Alice I Have Been

"Part love story, part literary mystery, Melanie Benajmin's spellbinding historical novel leads readers on an unforgettable journey down the rabbit hole, to tell the story of a woman whose own life became the stuff of legend." This captivating novel tells the story of Alice in Wonderland, as narrated by Alice herself. It never tells the story of the story we all know and love by Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland, but it tells the story behind it. I know I say this about a lot of books, but this story was so mesmerizing that I could not put it down! It's a bit of a slow start, but it builds up quickly. The story brings you full circle, beginning with Alice at 81 reminiscing on her childhood. I have to say, I think this is the most clever adaptation of the story of Alice that I have ever read or seen. Throughout the entire novel, there was a little voice in the back of my head asking, did this really happen? And apparently, I wasn't the only one thinking that. In the back of the novel, there is a section where Melanie Benjamin answers just that, and I was surprised and happy with the answer (yes! some of it is real!) but I won't go into specifics, not wanting to spoil you. There have been many additions to Alice's story - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll (actually a pseudonym for a Charles Dodgson, an Oxford professor of mathematics), the movie that came out in 2010 (starring Johnny Depp and and Mia Waslkowska), Alice in Wonderland, that shows Alice returning to Wonderland (it's on Netflix Instant, for those of you who wish to watch it) , and of course, the disney version of the story - Alice in Wonderland. After reading the novel (which I hope you do), look at this picture (it is the one Mr. Dodgson refers to often - it is Alice as his "wild child"). This is also a great book club book - as the reviews on the back proclaim. I hope you enjoy this amazing story of Alice as much as I did. Rating: ★★★★★