The Curious Case of Mary Ann

By: Jenn Thorson

Narrated by: Emily Lawrence

Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

Things that start with the letter M: murder...motives...Mary Ann....

Mary Ann Carpenter, housemaid to Wonderland's White Rabbit, misses all the action when Alice drops into town.

She has her own problems. As witness to the murder of her estranged father, Mary Ann must go under-underground to learn more about the man she barely knew and the motives for his death. But the more she discovers, the more M-words keep coming. Like magic mirrors, monsters, mistaken identity, and a murderer who is the mysterious manservant to the Queen of Hearts.

Mary Ann is mightily moved to unmask his malicious machinations, but can she unearth the evidence, expose the killer, and keep a cool head?

©2017 Jennifer Thorson (P)2017 Jennifer Thorson

Critic reviews

"Thorson has a brilliant idea in mixing the world of Alice with a murder mystery. The result is a demented but internally consistent detective story.... Although tackling a pastiche of a well-loved children's book is a daunting task, Thorson succeeds beautifully. She deftly captures Carroll's absurdity, wordplay, and unsettling strangeness and rings some changes of her own." ( Kirkus Reviews)

Marvelously Remarkable Wonderland-esque

I LOVED this book!

I was never a super-fan of Alice, but it was a classic and I read it once in the seventh grade. Then I enjoyed the Johnny Depp retelling. I listened to an edition and Audible... It grew on me. So when I was offered an opportunity to listen to this, I chanced it.
And YAY it was one of my better judgement calls.

It’s not about Alice, but Wonderland. I’ve been leery about books set in other authors’ worlds, but this really worked!
The characters were curious, who wondered how they could find their humour when it’s been lost and what happens to forgotten names.

Strongly recommended for readers/listeners who enjoy a nonsensical tongue-in-cheek, literal conversation/discussions once in a while!

Nicely Done

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I would recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of Lewis Carroll's work or someone who likes a touch of fanciful whimsy to their stories.

What other book might you compare The Curious Case of Mary Ann to and why?

Thorson does an amazing job at weaving in existing threads of Wonderland to a story that is still uniquely her own.

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

I have not listened to any other performance by Emily Lawrence, but I can say that this seemed a good fit between narrator and story.

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

Can justice exist In an illogical world of nonsense?

Any additional comments?

I really appreciated how this story tied in so well with the world of Wonderland, running parallel at times with Alice's adventures, but had it's own solid plot and key characters. Thorson is able to take a murder mystery plot and adapt it to the absurdity of Wonderland. There was the softest hints of romance that I would love to see pan out in the next novel between the two main characters. I was engaged the entire time and look forward to seeing what happens next. This book was provided to me free of charge in exchange for an unbiased review.

A fun murder mystery in Wonderland!

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

This was an interesting blending of a murder mystery and Alice in Wonderland. It is fun, and well narrated. Definitely worth checking out!

Need a good feel good funny mystery?

The narrator and author did a great job of creating a mystery from a familiar fairy tale. Mary Ann does Alice proud. This is a funny mystery based on Alice in Wonderland. The story took several twists but made it a different story. Great use of humor. I got this story via audiobook boom and this is my voluntary review.

Whimsical Mystery

If you love Alice in Wonderland, you'll love this book. If you don't, but enjoy a little nonsense and a good mystery, you'll still love it.

Fantastic!!

This was a great listen! I enjoyed the storyline and the characters very much. The pacing and world building were on point. The narrator did a wonderful job at bringing the story to life. I look forward to more from this Author and narrator. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review

Perfectly silly. Written "forward funny"

The book does not have an excess of 'M' words. It does have a plethora of Lewis Carroll-ish predicaments, interactions and 'logic'. I found myself smiling a lot and several times laughing out loud.
This is a wonderfully written parallel to Alice in Wonderland. The story essentially begins when Mary Ann leaves the White Rabbit's employ to search for her father's murderer. This is the same day Alice finds herself in Wonderland and becomes mistaken as the White Rabbit's housemaid. As Mary Ann weaves her way through the clues to the mystery, she becomes mistakenly blamed for the troubles Alice is involved in. We get a new perspective on some original Wonderland characters and meet a few new ones.

If this authors other books are as brilliant as this one, I can't wait to read/listen to some more!

The narrator did great. She voiced each character distinctly and brought the silliness of the story to life. I'd love to listen to another book narrated by her.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this unbiased review.

Fantastic twist on Wonderland

I LOVED this book! Fantastic characters and delightfully madcap story, a great mystery with twists that I didn’t see coming. The narrator gave an excellent performance as well. I received a free review copy of this audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.

An absolutely frabjous jaunt through Wonderland!

I need more than 14 words to describe how fantastic this is! Highly recommended!