I don’t normally do book reviews, but as it’s Alice’s Day today – a celebration of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, I felt I couldn’t let it pass without saying a few words about Lewis Carroll’s fantastic book.
When I found out about Alice’s Day, I immediately turned to my Kindle and dug out the ebook. I was soon lost in what can only be described as a truly bonkers world. Nothing is what it seems, no one really says what they mean and bizarre things happen when you least expect.
It’s never clear to me whether Wonderland is meant to be a book for adults or children but it’s certainly kept me entertained over the years. I can never quite put my finger of what it is that I really like about Alice, but I think it’s probably the number of unanswered questions. When the creatures in Wonderland don’t know the answer, they just change the subject. And they ask riddles, with no idea of the solution – ‘Why is a raven like a writing desk?’.
All the characters are larger than life, the world is extravagant and the reason becomes clear at the end. (No spoilers but it’s the only book where this ending is acceptable.)
This book is also the reason why I laugh every time I hear about caucuses in US politics. In Wonderland, Alice takes part in a caucus race which has no rules and is seemingly pointless apart from helping the birds and animals to dry off. In a caucus race everyone wins and all must have prizes.
I don’t think I could really choose a favourite creature from Wonderland but if pushed I would have to give it to the Cheshire Cat, simply for his answer to Alice’s question of which way she ought to go – ‘That depends a good deal on where you want to get to’. Very wise words.
I’ve always loved Alice in Wonderland purely for its creativity and I’d love to spend an afternoon with Lewis Carroll chatting to him about where the book came from. Which bit of the story came to him first? How did he develop the idea? And most importantly, how many G&Ts he’d had before he started writing?
Maybe there’s a book out there that will answer my questions. Until I find it I’ll just have to keep reading Wonderland, appreciating his brilliant writing and speculating about the rest.
Use this year’s Alice’s Day to dive into a world of true escapism – I think at the moment we all need a bit of that!
Find out more about Alice’s Day with the Story Museum.