After all the metaphors and symbolism regarding Alice, the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter in beaver hat, and going down the Rabbit holes, it was truly surreal to read the original thing. However, it wasn't surreal enough.

Now, this is a children's book in every way and more. It is well worth the wait, as it didn't let down or disappoint in any way. It was everything I thought it would be and much, much more. All the hype surrounding it is well justified.

This book is truly living up to the expectations. There are many lessons, morals, and parables here, but one has to work at it and figure them out. It is a book that stimulates the mind. It took me a while to realize that every line, every word, every dialogue is a puzzle that one has to unravel oneself. There are lots of double entendres here.

Just brilliant! I applaud the ending. It was abrupt like startling awake from a pleasant dream. Really wow! Perfect!

Like the Goodreads sensation, JG Keely, says, a good children's book works for both adults and children and makes you think. This book does that aplenty. It was as if Alice was really there in Wonderland, and we as readers were there with her, seeing every kooky thing first hand and being just as amazed, awed, and enthralled as her.

Think. Was it all a dream? Was she sleeping all her life? Was she dreaming? Is she still dreaming? Is this still a dream? Is she?

You have to wonder just who was it that really woke her up? Red pill or the blue one, I know what I am taking. We all know which one Russell Brand took. Which one would you take? Was it a dream?

I have extremely mixed reviews regarding this particular book. It is a complete collection of Lewis Carroll's works. Now I truly understand why "Alice in Wonderland" and then "Through the Looking Glass" are his most renowned creations. I suppose I shouldn't claim that I "completed" this book because after reading "Sylvie and Bruno", I simply couldn't endure it anymore. The baby talk! I cannot tolerate baby talk in real life, and reading it, even when it is supposed to come from a small child, is more than I can bear. For instance, here is the kind of excerpt that makes me go on an angry rant: "Doos oo think Crocodiles goes walks wizout blankets?" I don't care how young the character you are writing about is supposed to be - this is obnoxious and makes me intensely dislike this child. Which might be irrational and unfair, but it was just painful.

I did enjoy the nonsense of "Alice in Wonderland". It is very well executed if you accept that you are reading a dream. It is done well in that way - like when you are having a dream and a pink elephant walks in, you just accept it and start a conversation. And when he turns into Lucille Ball, you just accept it and continue. That, I truly enjoyed. However, the combination of the nonsense in "Sylvie and Bruno" with those existential conversations in the adult world was simply not engaging for me. I couldn't bring myself to continue with "Sylvie and Bruno Concluded". Maybe if I become masochistic one day, I'll give it a try.

"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass" deserve a solid 4/5 stars. These are classics for a good reason and are truly well worth the read. They are written with children in mind, but adults will discover many layers and subtleties that a child might not pick up on. What I really appreciated about this edition is that it includes the original illustrations, which add an extra charm to the stories.

"Sylvie and Bruno" and "Sylvie and Bruno Concluded" rate only 2.5/5 stars. These two tales take up the majority of the book. While I did enjoy some of the chapters individually, especially as I got deeper into the story, I still had to constantly convince myself to keep reading. I think Carroll was a bit too ambitious here. He tried to do too many things, but didn't quite manage to make them all blend seamlessly. Maybe this was partially intentional, considering how he often jumps between the fairy world and the real world with little or no warning. Still, I think this might have worked better if he had divided these ideas into two distinct stories instead of one in two parts.

"A Tangled Tale" gets a 4/5 stars. I didn't actually attempt to solve the math riddles, but this was worth reading just for Carroll's responses to the submissions. The remaining 4 short stories, on the whole, rate a collective 2.5/5 stars. They generally aim to be cute, with some succeeding better than others.

Overall, as I mentioned earlier, the Alice stories are definitely worth a read. However, the rest can probably be skipped if you're not a die-hard fan of Carroll. I'm not sure how easy it is to find editions with the original illustrations of "Alice," so this one might be worth looking into for that reason. Otherwise, a book containing only "Alice" and "Looking Glass" will likely suffice for most people.

The time has come,' the Walrus said,

\\n  To talk of many things:\\n
\\n  Of shoes — and ships — and sealing-wax —\\n
\\n  Of cabbages — and kings —\\n
\\n  And why the sea is boiling hot —\\n
\\n  And whether pigs have wings.'\\n

(Quote from Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There ' written by none other than the fantastical Lewis Carroll)


As per usual, as Alice happens to be my favorite story of all time. It's like a magical world that never fails to capture my imagination. 5, BADDA BING BADDA BOOM, golden STARS.


I have to add that this edition is also truly a beautiful one. It's a wonderful addition to my Alice collection that I keep proudly displayed on my built-in HIDDEN BOOKSHELF DOOR. The hubs and I made this door years ago. I only wish a new magic, imaginary world was behind it. Instead, it’s just a hallway with a storage closet leading to a linen closet, and my closet, plus the master bathroom and pool door. Hahahh. What good is a secret door with no magic inside? Well, it’s still pretty damn cool guys; not gonna lie lol. It's like a little piece of my childhood dreams that I can always look at and remember the wonder and excitement that Alice's adventures brought me.