You can also read this review and a little extra on my blog: http://muse-in-the-fog.blogspot.com/201 ... -been.html
"But oh my dear, I am tired of being Alice in Wonderland. Does it sound ungrateful?"... So begins the tale of Alice Liddell, the girl behind the beloved classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland; but what caused her to want to escape Wonderland and why, when every other girl dreams of being Alice from Wonderland, did she have no desire to be that Alice? In Melanie Benjamin's captivating novel, Alice I Have Been, we hear a side of the story never told; a side that takes you beyond Wonderland and into the real world of a girl longing for love and desperate to live every moment to the fullest.Seven year old Alice Liddell was a spirited and remarkable child; a child who never wanted to grow up. As a child Alice had a unique friendship with a much older Mr. Charles Dodgson. Alice feels that he is the only one who truly understands her and she takes pride in the fact that he bestows upon her his most ardent attention. On one "golden afternoon" Mr Dodgson tells Alice and her sisters a marvelous story about a little girl named Alice and her adventures in Wonderland. Alice begs him to write the tale down so she can be immortalized as a child forever, but little does she know that her world of Wonderland might not always be so wonderful...
That "golden afternoon" is soon clouded over, and Alice finds herself in a world where she is more confused then ever. She is now a young lady full of hopes, desires, and madly in love. Unfortunately, her role in the making of Wonderland and the scandal that occurred after that "golden afternoon" threatens to destroy any chance of finding happiness...
Melanie Benjamin has weaved an engaging and haunting tale with her novel Alice I Have Been. Before reading this novel, I had never known that there was a real Alice that inspired Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. This novel has brought Alice's story to life in a whole new way. Throughout the book, there are many phrases used from Alice's adventures in Wonderland, which made the book even more enchanting. It was also brilliant how the author gave characters certain personality traits which easily tied them to the classic story. This was a fast paced and very well written book. The last chapter of the book was one of surprise intensity and answering any questions that might have been lurking in the back of the readers mind, resulting in complete and perfect closure. Alice I Have Been is a wonderful book that will leave you with a whole new view of the beloved classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.