Alice I Have BeenMelanie Benjamin
Dear Ms. Benjamin,
I know Alice I Have Been won't be published until January, so I hope you don't mind my impertinence by discussing your book so far before its publication date. Unfortunately, I just can't wait. It's that good.
True, I am predisposed to liking things that in any way involve Charles Dodgson, but I think my affinity for the man and his (hopefully) misunderstood fascination with children would lend me a keener critical eye. In fact, yes, I think that is so. My praise, therefore, is all the more difficult to secure. Sure, let's go with that.
It must be noted that I finished your novel a few weeks ago, and my praise remains undimmed. My reactions remain unchanged. I deemed Alice perfect immediately upon finishing it, and I still deem it so today.
The truth is, Alice I Have Been was one of the most enchanting, most moving books I've ever read. Alice Liddell comes alive in your novel, and watching the young girl transform into an elderly woman was both utterly riveting and totally realistic. Although I'm sure much of your work was a creative reimagining of events, the story never felt false. More importantly, Alice never felt false. It seemed as though she herself had written a memoir of her life, so totally did you capture her voice and her life. Perhaps that is the greatest compliment I can give.
However, I must make clear that Alice I Have Been is an excellent story on its own, regardless of the characters' connections to a famous author or another literary work. In fact, your novel does stand on its own, for at its core it is simply a moving story of a life blighted by the scrutiny of others.
My biggest complaint is that I received this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program; while it is debatable that I would have heard of your novel otherwise, I can't help but feel chagrined when I see the ARC. Yours is a novel for which a quality copy is a must. That's okay -- your Alice, like her previous incarnations, won't be easily forgotten.
I wish you nothing but the biggest success with Alice I Have Been. It is more than a story of a young woman famous for her relationship with an older man. You have brought Alice to life and, in the process, allowed readers to find themselves in her.
In a nutshell: Simply enchanting, entirely captivating: this book should be preordered immediately.
Bibliolatry Scale: 6 out of 6 stars
I know Alice I Have Been won't be published until January, so I hope you don't mind my impertinence by discussing your book so far before its publication date. Unfortunately, I just can't wait. It's that good.
True, I am predisposed to liking things that in any way involve Charles Dodgson, but I think my affinity for the man and his (hopefully) misunderstood fascination with children would lend me a keener critical eye. In fact, yes, I think that is so. My praise, therefore, is all the more difficult to secure. Sure, let's go with that.
It must be noted that I finished your novel a few weeks ago, and my praise remains undimmed. My reactions remain unchanged. I deemed Alice perfect immediately upon finishing it, and I still deem it so today.
The truth is, Alice I Have Been was one of the most enchanting, most moving books I've ever read. Alice Liddell comes alive in your novel, and watching the young girl transform into an elderly woman was both utterly riveting and totally realistic. Although I'm sure much of your work was a creative reimagining of events, the story never felt false. More importantly, Alice never felt false. It seemed as though she herself had written a memoir of her life, so totally did you capture her voice and her life. Perhaps that is the greatest compliment I can give.
However, I must make clear that Alice I Have Been is an excellent story on its own, regardless of the characters' connections to a famous author or another literary work. In fact, your novel does stand on its own, for at its core it is simply a moving story of a life blighted by the scrutiny of others.My biggest complaint is that I received this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program; while it is debatable that I would have heard of your novel otherwise, I can't help but feel chagrined when I see the ARC. Yours is a novel for which a quality copy is a must. That's okay -- your Alice, like her previous incarnations, won't be easily forgotten.
I wish you nothing but the biggest success with Alice I Have Been. It is more than a story of a young woman famous for her relationship with an older man. You have brought Alice to life and, in the process, allowed readers to find themselves in her.
In a nutshell: Simply enchanting, entirely captivating: this book should be preordered immediately.
Bibliolatry Scale: 6 out of 6 stars
9 comments:
Somehow my mind just went straight to 'Angelique: Marquise of the Angel'. I totally loved that novel and I was young then. I appreciate your objectivity. I know this would be as good as you say it is.
O wow. I put it on my TBR list when I first heard of it and I'm glad it doesn't disappoint. Thanks!
Wow! This did come in the mail for me..guess I better try to read it! :)
I confess that I was sold at "Charles Dogson". But it sounds like the awesomeness goes much beyond that.
This went on my list when I first discovered it. I hope I can get my hands on a copy for review. Sounds so good! Thanks
Wonderful! I have this book and have been debating whether to move it ahead of some others that are in my next to be read pile. I thought I would wait since the pub date is not until January but after your letter, waiting may not be possible.
I actually let out a little squeal this looks so good!
January?!? Oh, the humanity! I can't even put it on my Christmas wishlist. Thankfully I always get a bookstore gift card in my stocking. :-)
this looks like such a good book, and i never would have heard of it without your review! i can't wait until it comes out and i can read it for myself!
I know this is a bit late to comment, but I saw this at Barnes and Noble last weekend, and I usually don't buy hardcovers; however, I've been curious since your review, and picked it up. I enjoyed it a quite a bit. Thanks for the recommendation!
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