Black and white? Groaannnnnn.This post is WAY overdue. I had decided to read the Lewis Carroll classic in anticipation of Tim Burton's cinematic effort to recreate the magic of the book. While I knew the basic gist of the story, I was also aware of Disney's penchant for ahh, 'distorting' other works (see Grimm, Brothers), and so reading the original seemed like a logical decision.
Beware of non-threatening cats...and the big D, followed by 'isney'.The first thing that struck me after reading the book (other than "what the hell was that?") was that it was relatively short. The action picked up immediately and ended abruptly as well. Carroll's eccentric mind shines through in the work, though I can understand why Disney went minimalist with the wordplay in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (AAIW henceforth): it's dizzying. Excessive.
Look, I get that back in the day, they didn't have all of the luxurious options for entertainment, and so literature had to be all-encompassing. I also understand that fantasy has its niche. Still, we could do with a little less of the nonsensical mashup of words. Well, whichever. Now, if you saw the movie, the Bandersnatch is referenced, but does not make an appearance in this book (perhaps in Through the Looking Glass). The Jabberwocky also is not a staple of AAIW, and is actually a poem of Carroll's. I like the homage. Anyway, the book is available online to read for free here.
Overall, I was left wanting more. The book just didn't grab me and while it WAS a quick read, I guess I just caught it at a time where I didn't fully appreciate the jargon and writing style of something that required a lot of outside-the-box thinking...which is unfortunate, considering I LOVED The Phantom Tollbooth. Read at your discretion.
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