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Alice I Have Been
by
Melanie Benjamin (Goodreads Author)
Alice Liddell Hargreaves’s life has been a richly woven tapestry: As a young woman, wife, mother, and widow, she’s experienced intense passion, great privilege, and greater tragedy. But as she nears her eighty-first birthday, she knows that, to the world around her, she is and will always be only “Alice.” Her life was permanently dog-eared at one fateful moment in her tent...more
Hardcover, 345 pages
Published
January 12th 2010
by Random House Publishing Group
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I enjoyed this book but I wouldn't recommend it if you really really love the story of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Whether you decide to take the author's liberties with the story at face value or not this book will forever change the way you look at Alice's story. It's hard after reading this book to not view Carroll's novel in a different light, I can't unknown what I know now and that makes me sad.
This novel tells the story of Alice Liddell Hargreaves, a real girl that inspi...more
This novel tells the story of Alice Liddell Hargreaves, a real girl that inspi...more
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This was a wonderful book. It was written from the viewpoint of Alice Pleasance Liddell Hargreaves, the girl who inspired the book, Alice's adventures in wonderland. We follow her through her life, making leaps from childhood, to young womanhood, to her later years as a wife and mother. There is a scandal that haunts her from the time of her childhood through the rest of her life. There is also her fairytale love story that will pull at the heartstrings. All in all a great read. I think it woul...more
Historically based on the relationship of Alice Liddell and Lewis Carroll, Alice I Have Been: A Novel
, chronicles the friendship, the emergence of the story of Wonderland, the falling out of the Carroll and the Liddell family, and Alice's path to adulthood, marriage, and old age. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. The relationships and characters were well developed. I especially liked reading about Dodgeson (his name before published as Carroll) as a photographer (something odd th...more
, chronicles the friendship, the emergence of the story of Wonderland, the falling out of the Carroll and the Liddell family, and Alice's path to adulthood, marriage, and old age. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. The relationships and characters were well developed. I especially liked reading about Dodgeson (his name before published as Carroll) as a photographer (something odd th...more
I just received this as a goodreads giveaway.
Wow I really like this one so far!! At first I thought the Dodgson/Alice relationship was a little weird but I'm chalking that up to just reading Belinda and also recently Lolita.
This is a wonderful book and I am so happy I got to read the advanced reading copy. One of the things I loved about this book was how the author takes specific points in Alice's life to reflect her journey...instead of just a linear year by year recollecti...more
Wow I really like this one so far!! At first I thought the Dodgson/Alice relationship was a little weird but I'm chalking that up to just reading Belinda and also recently Lolita.
This is a wonderful book and I am so happy I got to read the advanced reading copy. One of the things I loved about this book was how the author takes specific points in Alice's life to reflect her journey...instead of just a linear year by year recollecti...more
This is the absolute best first reads book I've read so far. I couldn't put it down, and I can't stop thinking about it now that I've finished. I was a little worried when I got it because I'm not typically a fan of historical fiction, but this book was amazing. I loved the characters, even the more dispicable ones, and can't wait to go to the library and look up some more information on Lewis Carroll and Alice.
Aug 07, 2009
Kate
marked it as to-read
I really want to read this!
After I finished reading this book I did some research on Alice Liddell and Lewis Carroll to separate fact from fiction. Before doing this I was going to give it 3 stars but changed my rating to 4 stars. I realized that the author did an amazing job in weaving a novel around the lives of these two people. The book is about the life of Alice and her family, friends, loves and especially her relationship with Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll).The connection between these two and the suggestion of in...more
Tell me I don't need to read this!
Melanie Benjamin's fictional account of Alice Liddell's life, Alice I Have Been, is written in the form of an autobiography.
I was listening to the book via iTunes while I worked, and sometimes I would zone out a little (there are a few spots that are slow) but for the most part it kept me involved in the story. Benjamin's writing is lovely and she uses language well.
The story itself is told by an elderly Alice; it begins with Alice's childhood, and her relationship with ...more
I was listening to the book via iTunes while I worked, and sometimes I would zone out a little (there are a few spots that are slow) but for the most part it kept me involved in the story. Benjamin's writing is lovely and she uses language well.
The story itself is told by an elderly Alice; it begins with Alice's childhood, and her relationship with ...more
Alice of Wonderland's story--both her actual existence and Carroll's created existence--makes for fascinating fiction. In Benjamin's historical novel, readers are invited inside the mind of Alice of Wonderland, or rather, of Alice Pleasance Liddell (later Alice Hargreaves). As Alice looks back on her early years from her current viewpoint as a woman in her eighth decade, she reflects, "But oh my dear, I am tired of being Alice in Wonderland. Does it sound ungrateful?"
Alice ...more
Alice ...more
An eighty-year-old woman recounts her life in this fictionalized account of the real Alice in Wonderland, Alice Liddell. Alice was raised in Oxford, one of the daughters of the Dean of Christ Church. It was a world of privilege, though not a world that revolved around children. The Liddell family, but especially Ina, Alice, and Edith, the three oldest daughters, were befriended by a solitary and stuttering mathematics tutor named Charles Dodgson. Mr. Dodgson enjoyed photographing the children, t...more
I loved this book. I won this as a pre-release from Goodreads, and I am thrilled it came to my doorstep. I started with a fascination with Alice in Wonderland and a slight knowledge that there was some mystery surrounding the relationship between Lewis Carrol and the real-life Alice. The book presents this mystery through the eyes of Alice in three different periods of her life. It is fictionalized, though I got the sense that Benjamin stayed true to the spirit of who Alice Liddell really was.
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The facts of the girl who inspired Alice in Wonderland, woven into a fictional account of what might have really happened between her and Chaled Dodgeson (aka, Lewis Carroll). I thought it was going to be slow the first few pages, then got very drawn into it. Not overly sappy, not overly dramatic, just the words and thoughts of a girl turning into a woman, then growing old and reflecting on the loves and loss of loves that plagued her life, simply because of the rumors and the attitudes of soc...more
Nov 22, 2009
Lisa
rated it
Recommends it for:
book clubs - those who like historical novels
Recommended to Lisa by:
Jackie Blem
This was a wonderful historical novel based on the life of Alice Liddell who inspired Lewis Carroll to write Alice in Wonderland. Benjamin did an excellent job of telling a complex story of young Alice's relationship with Caroll aka Charles Dodgson - who was a young man at Oxford when they met. But is it more than that - it is about Alice's strength through a catastrophic time in her young life, followed by love and loss. It is about a girl becoming a woman - navigating Victorian England's stric...more
I really liked this book and it made me think of Alice In Wonderland oh so differently.
I found this book quite interesting in a number of ways. It's a study in how times have changed and, perhaps, a class distinction. It is inconceivable to me that adult men could entertain young girls in outings and visits to the man's house and nobody seems to raise an eyebrow. I try to picture sending my 7 year old daughter out for the day with a single man in his late 20's and can't do it. Dodgeson seems to be a pedophile who doesn't act on his feelings. John Rushkin, also, seems to be a pedop...more
This would really be 3.5 stars. I was getting a little nervous about it because, as historical fiction, I just couldn't be sure what was fact and what was just the author's imagination. But she had a note at the end clarifying all that, so then I felt much better. (I'm starting to think that historical fiction is not the right genre for me to be reading-- I keep getting worried that all the fiction in the book will end up on a Wikipedia page somewhere and lead lots of people astray!)
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Told from the point of view of the inspiration for "Alice in Wonderland", Alice Liddell, and covers that fateful day where Dodgeson first told the story of Alice and Wonderland to the end of Alice's life.
Alice is relucant to accept her role as the inspiration for Alice--people are often disappointed to see a woman with dark hair instead of the little blonde child in a pinafore (as depicted in drawings). She can't seem to read the book, even after Dodgeson is gone.
Alice has a brief roma...more
Alice is relucant to accept her role as the inspiration for Alice--people are often disappointed to see a woman with dark hair instead of the little blonde child in a pinafore (as depicted in drawings). She can't seem to read the book, even after Dodgeson is gone.
Alice has a brief roma...more
In Finding Neverland-esque style, author Melanie Benjamin examines the life of the real Alice behind Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Alice Liddell is introduced as a young child, having moved to Oxford with her family after her father took a prestigious deanship at the university's flagship Christ Church college. Unfortunately for young Alice, the majority of the faculty are considerably older, and other children to play with are in short supply aside from her sisters. Alice and her sisters be...more
Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin
Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland is a universally recognized piece of literature, read by adults and children the world over. It has been adapted for television, film, comics and live performances as well as being translated into numerous languages. The book, Alice I Have Been, focusses on the historical context of this work with a fictional twist.
The story is told by the main character, Alice Liddell Hargreaves, and goes back and forth...more
Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland is a universally recognized piece of literature, read by adults and children the world over. It has been adapted for television, film, comics and live performances as well as being translated into numerous languages. The book, Alice I Have Been, focusses on the historical context of this work with a fictional twist.
The story is told by the main character, Alice Liddell Hargreaves, and goes back and forth...more
I have mixed feelings about this book. It is very well written and the premise is fascinating: Who was Lewis Carroll and what was his real relationship with "Alice in Wonderland"? I enjoyed the Victorian sensibilities, the use of language, and the characters. The "mixed feelings" part comes in because of the creepy atmosphere that pervades the entire book. At 80, Alice is recalling her life and trying to find the truth about what happened between the family's friend, Mr....more
I was not disappointed with this book. Melanie is an excellent writer and I am looking forward to her next historical novel. Although disturbing, the story of the real Alice gave another dimension to the fantasy of Alice in Wonderland. I will have to go read about Dodgson more now, with Melanie's depiction of him in mind. Obviously, something was eccentric about Dodgson.
Her portrayal of Ruskin, which she admitted she took liberties with, was somewhat uncomfortable. I was angry at firs...more
Her portrayal of Ruskin, which she admitted she took liberties with, was somewhat uncomfortable. I was angry at firs...more
In „Alice und Ich“ wird das Leben einer Person beleuchtet, die jedes Kind kennt, und über die dennoch in Wahrheit fast keiner etwas weiß – nicht über die historische Figur.
Wenn ein Leser mehr über Alice Lidell, die hinter der fiktiven Figur Alice steckt, erfahren möchte, so möge er zu diesem Buch greifen.
Melanie Benjamin gelingt es ganz wundervoll die historischen belegten Fakten und reinen Hypothesen miteinander zu verbinden, sodass keine langweilige Biographie dabei herausgekommen ...more
Wenn ein Leser mehr über Alice Lidell, die hinter der fiktiven Figur Alice steckt, erfahren möchte, so möge er zu diesem Buch greifen.
Melanie Benjamin gelingt es ganz wundervoll die historischen belegten Fakten und reinen Hypothesen miteinander zu verbinden, sodass keine langweilige Biographie dabei herausgekommen ...more
Alice I Have Been is Melanie Benjamin's debut novel and presents an historical account of the life of Alice Liddell Hargreaves -- the subject and muse of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.
Spanning the late 19th century through the early 20th century, Benjamin chronicles Alice's life from childhood during which she met Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) to her late adulthood. Coming from a well-off, scholarly family, the rambunctious Alice compels Dodgson enough to inspire him to write A...more
Spanning the late 19th century through the early 20th century, Benjamin chronicles Alice's life from childhood during which she met Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) to her late adulthood. Coming from a well-off, scholarly family, the rambunctious Alice compels Dodgson enough to inspire him to write A...more
This is not a ligth hearted book:it was a sad book...I still have to digest.
It narrates the story of the girl who inspired Alice in Wonderland. Her life in and after Wonderland, her life after a scandalous event between her and Lewis Carroll that marked her forever.
Fiction is mixed in with real events.
The first part is about Alice as a girl and her relationship with this mathematic professor who took pictures of her and her sisters....but was it more than pictures that h...more
It narrates the story of the girl who inspired Alice in Wonderland. Her life in and after Wonderland, her life after a scandalous event between her and Lewis Carroll that marked her forever.
Fiction is mixed in with real events.
The first part is about Alice as a girl and her relationship with this mathematic professor who took pictures of her and her sisters....but was it more than pictures that h...more
It’s times like these when I wish I had a different rating system. A flat-out ”7″ doesn’t really seem to work for this book, but it’s the best I could do. You see, I love love loved Benjamin’s writing. A “10″! It was evocative, detailed, and downright beautiful. I kept thinking to myself, what else has this woman written and how can I get my hands on it? The answer is…nothing, yet. But a new book is scheduled for July of this year. I’ll definitely be picking it up. But then there was the story a...more
I've never really cared for the Alice in Wonderland story. Still, there was something about hearing a imaginary account of real Alice's life that caught my imagination and I wanted to hear her tale, not Lewis Carroll's version. Since I didn't know a thing about Alice Liddell or much about Lewis Carroll's so everything was fresh to me. Yes, there is conjecture and events have been distorted to fit into the story, but there is a lot of truth in there too.
Broken up into three sections, t...more
Broken up into three sections, t...more
Ugh. I thought I was doing so well with what I've been reading this year, and lo--I read this. I'm sure it helps to balance out better enjoyed books.
Alice In Wonder and Through The Looking Glass are, no doubt, two books that shaped who I am as a writer. As did Peter Pan. All for various reasons and the questions of what Carroll did or didn't do, what Barrie did or didn't do, has always been in my mind as I got older. But all of that came much later. In the beginning it was just...more
Alice In Wonder and Through The Looking Glass are, no doubt, two books that shaped who I am as a writer. As did Peter Pan. All for various reasons and the questions of what Carroll did or didn't do, what Barrie did or didn't do, has always been in my mind as I got older. But all of that came much later. In the beginning it was just...more
Alice Liddell ist die mittlere der drei Töchter des Dekans von Chruist Church in Oxford und dessen Frau. Sie uns ihre Schwestern verbindet eine tiefe Freundschaft mit Charles Dogdson, einem Mathematikprofessor und Fotografen. Doch immer wieder kommt es auch zu Rivalitäten zwischen Alice und ihrer älteren Schwester Ina, liegt beiden doch sehr viel an ihm. Derweil führt dieser die Mädchen aus, erzählt ihnen Geschichten … unter anderem die von Alice im Wunderland, die er später auch veröffentlicht ...more
"Really, the impertinence of these people! They made my whole life sound like a cheap novel."
So proclaims protagonist Alice Liddell Hargreaves in Melanie Benjamin's intimate fictional reconstruction of her life. Despite this self-deprecating dig from the author, Alice I Have Been is anything but tawdry, instead presenting a heavily-researched, heart-rending view of the real girl, and later the real woman, who inspired Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Alice first speaks...more
So proclaims protagonist Alice Liddell Hargreaves in Melanie Benjamin's intimate fictional reconstruction of her life. Despite this self-deprecating dig from the author, Alice I Have Been is anything but tawdry, instead presenting a heavily-researched, heart-rending view of the real girl, and later the real woman, who inspired Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Alice first speaks...more
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Melanie Benjamin is the author of the national bestseller, ALICE I HAVE BEEN, and the upcoming THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MRS. TOM THUMB. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband and two sons. She's currently at work on her third historical novel.
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“I suppose at some point, we all have to decide which memories - real or otherwise - to hold on to, and which ones to let go.”
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“Why, then, did I always feel as if his happiness was my responsibility? It wasn't fair for him to burden me with that. It had never been fair.”
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