Through the Looking Glass (1871)

Although I like this book, I didn't find it nearly as entertaining as Alice in Wonderland. In Wonderland, it seemed as if the silliness came natural, whereas this book seemed to be forcing it a little (at the times it was silly). ( )

Also a fun romp through a nonsensical land, but Alice is a bit annoying in this book and the characters a bit less fun. The book skates between organized and complete nonsense, when it should stick with one or the other. Overall a wonderful book but not for readers who like order and a straight plot line! ( )

Audio. This never picked up for me. I found the narrator boring and I think he is the same guy that narrated The Secret Benedict Society which I also never finished. I absolutely hate his voice. The story itself made no sense and jumped from one scene to the next. Tweedledee and Tweedledum were annoying and the narrator’s voice didn’t help matters either. I won’t be picking this one back up. ( )

Having recently finished a gorgeous new edition of Alice, we read an equally sumptuous version of Through The Looking-Glass illustrated by Marketa Prachaticka. The verdict? Took Z a little while to warm up to it compared to Alice . . . but he loved, loved, loved The Walrus and The Carpenter and Humpty Dumpty to no end. And the whole cat thing at the end? He never saw that one coming . . . blew his mind. ( )

I enjoyed Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, so it was only natural for me to want to read the sequel “Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There”. I have to say, comparing the two that I’m disappointed in ‘Through the Looking-Glass’. All the wit and enjoyment I received from ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ seemed to be missing from “Through the Looking-Glass”. Lewis Carroll did employ some interesting writing techniques into the book including frequent changes in time and spatial directions as a plot device but I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I was hoping. It could have been my high expectations but I think this book was more focused on being a children’s story more than its predecessor. There is still an element of that magic to still make this a good book to read and I would recommend reading it; I wanted more from it. ( )