Alice by Heart

December 1, 2019

Gr 7 Up-Fifteen-year-old Alice Spencer and her best friend Alfred have been inseparable for many years. Having first bonded over Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, the two continue to find joy in sharing and acting out the book they know by heart. This escape from reality becomes especially meaningful as Alfred's body is weakened from tuberculosis. However, when their neighborhood is ravaged by the bombs of World War II, the two must take refuge with other traumatized children in London's Underground. As Alfred's condition rapidly worsens, the dispassionate medical staff quarantine him. Feeling helpless, Alice becomes determined to reach Alfred, and her obsession with bringing Wonderland to him again causes reality and fantasy to bleed together. The contrast of the stark reality of wartime London with the bizarre landscape of Wonderland is intriguing, especially when the two worlds begin to merge. Likewise, many descriptive lines in the book are gorgeously poetic. However, the stream-of-consciousness writing style and constant shifting from past to present, and from reality to fantasy, can make this a frustrating read. The dreamlike quality of the narrative leaves readers unsure of what is going on beyond a certainty that none of it will end well. VERDICT Recommended for true fans of Lewis Carroll's original novel and of nontraditional wartime stories, though it may be too disjointed for casual readers to enjoy.-Lara Goldstein, Orange County Public Libraries, NC

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2019
A World War II-era girl escapes the harsh reality of the Blitzkrieg through stories from her childhood favorite, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. As Alice Spencer hides out from bombings on a London Underground platform, crammed into a too-small and squalid space and cared for by nurses and doctors who seem impersonal to the point of cruelty, all she can think about is her friend Alfred, quarantined in another part of the platform. A domineering Red Cross nurse keeps them apart, but Alice finds respite in retelling the Wonderland stories to herself and remembering the bucolic days when she and Alfred would act out scenes together. Wonderland and war blur together until Alice must decide which world is truly worth living in. Playwright and lyricist Sater (A Purple Summer, 2012, etc.) thoughtfully explores the parallels between Lewis Carroll's topsy-turvy universe and the surreality of life in wartime; the novel is an adaptation of his existing off-Broadway musical of the same name, and it is easy for readers to imagine a lush theatrical rendition of the visuals and themes at hand. However, the novel reads like a consolation prize for those unable to attend the real show; the prose is long-winded, complacent, and solipsistic, and the story progresses at a deathly slow pace. All major characters are white. Reads like a playbill; save your attention for the musical. (author's note, musical credits, photo credits) (Fabulism. 14-18)

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December 16, 2019
In Sater’s debut novel, an adaptation of the playwright’s musical of the same name, 15-year-old Alice Spencer finds solace from a nightmarishly claustrophobic London Underground bunker during the WWII Blitz by remembering her favorite book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Sater effectively sketches pervasive anxiety, not only about the bombings but also Alice’s concern about her desperately sick best friend; Alfred battles tuberculosis, quarantined in an adjoining area and tended by imperious nurses and doctors. In order to bring them both comfort, Alice begins to retell and reimagine their shared favorite book. Though the slow unspooling heightens the stifling atmosphere, the writing can feel overly flowery and the pace, rambling. The narrative features historical photographs, such as people sleeping on a Tube escalator and nurses wearing gas masks, that underscore the wartime realities and contrast the original volume’s illustrations. Though this novel is adapted from a play, its narrative lacks propulsive drama. Ages 12–up.

January 1, 2020
Grades 7-10 Alice remembers a time before the war, before she was trapped in an underground bunker waiting out the air raids, waiting for the world to return to normal. And normal for her meant sharing the stories of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland with her best friend Alfred. Though Alfred is with her in the bunker, tuberculosis threatens to separate them forever, unless, through remembering the stories, they can get back to Wonderland together. Sater's debut novel, based on his off-Broadway musical of the same name, is a heartbreaking story of the power of narrative and the power of denial, palpably depicted through Alice's desperation to live in the past. As the line between reality and fantasy blurs for her, it grows fuzzy for the reader as well, until Wonderland is no longer a metaphor for 1940s Alice's situation, but an echo of it. Adeptly capturing a universal feeling of painful nostalgia, this is perfect for fans of Lewis Carroll's classic or readers simply drawn to wartime historical fiction.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)