From the multi-million-copy bestselling author of Wicked comes a magical new twist on Lewis Carroll’s beloved classic, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.When Alice toppled down the rabbit-hole 150 years ago, she found a Wonderland as rife with inconsistent rules and abrasive egos as the world she left behind. But what of that world? How did 1860s Oxford react to Alice’s disappearance?In After … react to Alice’s disappearance?
In After Alice, Gregory Maguire turns his dazzling imagination to the question of underworlds, undergrounds, underpinnings—and understandings old and new, offering an inventive spin on Carroll’s enduring tale. Ada, a friend of Alice’s mentioned briefly in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, is off to visit her friend, but arrives a moment too late—and tumbles down the rabbit-hole herself.
Ada brings to Wonderland her own imperfect apprehension of cause and effect as she embarks on an odyssey to find Alice and see her safely home from this surreal world below the world. If Eurydice can ever be returned to the arms of Orpheus, or Lazarus can be raised from the tomb, perhaps Alice can be returned to life. Either way, everything that happens next is “After Alice.”
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I found the book a bit difficult to read. The use of some of the language required that I jump back and forth to the dictionary. Safely, this in turn requied that I struggle through the book.
Maguire has colonized the niche of retelling popular and traditional children’s stories with darker and more adult themes, and I usually enjoy his work enough to give it 5 stars. “After Alice” is filled with distracting pseudo-erudition, however, as if Maguire had written it with the thesaurus open on his lap. I would have given it only 3 stars, but it did prompt me to re-read another great novel, Connie Willis’ “To Say Nothing of the Dog,” which has a similar “trapped in a dream” flavor.
Didn’t care for it
Gregory MacGuire’s writing is such a pleasure. I’d take the journey just for that. But, on top of his great literary skill is yet another trip down a rabbit hole to consider the deep philosophical questions of our age, while, in this book, shewing us just a little of the history and controversies that have brought us to where we are, collectively.
It lived up to Gregory Maguire’s previous looks at familiar stories from a different vantage point. Thoroughly enjoyable!
I enjoyed this take-off on Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass; the ending about imagination worked for me, but maybe it was a little expected.
Huge fan of Maguire but this was very disappointing. Couldn’t find the usual “twists” to a typical Macguire fairy tale retelling.
I guess I gave it 3 stars because I finished the book. I did care enough to know what happened, but I wasn’t so taken with the story that it deserved more. If I had one word for it I would call it strange.
Not as good as other books by this author
Not up to his earlier work
I’ve read both of Lewis Carroll’s book about Alice and I enjoy literary fantasy. I slogged through this book for over 50 pages before I finally gave up. I read a LOT — about 15 – 20 novels a month and it is rare for me to throw in the towel on a novel. But just didn’t care enough about this one to finish it.
Least favorite of McGuire’s novels.
Am having A LOT of trouble getting into this book. Had to put it away for awhile.
Not the best of Gregory Maguire. Convoluted, and too much disconnect between the two storylines.
Nice addition to the traditional Alice books. Much more interesting character development.
After Alice was just ‘ok.’ McGuire’s narratives are usually gripping and brilliant. Given Wicked and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, this is clearly not his best work.
While After Alice is still entertaining enough, the story is scattered among the characters and seems underdeveloped.
Really enjoyed the language/word play.
True to Alice in Wonderland style, interesting storyline, but personally, found it hard to follow… But for a fan of this author, a good read, I’m sure.
I liked nothing about this book. Was disappointed it was so bad. Couldn’t even get through the second chapter it was that ridiculous and not entertaining.
Almost really good