We all know the Disney film and what a cracker that was. Of course I had to read the original book by Lewis Carroll!
Therefore I will go straight into the review! I will say there may be some spoilers below. I talk about differences between the classic Disney film and book so if you want to experience this yourself I suggest giving this a miss.
Also I have to point out I listened to this on Audible. I am not sure this helped me keep up with this tale so please keep an open mind when reading this.
Firstly, how batsh*t crazy is this book? I mean, I have seen the animated film so many times I thought I would have this cracked. Absolutely not. For anyone who has not read this book but like me has seen the Disney film, well they might as well be different stories. So much was different! Which I struggled with as its such a crazy story in the first place. This is why I am unsure if I did myself a disservice by not reading the physical words. Maybe it would have gone in better? Either way the book was totally not what I was expecting.
As a child I managed to understand this story but as an adult reading the original... lost! Of course there were no songs like the film, it was more poems so that I missed a little bit. But also the story line itself seems to run a slightly different course. Most things follow as the film portrays; Alice falls down a hole chasing after the white rabbit, she eats/drinks and changes size multiple times, she meets the Mad Hatter, March Hare and of course the dreaded Queen of Hearts! Not forgetting the famous Cheshire Cat! But the journey along the way was different. I have just this second realised where the hell were Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee??! Without going into too much detail on the plot there were changes I wasnt expecting and honestly made it difficult for me to follow.
The Disney film did help with my understanding on what was happening. We all know how dreamlike things are and how often these characters can make no sense. So when introducing a character or new part of the story I could follow a lot easier, and have the film in my head as a vision of what the words were telling me. I really do think I would have struggled to explain what the book was about if not for the rough guide from Disney.
Given how crazy the book was I am still glad I made the decision to listen to it rather than read. Narrated by Jodie Comer she did a great job voicing the characters and really bringing the words some life. I think this was greatly needed for myself in order to follow.
I feel terrible for comparing so much to the film, this came first and of course is a brilliant piece of writing. I guess it had given me a certain expectation of the book and I was a little disappointed with how wacky it really was. I am also surprised at how much Disney changed from this. Perhaps it would have been better to educate youngsters a little better by keeping more details as close to the book as possible? As a Disney fan however I wouldn't want them to change a thing!
I gave this book 3 stars. I think I am just a little too logical for something as outgoing and confusing as this! At only 96 pages though I recommend everyone trying this classic and letting me know how you get on!
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Pages - 96
Goodreads Rating - ⭐⭐⭐
