Paperback, 208 pages
English language
Published Sept. 15, 2016 by Scholastic.
Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (also known as Alice Through the Looking-Glass or simply Through the Looking-Glass) is a novel published on 27 December 1871 (though indicated as 1872) by Lewis Carroll and the sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865). Alice again enters a fantastical world, this time by climbing through a mirror into the world that she can see beyond it. There she finds that, just like a reflection, everything is reversed, including logic (for example, running helps one remain stationary, walking away from something brings one towards it, chessmen are alive, nursery rhyme characters exist, and so on). Through the Looking-Glass includes such verses as "Jabberwocky" and "The Walrus and the Carpenter", and the episode involving Tweedledum and Tweedledee. The mirror above the fireplace that is displayed at Hetton Lawn in Charlton Kings, Gloucestershire (a house that was owned by Alice Liddell's grandparents, and …
Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (also known as Alice Through the Looking-Glass or simply Through the Looking-Glass) is a novel published on 27 December 1871 (though indicated as 1872) by Lewis Carroll and the sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865). Alice again enters a fantastical world, this time by climbing through a mirror into the world that she can see beyond it. There she finds that, just like a reflection, everything is reversed, including logic (for example, running helps one remain stationary, walking away from something brings one towards it, chessmen are alive, nursery rhyme characters exist, and so on). Through the Looking-Glass includes such verses as "Jabberwocky" and "The Walrus and the Carpenter", and the episode involving Tweedledum and Tweedledee. The mirror above the fireplace that is displayed at Hetton Lawn in Charlton Kings, Gloucestershire (a house that was owned by Alice Liddell's grandparents, and was regularly visited by Alice and Lewis Carroll) resembles the one drawn by John Tenniel, and is cited as a possible inspiration for Carroll.It was the first of the "Alice" stories to gain widespread popularity, and prompted a newfound appreciation for its predecessor when it was published.
(2 stars = it was okay)
A sequence of random but colourful nonsense, for no discernible reason. Poor ending. Very effective at sending me off to sleep, though!
It was nice to see where major parts of many Alice in Wonderland adaptations drew from. There's the Jabberwocky, the Red Queen running to stay in place, the White Queen practicing to "believe six impossible things before breakfast," Tweedledee and Tweedledum, etc.
The story itself relies a bit too much on wordplay and lacks much that could be called a plot (partially excused, perhaps, by being framed in a dream), but it's enjoyable for what it is.
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.
