nothing is as it seems. In the first book Alice falls down the rabbit hole and there she meets White Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat. She attends the Mad Hatter tea party and plays polo with the Queen of Hearts. In the second book Alice returns to Wonderland by following through the looking glass. This book is set up more like a chess board. Both books were wonderful escapes for me, filled with Alice and all of her wonderful adventures. Lewis Carroll shares his incredible imagination with the rest of the world to enjoy it for all time.