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Alice I Have Been: A Novel Audiobook
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(3.00) - 6,853 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
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 Hargreaves’s 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 eighty-first 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 tenth 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.
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"i had read a short story that told a little bit about the Alice that Alice in wonderland was based on as well as 'Lewis Caroll' and i was intrigued. I was so happy to find this book, it has some valid historical storylines as well as interesting Victorian ideals that are entertaining to read . "
— Teresa (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“This is magic!”
— Diana Gabaldon, New York Times bestselling author of The Scottish Prisoner -
“A seamless tale of love, loss, and myth…storytelling at its finest.”
— Sarah Addison Allen, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Chased the Moon -
“A smashing tale—mostly true—of the overlap of childhood and womanhood, a compelling mystery, an exposé of Victorian mores, an exploration of love that came too soon and too late, an explosive trail of emotions and human foibles, a heartbreak—written with compassion and grace. I loved it!”
— Susan Vreeland, New York Times bestselling author of Clara and Mr. Tiffany -
“The novel doesn’t just fill in the blanks of a literary life but tells the story of someone who was more than a muse; Alice may have been immortalized as a girl but, as Benjamin imagines, she grew up to be a great woman.”
— New York Post -
“Powerful and poignant sections deal with the fates of Alice’s three adult sons. Dream-children roam in Wonderland forever; their real-life counterparts, sadly, are never so fortunate.”
— Washington Post -
“A satisfying, haunting piece of literary ventriloquism.”
— Good Housekeeping -
“[A] fine historical novel…Benjamin re-creates a vanished Victorian world among the dreaming spires of Oxford.”
— Dallas Morning News -
“Benjamin offers a finely wrought portrait of Alice that seamlessly blends fact with fiction. This is book club gold.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“This novel will have wide appeal as it includes history, romance, literature, and a great deal of suspense.”
— Library Journal -
“Convincingly conceived and meticulously crafted, a delightful bit of literary sleight of hand by Benjamin.”
— BookPage
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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Selected for the January 2010 Indie Next List
Alice I Have Been Listener Reviews
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" Did not have a chance to finesh. Got part way in and was not the most intresting book "
— Becca, 2/15/2014 -
" So this was not the most amazing book ever, but it was okay. Benjamin's book, Mrs. Tom Thumb was much better. She is so coy when it comes to the drama of this book, that it is almost a non-story. The book would start to get really good and then just putter out. If you are like me and have a list of 20 books that you are jazzed to read, feel free to skip this one. If you are at a loss and you need a book, this will do in a pinch. "
— Jordan, 2/4/2014 -
" Loved the way this book was written, but I thought it was a bit drawn out. Interesting story "
— Jackie, 1/22/2014 -
" Really good. A fictionalized version of the story of the "real" Alice in Wonderland. Very intriguing.. mesmerizing writing. Well done. "
— Bednarzterry, 1/21/2014 -
" Audio book it was intriguing at times I expected more fantasy. Overwrought may of been the reader. "
— Toni, 1/16/2014 -
" This book was fairly easy to understand but I hated the fact that the author painted Lewis Carroll as a pedophile and a bit of a pathetic shmuck. Didn't care for it at all. "
— melody, 1/12/2014 -
" I could not put this book down. It was well written and a good story! "
— Tamara, 1/7/2014 -
" I loved this book...I simply could not put it down. It draws the reader in so perfectly, from the very first page! "
— Deanna, 12/18/2013 -
" This book feels like it took me forever to read. It wasn't a bad book but there was nothing in it that really compelled me to keep reading it or to pick it up again once I had put it down. "
— Kristin, 10/21/2013 -
" This is superb. A storyline I have never come across. "
— Belinda, 10/7/2013 -
" Loooooved it. I wish they would go more in depth about Mr. Dodgson and Alice's relationship. I really liked the story. "
— Jesylyn, 1/6/2013 -
" This was a good book, but I will never read Alice in Wonderland in the same way again. I felt so many contradicting feelings. "
— Rabbit, 7/31/2012 -
" This was a book club book and I thought it was very well written. It gave you a glimpse of the time period, which I found very interesting. The story itself was not bad but a little creepy. I enjoyed the second half more. All in all not a bad book. "
— Tracie, 3/15/2012 -
" Sad but interesting! "
— Theresa, 2/15/2012 -
" I think I would have given this book more stars if it wasn't for character authenticity. I just couldn't believe that the 7-10 year old Alice thought, felt and did some of the things she did. I like it other than that-- I couldn't stop listening to it! "
— Lacey, 2/9/2012 -
" I love anything Alice and Wonderland this just made me think more of the back story to the author... I now want to research more about what is true and fiction. "
— Bina, 1/30/2012 -
" Torn between 2 and 3 stars. It was very interesting and a little creepy, but that's part of the story. "
— Tara, 1/28/2012 -
" This was so cleverly written and put together. "
— Aqua124, 1/3/2012 -
" A bit histrionic in places (lots of crying), but overall, a good fictionalized account of the relationship between Charles Dodgson and his muse, Alice Liddell, which also touches on the nature of childhood, imagination, memories and the pain and confusion of growing up. "
— Sara, 12/9/2011 -
" A fascinating book. Strange, weird, off-putting, . . . but absoluting engrossing. "
— Suzanne, 5/18/2011 -
" A little too melodramatic for me. "
— Birdy, 5/17/2011 -
" It took me a long time to get in to this one... Once I had some plane time I was hooked. It was a good read. "
— Andrea, 5/17/2011 -
" The story took me away and I finished it in one night. "
— Sandy, 5/10/2011 -
" Loooooved it. I wish they would go more in depth about Mr. Dodgson and Alice's relationship. I really liked the story. "
— Jesylyn, 5/4/2011 -
" The story of the "real" Alice from Alice in Wonderland. I really enjoyed this book! "
— Amanda, 5/4/2011 -
" Loved the book. Still can't decide if a certain someone in Alice's life was creepy or not. Leaning towards creepy. And I don't mean Ruskin! Although he had his share of creepiness. "
— Krake, 5/1/2011 -
" I really enjoyed learning about the real Alice in Wonderland. The book is nicely written. The relationship between Alice Liddell and Lewis Carroll leaves one wondering, it certainly had an effect on the rest of Alice's life. "
— Cindy, 4/30/2011 -
" Took a break from my current book to read this and I couldn't put it down. Well written, excellent blend of fact and fiction, multi-dimensional characters, this is an excellent example of historical fiction. "
— Katehintx, 4/26/2011 -
" A historical novel based on the girl for whom Lewis Carroll wrote <em>Alice in Wonderland</em>. It is at times creepy, fascinating, and tedious. "
— Meredith, 4/25/2011
About Melanie Benjamin
Melanie Benjamin is the author of several critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling historical novels, including The Aviator’s Wife and Alice I Have Been.
About Samantha Eggar
LeVar Burton is an Emmy Award–winning actor, presenter, director, author, and Earphones Award–winning narrator. He is best known for his roles as the host of the long-running PBS children’s series Reading Rainbow, as Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation, and as the young Kunta Kinte in the 1977 award-winning ABC television miniseries Roots. He has also directed a number of television episodes for various iterations of Star Trek, among other programs. He was named 2017’s Best Male Literary Citizen by Literary Hub and is a 2020 recipient of the Ember Award for unsung contributions to literature.