This is the monthly read for July at the Book Club Forum, so the review will be slightly different.

Synopsis:

Conceived by a shy British don on a golden afternoon to entertain ten-year-old Alice Liddell and her sisters, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass have delighted generations of readers in more than eighty languages. “The clue to the enduring fascination and greatness of the Alice books,” writes A. S. Byatt in her Introduction, “lies in language. . . . It is play, and word-play, and its endless intriguing puzzles continue to reveal themselves long after we have ceased to be children.”

1. Who was your favourite character and why?

I didn’t have a favourite character I don’t think. I found Alice a bit irritating – I thought she was a bit pompous. I found the Queen funny, with her continual “off with their head!” She was just amusing. I was surprised by the fact I quite liked the Cheshire Cat. In the Disney film it freaked me out, but he was quite pleasant in the book.

2. Was there a particular part you enjoyed/disliked more than the rest?

I liked the tea party. It is one of the parts that has stayed with me. I was entertained by the idea of the game of crotchet, with live animals. The thought of them escaping did have me chuckling. I didn’t like the swimming in the pool of tears though. I found that depressing to read.

3. Was this the first book you’ve read in this genre/by this author, has it encouraged you to read more?

I love children’s classics and am hoping to read through the Wordsworth list. Although I only found this book “OK” it hasn’t put me off. I prefer the books by Francis Hodgson Bennett to Carroll however I just love this genre. I don’t think you can ever be too old for children’s books.

4. Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?

Again it is the idea of the pool of tears. That is something not in the film so it took me by surprise and I just didn’t like it. Why was it there? It was so odd. And the animals all running away from her…I just found it a bit strange.

5. Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience?

It was an OK read. I would give it 3/5 I think. I won’t be rushing to read it again. It wasn’t as eccentric as I was expecting, and like I’ve said, I had no real favourites but it was a pleasant read, and not very long.

Synopsis from Amazon.com:

The second of Dickens’ Christmas Books, The Chimes recounts the tale of a poor day laborer, Toby Veck. Like Scrooge, Toby is guided by a specter through the scenes that refocus his views of Victorian London with all its “stern realities.”

This is not as well known as A Christmas Carol, and not as popular either back when Dickens was writing. I can see why, and actually I preferred A Christmas Carol too – however, that is not to say this is a bad book. It is not by far. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. It is another short story, one which I read in a day. In this story we meet Toby Veck. For the first half of the book he is looking for work and listening to those in wealth speak and seeing just a glimpse of their life. In the second half, he sleep walks up to the Great Bells, where their chiming guides him through a life where is dead and has left his daughter Meg to struggle through.

This book would act as a good historical source because Dickens is not scared to write London as the poor see it. He is explicit in the hardships he portrays – things such as death, drunkenness and of course, poverty. It was heart wrenching to read of these horrendous lifestyles, but that was how it was in Victorian London if you were on the lower end of the wealth spectrum.

Dickens writes in a magnificent way. He is descriptive and captivating. The words flew off the page at me and I was sucked in to what he was writing. I was gripped. I did think that Dickens spent too long on the introduction of Toby’s life however.

He writes lovely characters too. I loved Toby. He was an old man struggling for work, and when he saw the hardships Meg had to endure his heart broke – and I really felt his anguish. And I loved Meg. She was bubbly and caring – and their relationship was very loving.

Although not as famous as A Christmas Carol, this is a very enjoyable Dickens novel. It is short, fast-paced and gripping.

8/10