Book Review: Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin

Alice Pleasance Hargreaves is considered to be the real Alice of the story Alice in Wonderland. She was the 4th child and 2nd girl born to a large family. Most of her childhood was spent in Oxford, England. Her father was dean of Christ Church, domestic chaplain to Prince Albert, and headmaster of Westminster School in London. Alice's mother was a stoic, all starch and no emotions type woman. In Alice's mind she felt no affection from her mother, never felt she quite lived up to what she should be in her mother's eyes. In early childhood an attachment to Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) grew. Often he photographed her. He made her feel seen, important, loved. Their "excursions" to her were innocent. But, in reality he knew better, he was the adult, or supposed to be the adult. They were in fact extremely inappropriate. The author never comes bluntly out in the story to state they were intimate, it is certainly alluded to that Alice has been soiled. Alice's age during her young relationship with Mr. Dodgson was age 7-11. He was about 20 years older. I've shared more about this book than usual in my review, because I cannot recommend this book! If I'd known what it was about I would not have wasted my money, or rather my money became tarnished and soiled because of the underlying theme. I've known too many women that for the rest of their life they are conscious of the fact that an older adult abused them. To read a book that does not help in anyway a girl thats childhood was stolen from her, but instead makes it seem as if she were the vixen and enchantress........ I vomit.
I decided to stop on page 233, I've had enough.

Published by Bantam Books Trade Paperback A Division of Random House 2010, 400 pages

Link @ Publisher:
http://www.randomhouse.com/book/198588/alice-i-have-been-by-melanie-benjamin

Link @ Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Alice-Have-Been-Random-Readers/dp/0385344147/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1328302308&sr=1-1
Paperback $11.25
Kindle $11.99

Authors site:
Melanie Benjamin

Blissful Reading!
Annette