She and her three sisters were the veritable princesses of oxford in the mid1800s. Pdf alice i have been book by melanie benjamin free. I bought this novel because i had recently read and enjoyed melanie benjamins the autobiography of mrs tom thumb. Alice i have been by melanie benjamin, paperback barnes. The main characters of this historical, historical fiction story are alice liddell. Now in her twilight years, alice liddell looks back on a remarkable life. Alice i have been hardcover tattered cover book store. Jan 01, 2010 but alices life reached its literary apex in 1862, when on a summer afternoon oxford mathematics don charles dodgson entertained the liddell sisters with a tale of alice falling down the rabbits hole, later to be the inaugural event in his hugely successful book, alices adventures in wonderland. Free download or read online alice i have been pdf epub book. Masterfully written, this victorian novel will satisfy not only those who have been charmed by alice s adventures in wonderland but any reader who enjoys history, mystery, and a journey through lifes vagaries with a heroine whose. Goodreads members who liked alice i have been also liked. What part of the book speaks to you and your experiences in life. Melanie benjamins alice i have been is a richly woven fictional account of the life of the girl who became alice in wonderland. I have always wondered which is the real alice, and which the pretend.
But as she nears her eightyfirst birthday, she knows that, to the world around her, she is and will always be only alice. Published in 2010 by delacorte press, alice i have been was a national bestseller and reached the extended list of the new york times best seller list. But alice s life reached its literary apex in 1862, when on a summer afternoon oxford mathematics don charles dodgson entertained the liddell sisters with a tale of alice falling down the rabbits hole, later to be the inaugural event in his hugely successful book, alice s adventures in wonderland. Although go ask alice has been credited to an anonymous author since its publication, and was originally promoted as the real, albeit edited, diary of a real teenage girl, over time the book has come to be regarded by researchers as a fake memoir written by beatrice sparks, possibly with the help of one or more coauthors. I was equally impressed by the afterword as well as benjamins website that takes you into the world of alice, the oxford campus as well as charles dodgson. Alice i have been, the girl who inspired a classic, at last tells her own extraordinary tale of life beyond the looking glass. Why do you think she avoids reading the story she inspired. Although it has been no easier being alice pleasance hargreaves.
Brunonia barry, new york times bestselling author of the lace reader after i read still alice, i wanted to stand up and tell a train full of strangers, you have to get this book. Jan 05, 2011 alices adventures in wonderland continues to capture the hearts and imaginations of children and with the tim burton movie releasing in march, there will be even more interest in this story. For those of you who may not know, lewis carrolls real name was charles lutwidge dodgson. Few works of literature are as universally beloved as alices. The book is divided into three parts, each introduced by an authentic photograph of the real alice at various stages in her life. Alice may have been immortalized as a girl but, as benjamin imagines, she grew up to be a great woman. In 2011, benjamin fictionalized another historical female.
Not sure ill read any other books by this author based on her willingness to sensationalize events that may not ever have occurred. The story of alice could have been told without the spectre of shame and disgust hiding behind everything. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 345 pages and is available in hardcover format. The new book alice i have been tells the story of alice liddell, the child muse for lewis carrolls character. Looking back at the childhood mystery that took a lifetime to solve and her tumultuous love life, alice at last discovers and embraces the woman she became when she outgrew wonderland. And this part historical novel based on piecedtogether facts, part richly imagined fiction is the real alices story. From a pampered childhood in oxford to difficult years as a widowed mother, alice examines how she became who she isand how. Alice i have been is an expertly woven story of alice pleasance liddells life that spans the victorian era to the first world war. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy.
This edition contains an alice i have been discussion guide and an excerpt from melanie benjamins the autobiography of mrs. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. Few works of literature are as universally beloved as alices adventures in wonderland. This welldocumented afternoon and the girls charged relationship with dodgson are described by the author as defining experiences for alice, both magical and traumatic, overshadowing the. Melanie benjamin now in her twilight years, alice liddell looks back on a remarkable life. Alice liddell hargreavess life has been a richly woven tapestry. Alice i have been this is a very thoughtful and remarkably well researched story i was captured by alices narrative from the first page and remained engaged until the end. Alice i have been takes the known facts of alice liddells life and tries to explain the mystery of why alice and her family had absolutely no contact with charles dodgson lewis carroll starting around the time she was 10 or 11 years old. A love story and a literary mystery, alice i have been brilliantly blends fact and fiction to capture the passionate spirit of a woman who was truly worthy of her fictional alter ego, in a world as captivating as the wonderland only she could inspire.
Now, in this spellbinding historical novel, we meet the young girl whose bright spirit sent her on an unforgettable trip down the rabbit holeand the grown woman whose story is no less enthralling. Alice refuses to read alice in wonderland until she is well into her eighties. What effects do these have on alice, and what are the consequences. Alice i have been book omaha public library bibliocommons.
Young girls were a bit of an oddity at oxford at that time, students and faculty were all male. The first part is when she is a small girl living in oxford, uk. Alice i have been by melanie benjamin is a firstperson fictitious account of the alice who inspired lewis carrolls, alices adventures in wonderland. Alice i have been melanie benjamin, 2010 random house 400 pp. But just as carrolls tale requires a certain suspension of disbelief, so, too, does alice i. With 24 out of 28 members rating it 4 or 5 stars, alice i have been is a clear winner with our readers, and inspired many to revisit lewis carrolls classic. Alice i have been book snoisle libraries bibliocommons. As a young woman, wife, mother, and widow, shes experienced intense passion, great privilege, and greater tragedy.
Alice pleasance liddell was the daughter of dean and mrs. Alices adventures in wonderland continues to capture the hearts and imaginations of children and with the tim burton movie releasing in march, there will be even more interest in this story. In alice i have been by melanie benjamin, we see her as an irrepressible child, then a young woman who falls in love with a prince, and finally a mother and wife. The relationships between alice and her sisters ina and edith range from rivalry to a lifelong bond. Alice i have been this is a very thoughtful and remarkably well researched story i was captured by alice s narrative from the first page and remained engaged until the end. Jan 26, 2010 alice, from alice in wonderland, is one of literatures most beloved heroines for restless girl readers and feminist scholars. From a pampered childhood in oxford to difficult years as a widowed mother, alice examines how she became who she isand how she became immortalized as alice in wonderland.
The new book alice i have been tells the story of alice liddell, the. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading alice i have been. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Masterfully written, this victorian novel will satisfy not only those who have been charmed by alices adventures in wonderland but any reader who enjoys history, mystery, and a journey through lifes vagaries with a heroine whose. Her third novel, alice i have been, was inspired by alice liddell hargreavess life. A novel, chronicles the friendship, the emergence of the story of wonderland, the falling out of the carroll and the liddell family, and alices path to adulthood, marriage, and old age. Alice i have been book central rappahannock regional.
Historically based on the relationship of alice liddell and lewis carroll, alice i have been. But just as carrolls tale requires a certain suspension of disbelief, so, too, does alice i have been. Now, in this spellbinding historical novel, we meet the young girl whose bright spirit sent her on an. But alices life reached its literary apex in 1862, when on a summer afternoon oxford mathematics don charles dodgson entertained the liddell sisters with a tale of alice falling down the rabbits hole, later to be the inaugural event in his hugely successful book, alices adventures in wonderland.