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Alice by Heart
A teen girl takes refuge in a London Tube station during WWII and confronts grief, loss, and first love with the help of her favorite book, Alice in Wonderland.
London, 1940. Amidst the rubble of the Blitz of World War II, fifteen-year-old Alice Spencer and her best friend, Alfred, are forced to take shelter in an underground tube station. Sick with tuberculosis, Alfred is quarantined, with doctors saying he won’t make it through the night. In her desperation to keep him holding on, Alice turns to their favorite pastime: recalling the book that bonded them, and telling the story that she knows by heart–the story of Alice in Wonderland.
What follows is a stunning, fantastical journey that blends Alice’s two worlds: her war-ravaged homeland being held together by nurses and soldiers and Winston Churchill, and her beloved Wonderland, a welcome distraction from the bombs and the death, but a place where one rule always applies: the pages must keep turning. But then the lines between these two worlds begin to blur. Is that a militant Red Cross Nurse demanding that Alice get BACK. TO. HER. BED!, or is it the infamous Queen of Hearts saying…something about her head? Soon, Alice must decide whether to stay in Wonderland forever, or embrace the pain of reality if that’s what it means to grow up.
An adaption of the off-Broadway musical.
London, 1940. Amidst the rubble of the Blitz of World War II, fifteen-year-old Alice Spencer and her best friend, Alfred, are forced to take shelter in an underground tube station. Sick with tuberculosis, Alfred is quarantined, with doctors saying he won’t make it through the night. In her desperation to keep him holding on, Alice turns to their favorite pastime: recalling the book that bonded them, and telling the story that she knows by heart–the story of Alice in Wonderland.
What follows is a stunning, fantastical journey that blends Alice’s two worlds: her war-ravaged homeland being held together by nurses and soldiers and Winston Churchill, and her beloved Wonderland, a welcome distraction from the bombs and the death, but a place where one rule always applies: the pages must keep turning. But then the lines between these two worlds begin to blur. Is that a militant Red Cross Nurse demanding that Alice get BACK. TO. HER. BED!, or is it the infamous Queen of Hearts saying…something about her head? Soon, Alice must decide whether to stay in Wonderland forever, or embrace the pain of reality if that’s what it means to grow up.
An adaption of the off-Broadway musical.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published February 4, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 159 reviews
February 6, 2020
if you’ve read this but haven’t listened to the musical, do yourself a favour and listen to it ASAP. the musical is much better.
February 29, 2020
This was one of those books where I felt like it could’ve been brilliant. A historical retelling of Alice in Wonderland? HOLY MOLY GIVE IT TO ME RIGHT NOW.
But between the poor (weirdly worded) description and confusing writing it really fell short for me. The writing was so... weird? I guess I could say. And it really threw me off. I’m just still confused about everything.
The plot (what there was of it) was decent and the friendship between Alice and Alfred was great. There were many scenes I liked (mostly Wonderland scenes), But there were a lot of other scenes that confused me and totally turned me off.
Overall it was a fine read. It would’ve been 2/2.5 stars but the ending was actually surprisingly good so I decided to bump it up a bit.
Content:
A bit of language. God’s name is taken in vain five or six times. H***, d***, b**** were all used once. The Lord’s name was taken in vain one time.
A man examines Alice’s breasts after a crude remark is made.
A handful of other suggestive comments and remarks.
But between the poor (weirdly worded) description and confusing writing it really fell short for me. The writing was so... weird? I guess I could say. And it really threw me off. I’m just still confused about everything.
The plot (what there was of it) was decent and the friendship between Alice and Alfred was great. There were many scenes I liked (mostly Wonderland scenes), But there were a lot of other scenes that confused me and totally turned me off.
Overall it was a fine read. It would’ve been 2/2.5 stars but the ending was actually surprisingly good so I decided to bump it up a bit.
Content:
A bit of language. God’s name is taken in vain five or six times. H***, d***, b**** were all used once. The Lord’s name was taken in vain one time.
A man examines Alice’s breasts after a crude remark is made.
A handful of other suggestive comments and remarks.
January 2, 2021
steven sater stop taking about boobs challenge
ok so. i’m emotionally attached to the musical version of this on so many levels, but my god, this just....... really wasn’t it. two stars just for the beloved characters and concept. also that cover. but i wasn’t feeling this.
the writing was so. fucking annoying. beyond the incessant, unnecessary mentions of alice’s boobs (seriously- wtf???), it was really prose-y but in like. a nonsensical way, not a nice one. it made it really had to get through, because every sentence felt like a whole puzzle i had to figure out unnecessarily. i also thought the writing style made it a lot harder to connect to the characters. i wanted more deep-thinking and paragraphs about characterization and deep thoughts, and instead that time was spent on meaningless prose. alice was kind of annoying, there wasn’t nearly enough alfred. i didn’t mind the other characters though.
also, i wasn’t able to get into the alice x alfred bits beyond the flashbacks. see, they started out cute, but then alice is just like. internally monologuing about kissing alfred and it’s kind of uncomfortable. there isn’t even much on what a kiss would mean to her, just the base physical thing. idk. not my cup of tea.
on that note, however, the flashbacks were really cute. they made me tear up a tiny bit at one point.
i also enjoyed the bits of history & the photographs within this version; it added something to the story that i thought the musical was a bit lacking in.
ok so. i’m emotionally attached to the musical version of this on so many levels, but my god, this just....... really wasn’t it. two stars just for the beloved characters and concept. also that cover. but i wasn’t feeling this.
the writing was so. fucking annoying. beyond the incessant, unnecessary mentions of alice’s boobs (seriously- wtf???), it was really prose-y but in like. a nonsensical way, not a nice one. it made it really had to get through, because every sentence felt like a whole puzzle i had to figure out unnecessarily. i also thought the writing style made it a lot harder to connect to the characters. i wanted more deep-thinking and paragraphs about characterization and deep thoughts, and instead that time was spent on meaningless prose. alice was kind of annoying, there wasn’t nearly enough alfred. i didn’t mind the other characters though.
also, i wasn’t able to get into the alice x alfred bits beyond the flashbacks. see, they started out cute, but then alice is just like. internally monologuing about kissing alfred and it’s kind of uncomfortable. there isn’t even much on what a kiss would mean to her, just the base physical thing. idk. not my cup of tea.
on that note, however, the flashbacks were really cute. they made me tear up a tiny bit at one point.
i also enjoyed the bits of history & the photographs within this version; it added something to the story that i thought the musical was a bit lacking in.
February 6, 2020
I was gifted this book in exchange for an honest review.
3 star
This was a great premise to blend historical fiction and the whimsy of Wonderland. I didn't have a huge connection to the story and the jumping between book and reality took away from the story for me. I feel like it was a great way to show how light can be shed on really dark times through the power of books. If you are a fan of historical fiction, I think you'll love this.
3 star
This was a great premise to blend historical fiction and the whimsy of Wonderland. I didn't have a huge connection to the story and the jumping between book and reality took away from the story for me. I feel like it was a great way to show how light can be shed on really dark times through the power of books. If you are a fan of historical fiction, I think you'll love this.
December 31, 2020
After reading 30 pages of this book I have decided to DNF it. Such a pity as I got this as a gift and was very interested in it. The descriptions are confusing, the writing is terribly repetitive and I have no want to torture myself anymore. From the beginning of the book, I was wary about the writing because it was as though Steven Sater decided to fit as many advanced dictionary words as possible and decided to show that he used the words by using them MULTIPLE TIMES.
A quote on page 21 perfectly shows how repetitive the writing is: "Only a month, a little month ago, was it? On a night like this, on such an autumn night as this, I sat beside you, Mummy." Not even kidding this is a quote from the book. Another quote to demonstrate the writing: "And why, being here, could he not be still, not sit still?"
Although I don't have the effort to find quotes that show how terrible the description is in this book, trust me that it is VERY confusing. I can't do this to myself and I recommend you don't try to read it either.
A quote on page 21 perfectly shows how repetitive the writing is: "Only a month, a little month ago, was it? On a night like this, on such an autumn night as this, I sat beside you, Mummy." Not even kidding this is a quote from the book. Another quote to demonstrate the writing: "And why, being here, could he not be still, not sit still?"
Although I don't have the effort to find quotes that show how terrible the description is in this book, trust me that it is VERY confusing. I can't do this to myself and I recommend you don't try to read it either.
August 12, 2020
Whenever I see an Alice in Wonderland retelling I have to have it. I have no idea how I've managed to miss this one. I also have a foot in the musical world and I love discovering new shows, but for some reason this one didn't cross my path. However, a webshop had this book in their outlet and I was really curious. I only read later that people found it hard to read and to follow. So, when I started today I was prepared to struggle my way through it.
But, and maybe that's because I expected way worse, I didn't have a hard time at all following the story and this amazing blend of real life and fantasy. Yes, at times this book used words I had never heard of before, but it weren't that many that I couldn't understand what was going on and a lot of medical language I understood a little, at least more than Alice herself. I also had no trouble at all keeping track of where the story took place and how it worked.
I personally find the blending of the two worlds very well done. Alice is really holding onto the story that shaped her childhood and even more her friendship. The further I read, the more I started to understand what Alice was really doing, what was really happening. I can imagine that on stage things might get a little confusing, but due to the lay out of the book I had no trouble separating flashbacks, wonderland scenes and tube station scenes. Just like it wasn't that hard to know which character played which role in the original tale.
It's quite easy to relate to Alice and how she grabs this story and holds onto it. It's my coping mechanism too. Whenever I go through a hard time, I tell myself stories, I make myself a main character in a meaningful tale, I let myself have an adventure. Alice is facing really hard circumstances and no matter how insane it sounds, this insanity is very believably the thing that keeps her sane.
I will surely give the musical score a listen now I know what's going on!
But, and maybe that's because I expected way worse, I didn't have a hard time at all following the story and this amazing blend of real life and fantasy. Yes, at times this book used words I had never heard of before, but it weren't that many that I couldn't understand what was going on and a lot of medical language I understood a little, at least more than Alice herself. I also had no trouble at all keeping track of where the story took place and how it worked.
I personally find the blending of the two worlds very well done. Alice is really holding onto the story that shaped her childhood and even more her friendship. The further I read, the more I started to understand what Alice was really doing, what was really happening. I can imagine that on stage things might get a little confusing, but due to the lay out of the book I had no trouble separating flashbacks, wonderland scenes and tube station scenes. Just like it wasn't that hard to know which character played which role in the original tale.
It's quite easy to relate to Alice and how she grabs this story and holds onto it. It's my coping mechanism too. Whenever I go through a hard time, I tell myself stories, I make myself a main character in a meaningful tale, I let myself have an adventure. Alice is facing really hard circumstances and no matter how insane it sounds, this insanity is very believably the thing that keeps her sane.
I will surely give the musical score a listen now I know what's going on!
May 23, 2020
This is an actual book (not as in a Musical theatre book with the stage directions, lyrics, songs, etc, but as in a novel sort of book) based on a musical by the same author et al. It is sort of a retelling of Alice in Wonderland set during the London Blitz, but it's a lot more bizarre than that. This is very dark and tragic as well as strange, and it didn't work for me. I have no idea if I'd like the musical or not. Whoever has shelved this children is wrong--this is not for kids. Some have shelved it y/a, and it could be since the protagonists are teens, but it is a dark and twisty one. Not my cup of tea.
June 28, 2020
It’s definitely not my cup of tea, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be anyone else’s. Alice in Wonderland isn’t a favorite of mine (I think I’ve read it a few times, but I don’t know it by heart). I generally don’t enjoy WW2 stories because they’re so often depressing. So as for the setting and premise - not my favorite, but not actually bad. One genuine criticism - the author focused uncomfortably on Alice’s budding breasts. It was weird, didn’t really add to the plot, and I disliked it. He had plenty other ways of discussing the transition from childhood to adulthood without sexualizing a young girl’s discomfort. Also, his writing style didn’t really work for me. I don’t mind poetic writing styles, I just felt he was being pretentious and trying to sound cool instead of choosing the best words. Sometimes word choices sounded good but weren’t actually correct in context. I recognize that Alice in Wonderland has outlandish word choices and he wanted to replicate that feeling, but I found it distracting at best. Overall, not a terribly composed work, but not one I would recommend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 8, 2021
Kind of hard to follow.
November 25, 2020
This is one of the most heart-breakingly beautiful, stunningly poetic pieces of historical fiction I've ever read. The wonderful madness of it all is so captivating. 10/10 would highly recommend. #2 Favorite Standalone ♠♥♣♦
January 18, 2022
This was a very quick "nope." The story sounded interesting, and could have been good if the writing didn't get so much in the way of it. Yikes.
February 28, 2023
I came to this book via the off-broadway musical. I liked the songs very much, so I had to do, what every fan girl with a proper hyperfixation has to do: I had to dig deeper and find more stuff around it. First I watched the show on youtube and understood completely nothing, mostly because I hadn’t read Alice in Wonderland at that point. Then I found the book behind the musical and had to read it. But first things first! (Digging deeper, you know�) I read Alice in Wonderland for background informations. In short: I don’t have much love for that and can’t understand the hype around it. But maybe I’m missing the point.
So I started reading „Alice by heart�.
What so say about it: it wasn’t easy reading for me. English isn’t my first language and all I have, are the bits of school english, that are left after more than a decade. I got lost in the unusual language a couple of times and wished for a german translation� and I also didn’t, because I can’t imagine a translation, that doesn’t mean a loss for the story and the atmosphere.
Words that make you hear the sounds. Playing with words, rearranging them to advance the action. Repetitions, that suit the dullness of that tube station, where the story takes place. By using that surreal language, the author created the perfect atmosphere to tell this story with a story within. Often I didn’t know, if one particular scene really took place, or if it just happened in Alices head. But I think that this is the intention of the author. The difference between fiction an reality is always blurred. In the end I felt as confused as Alice herself, which let me feel with her in a deeper way. This story about a profound friendship, not only first love, congeniality of souls, of loving someone for just who he or she is, about the difficulties of letting go and to find a way to live with the grief that remains, made me sigh one time or another while reading. All in all a book, that I fell in love a bit and that I have to reread sometime.
So I started reading „Alice by heart�.
What so say about it: it wasn’t easy reading for me. English isn’t my first language and all I have, are the bits of school english, that are left after more than a decade. I got lost in the unusual language a couple of times and wished for a german translation� and I also didn’t, because I can’t imagine a translation, that doesn’t mean a loss for the story and the atmosphere.
Words that make you hear the sounds. Playing with words, rearranging them to advance the action. Repetitions, that suit the dullness of that tube station, where the story takes place. By using that surreal language, the author created the perfect atmosphere to tell this story with a story within. Often I didn’t know, if one particular scene really took place, or if it just happened in Alices head. But I think that this is the intention of the author. The difference between fiction an reality is always blurred. In the end I felt as confused as Alice herself, which let me feel with her in a deeper way. This story about a profound friendship, not only first love, congeniality of souls, of loving someone for just who he or she is, about the difficulties of letting go and to find a way to live with the grief that remains, made me sigh one time or another while reading. All in all a book, that I fell in love a bit and that I have to reread sometime.
August 30, 2024
This book was heartbreaking. I read it because I had fallen in love with the musical, and wanted to know more about the characters, and boy, did I get to know more about the characters. Alfred and Alice's relationship is so beautifully developed, and I looked forward to every single time they interacted.
I really appreciate how well the 7 stages of grief were explored subtly through characters that Alice meets along the way.
I also loved the style in which this book was written, where it feels like a fever dream. You don't know what is reality and what is not. This shows how the writing style can really bring you into the character's world.
There wasn't one character that wasn't well written and thought out.
Sometimes the writing style was hard to read and comprehend, so it took me a while to finish reading.
I really appreciate how well the 7 stages of grief were explored subtly through characters that Alice meets along the way.
I also loved the style in which this book was written, where it feels like a fever dream. You don't know what is reality and what is not. This shows how the writing style can really bring you into the character's world.
There wasn't one character that wasn't well written and thought out.
Sometimes the writing style was hard to read and comprehend, so it took me a while to finish reading.
August 23, 2023
i enjoyed this way more than i expected! it was all over the place, but i think that was the point and i think it worked - especially because it’s alice in wonderland which is also quite madly written ofc. it wasn’t too replicant of the musical and song lyrics which was good, although i would’ve liked the points of each song to show more solidly. some did, but i wish ‘i’ve shrunk enough� was in there more!!! needed that umph and fight back at the end. the language was so beautiful and i can really tell that sater has read a lot of emily dickinson. i also cried a bit so it handled the sad parts similarly well for me as the show does
looking forward to bringing it into my dissertation!!
looking forward to bringing it into my dissertation!!
March 9, 2023
Yeah this wasn’t it. There’s much more heart in the musical. And the musical even has its own problems. I was hoping that these problems could be explored and solved in book form� but it showed me that even though those problems are present, this story is a story for the stage. You need the obscure blending of characters in one human body, the unanswered questions of what world they are in, and the beauty of the music.
May 18, 2024
2.5 i feel like everyone is desperate to create the edgy version of alice in wonderland and we may just have to accept it will never happen successfully. this actually has the bare bones of a good story but it probably needed a co-writer or different editor
February 9, 2023
Interesting premise marred by repetitive, overly florid language. An unlikeable protagonist and unsympathetic characters.
I see that there are many people who love the musical Alice By Heart, but I kind of wonder if I've "aged out" of musicals like this one, Spring Awakening, Newsies, and Wicked? (Although the dancing in Newsies is superb, and I really enjoy watching it.)
Trying not to let having read this book ruin Lewis Carroll's stories for me. Actually disappointed I read this.
I see that there are many people who love the musical Alice By Heart, but I kind of wonder if I've "aged out" of musicals like this one, Spring Awakening, Newsies, and Wicked? (Although the dancing in Newsies is superb, and I really enjoy watching it.)
Trying not to let having read this book ruin Lewis Carroll's stories for me. Actually disappointed I read this.
February 18, 2023
Sadly, the incredible stage musical did not translate.
December 28, 2020
Hated it.
June 27, 2021
Short and sweet
September 10, 2024
It just didn’t hit the same as the musical. Ending still made me want to die
December 21, 2020
Really, really didn't like this book. I found it very confusing the jumping back and forth from reality to fantasy. Did not finish reading it.
May 17, 2021
kind of difficult to read if you haven’t seen the musical, but i love the musical so i already knew i loved the story. i do think it’s better in musical form rather than as a a book because the choreography and prop use is one of the best things about it.
February 13, 2020
*An ARC was given to me in exchange for an honest review.*
It was okay, just not the book for me. I’m a huge AIW fan and I did have things I liked about it like the Tea Party and Queen of Hearts scenes, the relationship between Alice and Alfred, as well as all the photos of both the original story and history. Oh and how the author went off the original tale.
But unfortunately, it wasn’t my cup of tea (SORRY I HAD TO 🤣) and the writing style was so hard for me to understand anything. I got the overall plot of the book (though there isn’t really a lot going on), but it all felt like word salad, jumbled together. I’m interested to see how the musical is, since the book was so flowery and full of imagery.
Again, not for me, but it did have it’s good parts. For me to enjoy anything related to AIW, I have a certain expectation in whimsy and nonsense, and this as well as Splintered by A.G Howard were utter nonsense and not in that good way.
It was okay, just not the book for me. I’m a huge AIW fan and I did have things I liked about it like the Tea Party and Queen of Hearts scenes, the relationship between Alice and Alfred, as well as all the photos of both the original story and history. Oh and how the author went off the original tale.
But unfortunately, it wasn’t my cup of tea (SORRY I HAD TO 🤣) and the writing style was so hard for me to understand anything. I got the overall plot of the book (though there isn’t really a lot going on), but it all felt like word salad, jumbled together. I’m interested to see how the musical is, since the book was so flowery and full of imagery.
Again, not for me, but it did have it’s good parts. For me to enjoy anything related to AIW, I have a certain expectation in whimsy and nonsense, and this as well as Splintered by A.G Howard were utter nonsense and not in that good way.
June 25, 2021
So this was...not...super...great. At all.
I decided to bump this up my TBR list because of my health anxiety and I knew it would be good for me to expose myself to a young person being fatally ill and . Unfortunately it didn't work to make me less afraid; it did, however, succeed in being exceedingly tedious and confusing as all hell. Prose can only take your story so far, and while this one definitely works better when read aloud, it doesn't change the fact that half the time it's so bogged down by its own forced whimsy that you're left rereading sentences over and over just to comprehend what's going on.
None of the characters were likable. None of them were complex. Their being displaced in an Underground tube station during the London Blitz doesn't excuse them from being insufferable twits. Angus was constantly making dick jokes that were just gross and uncalled for; Dodgy, Mamie, and Nigel were all needlessly cruel and bitchy; Harold Pudding could have been taken out and it wouldn't have made a difference; and Tabatha was an enabler for Alice's unhealthy obsessions. The Nurse and Dr. Buttridge were all but useless, just being obstacles to keep Alice from seeing Alfred while he quarantined. Alfred was depressing and cynical, which is understandable since he's dying of tuberculosis, but even that came off as rude from time to time. Alice herself had two personality traits: her book and her love for Alfred, and that just made her grating and irritating and not at all a good protagonist.
Everyone was way too obsessed with Alice's puberty, and I'm sure there are better, subtler ways to say someone's growing up other than putting so much emphasis on a teen girl's boobs popping out of her blouse. Funny enough, this book did try to be a coming-of-age story about letting go of the past and moving forward, but I never got that from any of the 267 pages I slogged through. Sure, it tried to have that message, but Alice's acceptance was more of a light switching on than the gradual change it was clearly supposed to be. And after everything, she was .
I'm probably being way too harsh, because I do realize the circumstances in which this book is set do play a large part in how the characters act. Surviving the London Blitz is no small feat, and they're all clearly traumatized by what they've seen. But the blending of fantasy and reality just gets too muddled and it's a confusing mess of words and descriptions and riddles, and it left me unsatisfied. The music from the stage show sounds great, so maybe it works better as a musical? Either way, definitely skip this one.
I decided to bump this up my TBR list because of my health anxiety and I knew it would be good for me to expose myself to a young person being fatally ill and . Unfortunately it didn't work to make me less afraid; it did, however, succeed in being exceedingly tedious and confusing as all hell. Prose can only take your story so far, and while this one definitely works better when read aloud, it doesn't change the fact that half the time it's so bogged down by its own forced whimsy that you're left rereading sentences over and over just to comprehend what's going on.
None of the characters were likable. None of them were complex. Their being displaced in an Underground tube station during the London Blitz doesn't excuse them from being insufferable twits. Angus was constantly making dick jokes that were just gross and uncalled for; Dodgy, Mamie, and Nigel were all needlessly cruel and bitchy; Harold Pudding could have been taken out and it wouldn't have made a difference; and Tabatha was an enabler for Alice's unhealthy obsessions. The Nurse and Dr. Buttridge were all but useless, just being obstacles to keep Alice from seeing Alfred while he quarantined. Alfred was depressing and cynical, which is understandable since he's dying of tuberculosis, but even that came off as rude from time to time. Alice herself had two personality traits: her book and her love for Alfred, and that just made her grating and irritating and not at all a good protagonist.
Everyone was way too obsessed with Alice's puberty, and I'm sure there are better, subtler ways to say someone's growing up other than putting so much emphasis on a teen girl's boobs popping out of her blouse. Funny enough, this book did try to be a coming-of-age story about letting go of the past and moving forward, but I never got that from any of the 267 pages I slogged through. Sure, it tried to have that message, but Alice's acceptance was more of a light switching on than the gradual change it was clearly supposed to be. And after everything, she was .
I'm probably being way too harsh, because I do realize the circumstances in which this book is set do play a large part in how the characters act. Surviving the London Blitz is no small feat, and they're all clearly traumatized by what they've seen. But the blending of fantasy and reality just gets too muddled and it's a confusing mess of words and descriptions and riddles, and it left me unsatisfied. The music from the stage show sounds great, so maybe it works better as a musical? Either way, definitely skip this one.
February 12, 2020
**Huge thanks to the Publisher for sending me a copy! FRTC**
February 28, 2020
listen to the musical its much better
May 7, 2021
Here’s the thing: I picked up this book because it is based on my favorite stage musicals of all time (of the same name). I know the musical like the back of my hand, and have spent a fair share of hours analyzing every word of dialogue, every metaphor, and every lyric.
To be truthful, if I didn’t have such a deep understanding of the musical, I don’t think I would’ve gotten through this book.
I loved it because it provided so many beautiful pieces of character development and details that the musical didn’t have the time to include. Some of the sentences were absolutely beautiful and I wouldn’t be opposed to getting a tattoo of one of them, someday.
However, this book was often very difficult for me to read. The writing style is VERY wordy and over-descriptive. At some points I would think “this doesn’t need to be explained in such a poetic way, just use normal words�. I would often be confused on exactly what was going on, and could only get my thoughts together when I recognized one of the lines or lyrics from the musical.
So, if you are going to read this book, I would definitely recommend getting familiar with the stage musical (which is absolutely beautiful and I can not speak highly enough of), because if you don’t, I doubt you would be able to follow the book super well (or maybe I’m just not used to this writing style and it’s actually fairly simple to follow, who knows)
At the end of the day, I think this book is DEFINITELY worth the read if you’re already familiar with the content. Given the fact that I was a fan of the story, it made me love the book. But if I didn’t know the content beforehand, I would’ve probably DNF’d this book.
To be truthful, if I didn’t have such a deep understanding of the musical, I don’t think I would’ve gotten through this book.
I loved it because it provided so many beautiful pieces of character development and details that the musical didn’t have the time to include. Some of the sentences were absolutely beautiful and I wouldn’t be opposed to getting a tattoo of one of them, someday.
However, this book was often very difficult for me to read. The writing style is VERY wordy and over-descriptive. At some points I would think “this doesn’t need to be explained in such a poetic way, just use normal words�. I would often be confused on exactly what was going on, and could only get my thoughts together when I recognized one of the lines or lyrics from the musical.
So, if you are going to read this book, I would definitely recommend getting familiar with the stage musical (which is absolutely beautiful and I can not speak highly enough of), because if you don’t, I doubt you would be able to follow the book super well (or maybe I’m just not used to this writing style and it’s actually fairly simple to follow, who knows)
At the end of the day, I think this book is DEFINITELY worth the read if you’re already familiar with the content. Given the fact that I was a fan of the story, it made me love the book. But if I didn’t know the content beforehand, I would’ve probably DNF’d this book.
March 11, 2020
an interesting book that is pretty well written, but probably makes more sense if you have read alice in wonderland. im excited to see what sater does next.
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