Here is the second book review for the Slow Readers Book Club! Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin is a historical fiction novel based on Alice Pleasance Liddell. She was the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland written by Lewis Carroll.
"But oh my dear, I am tired of being Alice in Wonderland. Does it sound ungrateful? It is. Only I do get tired."(p.3)
Summary:
Alice I Have Been tells the story of Alice Liddell Hargreave's life. The book is divided into three sections. It begins with her childhood, skips to her twenties, then skips again to her later years. Alice I Have Been contains a fascinating literary mystery, a royal romance, heartbreak, and war.
Alice Liddell dressed up as a beggar-maid
"Alice I am, Alice I will be. Alice I have been."(p.345)
I really enjoyed reading this book. I loved seeing the Alice in Wonderland references and learning more about the Liddell family. Alice's relationship with Charles Dodgson, who is the infamous Lewis Carroll, I found very interesting and definitely disturbing. Whether or not there is truth to the controversy is certainly a mystery.
Alice had an interesting life. However, I found it to be a sad one. Her mother seemed very cold and distant and in a few instances cruel. There was a lot of heartbreak in her life. Deaths and of love lost. I admire her spirit. Alice found strength and determination in all that she faced. She had faults but she grew from them. There were years and experiences lost because of her past. Alice seemed haunted by it. In the end, she was able to move on from it which in return it helped to save her. It was interesting to see things come full circle.
Overall, Alice I Have Been was an entertaining read. I must admit that since I've finished the book, I've thought quite a bit about it. It is a haunting story.
Alice Liddell as a young woman
By W. Coulbourn Brown
4 out of 5 stars
Images via Amazon, Melanie Benjamin, and Wikipedia