Alice I Have Been

A Novel

By: Melanie Benjamin

Narrated by: Samantha Eggar

Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Few works of literature are as universally beloved as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Now, in this spellbinding historical novel, we meet the young girl whose bright spirit sent her on an unforgettable trip down the rabbit hole - and the grown woman whose story is no less enthralling.

But oh my dear, I am tired of being Alice in Wonderland. Does it sound ungrateful?

Alice Liddell Hargreavess life has been a richly woven tapestry: As a young woman, wife, mother, and widow, she's experienced intense passion, great privilege, and greater tragedy. But as she nears her 81st birthday, she knows that, to the world around her, she is and will always be only Alice. Her life was permanently dog-eared at one fateful moment in her 10th year - the golden summer day she urged a grown-up friend to write down one of his fanciful stories.

That story, a wild tale of rabbits, queens, and a precocious young child, becomes a sensation the world over. Its author, a shy, stuttering Oxford professor, does more than immortalize Alice - he changes her life forever. But even he cannot stop time, as much as he might like to. And as Alice's childhood slips away, a peacetime of glittering balls and royal romances gives way to the urgent tide of war.

For Alice, the stakes could not be higher, for she is the mother of three grown sons, soldiers all. Yet even as she stands to lose everything she treasures, one part of her will always be the determined, undaunted Alice of the story, who discovered that life beyond the rabbit hole was an astonishing journey.

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.

©2010 Melanie Benjamin (P)2010 Random House

Solid Underpinnings, Beautifully Written

As a person quite familiar with the actual histories of Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll), Alice P. (Liddell) Hargreaves, and the "Adventures of Alice Underground" I must say that this is one of the most lovely, beautifully-written, and enchanting fictional works done on this subject.

Yes, it touches upon the 20th and 21st Century conjecture that Dodgson (as well as John Ruskin) was a paedophile, but does so with factual convention and without salacious conjecture or uncomfortable accusation. (I personally believe Dodgson was not a paedophile, by the way.)

The very intricate weaving of facts with fiction, along with the authentic historical nature of this book, is breathtaking for both those who know little or alot about the persons involved.

In fact, the intricacy is so striking that I urge those who listen to this book to search online for the persons mentioned in order to fully understand just how profound and complicated this story really is, and how masterfully it has been written.

A "must read".

Loved It!

Would you consider the audio edition of Alice I Have Been to be better than the print version?

Difficult to say. Though I think the performance was stellar.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Dodson. Did not realize that CS Lewis was a pen name.

Which scene was your favorite?

The ballroom dance with Leopold.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

We're not in Wonderland....any more.

Any additional comments?

This is a really good book. There were times i liked and disliked Alice and her family. Especially calling the servants MaryAnn. But this was typical of the time and we forget how the English looked down on everyone including the Americans. I really enjoyed this book it is a good read!

Love Melanie Benjamin!

If you could sum up Alice I Have Been in three words, what would they be?

Sad. Strange. Intense.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Definitely poor little Alice. What a bizarre world she lived in. You just root for her to finally find happiness.

What does Samantha Eggar bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The characters really came to life with her reading. The creepy people were creepier for sure.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

I am so bad at this. Let's see. "See where the rabbit hole REALLY took Alice."

Any additional comments?

Not as good as Mrs. Thumb, but still so great, especially if you love Alice In Wonderland.

The story of a pedophile sort of but not... UGH!

I thought this story would NEVER END! Seriously, it was interesting in the beginning, but it quickly went to redundant and then just kept on plugging away. I lost interest after Alice grew up, but the story carried on. After reading the rave reviews, I tried to stick it out, but I never did see the hidden jewel that other people seemed to see. What I saw was a girl who's life was ruined by a pedophile and he went on to be loved and respected and she was a heartbroken little girl. It raised my hackles because I was molested for years and I am VERY protective of children. In the book, he never touhes her, instead he simply takes naked or near naked pictures and shares them with his pedophile friends and leaves her to the ruins of growing up in Victorian society. UGH! Not my type of entertainment at all!

Very well told and read story.

If you could sum up Alice I Have Been in three words, what would they be?

Intense, passionate, coming-of-age.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Alice I Have Been?

There are several, and that's why I have used the word "passionate" when answering the previous question. There are two very intense and memorable moments in the first part when she was with Lewis Carol: the moment when the beggar/gypsy photograph was taken, and the moment at the train that caused the breaking between them. Memorable moments during her romance with prince Leopold are many. Finally, when she is notified that 2 of her sons were killed in WWI, is two memorable moments very intense. If the listener has children, they will understand how intense and passionate they are.

Have you listened to any of Samantha Eggar’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but this performance is outstanding and coveys the main character's strength and passion in a superlative manner. I really loved her performance.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

the book actually very long and I would not rather listen to it in one sitting--which I think would be the equivalent of a page turner. I would not listen to it in one sitting because it's long, or not because it's not a page turner, but because there are so many passions in the book that it rather needs to be digested by the listener's both heart and mind, something that cannot be done in one sitting.

Any additional comments?

This is not a biography and some passages are not true at all, or at least there is much speculation around them and there is no evidence that they might have taken place as Melanie Benjamin tells them. Also, it's impossible to tell now what did the real Alice though of all what it's exposed. That said, I feel this novel is much like Price and Prejudice: the account of the life of a woman with a strong capacity to feel and who was able to transmit strong emotions to those around her. Plus, it is also an interesting account of the XIX century life. Whether this is an accurate story of the true Alice is not important any more. Alice's voice is powerful and passionate, and that shakes the listener. There's a coming of age in the story. Interestingly, it doesn't happen when Alice is young, like at the end of almost every YA novel, but at her old age. That detail closes the book in a powerful way and leaves the reader a satisfactory taste of a life well lived. Listen to Alice I Have Been, You will enjoy it.

A little creepy but interesting

I didn't know what to expect but it took me a long time to get past the creepiness factor. This seemed more like the makings for an episode of Law and Order SVU than a book based on a children's story. It took a while to get past the fact that at points this is a love story between a 7 year old and a 25 year old. While the author is not condoning this dynamic, and it is critical to the story, its still a little strange.

Wonderful...but missing the author's note

This is a wonderful book that is brilliantly narrated and well worth listening to. However, for some reason the audible edition does not include the author's note at the end, which apparently describes her process of combining fact and fiction and would have been very interesting. Not sure how they can call it an unabridged version when they omit that.

Creative presentation of life in the past

This book was surprisingly compelling .. I kept doing internet searches to read more about the characters and the background, even before I finished the book. The author convinced me she WAS Alice ... it felt more autobiographical than anythin else I've encountered like it .. and at the end of the book I decided to get a copy of Alice in Wonderland to read to my grand daughters.

What's All the Fuss About?

What did you like best about Alice I Have Been? What did you like least?

The best part of Alice I Have Been was the performance. Samantha Eggar added depth where there wasn't much to begin with. Her performance was probably the only reason I finished this book.

Would you ever listen to anything by Melanie Benjamin again?

I had wanted to listen to Melanie Benjamin's other book, but I'm hesitant now. She took such a good idea with Alice I Have Been and really flailed with it. I don't think I'll spend any money on another of her books.

Do you think Alice I Have Been needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Alice I Have Been reads like a Wikipedia entry told in the first person. There is little to no depth here. A follow up book would probably be more of the same. I'd say to skip it.

Any additional comments?

I was very disappointing by this book. I had been looking forward to it for a long time and was sorely let down.

Go with Mrs. Tom Thumb instead

I downloaded this eagerly, after devouring The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by the same author. I think I expected too much of Alice and her life. I had to make myself sit through this book, and now that I'm only an hour away from the finish, I can't imagine anything that is going to happen to redeem it. It's just very...average. If the book wasn't about the woman who was the model for Alice in Wonderland, it would be a very average book about a woman during those times. I found myself rolling my eyes several times during the course of this novel.

Once the main character grows out of childhood, which is the first 1/4 of the book, it falls flat. Go with Mrs. Tom Thumb instead...riveting throughout!