After Alice by Gregory Maguire – Review

We all know The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland. Penned by Oxford Professor Lewis Carroll (whose real name was actually Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) in 1865, this quirky children’s fantasy has inspired multitudes of adaptations, movies, artworks, music and even fashion styles.

Having been an avid fan and reader of Gregory Maguire ever since I read his novel Wicked, which had inspired the popular musical, and his Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, which is an adaptation of Cinderella, I immediately jumped at the chance to read his latest work, After Alice. As is apparent from the title itself, the story is inspired in part by Carroll’s Adventures in Wonderland, and yet, Alice is NOT in fact the narrator or the main character.

We meet Ada, Alice’s neighbor, who was in fact very briefly mentioned by Alice herself in the eponymous tale. Ada is a troubled child, constrained by Victorian precepts and tenets and by her unconventional household. In hushed whispers, we hear that her mother is a drunk and possibly suffering from postnatal depression. Her father, the Vicar, scarcely takes any notice of her, her baby brother is a squalling brat, and her governess is a simpering fool. In short, Ada has to fend for herself. Her only friend is Alice, whom, Ada discovers, has disappeared.

Maguire paints a very vivid picture of Victorian England. On the one hand, we travel with a surprised Ada to Wonderland, trying to catch up with Alice whilst encountering the consequences of her passage. On the other hand, we also meet Lydia, Alice’s older sister, throughout whose eyes we face such issues as the slave trade, women’s rights, and the British Victorian mentality. Fantasy is interposed with reality in a very interesting narrative. Picturesque and informative, Maguire’s style is nostalgic to Carroll’s, and yet totally his own.

Now for the negative part – I must be honest, I have mixed feelings regarding this novel. I started reading it with very high expectations, having previously already been wowed by Maguire’s fairytale adaptations, his ingenuity, creativity and whimsical perspective. Also, being an avid Alice in Wonderland aficionado, I generally try to read, watch, or purchase anything related to my favorite fairytale. While Maguire’s story was marvellously written and illuminating with regards to Victorian society and beliefs, I found it sadly lacking with regards to the Wonderland part of the narrative.

Carroll’s iconic Wonderland is spectacularly special because it simply makes no sense. As the Cheshire Cat once maintains in Alice in Wonderland, “We are all mad here.” And that is the beauty of Wonderland and the point of fantasy and fairytales – they’re not realistic, because they don’t have to be. Maguire on the other hand, tries to make sense of Wonderland, introducing puns and explanations where none are needed. Wherever he cannot find an explanation, he merely copies characters, situations and almost entire dialogues from Carroll’s original novel.

This article has been published on EVE.COM.MT – If you want to read the complete review, please goto – http://www.eve.com.mt/2016/12/18/after-alice-a-book-review/

Insomnia

I cannot save you
While the blood rages and the heart moans
I cannot save you
As you look askance at the twisted vines
I cannot save you
Your gaze is too suspicious, your mind is too old

Let go
Of all those moments of rank belittilement
Let go
The gnashing thunder within your veins
Let go
Those tears of madness you are still hiding

You know
They clamor ever hungry for reprisal
You know
Your violent flame is roaring for more
You know
This is the reason why sleep flees

And yet
The pounding surf cannot be silent
And yet
That vortex of hate will not be still
And yet
Your eyes will always spit blood and flame

And that, is why
I cannot save you
Unless you save yourself
And dream

© M_Moonsong

Ennui and Boredom – Today’s Stream of Consciousness

Today is one of those days when I have absolutely no energy or interest in doing ANYTHING.

I woke up, I got dressed, I came to work. I had coffee, I wrote two articles for my magazine, I sent a proposal to the Polish editor who’s compiling the tourist website about castles, and I researched a bit. I also proof-read some working documents and glowered at a couple of colleagues whom I don’t like. I got groped by the usual guy (don’t ask) and had a semi-serious shouting match with a Director about the issue of Spring hunting (which I’M TOTALLY SET AGAINST).

But… still… I kinda feel jaded. I don’t know why. Like a blank canvas or a yellowed leaf – totally uninterested in anything and everything.

WTF seriously – is it because I totally loathe the narrator of the book I’m currently reading or what? Talking about Margaret Beaufort from Philippa Gregory’s ‘The Red Queen’ here. Now that’s a hateful bitch. What’s more I keep asking myself, how can a writer really capture the unreliable and irritating narration of someone so obviously misguided and twisted, while at the same time presenting a plausible and entertaining novel? Yesterday I watched the last Narnia movie ‘Voyage of the Dawn Trader’. For those of you who have read, and remember, the book – it is narrated by Eustace Pevensie, the damnably smart-ass and totally obtuse cousin of the four boys and girls we love and miss. Of course, half-way or so through the book, Eustace starts becoming a reasonably ok bloke, but up until that point, I’m sure every one of the novel’s readers absolutely hated the brat. And yet, the story-line and characters came through perfectly, even though it was obvious that the narrator was an unreliable one.

What’s the trick? Will I ever be able to do that?

*sigh*