The Alice Behind Wonderland by Simon Winchester, narrated by Simon Winchester
Published in audio by Harper Audio, published in print by Oxford University Press
Synopsis:
There exists a photograph of a young girl, taken in the summer of 1858 at Oxford. The girl is the six year old daughter of Dean Liddell, dressed in the clothes of a beggar child and looking beguilingly at the camera. The photo is somewhat disconcerting – a half-dressed girl staring with the eyes of a woman – but would be largely unremarkable if this was not the same girl who would become immortalized in literary history for a story about a young girl bearing her name who has an adventure in Wonderland.
In The Alice Behind Wonderland, Simon Winchester explores the real people behind Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Charles Dodgson (aka, Lewis Carroll) and Alice Liddell.
Thoughts on the story:
Other than the fact that the title is slightly misleading – Winchester spends more time delving into Dodgson’s life than Alice’s – The Alice Behind Wonderland is a very informative work of nonfiction. Winchester goes in-depth into Dodgson’s life, both before and after Alice, including a fascinating aside into the early days of photography.
Thoughts on the audio production:
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I simply adore Simon Winchester narrating his own work. Really, if he decides to stop writing he could just narrate full time, nonfiction in particular. Winchester comes across as a charismatic scholar whose passion for his own research is infectious.
Overall:
An intriguing story, and one that is both well organized and well narrated. Recommended.
After reading The Alice Behind Wonderland, if you are interested in more on Charles Dodgson and Alice Liddell, pick up Melanie Benjamin’s Alice I Have Been for a fictionalized account of their story.
Buy this book from:
Powells: Print*
A local independent bookstore via Indiebound: Print*
Audible
I’m launching a brand-new meme every Friday! I encourage you to review any audiobooks you review on Fridays and include the link here. If you have reviewed an audiobook earlier in the week, please feel free to link that review as well. Thanks to Pam for creating the button.
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I have his “Atlantic” loaded on my iPod but haven’t gotten to it yet. I’m always thrilled when an author narrates his or her own work and does a good job at it. Nobody knows the spirit of the words better. I’ve added to audios for your meme this week.
I’ve been waffling on whether to listen to this or not– this has definitely encouraged me to do so! Thanks for the review.
I haven’t read or listen to the original Alice, maybe I should try that
I love hearing Simon Winchester talk too. I’m not a big fan of audiobooks but am sure I would enjoy this one because of the subject matter and also because I love hearing Winchester speak!
Ooh! I didn’t know about this title. I’ve only listened to The Professor and the Madman so far, but I’m quickly becoming a fan of Winchester’s work! I love this new meme. I have a semi-regular Friday feature on my blog, so I won’t be able to post Fridays, but I’ll do my best to come back and link up reviews from earlier in the week. I love how excited everyone is getting about audiobooks!
I wish I would have known about your new meme! I would have switched around yesterday’s audiobook review to today to participate! Maybe next week.
I am going to have to get my hands on this audio. I loved Alice I Have Been. I would love to know more. TBR expanded by 1.