Unfortunately, I couldn't. Maybe it was because I was less familiar with the story line (everyone is familiar with the original Alice, not many of us are as familiar with its sequel). Wrapping my brain around "backwards living" was a trip in itself, but like Alice, I just found myself very confused.
Still, it's entertaining, bringing Alice falling through her own mirror into Looking Glass Land, where everything is backwards and the effects occur before their causes -- for example, the White Queen's finger bleeds before she pricks it with her brooch. The concept is interesting -- in Wonderland, the royal court is comprised of suits of cards; in Looking Glass Land, there are two royal courts, one White and one Red, and the whole world is a giant game of chess which Alice (taking the place of a White pawn) must navigate if she is to become a Queen piece at the end of it, and thus secure her way home again.
This book took me a longer time to read than its predecessor (mainly due to work, knitting, and checking out apartments for the eventual move in April), but it was still a quick read, which is exactly what I have needed in this chilly, gray weather. I'd recommend it, if for no other reason than to continue following Alice's journeys. Be advised though, the Kindle edition of Through the Looking Glass does not feature any of Lewis Carroll's poetry. The lines are taken out, removing such classics as "Jabberwocky" and "The Walrus and the Carpenter", which are so vital to the storyline that they leave the reader at quite the loose end.
Rating: ***
I love your blog. I also weave literature, my memoirs and handicraft together there. some of my posts are bilingual English/Portuguese. Please come by and let me know what else we have in common. I hold a PhD in Amlit, and my M.A. thesis in Amlit was about the textualization of the experience of the Salem Witchcraft in literature from XVII to XX century.
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