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. I bought this novel because i had recently read and enjoyed melanie benjamins the autobiography of mrs tom thumb. Alice i have been washington anytime library overdrive. A town like alice a 1950s exciting story, of a woman who has such success, vision, courage and determination. Without a decade of memories, alice is left to piece together what happened in her relationships. Were you surprised the book wasnt just about alice. To ask other readers questions about alice i have been, please sign up. Several victorian novelists used evolutionrelated imagery. This was the first edition of the book and its success led to a second edition in 1866. Considering the cost, in money, time and resources, and the ever expanding field of research, should medical schools expand the curriculum to include endoflife issues. Alice i have been prince william public library system. The new book alice i have been tells the story of alice liddell, the child muse for lewis carrolls character. If you havent read it yet, it might spark some thoughts as you read if you have some of these questions in mind. There werent a lot of facts left behind about alice liddell or lewis carroll.
Alice refuses to read alice in wonderland until she is well into her eighties. The questions and discussion topics that follow are intended to enhance your reading of melanie benjamins alice i have been. Can you come up with a modern day version of alice. 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. I learned a lot of things in medical school, but mortality wasnt one of them.
Set in the 1950s do you think this book would have been an inspiration, particularly to women. These book discussion questions are highly detailed and will ruin plot points if you have not read the book. There is work to be done, but all we want to do is read. Charles darwins the origin of species was published six years earlier. Set in the 1950s do you think this book would have been an. Alice and the members of her support group, mary, cathy, and dan, all discuss how their reputations suffered prior to their diagnoses because people thought they were being difficult or possibly had substance abuse problems. 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. Watch movies based on alices adventures in wonderland and compare them to the book with our free helper comparing a book to its movie. This edition contains an alice i have been discussion guide and an excerpt from melanie benjamins the autobiography of mrs. It is quite a remarkable book actually and alice in wonderland will never look the same again. Alice i have been fairfax county public library overdrive. Benjamin offers a finely wrought portrait of alice that seamlessly blends fact with fiction. Still alice shares the struggle of a middleaged professor who is diagnosed with alzheimers disease. In chapter 16, the awakening, eve states, i believe that all women have these little epiphanies all throughout their lives.
When carroll wrote alice in wonderland, victoria had already been on the throne for 28 years. Now, in this spellbinding historical novel, we meet the young girl whose bright spirit sent her on an unforgettable trip down the rabbit. How many versions of alice in wonderland have been written. Do you think she would have been so accepting of the new alice at the end if she herself didnt get pregnant. Few works of literature are as universally beloved as alices adventures in wonderland. If you have not, did the books mirror the image you had from popular culture. Book discussion questions being mortal by atul gawande introduction. 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. Does alice feel a connection tobutterflies beyond the. Now, in this spellbinding historical novel, we meet the young girl whose bright spirit.
A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Sep 11, 2019 while the concept of open book discussion at your book club is easy to grasp, it is a little harder to practice. Alice i have been melanie benjamin, 2010 random house 400 pp. Alice i have been by maggiehunnel see profile 050410 didn. Benjamins debut imagines alice liddells experiences before and particularly after lewis carroll. About the book a town like alice, a novel written in 1950, is intertwined with romance and economic development. This post contains affiliate links alices adventures in wonderland was written in 1865 by charles lutwidge dodgson, a well known mathematician, scholar, and author. Sep 04, 2015 after you read the book together, take some time to get creative and turn it into a lesson.
What alice forgot by by liane moriarty book club discussion. It is likely that victoria was tucked away somewhere in carrolls mind as he wrote the book, and john tenniel, the books first illustrator, seems to have drawn the queen of hearts to slightly resemble victoria. The book is divided into three parts, each introduced by an authentic photograph of the real alice at various stages in her life. In this rewrite alice has been placed in an insane asylum due to her belief that she went down a rabbit hole and met a talking. Alice may well have been the smartest of all the roosevelt children. At the time alice was written, everything for children had to have a moral. 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. These discussion questions will help confirm students understanding of the storyline and. Alice i have been by melanie benjamin few works of literature are as universally beloved as alice s adventures in wonderland. Do you think eves is a common observation for women who have been married for many years.
Writing under the pseudonym of lewis carroll, dodgson wrote other famous works including through the looking glass and the nonsensical poem jabberwocky. Did george give up on alice too easily or was it right for him to realize he couldnt take care of her in the way she needed to be. Its not only alice who changed over the last decade. Out of all the characters in the book, who do you think had changed the most over the past decade and why. Reading guide for alice i have been by melanie benjamin. Alice i have been king county library system overdrive. The book club, reading group guide mary alice monroe. Why do you think she avoids reading the story she inspired. Why is her mothers butterfly necklace so important to alice. Did reading what alice forgot lift your spirits up or bring them down.
Alice is well known even among people who have not read the books. 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. There have been many movies and many tv shows with alice parodies or references. Book discussion questions being mortal by atul gawande. Contemporary fiction, womens lives and relationships tone. Now, in this spellbinding historical novel, we meet the young girl whose bright spirit sent her on an. I would probably have never read this but it was suggested for a challenge thanks teneal and i have to say i liked it.
Here are some of the things we did as a family and with our friends during our book club. Learn how ageappropriate alice training materials can help prepare elementaryaged students to respond to violent intruder situations in their school. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. How would this story have been different if it had been told from georges point of view. The first part is when she is a small girl living in oxford, uk. As a young woman, wife, mother, and widow, shes experienced intense passion, great privilege, and greater tragedy.
In chapter 2 of alice in wonderland, one of the characters is the dodo. Alice i have been by melanie benjamin is a firstperson fictitious account of the alice who inspired lewis carrolls, alices adventures in wonderland. While reading through this may have spoiled a few things this still seems like an interesting book, ill have to check it out. Welcome to book club babble, the site for busy people who love books. Set in both malaysia and then the australian outback, its easy to see why a town like alice is so well known and a classic. But just as carrolls tale requires a certain suspension of disbelief, so, too, does alice i have been. Oct 16, 2015 theres never been a childrens classic quite like this one, said nancy barber of smithville. What effects do these have on alice, and what are the consequences. It is likely that victoria was tucked away somewhere in carrolls mind as he wrote the book, and john tenniel, the book s first illustrator, seems to have drawn the queen of hearts to slightly resemble victoria. About the book a town like alice, a novel written in 1950. Alice i have been by melanie benjamin book club discussion. Had she lived in another era, do you think she would have run for office.
Alice i have been by melanie benjamin is a firstperson fictitious account of the alice who inspired lewis carrolls, alice s adventures in wonderland. But just as carrolls tale requires a certain suspension of disbelief, so, too, does alice i. Some members may be shy, others might have a hard time openly disagreeing, and you. At the time carroll wrote alice, the theory of evolution was just beginning to permeate popular culture.
Book club questions for still alice book club babble. The relationships between alice and her sisters ina and edith range from rivalry to a lifelong bond. Alice liddell hargreavess life has been a richly woven tapestry. Alice munro discussion questions wednesday book club. Teaching children to stay safe at school can help protect them from assault, abduction and abuse, but its important to educate them without scaring them. Few works of literature are as universally beloved as alice s adventures in wonderland. What would your younger self think about the life you are leading now.
Alice i have been is the story of the heartbreak of alices life, the result of a feisty, lively imaginative little girls desire for love and a lonely mans unfortunate choices, all made far worse by the strictures of their times. What social forces motivate each of the characters to deny dodgsons inappropriate attention to alice. Do you agree and if so, discuss what these epiphanies are. Any comments on alices personal life her marriage to nicholas longworth, subsequent.
Alice discussion questions galesburg public library. Though alice was never elected, the author paints her a politician in her own right. Theres never been a childrens classic quite like this one, said nancy barber of smithville. Alice i have been discussion guide melanie benjamin. While the story of a girls reputation squandered is certainly bleaker than one involving cheshire cats and smoking caterpillars, carroll and benjamin have at least one thing in common. What would the tenyearsago you have been surprised to discover about the current you. A town like alice for those of you who have already read a town like alice, i thought id post some discussion questions early. Because we are big disney fans our kids have always been. 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. While the concept of open book discussion at your book club is easy to grasp, it is a little harder to practice.
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